Perfect for fans of Rick Yancey and Marie Lu, The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a sci-fi fantasy with mind-blowing twists, ready to burst onto the YA scene, from the critically-acclaimed Descendant of the Crane author, Joan He.
Cee awoke on an abandoned island three years ago. With no idea of how she was marooned, she only has a rickety house, an old android, and a single memory: she has a sister, and Cee needs to find her.
STEM prodigy Kasey wants escape from the science and home she once trusted. The Metropolis—Earth’s last unpolluted place—is meant to be sanctuary for those committed to planetary protection, but it’s populated by people willing to do anything for refuge, even lie. Now, she’ll have to decide if she’s ready to use science to help humanity, even though it failed the people who mattered most.
Note: I received this book from the author through Xpresso Book Tours. I wanted to thank them for this opportunity! If you click the link below, you can see the full schedule.
Joan was born and raised in Philadelphia but still will, on occasion, lose her way. At a young age, she received classical instruction in oil painting before discovering that stories were her favorite kind of art. She studied psychology and Chinese history at the University of Pennsylvania and currently writes from a desk overlooking the city waterfront. Descendant of the Crane is her young adult debut.
For updates, please sign up for her newsletter: http://eepurl.com/c5rvdL. For business related inquiries, please contact her literary agent, John Cusick of Folio Lit.
This is an international giveaway for a print copy of the Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He. This is open internationally and will end on May 13th! Sign up at the link below.
This has been my stop on the “The Ones We’re Meant to Find” Book Tour! Check out the schedule posted at the beginning of this post to check out more posts by other content creators on this tour!
THE LAST FRAGMENTS OF THE HUMAN RACE ARE FORCED TO ADAPT TO A DANGEROUS NEW WORLD OR FACE EXTINCTION.
When starship mechanic, Denton Castus, is caught in the destructive path of a devastating war, he abandons his home and seeks refuge on a distant planet. However, this new safe haven has undiscovered threats of its own.
Eliana Veston, a scout preparing the planet for the refugees, struggles with a deadly pandemic that is killing off colonists. The hunt for a cure unleashes a new threat to humanity— the Sirens—mysterious beings with incredible powers and a deep hatred for invaders.
Note: I received this book from the author through StoryTellers on Tour I wanted to thank them for this opportunity! If you click the link below, you can see the full schedule.
This is a story about the last vestiges of humanity escaping a threat (some scary robot aliens), and running into a new one on the planet of Kamaria. It’s told from a few different perspectives. Humans face the threat of extinction in a new world that brings new threats that humans have no idea how to face. It is mainly told from the perspective of Eliana Veston, a doctor trying to save her fellow humans from a pandemic called “lung-lock” that is killing off colonists, and Denton Castus, an engineer who finds a safe haven in Kamaria. The hunt for a cure brings humans face to face with a threat humans have named -the Sirens- and the Sirens are not happy to be sharing their home.
The plot was pretty fast paced and moved really quickly. There were very sparse moments that it moved slowly, but the pacing wasn’t so off that I couldn’t stay focused on it. It was break-neck most of the time, and it hit all of the beats just right and from the first chapter I was hooked.
The world building here was some of the best I’ve seen in a while. The world of Kamaria, which is an Earth-like planet that humans run to after Earth and the entirety of the Sol system is overrun by a scary robot like alien called the Undriel. Kamaria, while having some similiarities to Earth, it is very different and you can tell that T.A. Bruno put a lot of work into his world building. The world of Kamaria features many many different animals and a race of aliens called the auk’nai, which is a race of humanoid telepathic birds. They have their own culture and are very fleshed out. The world building was half the fun since it was so well done.
The characters, Denton, Eliana and the whole cast of side characters were all so unique and different. You can tell that T.A Bruno put a lot of effort into writing them and giving them each a unique voice. I can’t say which one was my favorite because I like them all quite a bit. I loved the interactions between Denton and his family, some of those had me laughing out loud. I also liked the relationships and the way they progress throughout the events of the story.
The writing was great. It wasn’t flowery, which is the type of writing i typically love, but it was also not clinical. The action scenes and they way they were written made me feel like I was watching a movie The descriptions of the world, as stated above were also great. It made me feel like I was on an Earth that was not quite like our home planet. The writing had moments where it felt a little clunky but I feel like I notice these things much more when I’m reading it, knowing I’m going to review it, so that could just be me being overly-nit-picky. I still think that this book is worth the read and I would definitely read the sequel to this to find out where it goes from here.
In short, you should read this. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who loves adventure stories, and sci-fi stories about strange worlds.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
T.A. BRUNO grew up in Chicago and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the film industry. Since then, he has brought stories to life for over a decade as a previsualization artist. At home, he is a proud father of two boys and a husband to a wonderful wife. IN THE ORBIT OF SIRENS is his debut science fiction novel.
This has been my stop on the In the Orbit of Sirens Book Tour! Check out the schedule posted at the beginning of this post to check out more posts by other content creators on this tour!
Myridians are coming, each wielding one of Six Cataclysmic Powers that will lay waste to the world and wake the God of Neutrality. What happens when one refuses to succumb to her myridian nature and sets out to save the world instead?
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SIDRA ANATOLA will soon die a human death and be reborn as one of the myridian, beings destined to destroy the World of Aetheria. In a desperate attempt to change her dark fate, she flees home and the young man she loves to seek help from a powerful entity who has lived through all the ages. But she may not make it in time before she is killed by hunters—or by the love of her life, also a myridian, who fights every day to hold onto the emotions that made him human.
BRESEIS ERISWEN was expelled from the academy and failed her father who expected her to carry on her late mother’s profession as a myridian hunter. But Breseis never wanted to be a hunter—she refused to kill, and she never believed in myridians, to begin with. She leaves home with big dreams, lacking experience, and a broken heart, to prove that she is more than a failed hunter.
Two contrasting paths converge to become a turbulent one. A mouthy intellect with a colorful personality, and a skilled warrior with a frosty attitude, put their differences aside and travel the rest of the way together, robbing temples, angering false gods, and escaping numerous predicaments with their lives. Amid the chaos, they form a friendship despite a gut feeling that both hide dangerous secrets that can save or destroy the world and each other.
Note: I received this book from the author through Xpresso Book Tours. I wanted to thank them for this opportunity! If you click the link below, you can see the full schedule.
This was a story about the end of the world and those who are destined to bring it. It mainly follows two characters, Sidra and Breseis. Sidra is a Myridian, otherwise known as a world ender. She is destined to end the world of Aetheria, and is making a desperate attempt to change her fate, she runs away from home, and from everything she has ever known.. Breseis is the daugther of a Myridian Hunter, leaving home with big dreams, with aspirations to prove that she is more than a failed Hunter.
The characters were very distinct with very different voices. Both characters are very vivid and feel alive. They have their own ambitions and were very fleshed out. I enjoyed going through this world with their very different perspectives. I also love that it was showing these two characters going to the same place for very different reasons and how their perspectives changed throughout this journey. They were also characters who were fallible, they were not perfect, they weren’t these all powerful Gods that fought and won with no effort. These characters made me invested in their story and in where they were going. I can’t wait to see where else they are going to go.
The world-building was pretty great too. The world here is fantastic actually. The world is full of magical and mythical creatures and an interesting and new magic system. I’ve never seen a magic system like this, and I’m loving it. There are also multiple kinds of magic in this world and it is very ingrained into the world building. One thing I’ll say is that sometimes it can be a little hard to see where you are in the world, but part of this is because flipping to the front of the book to see a map in an e-book can be tough for some (me lol). I love a good map, and this map is gorgeous. The world building and the way that Sonja built this world and the different cultures is very well thought out and I can’t wait to
The plot was decent, but there were moments that the plot lagged and the pacing was a little off for me. There were moments where the action was really high-octane, and then moments where it was sloooow. Regardless of that, it kept me engaged, even thought I had to push myself a little bit through the slower parts. I’m really excited to read the second one whenever it is released. I don’t want to give many details about the plot so at to not spoil anyone, but I highly recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy. This is definitely worth a shot.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sonja J. Breckon is a builder of fantasy worlds and not ashamed to admit she lives in them more than in the real world. Besides writing books, she works with various programs to create her own cover art, interior art, design, formatting, and fantasy maps. She loves nature, the universe, coffee, and bookstores. Oh, and chicken potato enchiladas.
This has been my stop on the Silver Dawn Afire Tour! Check out the schedule posted at the beginning of this post to check out more posts by other content creators on this tour!
As electrifying as it is heartbreaking, Sam Taylor’s explosive fantasy debut We Are the Fire is perfect for fans of An Ember in the Ashes and the legend of Spartacus.
In the cold, treacherous land of Vesimaa, children are stolen from their families by a cruel emperor, forced to undergo a horrific transformative procedure, and serve in the army as magical fire-wielding soldiers. Pran and Oksana―both taken from their homeland at a young age―only have each other to hold onto in this heartless place.
Pran dreams of one day rebelling against their oppressors and destroying the empire; Oksana only dreams of returning home and creating a peaceful life for them both.
When they discover the emperor has a new, more terrible mission than ever for their kind, Pran and Oksana vow to escape his tyranny once and for all. But their methods and ideals differ drastically, driving a wedge between them. Worse still, they both soon find that the only way to defeat the monsters that subjugated them may be to become monsters themselves.
Note: I received this book from the author through Xpresso Book Tours. I wanted to thank them for this opportunity! If you click the link below, you can see the full schedule.
So, it has been quite a bit since I’ve written a review, but I’m back again. Below is my review of We Are the Fire by Sam Taylor. This book was provided to me at no cost through Xpresso Book Tours, in exchange for a review. All thoughts below are my own.
This is a story told from the perspective of Oksana and Pran, two members of the Tuliikoberts army, who were stolen away as young children and transformed into ruthless killers of the Emperor’s army of fire wielders. Pran dreams of freedom, of rebelling against their oppressors and destroying the empire, while Oksana dreams only of returning home. They uncover secrets about the future of the Emperor’s plans for the army and vow to end the tyranny once and for all.
The world-building in this was good and felt well fleshed out. The magic was interesting, and well thought out as well. The idea of these kids being stolen from their homes and being changed to have this magical fire to fight wars for an evil emperor was incredibly interesting to read about. You could tell that the author put a lot of effort into the magic system and the way that it irrevocably changed things for our characters. I wish that the environment itself, the country of Vesimaa for example, had a little bit more to it. I feel like we didn’t get to see a lot outside of the military fort of the Tuliikoberts. The military was ruthless and also built in a way that felt realistic. There was very tense conflict of those who were forced to undergo this transformation against the Commanders, and the Emperor. The tension felt just right. The fact that the tensions build and that the characters motivations are so different really made me want to keep reading. Their motivations and reactions to the events being so different was realistic and made them so much more complex.
Speaking of the characters, it took me a little bit to get into the individual voices of these characters, as it felt like their voices were very similar at first, but once I got into the book, it was easier to tell them apart. Pran fights hard for what he cares about and you can tell that he cares for Oksana and his friends very much. He’s also ruthless and will stop at nothing to ensure they are safe. Oksana is stubborn and also fights for what she believes in. She is cunning as well. She knows what she wants and will trick those in power to get it if she needs to. The romance was also already there before the book started, and I almost would have liked to see it develop on the backdrop of the revolution, but it was certainly a new thing to read about, as I haven’t read many books that have a romance that has already been established.
The plot was interesting as well. The pacing was a little stilted. I felt like there were some periods where nothing was happening, and those dragged, and then it would pick up to an almost breakneck pace. I think that besides that, the plot was good. There were some unexpected twists that left me with my mouth hanging open. This is a standard YA Fantasy novel that I think many will love. I’m not going to go to deep into this since I don’t want to give any spoilers. I feel like the comparison to Ember in the Ashes is apt. I’d say it’s a mix of Shadow and Bone and an Ember in the Ashes, mixed with the tale of Spartucus. I’d say if you liked any of those stories, you’ll love this one.
Overall I liked this one. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who loved the above mentioned comparisons. Let me know if you read this, and what you think. Don’t forget to sign up for the giveaway below! You can win a print copy of We are the Fire by Sam Taylor! (Pst, it’s also open internationally). What have you been reading lately?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sam Taylor grew up in Arizona’s deserts and now lives among Connecticut’s trees. She spends her days writing, being mom to the world’s cutest boys, whirling through dance workouts, and baking too many cakes. She does not possess fire magic, but does have one fire-colored cat. We Are the Fire is her debut novel.
This has been my stop on the We Are The Fire Book Tour! Check out the schedule posted at the beginning of this post to check out more posts by other content creators on this tour!
Cosmic Lattes and Books 