Category: Science Fiction

Review: The Raging Ones

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Title: The Raging Ones
Author: Krista & Becca Ritchie
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: August 14, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling authors Krista and Becca Ritchie, comes The Raging Ones, an edge of your seat sci-fi romance with twists and turns that you will never see coming!

In a freezing world, where everyone knows the day they will die, three teens break all odds.

Franny Bluecastle, a tough city teen, dreams of dying in opulence, to see wealth she’s never known. Like the entire world, she believes it’s impossible to dodge a deathday.

Until the day she does.

Court Icecastle knows wealth. He also knows pain. Spending five years in Vorkter Prison, a fortress of ice and suffering, he dreams of life beyond the people that haunt him and the world that imprisoned him.

Mykal Kickfall fights for those he loves. The rugged Hinterlander shares a frustrating yet unbreakable connection with Court—which only grows more lawless and chaotic as their senses and emotions connect with Franny.

With the threat of people learning they’ve dodged their deathdays, they must flee their planet to survive. But to do so, all three will have to hide their shared bond as they vie for a highly sought after spot in the newest mission to space. Against thousands of people far smarter, who’ll live longer, and never fear death the way that they do.

Review:

I absolutely loved this book!

I was on the edge of my seat through the whole book. The premise was crazy: everyone on the planet knows the day they will die. Everyone is ranked in society based on how long they will live. Those who live longer are given more opportunities because they will have more time to make use of their lives.

The three main characters survive past their death day, and they are emotionally linked. They can feel each other’s pain and happiness. Once Court and Mykal meet Franny, they include her in their journey to join a space mission, so they can escape the world that they don’t belong in. The question is, will they all make it onto the mission?

I had so many questions through the book. When I was getting close to the end, I was disappointed because I was still wondering about many things. However, all of my questions were answered in the last couple of pages! It was an amazing ending, and I wish I didn’t have to wait so long for the sequel! I have no idea what is going to happen next!

What to read next:

  • Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

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Have you read The Raging Ones? What did you think of it?

 

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Review: Doctor Who: Summer Falls

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Title: Summer Falls
Author: Amelia Williams (AKA James Goss)
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: BBC Books
Source: Purchased
Release Date: April 4, 2013
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

“When summer falls, the Lord of Winter will arise…”

In the seaside village of Watchcombe, young Kate is determined to make the most of her last week of summer holiday. But when she discovers a mysterious painting entitled ‘The Lord of Winter’ in a charity shop, it leads her on an adventure she never could have planned. Kate soon realises the old seacape, painted long ago by an eccentric local artist, is actually a puzzle. And with the help of some bizarre new acquaintances – including a museum curator’s magical cat, a miserable neighbour, and a lonely boy – she plans on solving it.

And then, one morning Kate wakes up to a world changed forever. For the Lord of Winter is coming – and Kate has a very important decision to make.

Review:

I loved this book. This book was in an episode of Doctor Who, and was written by one of the characters. As soon as I saw that it was a real book, I had to read it! This makes it a different kind of Doctor Who story because it isn’t about an adventure he had with characters from the show. It is a story about a girl who had contact with some strange things when an unusual man (aka the Doctor) came to town.

This book captures the essence of Doctor Who. It is creepy but funny. It would be a good story for middle grade readers, and adults too because even I found some parts creepy and entertaining. Doctor Who is a great show for kids and adults, just like this book. Yet, you don’t have to be familiar with Doctor Who to enjoy the story. He is there, but he isn’t the focus, and he isn’t even explicitly named.

There were a bunch of funny lines in this story. I loved when the talking cat told Kate to stop interrupting her bath, because every time she stops, she must start the bath from the beginning. That would explain why cats have such long baths!

This story was suspenseful and unpredictable. I had no idea what was going to happen, and I loved it!

Have you read this book? What did you think?

Review: Vicious

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Title: Vicious
Author: V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Publisher: Tor
Source: Purchased
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

Review:

V.E. Schwab is one of my favourite authors. She is an amazing writer. This book is a fabulous example.

Throughout the story, the setting switches between the present, two nights ago, ten years ago, and other time periods in between. In many stories, this is confusing, but it made sense in this book. In each chapter, the main character was introduced quickly, so I knew exactly where we were in the storyline.

The information in the story is unraveled slowly, but it made it so addicting to read. I had lots of questions right from the beginning, and the answers were slowly given. It was enough to keep me intrigued but I also didn’t have any idea where the story was going.

I loved the way that the disinction between good and evil are blurred in this story. It isn’t clear who is a villain or a hero, or even if there isn’t a hero or villain. Victor and Eli both have reasons for hunting out people, and they both think they’re right, but who are they to decide who lives or dies? I loved this philosophical layer to the story. 

I’m glad I read this story now, because the long awaited sequel is coming out later this year. I loved this book!

Review: A Big Hand For The Doctor

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Title: A Big Hand For The Doctor
Author: Eoin Colfer
Genre: Short Story, Science Fiction
Publisher: Puffin
Source: Purchased
Release Date: January 23, 2013
Rating: ★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Eleven Doctors, eleven months, eleven stories: a year-long celebration of Doctor Who! The most exciting names in children’s fiction each create their own unique adventure about the time-travelling Time Lord.

London, 1900. The First Doctor is missing both his hand and his granddaughter, Susan. Faced with the search for Susan, a strange beam of soporific light, and a host of marauding Soul Pirates intent on harvesting human limbs, the Doctor is promised a dangerous journey into a land he may never forget…

Review:

I’m not very familiar with the first Doctor Who. I’ve watched a couple of episodes with him in them, but they are very different from the current episodes. He isn’t my favourite Doctor, but without him the show may not exist today. The actor who played the Doctor got dementia, so he could no longer act on the show. They had him “regenerate” into a new actor. It was a clever way to keep the story going for 50 years.

I didn’t like the way the Doctor was portrayed in this story. He spent a long time obsessing over his new strange claw hand thing. He looked for weapons to fight the bad guys, when the Doctor is supposed to be a peaceful figure. He didn’t seem like the character I know. He may have changed over time, but this version isn’t right for today’s audience.

The narrative was strange. It kept switching from the Doctor’s perspective to the perspective of other characters. It was all done in third person, but the narrator knew everyone’s thoughts. I don’t like this style, because it isn’t focused on one character. It is too broad.

I didn’t like this story, but I hope I like the others in the 50th anniversary short story collection.

Review: Doctor Who: Myths and Legends

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Title: Doctor Who: Myths and Legends
Author: Richard Dinnick
Genre: Short Stories, Science Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Random House UK
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: September 26, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

For thousands of years, epic stories have been passed down from Time Lord to student, generation to generation. The truth of these tales was lost millennia ago, but the myths and legends themselves are timeless.

These are the most enduring of those tales. From the princess Manussa and her giant snake Mara, to the Vardon Horse of Xeriphin, these stories shed light on the universe around us and the beings from other worlds that we meet. Myths hold up a mirror to our past, present and future, explaining our culture, our history, our hopes and fears.

A collection of epic adventures from the Time Lords’ mist-covered past, Myths and Legends is an unforgettable gallery of heroes and villains, gods and monsters.

Review:

I love Doctor Who, so I was super excited when I was approved for this galley on NetGalley!

This is a collection of myths and legends from the Doctor Who universe. The stories feature some of my favourite creatures, like the Cybermen and Daleks.

I loved how these stories are taken from real ancient myths and legends, using Doctor Who characters, such as “The Mondas Touch” based on The Midas Touch, and “The Vardon Horse” based on the story of the Trojan horse. I love Greek mythology so I appreciated the way that the Doctor Who universe was blended with these ancient stories.

Sometimes there was a grey haired man, who could travel in time, that appeared in the stories. I wish this appearance of the Doctor happened more often because it was funny to see the reactions of the other creatures to this strange man.

At times the stories were quite detailed and spoke about things that were scientific, so I kind of got lost. But otherwise I loved this book! It’s a great collection of Doctor Who stories.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Volume 1: Revolutions of Terror


Title: Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Volume 1: Revolutions of Terror
Author: Nick Abadzis
Genre: Graphic Novel, Science Fiction
Publisher: Titan Comics
Release Date: March 31, 2015
Rating: ★★★★

Gabby Gonzalez works in her father’s laundromat. One day while she is there, all of the washing mashines turn on at the same time and open a portal. Everyone in New York starts acting strangely, but they just assume it’s because it is the Day of the Dead. Then the Doctor shows up. There are creatures that play on people’s fears that attach themselves to humans. They entered through Gabby’s washing machines. Only the Doctor can save them now. 

This is a good continuation of the Tenth Doctor’s adventures. I love that even though some doctors are gone, they can live on in the comics and novels. 

The graphic novel played out in the same way that the TV series does when a new companion enters. Gabby was introduced and then we get her reaction to the Doctor. It’s like watching the series with new characters. 

One thing that bothered me is that it was set in New York. I wish the graphic novels were set in London like the majority of the show. It’s a British show so the graphic novels should continue that tradition. 

Limbo

 

Title: Limbo
Author: Dan Watters, Caspar Wijngaard
Genre: Graphic Novel, Science Fiction
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: June 7, 2016
Rating: ★★★

Clay has gotten a new identity. He doesn’t remember anything of his life before nine months ago. He now works as a private investigator. One day, a singer named Ms. Bridgette asks him to investigate her boss. She tells him she saw something strange happen with him in a room with other people. He was sitting in front of a TV and a man climbed out of it. But then her boss heard her standing in the doorway behind and saw her there. She wants Clay to investigate and find out what was happening. Her boss is a dangerous man, and her request puts Clay, Bridgette, and Clay’s roommate in danger.

This graphic novel is science fiction. It takes place in another world from ours. Everyone has different colour skin: Clay is blue, Bridgette is red, and Clay’s roommate Sandy is green.

The font of the speech was different for different characters. It distinguished who was talking. Sometimes the speech boxes were even different colours which related back to their different skin colours.

This story had everything, from cannibals to skeletons to mobsters. It was kind of weird and strange, but in a good way, so I couldn’t put the book down.