ARC Book Review: Lady of Basilikas (The Droseran Saga #5) by Ronie Kendig

May 27, 2024May 19, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Sci-Fi Romance
Length: 327 pages
Author: Ronie Kendig
Publisher: Enclave Publishing
Release Date: May 21st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She’s determined to prove this errant king unworthy. He’s determined to prove her wrong.

Under attack from without and within, Jherako teeters on the brink. Vaanvorn Thundred, suddenly in possession of a throne he never expected to inherit, will do anything to pull his kingdom from the edge, even if it means striking a marriage bargain with the formidable Faa’Cris. But a skycrawler opens Vorn’s eyes to realities outside his world, and his limits are tested.

Lady Valiriana has one goal when she is sent out from Deversoria: prove this Jherakan king, the one his people call the Errant, unworthy of an alliance with any Faa’Cris. When she exchanges her freedom for that of another, Valiriana finds herself under house arrest—in the king’s house. Determined to take advantage of her proximity, she delves into the depths of the king’s character. What she finds turns her mission on its head.

Vorn must decide: break a planet-wide Accord, risking his throne and life, or leave his country—his planet—vulnerable to threats far bigger than he ever imagined. And Valiriana grapples with unpalatable truths as she discovers the king is anything but errant, while her heart, on the other hand, is a different story.

Thank you to Book of Matches Media and Ronie Kendig for the gifted copy.

OOO I LIKED THIS.

Honestly, this wasn’t on my radar until BOMM reached out about reading it, and now I’m grateful because I very much enjoyed this and have plans to go back to the start of the series.

Let me explain, Lady of Basilikas is a prequel story. From my understanding it can be read at the beginning or end of the series though. The only issue I had reading it first was that some of the terminology for the world building left me a bit lost. It does start to make sense as things go along at least.

I thought the romance had a lot of great heat and I liked the will they/won’t they nature. Valiriana had many prejudices to overcome and Vaanvorn was learning how to be king. I enjoyed their journey and am curious to see how this connects back into the plot of the main series.

It’s a pretty fast paced read. I liked the action and politicking and I think this sci-fi world is intriguing. So even if you’re not a fan of this series [yet], I definitely recommend and I’m excited to see what the rest of this world is about!

Overall audience notes:

Sci-Fi Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Violence: high

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Book Review: Lux (Texas Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanderson and Steven Bohls

September 22, 2023October 8, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Dystopia
Length: 480 pages
Author: Brandon Sanderson & Steven Bohls
Publisher: Audible Originals
Release Date: July 22nd, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A Texas Reckoners novel

A new team of Reckoners must infiltrate the flying city of Lux to take down the Epic Lifeforce in this audio-exclusive novel from Brandon Sanderson.

When the great red star Calamity appeared in the sky, some believed the end had come. They were right.

Calamity created the Epics: humans with incredible powers they didn’t deserve.

They could have saved mankind. They could have lifted us into harmony and prosperity. Instead they burned. They slaughtered. They conquered. And then they ruled.

Jax has learned all of this the hard way. Orphaned at an early age, he’s spent most of his childhood training to be a Reckoner – determined to find the Epics’ weaknesses, unlock their secrets, and protect those of us who are still left.

But now, the mysterious High Epic Lifeforce has arrived with his flying city, Lux, to plunder what’s left of Texas. So Jax and his ragtag team – the few who remain of the once-mighty Texas Reckoners – must take their battle to this floating fortress of riches – and defeat the invincible.

To avenge what has been lost. And rise anew.

A GOOD SPIN-OFF.

I enjoyed the original Reckoners series and I couldn’t pass up reading all things Sanderson so here we are!

The main character, Jax, was solid. I liked that he had to work through tough decisions, sometimes make the wrong choice, and decide what path was the best for everyone involved. It gave a many layered character that I enjoy seeing. Not to mention, there’s villain points of view??? Wild and never happens so this was fun too.

There was nothing glaring for my rating to be four star, but you know when it’s Sanderson but not? It’s that vibe that just had it missing somethings for me overall.

I thought the ending was good, but there’s room for more??? So I’m confused because I thought this was a standalone. Guess we’ll find out.

LOTS of action, missions gone wrong and moments you won’t see coming. I really enjoyed this as an audiobook (and I actually think it only comes that way right now?) so give it a go!

Overall audience notes:

YA Dystopia
Language: very little
Romance: flirting
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: mass murder, physical violence, weapons violence, explosions, loss of life, loss of a sibling

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Book Review: Upgrade by Blake Crouch

August 9, 2023August 16, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Sci-Fi
Length: 352 pages
Author: Blake Crouch
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: July 12th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.

But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.

The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.

Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.

Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.

And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?

Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.

NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT.

I like a good Crouch book. Dark Matter is still my absolute fav, and I did like this more than recursion. I think something is missing from the middle? The first half was intense and mysterious. I liked the main character diving in deep to what was happening to him and finding corrupted family is always a good twist. Then I thought with the time jump it left a gap in the middle of slowing down to build back up to the wild ending.

This is definitely an eery read. Which did play into my anxiety a lot (not the book’s fault, since I didn’t read the synopsis, but I mention it for others!). It’s very realistic future and wow that always makes me feel filled with dread. It did make for a very good setting though that I liked a lot in regards to all of the genetic mutation discussions.

The ending did bring some feels. I wasn’t expecting to feel that attached and while it had notes of sadness, I liked the acceptance and hopefulness of it all too. It wasn’t some knock out, why did I read this, kind of ending. It was a satisfying conclusion to this type of read and I liked that it was a quick audiobook.

Overall audience notes:

Sci-Fi
Language: some strong
Romance: kisses
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: genetic mutations without consent, gun violence, loss of a sibling, murder, quarantines

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Book Review: This Shattered World (Starbound #2) by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

November 28, 2022January 3, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Sci-Fi Romance
Length: 394 pages
Author: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: December 23rd, 2014
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The second installment in the epic Starbound trilogy introduces a new pair of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a bloody war.

Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.

Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet’s rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.

Rebellion is in Flynn’s blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.

Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.

FASCINATING STORY.

The plot for this entire series continually keeps me on my toes. It’s really interesting and I like that it has a different vibe from sci-fi books I’ve read before. I’m not quite sure what all of the “whispers” and such will lead too, but I look forward to reading about them in the last book.

I did enjoy the romance for this one! Maybe more than the first? It’s another good enemies to lovers with plenty of outside plot that encourages the action and drama. There was a much better flow for them and even with a quick pace, it worked.

This book did a pretty good job with pacing. Sometimes it felt off, but it didn’t distract me too much. I do enjoy this writing style and how each book interacts with the next. It’ll be fun to see how everything comes together for the last book!

Overall audience notes: