Renegades by Marissa Meye

Series: Renegades, #1

Publication: November 7th 2017 by Feiwel & Friends

Goodreads Description:

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies — humans with extraordinary abilities — who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone... except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice — and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both. 

My thoughts:

I found Renegades so hard to get into, I found it very easy to be distracted but glad I pushed through because I ended up liking it. I went in with high expectations because I adore The Lunar Chronicles but Renegades just didn't have the charm I was looking for.

Nova is so boring really struggled reading her chapters. I just wasn't invested in her storyline at all. I've read so many characters who do what they do to avenge their parents being killers so she felt very unoriginal. I just felt like I'd met her before and they only thing that made he special was her powers. Because I wasn't a fan of her it made her chapters very boring and hard to get through. 

On the other hand I really liked Adrian's chapters. I found him to be super interesting. I liked reading about his relationship with his parents and his powers.

I did really like two other characters who were also on Adrian's team. It was also cool learning about all the different powers. There was so many and they were so unique. Marissa Meyer really got creative in that department!

The pacing was a bit all over the place. It was so slow in the beginning and combined with me not liking Nova meant I was bored. The plot did eventually pick up and there was a lot more action going on in the second half. The plot was quite predictable though and overall I felt the book was too long. I think a lot of stuff could have been left out to speed up the story. I was expecting a fast paced read with lots of action because it was a superhero book.

Marissa Meyer did a great job with the world building though. I loved how she went into all the history of how the world ended how it was and she described the new law and lifestyles people have as a result of the superheroes and villains.

I liked how the story explored the concept of questioning what's good and bad and right and wrong

I ended up liking Renegades but it wasn't anything amazing. I will probably only pick up the next book if it gets amazing reviews because the ending did leave me a bit intrigued for more. 

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

*This post contains spoilers for the first two books in The Illuminae Files series, Illuminae and Gemina.*

Read my review of book 1, Illuminae, here!

Read my review of book 2, Gemina, here!

Series: The Illuminae Files, #3

Publications: March 13th 2018 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description:

Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they'll find seven months after the invasion? 

Meanwhile, Kady's cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza's ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha's past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. 

With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heroes will fall, and hearts will be broken. 

My thoughts:

Obsidio absolutely blew my mind! It was an amazing concluding novel to this epic sci-fi series! It was such an exciting read! 

Liked Rhy- pretty interesting. But nothing compared to Ezra and Nik

Wasn't a fan of Asha- my least favourite of the girls. Wasn't as interesting. Felt very one dimensional. 

Despite not being massive fans of either of them I was still rooting for them and was invested in their part they had to play in the series!

I was here for the other characters though. Starting with our original duo: Kady and Ezra have the best banter in the chat rooms that had me laughing out loud. But they also had some very sweet emotional moments too that I loved reading. My favourite parts where any time they were on the page. 

Ella and Nik's interactions were such a highlight too!

An unexpected pair that stole the show for me was Nik and Ezra. The two are funny guys by themselves and together they are freaking hilarious! Their unexpected friendship in Obsidio was everything. I was here for it!

Obsidio started in the beginning but then I couldn't read fast enough. The second half of the book was mad. There was so much action it was as intense and crazy as the previous books. 

I loved the illustrations by Marie Lu from Hanna's journal- there was a mini comic strip in the story and I was dying reading it. Marie Lu captures Hanna's voice so well in her illustrations. Her personality comes across so well.

Obsidio was such a heart pounding read with lots of action and shocks and I throughly enjoyed every minute of it! It wrapped up the series very nicely and I can't wait to see what Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff do next! 

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi

*This post contains spoilers for the first three books in the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi*

Series: Shatter Me, #4

Publication: March 6th 2018 by HarperCollins

Goodreads Description:

Juliette Ferrars thought she'd won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander, and now has Warner by her side. But she's still the girl with the ability to kill with a single touch—and now she's got the whole world in the palm of her hand. When tragedy hits, who will she become? Will she be able to control the power she wields and use it for good? 

My thoughts: 

I was happy with the ending of Ignite Me so I was very hesitant to pick up Restore Me but I after reading it I can say I am so glad I did! I missed these characters and had so much fun reading about them again!

In Restore Me Juliette is dealing with becoming supreme commander and what that entails. She has a lot of responsibility and I feel like that backtracked her character development. When we left her at the end of Ignite Me she was so confident and strong, which she is at times in Restore Me, but she does spend a lot of time doubting herself and I wished she had more self confidence like she did in Ignite Me. This was a minor thing but it annoyed me at times while reading, I just wanted to shake some sense into her. 

The story is told in dual POV and it was super interesting reading Warner's chapters. He is one of the most complex characters in the series and it was so cool being in his head despite it being such a sad lonely place.

I adored seeing Kenji again. He is hands down the best part of this series. He just brings o much fun and humour the story. I loved how Tahereh decided to develop his relationships with both Juliette and Warner. I loved Juliette and him and the originally trilogy and now I am obsessed with him and Warner. They develop such a nice bromance in Restore Me it was a joy to read!

Tahereh used this new book to introduce some new characters most of which I couldn't care less about but one really stood out for me. I loved reading about and hop to see more from her in future books.

Restore me felt like such a short book. It is definitely what I would call a filler book. It felt like it was just setting up the base for bigger things to come. Not much happens in terms of plot, most of the story is about Juliette and Warners internal struggles- which I enjoyed but I would have liked more action. I felt like all the action was saved until the end.

Speaking of the ending so many things were revealed that left me with lots of questions and theories. So I am very excited to get my hands on the next book!

I had a lot of fun reading Restore Me and I think Shatter Me fans will enjoy this new instalment to the series.

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Series: Unwind Dystology, #1

Publication: November 6th 2007 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description:

Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive. 

My thoughts:

Unwind was a bit of a let down for me. I was hesitant to pick it up because the whole concept of being 'unwound' sounded creepy to me and also because of all the hype. I ended up not loving it but not hating it either. I was very busy when I was reading it so it took me forever to get through which probably also played into my reading experience. 

The story is told through multiple points of view. I usually don't mind multiple POVs but I felt this sorry could have been executed better had there been one narrator. I was extremely bored reading from Lev's point of view and spent the whole time reading his chapters flicking ahead to see when the next Connor or Risa chapter was coming up. 

The characters felt very flat to me. I couldn't relate or emphasise with any of them at all which made it very hard for me to stay interested in the story. I didn't care about any of them. It also didn't help that they all made stupid decisions that had me rolling my eyes. 

The start is very slow. I found my attention drifting and had to force myself to keep reading. The plot was very slow and I felt like we were getting nowhere for ages. A lot of the 'twists' were very obvious to me and there was a good few plot holes scattered throughout. I also had to suspend my disbelief a good bit regards to the starts of the story that kicks everything off (like what mother would raise a child for 16 years and then decide to 'unwind' them just because they are acting like a normal teenager?). The pace picked up towards the end though with a good deal of action that kept my attention the majority of the time.

The writing felt very dry. While reading, I didn't feel anything. There was no beautiful sentences I wanted to make note of of share with friends of though provoking passages. It's all very simple, and nothing noteworthy. 

I will say the book does make the reader think about the issue of pro life and pro choice. The author even managed to write the whole story without advocating for one side of the debate which I appreciated. However the whole concept of being 'unwound' doesn't really tackle a lot of the issues surrounding abortion.

Overall I was unimpressed but I do want to continue with the series just not right now because of all the hype surrounding it.

Thanks for reading,

A :)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Series: Time Quintet, #1

Publication: November 7th 2017 by Farrar Straus Giroux (first published 1962)

Goodreads Description:

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger. 

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract".

Meg's father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space? 

My thoughts:

A Wrinkle in Time is a quick weird read I think kids would love but as a 21 year old it missed the mark with me. It probably didn't help that I read it at a weird time but I ended up thinking it was an okay read but not very memorable. 

Meg was a pretty cookie cutter main character. She feels like no one understands her and she goes on and on about it. I felt like there was nothing special about her and I couldn't relate to her so I ended up not really caring about her.

I also wasn't overly invested in the plot. I usually love middle grade adventure stories but this one just didn't grab my attention but as I said I read this at a bit of a weird time in my life when I couldn't properly focus my attention on reading. It also felt a bit sloppy and all over the place and this made it hard to follow what was going on. There were some parts that just felt random and out of place.

This book has some weird stuff going on and I had to suspend my disbelief because some of the events were very out there. I think a kid reading wouldn't have this problem while reading but as a 21 year old it was a bit too bizarre for me.

I think I would have liked A Wrinkle in Time a lot more if I'd read it at a different time, but as it was it was just an alright read for me. I won't be reading the next book in the series.

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Otherworld by Jason Segel and Kirstin Miller

Series: Otherworld, #1

Publication:  October 31st 2017 by Delacorte Press

Goodreads Description:

The company says Otherworld is amazing—like nothing you’ve ever seen before. They say it’s addictive—that you’ll want to stay forever. They promise Otherworld will make all your dreams come true.

Simon thought Otherworld was a game. Turns out he knew nothing. Otherworld is the next phase of reality. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted.

And it’s about to change humanity forever.

Welcome to the Otherworld. No one could have seen it coming. 

My thoughts:

Short review today guys because I was not a fan of Otherworld. At all.

I hated the main character and that made it so difficult for me to enjoy reading the book. Simon is an idiot. He does and says things that are so wrong, hypocritical and sexist and on top of that he is a stalker and just an all round round bad guy.i hated him and not in the I-love-to-hate a character kind of way; he was just so unlikeable it really hindered my enjoyment of the story.

The actual writing was meh. There was way to many sentences stating with 'I'; I felt like I was in school reading the kids' new copies. The overuse of 'I' did dial down a bit about half way but not enough that it wasn't noticeable. There was also a few incorrect tenses used- enough that I noticed which was annoying.

On top of not liking Simon and finding the writing to be just ok I wasn't a huge fan of the plot. It was alright but nothing ground breaking. I skimmed a lot and felt like I'd read similar stuff before. 

The combination of hating the main character, the weak plot and meh writing made it hard to get through. I ended up skimming a lot. If you're looking for a virtual reality book I'd recommend avoiding Otherworld and picking up Warcross by Marie Lu (review to come) instead!

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Warcross by Marie Lu

Series: Warcross, #1

Publication: September 12th 2017 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description:

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

My thoughts:

Warcross is fantastic! I absolutely loved this sci-fi book more than I thought was possible. I had so much fun reading it.What a whirlwind! I loved how easy it was to fall into it and then to keep reading. I have been a fan of Marie Lu's writing for years and this I think this is her best work to date! Warcross is a new favourite for sure!

The plot was so well paced. I was engaged the whole time and didn't want to put the book down. Warcross is a book that really had me thinking and theorising the whole time; I was constantly trying to guess who was behind the hacking and stuff. It was plot twists galore but I predicted them but I didn't care I saw what was coming because I haven't been that excited to get such a big plot twist since Crown of Midnight back in the day. The plot is action packed and let me tell you Marie Lu is an expert at writing action sequences. All of the warcross tournament matches were my favourite parts; they were so intense and fun to read. All I could think while reading was this needs to be a movie!

I loved the scifi elements and how techy it was and it was so cool imagining it all and the setting. Warcross- the virtual reality world was very well developed. It has been done before but I think Warcross is just such a fun spin on it. Futuristic Tokyo was such a fun and exciting setting. This is such a visual book. Everything is described so well I felt like I could really picture everything and felt like I was there.

Onto the characters: I really liked reading about Emika. She is so smart, a bit too smart sometimes to be realistic but fun nevertheless. I also loved how quirky and different she is from other YA female protagonists. Emkia has rainbow hair and tattoos and skateboards and plays video games. Some of the side characters could have been fleshed out a bit more but it was a very short book so I can't really complain about that. The cast of characters is very diverse; Emkia is Chinese-American, there is a wheelchair user who has a big role and also gay characters.

I loved the cute romance that was on the side; I didn't think I'd ship it but they grew on me and I ended up shipping it so hard, like new obsession shipping it! Hideo won me over pretty quickly with a British accent and rolled up sleeves and cooking for his parents.

Warcorss was fast paced, I loved the setting and characters and just had such an enjoyable time reading! I need book 2 now! I am so excited to see where Marie Lu brings the story now because it could go so many different ways!

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Colliding Skies by Debbie Zaken

*I received an eARC of Colliding Skies from the publisher, OfTomes Publishing, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Publication:March 6th 2018 by Oftomes Publishing

Goodreads Description:
Since Skye Reilly can remember, she has been looking up to the stars. With high school graduation upon her, her telescope in one hand and her college acceptance letter in the other, she has life as meticulously mapped out as her star chart. That is, until the Celeians arrive and she meets Ethan, an alluring alien. Ethan collides into her like an asteroid, causing a gravitational shift in Skye’s trajectory and hurling her life into a cataclysmic collision course of interplanetary proportions.

The Celeians promise many things. An end to disease, global warming, and famine. The knowledge to help humankind. Despite the suspicions surrounding the intriguing aliens and rising anti-alien protests, Skye gives Ethan her trust, and eventually her heart. The very heart he could stop with a lethal electrifying touch of his hand.
When the Magistrate, a council of alien leaders, threatens to put an end to their interspecies relationship, following her heart could cost Skye her life and the lives of everyone she loves.
Not even light can escape the pull of a black hole. 

My thoughts:
Colliding Skies was a fast read but nothing spectacular. I was disappointed in it because of my expectations.I wanted more sci-fi elements and a big focus on the aliens and what we get is a romance(is it actually romance?more on that later) story with hints of sci-fi here an there that is very surface level.

The plot was a bit all over the place. The opening few chapters were fantastic and I was drawn straight in but then the pacing slowed right down and the story started to get dull and boring (for me anyway). There was a bit of action at the end that engaged me but I think it could have been better placed to keep readers interested.

I liked Skye at times but other times I wanted to shake some sense into her. She made some stupid decisions, which most YA main characters do but she had the chance to fix her mistakes and never did. I did like how she had an interest in space (diverse hobbies!) and how curious and inquisitive she was; she asks Ethan lots of question about his species which made reading interesting at times.

The romance is a huge part of the story and I wasn't a fan which I think is why I didn't enjoy the book. Firstly it is insta love galore; straight off the bat Ethan loves Skye and she loves him. They had like 3 conversations none of which were deep or meaningful or anything and she agrees to be in a relationship with him! Another major thing that turned me off the story was that Ethan seems to be obsessed with Skye. He crosses the line of stalker and it is just creepy. Multiple times he did things that were not healthy in a relationship- Skye even says she feels paranoid and uncomfortable because of his actions; he also hypnotises her even when she tells him not to and alters her mood. The toxic elements of their relationship are never addressed and I wanted Skye get as far away from Ethan as possible.

I am a big fan of sci-fi and find it so interesting comparing how authors approach the plot of aliens coming to earth; I was a bit underwhelmed with how it was handled- I was expecting so much more about the Celeians and would have liked to see how the government were interacting with them behind closed doors.

Colliding Skies does ends on a cliffhanger but I found myself not that interested in finding out what was going to happen next; I don't think I will pick up the next book in the series.

Overall in was an alright story and as fast read but it wasn't for me.

Thanks for reading,
A :)

Spoiler Free Review of Alienated Trilogy by Melissa Landers

Series: Alienated

Book 1: Alienated

Book 2: Invaded

Book 3:United

Goodreads Description:

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. 

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. 

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

My thoughts:

I have divided my thoughts into three parts for the books. There are no spoilers for the book I am writing about under each heading(i.e. If you have only read book 1 you can read my review for book 1 and 2 without being spoiled)

Book 1: Alienated

I had fun reading Alienated but had a few problems with it.

I wasn't a big fan of the writing; it came across very babyish at times. I rolled my eyes reading so much times it was a bit ridiculous. There were some lines that felt like the author was trying too hard to sound like a teenager, for example 'full on banana sandwich' , like really? I felf like it was a very unrealistic way for teenagers to be talking.

A minor thing that annoyed me was the main characters name Cara, it's a lovely name but there it was pronounced wrong. They say it's the Irish word for friend which it is (I am irish and have studies the language my whole life) and Aelyx pronounces it 'cah-ra' which is right but there's a scene where they make fun of him and say it's pronounced 'Care-a' which is wrong.

I really liked Aelyx and he was definitely one of the reasons that I kept reading but Cara was so annoying and stupid and smart for a supposedly smart girl it annoyed me.

Alientated was a fun read but nothing ground breaking; I was expecting it to be like Jennifer L Armentrout's Lux series and be obsessed with it and find it so addictive but I didn't.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Book 2: Invaded

In my opinion Invaded was not as much fun as Alienated. Aelyx and Cara separated so their is hardly any interactions between the two which is what made book 1 so enjoyable.

The writing is still annoying in Invaded but not as much as it was in Alienated. There isn't as much dialogue that had me rolling my eyes and as much unrealistic stuff.

The plot was so predictable in this one, I predicted how it would end so early on that it made the 'twists'/'reveals' very underwhelming.

I really liked on aspect of this book in particular though; there was a big focus on Cara and her big brothers relationship which I loved reading about. I felt like they were written as a very realistic sibling relationship.

My rating: 3 stars

Book 3: United

I found United to be a lot better than Invaded. I was a bit hesitant to pick up this final book because I wasn't the biggest fan of the second book but United was actually quite good. I had fun reading it but I'm not sure if I liked it as much as Alienated.

While I had fun reading it I do think everything wrapped up super quickly and conveniently and it was all very predictable but I didn't mind it too much because it was fun having Aleyx and Cara together.

I had fun with the series but not as much as I'd hoped. I was expecting to be obsessed with it like JLAs Lux series but wasn't. 

My rating: 3.5 stars

Thanks for reading,
A :)

Spoiler free series review of Starbound trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Series: Starbound Trilogy

Book 1: These Broken Stars

Book 2: This Shattered World

Book 3: Their Fractured Light 

Goodreads Description of book 1:

Luxury spaceliner Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive – alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help. Everything changes when they uncover the truth. 

The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy. 

My thoughts: 

I've divided this review into 3 sections so you can avoid spoilers but regardless I will keep my thoughts as spoiler free as possible!

Book 1, These Broken Stars:

I enjoyed reading These Broken Stars but wasn't blown away by it. 

I couldn't stand the main character Lilac for the first half of the story. I found her so annoying. She couldn't do anything herself and had to rely on Tarver for everything. She did grow and develop but I felt like her helplessness was a bit over the top.  Like some things she couldnt/didn't do was common sense. I did grow to like her though when she stepped up to the plate. If you are frustrated with her like I was just push through- I promise she gets better 

It also took me a long time to really care about Tarver and Lilac's relationship. It's defining a slow burn relationships. They start out hating each other and slowly growing together.

I loved the survival aspect of the story and how big a part of the plot it was. I love reading about characters thrust into new environments fighting for their lives. There was defining some cliche scenes but I didn't mind them that much.

I was a bit confused at the end when everything started to get very scientific. This could have been because I was reading it in 10 page burst and probably didn't absorb all the explanations. I felt like the descriptions of what was happening was rushed and unclear. 

My rating: 3.5 stars; but it would have been a 4 if I had read it when I had time to read instead of in short bursts here and there.

Book 2, This Shattered World:

This Shattered World is an epic sequel, I enjoyed it so much more than These Broken Stars! If you weren't a huge fan of the first book I'd say give this one a go anyway. It's much better.

I had so much fun reading this book because I was not expecting to find Irish culture to be part of the world. It was great! I loved how they mentioned things like Molly Malone and Flynns group of rebels is called the Fianna and there was Irish scattered throughout it! And the grammar was right and it was called Irish not gaelic like it is in some books. The authors clearly did their research! I also loved how one of our famous Irish myths of Tir na nóg was included in passing but had a cool sci-fi twist! I hardly ever get to see my culture in the books I read so I was so excited that it was included.

I also had so much more fun reading this one because Jubilee is so much better to read than Lilac. Jubilee is a badass fighter who goes after what she wants. I loved reading her chapters. 

I also liked Flynn and Jubilee's relationship more than Lilac and Tarvers. I defining shooed the two and I loved how their story was kind of like a Romeo and Juliette type narrative. I liked how well their personalities complemented each other's.

While theses are companion novels I think that you do have to read These Broken Stars first, the characters from book 1 do pop up and play an important role towards the end of the novel. 

My Rating: 4 stars

Book 3, Their Fractured Light:

Their Fractured Light was probably my favourite book in the series. 

I loved how fast paced the story was. There was lots of action and tension spread out the whole novel with a nice mix of slower character driven moments.

I really liked Sofia. She's different from Lilac and Jubilee. She reminded me of a more confident version of Cress from Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles.

I loved reading about Sofia and Gideon's relationship. They both have a lot of trust issues so it was fun seeing their relationship develop. They weren't super cutesy but I loved them because I of how well they worked as a team. Their interactions were one of my favourite parts. 

The characters from the first two books join the story in the second half of Their Fractured Light so it is important to read the first two books. It was fun reading all their interactions because they are all such different personalities.

My Rating: 4 stars; I think it had the potential to be my favourite in the series and a 5 star read but wasn't because I was so busy while reading it that it took me ages.

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

*Warning this post contains spoilers for the first book in the series, Illuminae*

Series: The Illuminae Files, #2

Publication:October 18th 2016 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description:

The highly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that critics are calling “out-of-this-world awesome.” 

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless. 

My thoughts:
If you read Illuminae and are wondering if Gemina is just amazing I'm here to tell you that it is absolutely fantastic, just like Illuminae I couldn't put it down. It is such an epic story and I'd highly recommend you give it a read if you are a fan of Illuminae.

We are introduced to two new main characters. Firstly there's Hana. When the story starts she came across as super girly to me and I wasn't sure I'd like her as much as Kady but I grew to like her as I got to know her. And boy did she surprise me. Her character arc was fab. Our main male character, Nik, also surprised me. I wasn't expecting his personality to be like it was. He's not as snarky as Ezra but still really fun to read. The side characters were so much fun too, especially Nik's cousin, Ella. And just to let you know, yes the Illuminae characters do pop up here and there!

The plot of Gemina is crazy intense, I couldn't stop reading. It was just so exciting and so much going on, it really is a rollercoaster of a ride. The last half of the story had me on edge the whole time. The ending is mind blowing it left me needing the next book asap!

Just like with Illuminae the unique format of instant messages, surveillance footage, file, emails etc makes the story fly by. I really liked the addition of illustrations by Marie Lu for Hana's journal.

Gemina is much more sci-fi-y than Illuminae. It got a bit confusing towards the end for me and I had to reread a few sections to comprehend what was happening. This is probably because I don't read a lot of sci-fi and the format makes it a bit more difficult to comprehend things like what was going on. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Gemina and for sure will be picking up the next book in the series when it comes out.

My rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Thanks for reading,
A :)