Neom REVIEW

Neom by Lavie Tidhar

Published November 8th 2022

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 256

Source: sent by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The city known as Neom is many things to many beings, human or otherwise. Neom is a tech wonderland for the rich and beautiful; an urban sprawl along the Red Sea; and a port of call between Earth and the stars.

In the desert, young orphan Saleh has joined a caravan, hoping to earn his passage off-world from Central Station. But the desert is full of mechanical artefacts, some unexplained and some unexploded. Recently, a wry, unnamed robot has unearthed one of the region’s biggest mysteries: the vestiges of a golden man.

In Neom, childhood affection is rekindling between loyal shurta-officer Nasir and hardworking flower-seller Mariam. But Nasu, a deadly terrorartist, has come to the city with missing memories and unfinished business.

Just one robot can change a city’s destiny with a single rose—especially when that robot is in search of lost love.

I have been meaning to read from this author for a long time so, when the publisher aproached me, of course I had to say yes.

This book is full of rich and unique characters. It has fantastic worldbulding, Neom is both harsh and cozy, futuristic and familiar.

It reminded me a lot of Becky Chambers so, if you enjoy Chambers’ novels, you might also enjoy Neom.

Neom is set in the world of Central Station and, aside from the brief mensions of the station, I don’t think it made any difference that I didn’t read it before. However, now I will, for sure, pick it up.

Rating: 4 stars

Weird Fishes REVIEW

Weird Fishes by Rae Mariz

Published August 19th 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 127

Source: Netgalley – in exchange for an honest review

When Ceph, a squid-like scientist, discovers proof of the ocean’s slowing currents, she makes the dangerous ascent from her deep-sea civilization to the uncharted surface above. Out of her depths and helpless in her symbiotic mech suit, Ceph relies on Iliokai, a seal-folk storyteller, who sings the state of the sea and has seen evidence of clogged currents as she surfs the time gyres throughout the lonely blue. Navigating the perils of their damaged ocean environment, and seemingly insurmountable cultural differences, Ceph and Iliokai realize that the activities of terrestrial beings are slowing the spiralling currents of time. On a journey that connects future and past, the surface and the deep, the unlikely friends struggle to solve a problem so big it needs a leviathan solution.

In this novella, we follow Ceph, a scientist from the depths of the ocean as she explores the surface. The currents are changing and she must discover the reason. During this trip, she makes new friends and discovers the true state the ocean is in.

When I saw this cover, I knew I had to read this book. I love the illustration and the colors go so well together. Sadly, I shouldn’t judge books by their covers and this one proved that to me.

There was something missing. The characters weren’t very interesting and I was always waiting for the plot to get more exciting… and I waited until the end of the book. The idea is good, the concept is interesting but I don’t think it was very well executed.

The ending was also a bit much. A big trigger warning for rape with extreme consequences.

Rating: 3 stars

Stay Awake REVIEW

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin

Published August 9th 2022

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher – in exchange for an honest review

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. When she’s dropped off at the door of her brownstone, a stranger answers―a stranger who now lives in her apartment and forces her out in the cold. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing, and in its place is a bloodstained knife. That’s when she sees that her hands are covered in black pen, scribbled messages like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE.

Two years ago, Liv was living with her best friend, dating a new man, and thriving as a successful writer for a trendy magazine. Now, she’s lost and disoriented in a New York City that looks nothing like what she remembers. Catching a glimpse of the local news, she’s horrified to see reports of a crime scene where the victim’s blood has been used to scrawl a message across a window, the same message that’s inked on her hands. What did she do last night? And why does she remember nothing from the past two years? Liv finds herself on the run for a crime she doesn’t remember committing as she tries to piece together the fragments of her life. But there’s someone who does know exactly what she did, and they’ll do anything to make her forget―permanently.

Megan Goldin does it again!

In Stay Awake, we follow Liv, who forgets everything when she sleeps. When she wakes up, she’s in New York but everything is different. There are strangers living in her home, her work colleagues are different and her best friend doesn’t pick up her calls. I went into this book without knowing anything about it and I’m glad I did so I’ll leave you with this small description of the plot.

I read two other books by Megan Goldin but I was not expecting this. I’d say it’s more psychological than I was expecting. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Because we follow such a vulnerable character, I was stressed for most of the book. But it was so entertaining! I couldn’t put it down. I read it quickly because I wanted to know what had happened in the past and it was such a consuming book, I thought about it all the time.

I don’t want to spoil anything but I have to say that the characters were really well written and the flashbacks were well executed. We were always bouncing from timeline to timeline and it added a lot of tension. It’s one of those books where the final reveal is not everything. Even if you know what happened and who did it, the book is worth it for the journey Liv goes through to get there.

Megan Goldin is quickly becoming one of my favorite mystery writers. Everytime she releases a book, it impresses me more than the one before. I will continue reading her books and can’t wait to see what mysteries she will bring us next.

Rating: 5 stars

The Dinosaur Lords REVIEW

The Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milán

Published July 28, 2015

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 445

Source: Bought it

Men and women live on Paradise, but dinosaurs predominate. Colossal plant-eaters like Brachiosaurus, terrifying meat-eaters like Allosaurus, and, the most feared of all, Tyrannosaurus rex rule the land.

Seeking to centralize real power in his figurehead Fanged Throne, Emperor Felipe of Nuevaropa sets off a chain of wars that may blaze up to consume the continent called the Tyrant’s Head. But is Imperial ambition the only spark, or are more sinister forces at work?

And so we have as our players: Fallen hero Karyl Bogomirskiy, who gets lured into the quixotic task of raising an army from a province of pacifists. Part-time dinosaur master and minstrel and full-time rogue Rob Korrigan, who wants to get paid and laid–but he follows the man he’s written and sung about into what looks like certain disaster. Princess Melodia, who is eager to escape the shadow of her indulgent but neglectful father, the Emperor. And Imperial Champion Jaume, Count of the Flowers, the Empire’s most celebrated swordsman and poet, who wants to serve Beauty and the right. But what can he do when faced with two equally wrong and ugly choices?

In The Dinosaur Lords, dinosaurs roam free in Paradise. As political tension increases, Emperor Felipe of Nuevaropa, who is currently sitting on the Fanged Throne, decides to wage war through the land, to solidify his claim to the throne.

In this book, we follow three main characters: Melodía, the daughter of Emperor Felipe and one of the only people who dare contradict him and challenge his beliefs; Rob, a dinosaur master who has recently lost his job and Karyl, a living legend who is tasked, along with Rob, with an impossible task.

I’ve seen this book being compared with Game of Thrones and, to a certain point, it is true. There’s a lot of intrigue and hidden political plots but that’s about it.

One of the strongest aspects of this book was world-building. There was a lot of detail put into it. The characters were also fleshed out and it was fun to follow different sides of the events. What I think hindered my enjoyment of the book was the story. It had a really good concept but I think it could have been better executed. I still enjoyed it but it could have been so much better! I had a problem with the pacing and certain plot points were hard to follow. There was a big battle in the beginning where I was not familiar with Milán’s writing nor the characters so I didn’t retain a lot of it. In the rest of the book, parts of this battle were brought up and I had to go back and read the beginning to finally understand what the characters were referencing.

Stil, I’ll continue on with the series. I already have the next book and hopefully I’ll get to it soon.

Rating: 3.5 stars

“Careful what you wish for, lad, Rob thought. Blood’s not so easy to put back in, once you let it flow. Your own no more than anybody else’s.”

The Last Wish (The Witcher #0.5) REVIEW

The Last Wish by Andrej Sapkowski

Published January 31st 1993

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 359

Source: Bought it

Geralt the Witcher—revered and hated—is a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent.

But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good… and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

The Last Wish is an anthology featuring Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher. In this book, Geralt basically goes around working for people by killing monsters or solving problems related to monsters. My summary doesn’t sound very good but the book is, trust me.

Geralt was an interesting main character and, even though we don’t get to know a lot about him and his story, I want to! Overall, it was a really cool world with some very intriguing characters that I want to know more about.

This was the first book of the series I read and I immediately want to read more. I have never played the Witcher games but I’ve heard they’re amazing so maybe I’ll try them out. 

Also, as soon as I finish the next book of the series, I’ll watch the Netflix show, my sister keeps telling me to!

Rating: 4.5 stars

“‘People,’ Geralt turned his head, ‘like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves. When they get blind-drunk, cheat, steal, beat their wives, starve an old woman, when they kill a trapped fox with an axe or riddle the last existing unicorn with arrows, they like to think that the Bane entering cottages at daybreak is more monstrous than they are. They feel better then. They find it easier to live.’”

Bloody Rose (The Band #2) REVIEW

Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames

Published August 30th 2018

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 544

Source: Bought it

Live fast, die young.

Tam Hashford is tired of working at her local pub, slinging drinks for world-famous mercenaries and listening to the bards sing of adventure and glory in the world beyond her sleepy hometown.

When the biggest mercenary band of all rolls into town, led by the infamous Bloody Rose, Tam jumps at the chance to sign on as their bard. It’s adventure she wants – and adventure she gets as the crew embark on a quest that will end in one of two ways: glory or death.

It’s time to take a walk on the wyld side.

Six years after what happened in Castia, Rose has formed a new band. They don’t have a bard so, when they visit Tam’s hometown, she auditions to join them. Not too far away, another horde is forming, the survivors of Castia are once again threatening humanity. But Fable is not headed that way, the quest they have is far more dangerous.

I read Kings of the Wyld last year and really liked it so I knew I had to read the sequel soon.

I loved the characters in this one. Again, I love fantasy books with mismatched groups of mercenaries/warriors so it makes sense that I loved this one. But I feel like the characters were exceptionally well done. There was a lot of character development, especially in Tam, the main character. Throughout the book we really got to know them and their stories, almost to the point that they felt like real people.

The story had some similarities with that of Kings of the Wyld but still managed to feel fresh.

This is one of my favorite series and I’m really excited to read the third book. At the time I’m writing this it still doesn’t have a release date but I’ll be keeping an eye out for that. At this point I think I’ll read anything Nicholas Eames writes.

Rating: 5 stars

“It’s not enough to survive what we do, Tam. We must also endure it.” “What’s the difference?” she asked. “One concerns the body, the other the mind. Every battle has a cost,” he said quietly. “Even the ones we win.”

Gerald’s Game REVIEW

Gerald’s Game by Stephen King

Published in 1992

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 342

Source: Borrowed

Stephen King cranks up the suspense in a different kind of bedtime story. A game of seduction between a husband and wife goes horribly awry when the husband dies. But the nightmare has just begun…

Jessie and Gerald have been trying some new things in bed. Jessie is not really into it but it seems to bring the young Gerald back so she goes along with it. Once they arrive at their lake house for a few days off, Gerald brings out his new toys, two police handcuffs. Once Jessie is cuffed to the bedposts, she has a change of heart but it is too late. As Gerald lays dead at the end of the bed, Jessie realizes she is completely alone, and nobody will come to rescue her.

I had been meaning to read this book since the movie came out. It’s not one of the best received works by Stephen King but it still interested me. After reading the book, I can now understand why. 

The story doesn’t have a lot to it. The sinopsis is basically what happens. There are some discoveries and mysteries but it’s nothing mind blowing. There’s also just one character, Jessie, through most of the book so there isn’t a lot of variation on that part.

I also felt that the ending went on for too long. The information was important to the story but I would have processed it better if it didn’t drag on for so long. It was a shocking change of pace.

I will, of course, keep reading King and, even though it wasn’t the best, I’m glad I read one more of his gigantic list of books. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

“Some memories battened onto a person’s mind like evil leeches, and certain words could bring them instantly back to squirming, feverish life.”

Lords of the North (The Last Kingdom #3) REVIEW

Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell

Published January 23rd 2007

Genre: Historical

Pages: 317

Source: Bough it

The year is 878 and Wessex is free from the Vikings. Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a Northumbrian lord, helped Alfred win that victory, but now he is disgusted by Alfred’s lack of generosity and repelled by the king’s insistent piety. He flees Wessex, going back north to seek revenge for the killing of his foster father and to rescue his stepsister, captured in the same raid. He needs to find his old enemy, Kjartan, a renegade Danish lord who lurks in the formidable stronghold of Dunholm. Uhtred arrives in the north to discover rebellion, chaos and fear. His only ally is Hild, a West Saxon nun fleeing her calling, and his best hope is his sword, with which he has made a formidable reputation as a warrior. He will need the assistance of other warriors if he is to attack Dunholm and he finds Guthred, a slave who believes he is a king. He takes him across the Pennines to where a desperate alliance of fanatical Christians and beleaguered Danes form a new army to confront the terrible Viking lords who rule Northumbria.

After the final battle of The Pale Horseman, Uhtred is filled with the desire to go north and recover Bebbanburg from the hands of his uncle. With Hild by his side, they travel north but the journey will not be as calm as both would have hoped.

Bernard Cornwell has created a memorable set of characters that will stay with me for a long time. Reading Lords of the North further proves that this series is one of my favorites of all time that I will cherish for years to come.

I can’t wait to read the sequel! I would also love to read something different from Cornwell so, let me know if you have read any. I would really appreciate some recommendations in the comments.

Rating: 4.5 stars

“In madness lies change, in change is opportunity, and in opportunity are riches.”

Because this is the third book of the series, it will be hard to review the rest of them without repeating myself or spoiling anything major so I might stop the reviews here. What do you think? Would you prefer I continue? Let me know in the comments!

Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries #2) REVIEW

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

Published May 8th 2018

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 158

Source: Scribd

It has a dark past – one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot”. But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more.

Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue.

What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks…

In this novella, Murderbot returns to the mining facility mentioned in the previous book. I don’t want to spoil too much but, if you read the previous novella, you know what I’m talking about.

Artificial Condition also introduced a new character, ART. I love ART so much and I really want  to read more about it. 

If you read All Systems Red, you’ll understand when I say that this book was written with the same distinct style and witty characters. I can’t wait to read the sequel.

If you want a sci-fi novella with a unique and quirky protagonist, try this one. It will not disappoint.

Rating: 4.5 stars

“I said, “Sometimes people do things to you that you can’t do anything about. You just have to survive it and go on.”

Fire Logic (Elemental Logic #1) REVIEW

Fire Logic by Laurie J. Marks

Published May 2002

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 388

Source: Bought it

The martial Sainnites have occupied Shaftal for fifteen years. Every year the cost of resistance rises. Emil, an officer and scholar; Zanja, a diplomat and last survivor of her people; and Karis, a metalsmith, half-blood giant, and an addict, can only watch as their country falls into lawlessness and famine. Together, perhaps they can change the course of history.

The Sainnites have been occupying Shaftal for years but there are people still fighting for freedom. Zanja, Emil and Karis have all been affected by the war and must work together to finally free Shaftal.

I had so many expectations for this book! I found it by accident but it genuinely seemed like something I would love. And, in some level, I did.

The concept was unique. The way the elemental magic was introduced was interesting and definitely added something new. The characters were also well developed and complex. But the story wasn’t great. Big chunks of the book felt irrelevant. More like filler than anything. It’s not that it didn’t have stuff happening, just that it didn’t lead anywhere.

I haven’t made a definite decision but I don’t think I will be reading the next books.

Rating: 3 stars

“The Law failed us, we realize now, because it made us gentle. It relied upon a decency at the heart of every community, the willingness of each person in Shaftal to treat the next with generosity and understanding. When strangers came who were estranged from that decency, our kindness became our weakness.”