Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
[Book Review] Starflight - Melissa Landers
Author: Melissa Landers
Year Published: 2016
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance, Series
Personal Review:
Non-Spoilery Summary
Solara Brooks is an orphan convicted of a felony. Her crime is tattooed across her knuckles which makes it very difficult for her to get any kind of job.
Solara is looking to start a new life in the limits of space where the Enforcers don't have any authority. She craves the freedom that was promised to her, together with a slot of land to call her own and a job. As a mechanic, and a pretty good one at that, her talents would be greatly sought after. Better still, her inked knuckles won't matter. The problem is that she doesn't have any money to buy a ticket. Her only hope seems to accept an indenture, which is actually what she was after. However, she never imagined she would be picked by Doran Spaulding, a classmate of hers who made her life a living hell. He's the kind of rich boy, popular quarterback and media star that has no idea what the world is really like.
On their way to their respective destinations problems arise, such as Doran being framed for a crime and haunted down by the Enforcers. Solara being a criminal already forces them to board a small and battered ship called the Banshee. The crew is a group of eccentric and loud characters. Life aboard the Banshee is both a great deal of fun and confusions.
Together they run into every type of problem, not all of them due to them and they start learning more and more about their new friends.
I think this quote from the back cover of the book says it all:
"Family. She hadn't realized it until now, but that's what the people on this ship were to her. At some point during this haphazard journey, she'd fallen in love with a bespectacled kleptomaniac, a star-crossed seducer and his displaced princess, and most of all, an infuriating blue blood who used to call her Rattail. She'd learned that home was a fluid thing, and wether on a planet, on a satellite, or on a rusted bucket of a ship, this crew was her home."
What I liked (SPOILERS INCLUDED)
The book drew my attention for several reasons: space, eccentric crew, new planets and above all... Space. Pirates. What could be better?
I thought the style of the book was really clever. We don't get some much points of view but we see the characters in a different way, each going through their own problems and just trying to survive.
I particularly liked the slow build of the romance. I'm tired of boy meeting girl and immediately falling head over heels. It doesn't work that way. Better still, these two hated each other with enough force to pull a moon out of it's orbit. Doran would always treat her like something less than human and Solara would find ways to makes his life as uncomfortable as possible. She managed this by stunning him at one point and making him forget who he was for a few hours, hours in which she convinced him he was indentured to her and using his money to by things. A lot of things. However, Doran's attitude starts to lessen as he sees how life is in space, on a ship where a hot shower is a luxury afforded only once a week, the food you get is what you get and so on. He also comes to experience the hardships of newly terraformed planets and is horrified by it. The good in him starts to crack through and he rethinks every bad thing he did to Solara, which has him feeling guilty. Solara, seeing his inner struggles and receiving news that shocks them all, she is forced to see him in a new light.
The humor was also really entertaining, with the sass level on the ship making it impossible for anyone to have a serious conversation. Exhibit A:
The humor was also really entertaining, with the sass level on the ship making it impossible for anyone to have a serious conversation. Exhibit A:
“Scoot over," she whispered.
The mattress shook with his movement.
"A little more," she said.
"If I get any closer to the wall," he hissed, "I'll have to buy it dinner.”
"Doran set it in front of her with a grin that made her want to slap him so hard his grandkids would feel it.”
I also really enjoyed the explanations of all the mechanical bits of the ship or how terraforming works, etc. I love details and these made the world come more alive.
Things I didn't quite enjoy (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD)
The main thing that kept throwing me off was the similarity to the TV series Firefly, which is you haven't watched-go, do it now. It's a great series that got cancelled after 13 episodes but it has a huge following because it's simply awesome.
Some comparisons:
The Crew:
Both crews are technically criminals, running from the law each for their own reasons.
The Banshee is an old rust bucket in space, the same as the Serenity. Both are ships that aren't the best model out there. They're small and the people in them don't really have that much privacy.
The Daeva:
Basically, the Daeva are mercenaries that are hired to kill people, or whatever their employers tell them. They have zero emotions, being the perfect killing machines. They reminded me like a more controlled version of the Reevers in Firefly, which are people that have simply no humanity in them. They attack people to kill them, take them alive, do unspeakable things to them and then eat them. Yup, they're cannibals. So both world was really scary beings that must be avoided at all costs!
Planet X:
The crew find themselves heading for an unknown planet in search of something really important. In the movie of the series, Serenity, the crew must also head to a mysterious planet to uncover something. In both cases they have no idea what they'll find until they get there.
Aside from that the rest was really well done. The space pirates are really awesome and scary. I would love to learn more about them because they have their own set of laws and ranks. I find that really alluring.
The last thing that bugged me a bit was that we have lovable characters on the ship but we don't really get to interact with them. Something happens near the end of the book that didn't hit me that hard because we simply don't get to know the characters on a level that would affect us if anything happened to them. Except Renny. I love that guy. I imagine that this first book was a sort of introduction to them, since we skim the surface of why they are on the run. We still don't know how most of them met or got on the ship, but we get hints. I do think this is a good strategy though because it makes one anxious to get their hands on the next book to find out more. I hope that the book that follows will give us more time with the rest of the crew.
To sum up
I enjoyed the book, it's action packed and I didn't feel bored. I recommend it to people that love space travel with a bit of romance. I do hope to see more of the rest of the characters and to learn more about the world they're in.
Have you read this book? What did you think about it? Leave me a comment. =)
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
April Wrap Up
After months away I'm finally back and ready to start blogging. I've started a youtube channel and have been posting videos there for a while, just never made it here back again. Hope to change that soon! (videoing is hard... the lines, the pressure, the editing oh my God the editing process, new found respect for the film industry).
Anyway, enjoy =)
Saturday, February 6, 2016
[BOOK REC] Angelfall Trilogy
Hello everyone! Wow, sorry for the long hiatus. A few months ago I started doing videos (which I now realize I have failed to post), and oh-my-God the editing process just sucked the life out of me. And I suck so much at speaking in front of a camera that I just spent easily half an hour talking for a five minute video. Still working on that.
Anyway, I come to you today bringing a series that I read in January which I thought was incredible. Honestly, I only picked it up because I saw it on a booktuber's channel (can't remember who at the moment) and they've always recommended good books, so I thought... Why not?
The series I'm talking about is Angelfall by Susan Ee, also known as the 'Penryn and the End of Days' series. I'll stick to Angelfall since I have no idea how to pronounce that name.
The Plot
Basically, Angelfall sees the angels bringing down the apocalypse on the world. They appeared one day and started destroying everything, causing fires, tsunamis, killing people, etc.
The story starts a few months after this event through the point of view of Penryn, a 17 year old survivor who, alongside her paralyzed little sister and schizophrenic mother, scavenges for food and a safe place to stay. They're in Northern California and since humanity always bands together in times of disaster (note sarcasm), they must also avoid other scavengers and the gangs who've taken over the streets.
However, before they can really leave they're caught in the middle of a fight between angels. Penryn's little sister Paige gets kidnapped by one of the angels for unknown reasons and Penryn has to ally herself with her worst enemy to get her back, an angel called Raffe who has just lost his wings.
Reasons I Loved It
It sounds all over the place and maybe even like it would be a bad story, but it's not. Oh, it is not! I was so surprised with a lot of things in these books. First of all, the main protagonist: Penryn Young. I generally have a tough time with protagonists. For some reason, I just don't like them. Specially the female protagonists. I don't know if it's that the authors are trying too hard to make them more dependent or if they're too emotional or what, but I just don't like them. I loved Penryn.
My big problem with characters are their personalities: if they have zero common sense, if they spend half the book crying, if their priorities are wrong, if they make bad decision, etc. I can't stand these kind of characters. Of course they're this way because they are meant to be flawed, but I think there is a limit and I have not seen it.
Penryn is a kickass female protagonist. She is on top of things, knows what needs to be done and freaking does it. She takes her time to make a decision and doesn't let emotions get in her way. I mean, the main reason she takes action is because of her love for her family and especially her little sister, but she doesn't do it blindly. She analyses, plots, and executes. I loved everything about her. She's sarcastic but knows when to shut up. She's brave but not stupid and backs down when bravery would be suicide. She trusts her instincts but still tries to consider every venue. The few moments she has acted spontaneously she had reasons. And the best thing of all... she has some freaking common sense! Oh look, people running? Perfect, I'm just going to get far away from them, and not go up to them trying to figure out why they're running.
Another character I loved was her mom, who as I mentioned before is schizophrenic. I won't go into much detail but she took me by surprise. She's both hilarious and pitiful. You can feel Penryn's frustration with her but at the same time recognize their bond. This quote sums her up perfectly:
There are two other characters that were just incredible but I can't talk about them without spoiling anything. Just watch out for Dee-Dum.
Did I mentioned the sass level in this book? Take a look:
Aside from that, I thought that the angels and their hierarchy and even a bit of their culture were very well explained. There was depth there that I wasn't expecting. We learn about the archangels, hell, several other biblical creatures and even a bit of politics thrown in the mix.
We also get to see how humanity is coping. I really enjoyed that level of psychology and the different ways people react to catastrophe. Wether it be to try and fight the enemy, throw your lot in with numbers regardless of the moral compass, go solo and try to survive by any means necessary.
Things I didn't like (SPOILERY - YOU WHERE WARNED!)
There are only a few things to mention here. There were certain characters that were mentioned where I would have liked a bit more presence in the book. One in particular drop heavy hints about his past, and I thought I would have been interesting to dig deeper into that particular background.
Also, I didn't like how fast the romance between the two characters happened. They're supposed to be enemies and yet... I would have liked a nice slow build. Not against romance at all, but come on. That level of hatred does not disappear over night because they guy is hot (might help but not that quickly!).
And the last thing I didn't like was the ending. It wasn't terrible but I felt like it didn't live up to the rest of the books. Though that is for each of you to see.
Things to Look Out For
The book is gory as hell. I like to describe it as a casually gory book because it seriously catches you by surprise. One second you have this sarcastic conversation you can't stop laughing at, and then you come across a couple of people dismembered and blood everywhere. Yeah. Just thought you should know that going in.
Anyway, I come to you today bringing a series that I read in January which I thought was incredible. Honestly, I only picked it up because I saw it on a booktuber's channel (can't remember who at the moment) and they've always recommended good books, so I thought... Why not?
The series I'm talking about is Angelfall by Susan Ee, also known as the 'Penryn and the End of Days' series. I'll stick to Angelfall since I have no idea how to pronounce that name.
The Plot
Basically, Angelfall sees the angels bringing down the apocalypse on the world. They appeared one day and started destroying everything, causing fires, tsunamis, killing people, etc.
The story starts a few months after this event through the point of view of Penryn, a 17 year old survivor who, alongside her paralyzed little sister and schizophrenic mother, scavenges for food and a safe place to stay. They're in Northern California and since humanity always bands together in times of disaster (note sarcasm), they must also avoid other scavengers and the gangs who've taken over the streets.
However, before they can really leave they're caught in the middle of a fight between angels. Penryn's little sister Paige gets kidnapped by one of the angels for unknown reasons and Penryn has to ally herself with her worst enemy to get her back, an angel called Raffe who has just lost his wings.
Reasons I Loved It
It sounds all over the place and maybe even like it would be a bad story, but it's not. Oh, it is not! I was so surprised with a lot of things in these books. First of all, the main protagonist: Penryn Young. I generally have a tough time with protagonists. For some reason, I just don't like them. Specially the female protagonists. I don't know if it's that the authors are trying too hard to make them more dependent or if they're too emotional or what, but I just don't like them. I loved Penryn.
My big problem with characters are their personalities: if they have zero common sense, if they spend half the book crying, if their priorities are wrong, if they make bad decision, etc. I can't stand these kind of characters. Of course they're this way because they are meant to be flawed, but I think there is a limit and I have not seen it.
Penryn is a kickass female protagonist. She is on top of things, knows what needs to be done and freaking does it. She takes her time to make a decision and doesn't let emotions get in her way. I mean, the main reason she takes action is because of her love for her family and especially her little sister, but she doesn't do it blindly. She analyses, plots, and executes. I loved everything about her. She's sarcastic but knows when to shut up. She's brave but not stupid and backs down when bravery would be suicide. She trusts her instincts but still tries to consider every venue. The few moments she has acted spontaneously she had reasons. And the best thing of all... she has some freaking common sense! Oh look, people running? Perfect, I'm just going to get far away from them, and not go up to them trying to figure out why they're running.
“When you're small enough to have to look up at everyone around you, there's no such thing as a dirty fight. That's a new motto for me. I think I'll keep it.”
Another character I loved was her mom, who as I mentioned before is schizophrenic. I won't go into much detail but she took me by surprise. She's both hilarious and pitiful. You can feel Penryn's frustration with her but at the same time recognize their bond. This quote sums her up perfectly:
“We now play a permanent game of I-am-crazier-and-scarier-than-you. And in that game, my mother is our secret weapon.”
There are two other characters that were just incredible but I can't talk about them without spoiling anything. Just watch out for Dee-Dum.
Did I mentioned the sass level in this book? Take a look:
“I'm not moping," I whisper back. "Of course you're not. A girl like you, spending time with a warrior demigod like me. What's to mope about? Leaving a wheelchair behind couldn't possibly show up on the radar compared to that.""You've got to be kidding me.""I never kid about my warrior demigod status.”"Oh. My. God." I lower my voice, having forgotten to whisper. "You are nothing but a bird with an attitude. Okay, so you have a few muscles, I’ll grant you that. But you know, a bird is nothing but a barely evolved lizard. That’s what you are.”
Aside from that, I thought that the angels and their hierarchy and even a bit of their culture were very well explained. There was depth there that I wasn't expecting. We learn about the archangels, hell, several other biblical creatures and even a bit of politics thrown in the mix.
We also get to see how humanity is coping. I really enjoyed that level of psychology and the different ways people react to catastrophe. Wether it be to try and fight the enemy, throw your lot in with numbers regardless of the moral compass, go solo and try to survive by any means necessary.
Things I didn't like (SPOILERY - YOU WHERE WARNED!)
There are only a few things to mention here. There were certain characters that were mentioned where I would have liked a bit more presence in the book. One in particular drop heavy hints about his past, and I thought I would have been interesting to dig deeper into that particular background.
Also, I didn't like how fast the romance between the two characters happened. They're supposed to be enemies and yet... I would have liked a nice slow build. Not against romance at all, but come on. That level of hatred does not disappear over night because they guy is hot (might help but not that quickly!).
And the last thing I didn't like was the ending. It wasn't terrible but I felt like it didn't live up to the rest of the books. Though that is for each of you to see.
Things to Look Out For
The book is gory as hell. I like to describe it as a casually gory book because it seriously catches you by surprise. One second you have this sarcastic conversation you can't stop laughing at, and then you come across a couple of people dismembered and blood everywhere. Yeah. Just thought you should know that going in.
Let me know if you read it and what your thoughts are on it =)
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