Tag Archives: science fiction

11 Oct 2023

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Reviews, Science Fiction
Book Title:
Starter Villain
Book Author:
John Scalzi
Page Count:
264
Publishing Date:
September 19th, 2023
Publisher:
Tor Books
Date Read:
October 7th, 2023
Format:
Hardcover
Source:
Purchased
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Synopsis

Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place.

Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.

Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.

But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital.

It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.

In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat.

My Review

Okay, so…this isn’t usually the kind of book I would read. The cover drew me in, and the synopsis capture me with three words. Talking. Spy. Cats. Yes, talking spy cats. With a book that boasts having talking freaking spy … Continue reading →

5 stars
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27 Feb 2020

The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist

Posted in Dystopian, Reviews, Science Fiction
Book Title:
The Unit
Book Author:
Ninni Holmqvist
Page Count:
273
Publishing Date:
January 3rd, 2010
Publisher:
Oneworld Publications
Date Read:
February 21st, 2020
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Purchased
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Synopsis

On her fiftieth birthday, Dorrit Weger is checked into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material: a state-of-the-art facility in Sweden where she will make new friends, enjoy generous recreational activities and live out her remaining days in comfort with people who are just like her. Here, women over the age of fifty and men over the age of sixty who are single and childless are saved from a life devoid of value and converted into productive members of society. The price? Their bodies, harvested piece by piece for the ‘necessary’ ones (those on whom children depend) and sometimes their minds, as they take part in social and psychological experiments, until the day comes when they make their Final Donation and complete their purpose in life. Despite the ruthless nature of this practice, the ethos of this near-future society and the Unit is to take care of others. Resigned to her fate as a ‘dispensable’, Dorrit finds her days there to be peaceful and consoling. For the first time in her life she no longer feels like an outsider – a single woman in a world of married couples with children. But when she meets a man inside the Unit and falls in love, everything changes…

My Review

I had no idea what I was expecting when I started reading this book. I kind of bought it on a whim and started reading it the day I bought it, because it sounded interesting. I’m a mood reader, so … Continue reading →

3.5 stars
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26 Mar 2019

Last Star Burning by Caitlin Sangster

Posted in Dystopian, Reviews, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Book Title:
Last Star Burning
Book Author:
Caitlin Sangster
Book Series:
Last Star Burning, #1
Page Count:
400
Publishing Date:
October 10th, 2017
Publisher:
Simon Pulse
Date Read:
February 1st, 2019
Format:
Hardcover
Source:
Purchased
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Synopsis

Sev is branded with the mark of a criminal—a star burned into her hand. That’s the penalty for being the daughter of the woman who betrayed their entire nation.

Now her mother’s body is displayed above Traitor’s Arch, kept in a paralyzed half sleep by the same plague that destroyed the rest of the world. And as further punishment, Sev is forced to do hard labor to prove that she’s more valuable alive than dead.

When the government blames Sev for a horrific bombing, she must escape the city or face the chopping block. Unimaginable dangers lurk outside the city walls, and Sev’s only hope of survival lies with the most unlikely person—Howl, the chairman’s son. Though he promises to lead her to safety, Howl has secrets, and Sev can’t help but wonder if he knows more about her past—and her mother’s crimes—than he lets on.

But in a hostile world, trust is a luxury. Even when Sev’s life and the lives of everyone she loves may hang in the balance.

My Review

Last Star Burning was a book that I bought a while ago, but never picked up until now. It just sounded so amazing, and I fell in love with that gorgeous blue and silvery cover. The whole concept behind the … Continue reading →

3 stars
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11 Jul 2018

Spill Zone: The Broken Vow by Scott Westerfeld

Posted in Graphic Novels, Reviews, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Book Tour
Book Title:
Spill Zone: The Broken Vow
Book Author:
Scott Westerfeld
Book Illustrator:
Alex Puvilland
Book Series:
Spillzone, #2
Page Count:
240
Publishing Date:
July 10th, 2018
Publisher:
First Second
Date Read:
July 10th, 2018
Source:
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review - Thank you!
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Synopsis

All hell breaks loose in the second volume of New York Times–bestselling author Scott Westerfeld's visionary graphic novel duology.

Three years ago an event destroyed the small city of Poughkeepsie, forever changing reality within its borders. Strange manifestations and lethal dangers now await anyone who enters the Spill Zone. Addison got close enough to the Spill Zone to touch it, literally. She survived the encounter, but came back changed.

It turns out she's not alone. North Korea has its own Spill Zone, and a young man named Don Jae is the only one who made it out alive. Alive, but changed. Now Addison, Don Jae, and, curiously, a rag doll named Vespertine, share an unholy bond and uncanny powers.

From Scott Westerfeld, the inspired imagination behind the New York Times bestsellers Uglies and Leviathan, comes The Broken Vow, the second volume of our highly anticipated new graphic novel series.

My Review

Last year I read and reviewed the first book in this amazingly fun duolog, Spill Zone.  It was one of the first graphic novels that I had really gotten into, and truth be told, it sparked my obsession with graphic … Continue reading →

4 stars
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