Starfall – Wonderfilled Reads

Recommendations Series #3: Science Fiction

Hi y’all! Today I’m back at it with some recommendations, but this time focusing on science fiction novels! I will admit that I’ve been slacking on this genre over the last year or so and I would like to apologize to all of the amazing looking science fiction books currently staring at my with annoyed faces from my TBR bookshelf. I see you, babies! I’m coming for you soon!

The Firebird Trilogy by Claudia Gray

This isn’t your typical science fiction novel, as it’s not set in space. However, there is cross-dimension travel involved and non-stop action that I promise you won’t be able to get enough of. Also, a swoony romance to warm your heart. Can we also agree how gorgeous these covers are? Um yes!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

A fairly well-known book, and soon to be movie directed by Steven Spielberg, this one is an epic adventure that is chock full of pop culture references from the 80’s. If you love video games and science fiction movies, you should enjoy this one!

The Diabolic (The Diabolic, #1) by S.J. Kincaid

This story is definitely a great place to start if you’re looking for a YA science fiction novel. It’s got political intrigue, a socially inept MC (who kills me with her social skills), and a completely engrossing plotline. It was originally going to be a standalone but is now being turned into a duology with the sequel due to release this fall. TW: Death of a LGTBQA+ character.

The Illuminae Files Series by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

To say that I’m obsessed with this series would be an understatement. Illuminae may actually be one of the most original stories that I’ve read. The first novel also contains a character who will always be the greatest character that I’ve read. If you don’t become obsessed with AIDAN too, I’ll be very surprised.

Starflight Duology by Melissa Landers

Now don’t go into this series thinking that it will blow your mind, because it probably won’t. However, you will have buckets of fun and will fall in love with this adorable crew of outcasts. Pick this one up when you’re just looking for a good time! TW: drug addiction (Starfall)

Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown

Oh, I’m sorry, did you really think that I wouldn’t list my all-time favorite series (with the exception of HP, of course!)? HA! The joke is on you, my friend, because I will never not recommend this series to someone. Also, the first book in a new trilogy set 10 years later is being released in January! My body is probably going to spontaneously combust with excitement. TW: violence

Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1) by Michael Crichton

A classic, to be sure. The book actually delves quite deeper into the science behind the park that the film wasn’t able to cover. So if you like that sort of stuff, then you will appreciate Crichton’s writing. I haven’t read any of his other novels but I do believe that’s a common trait with his writing.

Across the Universe Trilogy Beth Revis

I will admit that it’s been quite a while since I read this series, but I do remember really enjoying it. I haven’t seen the movie but I assume based on what it was about, that this series is kind of like a YA version of the movie Passengers. Except better. Because I definitely heard that that movies was awful. Also, yes there was a cover change in the middle of this series. WE DON’T TALK ABOUT IT.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

I don’t tend to hate on the Twilight series because we all read it when we were teens and devoured it. It’s okay to admit these things, instead of acting like we were too mature for that. With that being said, this book is FAR superior to Twilight. I honestly wish more people would read this and see for themselves. I actually think I’ll be rereading it this fall! Also, there was a movie adaptation of it starring Saoirse Ronan.

Star Wars: Aftermath Trilogy by Chuck Wendig

Like I would do a science fiction recommendations post and not include something involving Star Wars! But seriously, I thought this was such a fun series, that just got better with each book. I know some people don’t like that Wendig writes this series in the present tense but I didn’t even notice it after the first book. If you like Star Wars, then these books are a must!

P.S. This post might have been written while listening to the Star Wars soundtracks.

What are some of your favorite science fiction novels? Which ones would recommend? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, what did you think of them?

Book Review: Starfall (Starflight, #2)

While I enjoyed Starflight, I wasn’t very sure how I would feel about this one since it wouldn’t follow my faves, Doran and Solara, and instead focusing on two different crewmembers, Cassia and Kane. But to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed Starfall (Starflight, #2) by Melissa Landers.

When Princess Cassia Rose fled her home world of Eturia to escape an arranged marriage, she had no idea her sudden departure would spark a war. Now after two years hiding as a ship hand, she is finally returning to her beloved home, but not in the way she imagined. Shackled by bounty hunters, she is violently dragged back to account for her crimes. Her only solace is that the Banshee crew managed to evade capture, including Kane Arric, her best friend…with occasional benefits.

Meanwhile, Kane and the rest of the crew of the Banshee plan a desperate rescue mission. But when they arrive on Eturia, Cassia isn’t exactly in need of heroics—she’s claimed her birthright as Eturia’s queen, but has inherited a war-torn planet simmering with rebellion. Cassia must make alliances, and Kane, the bastard son of a merchant, isn’t a choice that will earn her any friends. Kane knows he will never find someone to replace Cassia—and is certain she returns his feelings—but how can he throw away his own promising future waiting on a queen?

When the outer realm is threatened by the dangerous Zhang mafia, Cassia, Kane and the rest of the Banshee crew uncover a horrifying conspiracy that endangers the entire universe. In the face of unspeakable evil, Cassia must confront her own family’s complicated legacy on Eturia and decide once and for all who her real family is.

This is what I love about Melissa Lander’s writing – she always starts it off with a bang. You don’t have to worry about waiting 100 pages for the plot to actually start, oh no, it’s off and running from the very first page. And it never stops. I even felt like like there was more action in this novel than its predecessor. It was one action-packed ride that I didn’t want to get off of! Usually novels with multiple POV’s tend to suffer from one not being as interesting as another. I’m happy to say that I never felt that way with this story. Both POVs were exciting and engaging.

Cassia and Kane were both fun characters, but I think I was just so attached to Solara and Doran after Starflight that I had a harder time connecting to our two new protagonists. Cassia is strong and independent, which I guess is a good thing since she’s the crowned heir to her kingdom and nobody wants a pushover in power. However, because she is a princess and has a bit of superiority complex, I didn’t particularly agree with some of her decisions. She thought that because Kane was beneath her that they couldn’t be together, even though she had feelings for him. This would cause her to blow hot and cold towards him, making out with him one minute and then being a total asshole the next. Listen, I get that she’s got conflicting emotions but when I see fictional characters do stuff like this (it happens more often than you think), I just want to roll my eyes because I just don’t see how anyone would really act that way in real life. I guess that’s why it’s just a story, huh? And Kane… well let’s just say that Kane has his own demons in this novel to deal with. And can I just say that he is one of the most loyal characters ever?! Like, I need him to be my best friend because I know 100% that he would always have my back.

My biggest issue with this book was the way that Doran and Solara were portrayed. They were literally pushed far to the wayside and basically turned into weak shadows of themselves. I mean, they were barely in the story and when they did show up, it was just as generic side characters. Maybe this won’t bother some people who aren’t as attached to them, but it really annoyed me. I WANT MORE DORAN AND SOLARA!

As always, Landers’ writing is easy to maneuver and makes for such a quick read. She does tackle some more interesting themes in this novel than what I was expecting and I loved it. I also enjoyed that we got to see Cassia’s homeworld that was mentioned in Starflight. I really loved getting to see how the politics played out there and how it affected Cassia’s character development. I’m always a sucker for some good politics in books. The manipulation and plotting that goes into it is so intriguing.

Overall this book is just a fun quick read. It’s perfect for a beach read or when you’re just in the mood for some science fiction that isn’t heavy on the science part. While this doesn’t follow the same two main characters as the previous book, I do recommend picking up Starflight first as there are some mentions to events from that novel, but it’s not required. Just be ready for fun ride!

Final Verdict: 4/5 Stars

Have you read Starfall or Starflight? What did you think of them? Do you prefer Solara and Doran over Cassia and Kane or vice versa?

WWW Wednesday – July 12th, 2017

Welcome to WWW Wednesday which is currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s really just a place to do little update on what all you’ve been reading lately. Anyone is welcome to join, just leave a link to your post in the comments and be sure to give the appropriate credit to Sam!

The Three W’s are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1) by Victoria Schwab

I won’t lie and say that I wasn’t confused for about the first 50 pages of this book, because I totally was. Confused but insanely intrigued. This book starts off with a bang and I cannot wait to see where it leads to next. Thanks to everyone who voted this book as my next read the other day on the Twitter poll!

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

Mischling by Affinity Konar

This is my current audiobook and it’s interesting so far. I’m having trouble focusing on actually listening to it lately so I’m going a little slower than when I first started. Hopefully work calms down a bit so I can really get back into this story. I just hope I don’t end up crying at work!

Pearl is in charge of: the sad, the good, the past.

Stasha must care for: the funny, the future, the bad.

It’s 1944 when the twin sisters arrive at Auschwitz with their mother and grandfather. In their benighted new world, Pearl and Stasha Zagorski take refuge in their identical natures, comforting themselves with the private language and shared games of their childhood.

As part of the experimental population of twins known as Mengele’s Zoo, the girls experience privileges and horrors unknown to others, and they find themselves changed, stripped of the personalities they once shared, their identities altered by the burdens of guilt and pain.

That winter, at a concert orchestrated by Mengele, Pearl disappears. Stasha grieves for her twin, but clings to the possibility that Pearl remains alive. When the camp is liberated by the Red Army, she and her companion Feliks–a boy bent on vengeance for his own lost twin–travel through Poland’s devastation. Undeterred by injury, starvation, or the chaos around them, motivated by equal parts danger and hope, they encounter hostile villagers, Jewish resistance fighters, and fellow refugees, their quest enabled by the notion that Mengele may be captured and brought to justice within the ruins of the Warsaw Zoo. As the young survivors discover what has become of the world, they must try to imagine a future within it.

A superbly crafted story, told in a voice as exquisite as it is boundlessly original, Mischling defies every expectation, traversing one of the darkest moments in human history to show us the way toward ethereal beauty, moral reckoning, and soaring hope.

What did you recently finish reading?

King’s Cage (Red Queen, #3) by Victoria Aveyard – 4/5 stars, Review
Leviathan (Leviathan, #1) by Scott Westerfeld – 4/5 stars, audiobook
Starfall (Starflight, #2) by Melissa Landers – 4/5 stars, full review to come
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead – 2/5 stars, audiobook

I think I did a good job catching up on my reading after slacking during the holiday weekend. I also really enjoyed these books for the most part. Unfortunately, I think the hype was just wayyyyy too much for me with The Underground Railroad. I had heard such great things about it, but I just did not enjoy any of the characters and the writing was a bit too much at times. I might try another of Whitehead’s books in the future though to see if I enjoy it more.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby – audiobook
Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity, #2) by Victoria Schwab

My wait list is finally up on Bone Gap from Overdrive so that’ll be up next on my audiobook schedule. I’ve heard amazing things about this story and I’m really excited to dive into it. And of course, continuing with my Smashing Series July, I’ll finish up the Monsters of Verity duology. I can’t decide what series to start after that so I may be doing another Twitter poll. Make my decisions for me, social media peeps!

What have you read this week? What’s next on your TBR? Have you read any of the books on my list? If you read The Underground Railroad, what did you think of it?