Book Review #732 - Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

 

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 Rating: 8/10

 

 

This is the third and final book in the Illuminae Files series and is the sequel to Illuminae and Gemina.

 

This book follows the same method in joining the characters we already know in Kady, Ezra, Hanna and Nik whilst also introducing us to new characters in Asha and Rhys.

 

I felt like we spent too much time with already established characters and not enough with the new ones causing Asha and Rhys to feel a little under developed.

 

The book was as fast paced and action packed as the previous two and struggled to put it down throughout.

 

I loved that AIDAN played a larger role than he did in Gemina as I find him the most fascinating aspect of this entire trilogy.

 

Whilst I found I didn't like this book as much as the previous two, I still thought it was a really solid and satisfying end to a remarkable series.

 

I will be attending Jay Kristoff's Likel1k3 book tour next week so look out for my post sharing my pictures of my signed books in this series!

Book Review #707 - Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

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.

My Rating: 8.5/10

I actually think I loved this book even more than Illuminae if that is even possible. 

I found that I didn't like Kady and Nik as much as Kady and Ezra but that's the only negative I can think of at the moment. 

I loved how much the story progressed especially in ways that I never ever saw coming. I loved all the new settings and characters as well. 

It took me a little while to get into the book because of the distances style of writing, but once I got settled I read in practically non-stop, all 600 pages. 

This book was action-packed and constantly kept me on the edge of my seat. 

I love how unique the formatting of these books are although it makes me feel a little distanced from the characters and story when I first start reading. 

Book Review #689 - Homecoming (The 100 #3) by Kass Morgan

Weeks after landing on Earth, the Hundred have managed to create a sense of order amidst their wild, chaotic surroundings. But their delicate balance comes crashing down with the arrival of new dropships from space.

These new arrivals are the lucky ones—back on the Colony, the oxygen is almost gone—but after making it safely to Earth, GLASS’s luck seems to be running out. CLARKE leads a rescue party to the crash site, ready to treat the wounded, but she can’t stop thinking about her parents, who may still be alive. Meanwhile, WELLS struggles to maintain his authority despite the presence of the Vice Chancellor and his armed guards, and BELLAMY must decide whether to face or flee the crimes he thought he’d left behind.

It’s time for the Hundred to come together and fight for the freedom they’ve found on Earth, or risk losing everything—and everyone—they love.

My Rating: 5/5

I think this is my favourite book of the series so far. Where book 2 hinted at possible things happening, this book delivered them. 

There was less of Clarke in this book which I disliked as she is by far my favourite character. Wells and Glass (my 2 least favourite characters) narrated a large portion of the book. 

Whilst the TV show may be a long way past where the book currently is, in general terms (the plots are ENTIRELY different), I love the amount of depth the book has compared to the show. 

Like with the show, these books always end on a cliffhanger and so I will be most definitely be picking up book 4 very soon. 

Book Review #617 - The 100 (The 100 #1) by Kass Morgan

My Rating: 4.5/5


Source: Bought


Buy: The Book Depository


Goodreads

Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents -- considered expendable by society -- are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life...or it could be a suicide mission.

CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor's son, came to Earth for the girl he loves -- but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind's last hope. 

I have heard nothing but good things about not only this book (and the series) but its TV adaptation as well. 

When I first started reading this book I thought that there were way too many characters and I couldn't keep track of them individually. It is told similarly like Pretty Little Liars where there are multiple narrators that change from chapter to chapter. 

Once the characters individual personalities developed (which didn't take that long) I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. 

I would have liked more in the world building area as I had so many unanswered questions in this regard. 

The way the book ended was totally unexpected and I really need to get my hands on the sequel as soon as possible. 

Book Review #612 - Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

My Rating: 4.5/5


Source: Bought


Buy: The Book Depository


Goodreads

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.

This is the first new release book I have read in such a long time. I don't really like spending full price on books but it was 100% worth it with this book. 

Because the book is 100% told through instant messages, files, reports, surveillance footage etc the characters did come across as slightly one-dimensional and I felt distanced from them throughout. 

The overall plot of the book reminded me of 2001: A Space Odyssey, although Illuminae was a lot faster paced and much more exciting (it did include space zombies after all!) 

Overall, I really enjoyed the unique layout of the book as it made it incredibly easy to read. The never saw the plot twist coming which is a rarity for me. 

It did take me a while to get into this book. I am not sure where exactly but after a certain point I was hooked. I went from wondering where the story was going to not being able to put the book down seemingly on the same page. 

Book Review #457 - Genesis (The Rosie Black Chronicles #1) by Lara Morgan

Five hundred years into the future, the world is a different place. The Melt has sunk most of the coastal cities and Newperth is divided into the haves, the “Centrals”; the have-nots, the “Bankers”; and the fringe dwellers, the “Ferals”.

Rosie Black is a Banker. When Rosie finds an unusual box, she has no idea of the grave consequences of her discovery. A mysterious organisation wants it – and will kill to get it.

Forced to rely on two strangers, Rosie is on the run. But who can she trust? Pip, the too attractive Feral, or the secretive man he calls boss?

From Earth to Mars, Rosie must learn the secrets of the box – before it’s too late.

My Rating: 4/5

This was a completely unique dystopian book. It is not about government, which is not very common in YA literature.

The whole idea of space travel was my favourite aspect of this boo. I loved the whole depiction of a colony on Mars, it was very visually pleasing.

The story begins innocently enough with Rosie and her friend finding a mysterious box, which I was very curious about. The further I got into the book, the deeper and more intricate the plot became.

The plot was engaging and perfectly paced mixing action and suspense very well.

The illness part of the story, being the MaIX virus is also a central plot element. I hope this gets explored deeper in the sequels because I would like to know more about it.

Rosie was such a likeable character. This was probably because she came across as very genuine and down to earth. Pip was my second favourite character as he had a certain vulnerability to him but had a cheeky, mischievous wall.

I will definitely be reading the sequels to this book as I really am in love with this world.