Category Archives: Sci-Fi

Review: It Looks Like Us by Alison Ames

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It Looks Like Us by Alison Ames

It Looks Like Us
Alison Ames
Page Street Kids
Published September 13, 2022

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About It Looks Like Us

The remote terror of THE THING meets the body horror of WILDER GIRLS in this fast-paced Antarctic thriller.

Shy high school junior Riley Kowalski is spending her winter break on a research trip to Antarctica, sponsored by one of the world’s biggest tech companies. She joins five student volunteers, a company-approved chaperone, and an impartial scientist to prove that environmental plastic pollution has reached all the way to Antarctica, but what they find is something much worse… something that looks human.

Riley has anxiety–ostracized by the kids at school because of panic attacks–so when she starts to feel like something’s wrong with their expedition leader, Greta, she writes it off. But when Greta snaps and tries to kill Riley, she can’t chalk it up to an overactive imagination anymore. Worse, after watching Greta disintegrate, only to find another student with the same affliction, she realizes they haven’t been infected, they’ve been infiltrated–by something that can change its shape. And if the group isn’t careful, that something could quickly replace any of them.

My Review

Horror isn’t usually something I read very often– it tends to get into my head too much and then revisit me at night– but I tend to really enjoy books by PageStreet, so I decided to give IT LOOKS LIKE US a try.

And I was NOT disappointed!

From the very first, I needed to know what would happen to Riley. She’s smart and anxious and I found it so easy to identify with her. I loved the way she forged relationships with others on the team and even how confrontations with the monster who appeared as her team members affected her emotionally. Those scenes exploring how she felt hearing their voices and seeing their faces as part of something she knew was trying to kill her were some of the most gripping for me.

At less than 300 pages, IT LOOKS LIKE US is a pretty quick read. Scenes from after Riley escapes frame the story, and it begins with two people she refers to as Good Cop and Bad Cop interrogating her. As she answers their questions, she takes us back into the story of what happened. We watch things unfold knowing that grim things are to come. I felt like that format heightened the tension for me, and I loved it.

So… in the story, Riley and the team go to Antarctica on a research trip arranged by a mega wealthy billionaire who has rockets that go to space and a company that makes electric cars. Named Anton Rusk. Yep. Kind of made me laugh when the story introduced him.

On the whole, I devoured this book. I loved its energy. I also loved the way cleverness and desperation and some of the relationships between characters. Though horror will never be my preferred genre, I’m really glad I had a chance to read this one.

Content Notes

Content warnings for violence and body horror. Brief alcohol use and presence of drugs.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Riley has anxiety and panic attacks and is ace.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Two people undress and climb into a sleeping back together to ward off hypothermia. One reassures the other that he isn’t trying to have sex with her, he’s trying to help her survive.

Spiritual Content
Riley and her team encounter an otherworldly monster that can shapeshift and speak to them.

Violent Content
Some descriptions of violent death. The monster shapeshifts in very unsettling ways, sometimes melting from one shape to another. Sometimes its bones seem to crack and shift. Mouths open up in strange places.

Drug Content
In one scene, after a confrontation with the monster, Riley and her friends drink gin they’ve found. In another scene, Riley discovers weed among one of her team member’s things. The two people who interrogate Riley pump her full of some types of medications that prevent her from experiencing the pain and trauma of her injuries while they question her.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of IT LOOKS LIKE US in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Trex by Christyne Morrell

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Sci-Fi,

Trex
Christyne Morrell
Delacorte Press
Published August 30, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Trex

This middle grade mystery follows the adventures of a boy with an experimental brain implant, and a reclusive girl training to be a spy, as they’re pitted against school bullies, their own parents, and an evil, brain-hacking corporation. Perfect for fans of STRANGER THINGS.

Trex’s experimental brain implant saved his life–but it also made his life a lot harder. Now he shocks everything he touches. When his overprotective mother finally agrees to send him to a real school for sixth grade, Trex is determined to fit in.

He wasn’t counting on Mellie the Mouse. She lives in the creepiest house in Hopewell Hill, where she spends her time scowling, lurking, ignoring bullies, and training to be a spy. Mellie is convinced she saw lightning shoot from Trex’s fingertips, and she is Very Suspicious.

And she should be . . . but not of Trex. Someone mysterious is lurking in the shadows . . . someone who knows a dangerous secret.

My Review

I had a lot of fun reading this book. I loved both Mellie and Trex (though I kept stumbling over his name and calling him T. Rex). It was easy to get drawn into the small town of Hopewell with its Mom Squad and the statue of the Unnamed Girl.

Mellie’s shyness and loneliness both resonated with me, too. I love that the story is partly her journey toward better understanding herself and her own needs. The friendship between her and Trex is so sweet, too. I loved the way they both needed each other for different reasons. And the way that pursuing a mystery brought them together.

Another thing that will stick with me is the note from the author about her own experience with anxiety and being an introvert. I love that she shared something so personal and the way her own life intersects (and differs from) Mellie’s experiences. The note was really gentle and encouraging. I know that for me at the age Mellie is in the story, being an introvert wasn’t something that was really celebrated, especially at school. So I love that there’s some focus and encouragement for introverted readers.

I think readers who enjoy books like FLORA & ULYSSES by Kate DiCamillo or HONESTLY ELLIOT by Gillian McDunn will enjoy TREX.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Mellie has anxiety.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Adults drug a child. In one scene, a man throws a child into a pit, intending serious injury.

Drug Content
Adults drug a child with a sedative.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of TREX in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Memory Index by Julian R. Vaca

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

The Memory Index
Julian R. Vaca
Thomas Nelson
Published

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About The Memory Index

In a world where memories are like currency, dreams can be a complicated business.

In an alternative 1987, a disease ravages human memories. There is no cure, only artificial recall. The lucky ones–the recollectors–need the treatment only once a day.

Freya Izquierdo isn’t lucky. The high school senior is a “degen” who needs artificial recall several times a day. Plagued by blinding half-memories that take her to her knees, she’s desperate to remember everything that will help her investigate her father’s violent death. When her sleuthing almost lands her in jail, a shadowy school dean selects her to attend his Foxtail Academy, where five hundred students will trial a new tech said to make artificial recall obsolete.

She’s the only degen on campus. Why was she chosen? Freya is nothing like the other students, not even her new friends Ollie, Chase, and the alluring Fletcher Cohen. Definitely not at all like the students who start to vanish, one by one. And nothing like the mysterious Dean Mendelsohn, who has a bunker deep in the woods behind the school.

Nothing can prepare Freya and her friends for the truth of what that bunker holds. And what kind of memories she’ll have to access to survive it.

My Review

I loved reading a book set in an alternate version of the 1980s! I thought it was really cool to see something so different and celebrating a really fun decade.

The pacing of the book seemed a little weird to me, though. It seemed like THE MEMORY INDEX was telling one kind of story and then kind of flipped to telling a different kind of story really late in the book. I struggled with the characters’ responses to the change, and the timing of the switch. Like they seemed to kind of roll with it as though there was no other choice, but then they also seemed content with the switch. It confused me.

I liked the relationship between Freya and Fletcher and the way both grow through the story. Another thing I liked is the way Ollie’s and Chase’s characters added humor and fun to the story.

On the whole, I think the story was okay. I liked the characters more than the plot. I wish the pacing had been different so that there was more time to explore how the characters felt as they learned new information. I’d say this one was a solid okay for me. If you love stories set in the 80s and alternate history or weird memory issues, you may love those elements of this book.

Content Notes for The Memory Index

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Freya is Latinx American. Ollie is Filipino American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Society is based on a deeply prejudiced class system determined by a test of how well someone remembers events from their past. A student makes racist comments about Ollie.

Drug Content
Teens drink beer. References to using hallucinogenic drugs.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE MEMORY INDEX in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Stars Between Us by Cristin Terrill

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The Stars Between Us
Cristin Terrill
Wednesday Books
August 2, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Stars Between Us

There’s always been a mystery to Vika Hale’s life. Ever since she was a child, she’s had an unknown benefactor providing for her and her family, making sure that Vika and her sister received the best education they could. Now, Vika longs for a bigger life than one as a poor barmaid on a struggling planet, but those dreams feel out of reach. Until one day Vika learns that her benefactor was a billionaire magnate who recently died under suspicious circumstances, and Vika has shockingly been included in his will. Invited to live on a glittering neighboring planet, Vika steps into a world she can hardly believe is real.

The only blight on Vika’s lavish new life is the constant presence of Sky Foster, a mysterious young man from Vika’s past who works for her benefactors. She doesn’t like or trust Sky, but when she narrowly escapes an explosion and realizes someone is targeting the will’s heirs, Vika knows Sky is the only one who can help her discover the identity of the bomber before she becomes their next victim. As Vika and Sky delve into the truth of the attacks, they uncover a web of secrets, murder, and an underground rebellion who may hold the answers they’ve been looking for. But Sky isn’t who he seems to be, and Vika may not escape this new life unscathed.

In THE STARS BETWEEN US, Cristin Terrill sweeps readers away to a Dickensian-inspired world where secrets are currency and love is the most dangerous risk of all.

My Review

I’ve read both of Cristin Terrill’s other books, and I enjoyed them both– her debut more than the second book, but both still good. So, when I saw she had a new book coming out, I knew I needed to read it. I loved the sci-fi elements of her first book, and the suspense/mystery elements of the second book, and THE STARS BETWEEN US looked to combine them both. Seemed like a sure win to me! Plus, I admit, the description “Dickensian” definitely left me intrigued.

I think my favorite thing about the book is that I felt like Cristin Terrill wasn’t afraid to play around with the usual stereotypes and push them further. We’ve all seen the strong-willed, pushy heroines, and the lovestruck heroes.

In THE STARS BETWEEN US, Vika is not only pushy and driven. Sometimes she’s straight up unkind. In the moment, she feels sure of her accusations and her words. Later, she often realizes how her words sounded and the ways she may have been wrong.

I loved that Sky was unapologetic about his feelings for Vika. Sometimes he seemed embarrassed or afraid, but he never apologized for loving her, and I loved that. He tried to do what she asked, not assume that he knew more than she did or that he could do something else and she’d understand later. He gave her space. I liked that.

The plot of the story kept me hooked all the way through. I had a list of suspects and really enjoyed the back and forth game of trying to figure out who the saboteur was and why.

All in all, I’d call this my favorite of Cristin Terrill’s books so far. I think fans of STARFLIGHT by Melissa Landers or ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA by Diana Peterfreund will really enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity and pseudo profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Explosions. One boy attacks another.

Drug Content
Alcohol is served at fancy dinners and parties.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE STARS BETWEEN US in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid

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Before Takeoff
Adi Alsaid
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published June 7, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Before Takeoff

The Sun Is Also a Star meets Jumanji when two teens meet and fall in love during a layover-gone-wrong at the Atlanta airport in this thrilling new novel from the author of Let’s Get Lost!

James and Michelle find themselves in the Atlanta airport on a layover. They couldn’t be more different, but seemingly interminable delays draw them both to a mysterious flashing green light–and each other.

Where James is passive, Michelle is anything but. And she quickly discovers that the flashing green light is actually… a button. Which she presses. Which may or may not unwittingly break the rules of the universe–at least as those rules apply to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta.

Before they can figure up from down, strange, impossible things start happening: snowstorms form inside the B terminal; jungles sprout up in the C terminal; and earthquakes split the ground apart in between. And no matter how hard they try, it seems no one can find a way in or out of the airport. James and Michelle team up to find their families and either escape the airport, or put an end to its chaos–before it’s too late.

My Review

The first book by Adi Alsaid that I read is WE DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS. I loved that book, so I knew as soon as I saw this one that I really wanted to read it. Between that and the comparison to Jumanji, I built pretty high expectations for this story.

And… those expectations were met one hundred percent! I loved the weirdness of the airport and all the bizarre things that kept happening. I loved James and Michelle and the way their relationship developed.

The story is told in an omniscient point-of-view, where the narrator zooms in and out of different characters and situations. Normally I’m not a huge fan of that style, but I feel like Alsaid uses it SO WELL in his writing. That feeling of zooming in and out and following different characters all feels perfectly timed and adds so much depth to the storytelling. I love it.

If you’re looking for a book that takes a sideways look at humanity, or dives into the weird ways people react in a crisis, or simply a sweet, unexpected romance that blooms in the center of chaos, this book is absolutely not to be missed. I love so many things about it. This is definitely one that I’m going to pester my friends to read so I have someone to talk about it with!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
James is Latino. Michelle is Asian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. In one scene they remove their shirts.

Spiritual Content
Strange events take place at the airport. Snow and rain fall. Fissures open. It’s unclear what governs those events.

Violent Content – content warning for racism.
Some people trapped in the airport become violent. A man confronts another man, using slurs and threatening him.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of BEFORE TAKEOFF in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long

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Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves
Meg Long
Wednesday Books
Published January 11, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves

After angering a local gangster, seventeen-year-old Sena Korhosen must flee with her prize fighting wolf, Iska, in tow. A team of scientists offer to pay her way off her frozen planet on one condition: she gets them to the finish line of the planet’s infamous sled race. Though Sena always swore she’d never race after it claimed both her mothers’ lives, it’s now her only option.

But the tundra is a treacherous place, and as the race unfolds and their lives are threatened at every turn, Sena starts to question her own abilities. She must discover whether she’s strong enough to survive the wild – whether she and Iska together are strong enough to get them all out alive.

A captivating debut about survival, found family, and the bond between a girl and a wolf that delivers a fresh twist on classic survival stories and frontier myths.

My Review

I liked this book from the beginning, and then Remy, one of the minor characters that’s part of a scientific expedition visiting Sena’s planet, entered the scene. She’s spunky and teasing and I loved her so much. She really added a lot of light and balance to Sena’s serious and sometimes moody personality. I felt like the story picked up a lot as soon as Remy walked into it, which was maybe 20% in?

I also loved the relationship between Iska and Sena. I’ve had the experience where an animal chooses you as their family. It was much less dramatic than a fighting wolf, but still, it’s an amazing thing, and I felt like COLD THE NIGHT captured that really well.

The planet where Sena lives is this rough, gritty icy place. Think Wild West meets Arctic tundra. It seemed exactly like the kind of place that Captain Mal and his crew from Firefly would end up at some point. Those gritty elements really worked to create high stakes and desperate characters, which definitely kept me engaged in the story.

All in all, I thought this one would make a great addition to the YA sci-fi shelves. I think readers who enjoy books by Claudia Gray or Hayley Stone will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Sena was raised by two mothers.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some scenes briefly show wolves being forced to fight each other. Animals attack people in several scenes. Goblins attack people in a couple scenes. Some of these scenes show some graphic violence and fatality.

Drug Content
Some characters drink alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of COLD THE NIGHT, FAST THE WOLVES in exchange for my honest review.