Happy Friday! I’m moving on to the next letter in the ABC Book Challenge. While putting together this post, I realized there are so many exciting releases this year starting with this letter!
Title: Skyward (Skyward #1)
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Rating: ★★★★★
Stars, this was scudding fantastic. This was my first Brandon Sanderson novel, but you can bet it definitely will not be my last. I’ve heard such great things about his works, and now I can finally understand all the praise. Skyward was thrilling Sci-Fi full of non-stop action and terrific characters.
I could not stop reading this book. The way in which Sanderson describes the action sequences was so vivid and easy to follow along with. I could understand everything and could clearly picture what was happening in my mind. It seriously made me not only enjoy the book so much better, but also had me flying through the action-packed pages. There were also a few illustrations within the book that were not only interesting to study, but also helped with envisioning the maneuvers and flying described in the scenes.
“Tremble and fear, all enemies!” he shouted. “For we shall shake the air with thunder and blood! Your doom is eminent!”
Spensa was an amazing protagonist and I really enjoyed reading the book through her perspective. She not only gained my empathy because of her situation, but also my respect because of the way she conducted herself, and her passion and dedication towards her goals. I also really loved how dorky she could be and her sense of humor! Not only was there a great main character, but a whole cast of lovable side characters as well, including a quirky AI spaceship named M-Bot. The friendships (and possible enemies-to-lovers?!) formed between Spensa and them were so wonderfully written and realistic, and I look forward to more in the next book.
I always talk about how fantasy is my favorite genre and everything, but books like Skyward remind me just how much I love Sci-Fi/Space books and why it’s one of my favorite subjects to read about. If I could pick any genre to transport myself into, it would be something like this. Skyward was such a delightful and fun surprise to read, and the sequel is already on my list of most anticipated releases for next year!
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words in which the three W’s stand for:
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. This is my first Sanderson novel and I’m really excited!
WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?Slayer by Kiersten White. You guys, this book is seriously so much fun. I cannot wait for everyone to read it!
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?We Hunt the Flames by Hafsah Faizal. I’ve been waiting for this book ever since Hafsah first announced she was in the midst of writing something and I hope it lives up to all the hype!
Welcome to my stop on the This Cruel Design book tour! Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club for organizing the tour and allowing me to participate as a tour stop!
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing me with a copy of This Mortal Coil. You can find my review of the first book here!
Title: This Cruel Design (This Mortal Coil #2)
Author: Emily Suvada
Release Date: October 30, 2018
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: YA Science-Fiction, Dystopian
The nightmare of the outbreak is finally over, but Cat’s fight has only just begun.
Exhausted, wounded, and reeling from revelations that have shaken her to her core, Cat is at a breaking point. Camped in the woods with Cole and Leoben, she’s working day and night, desperate to find a way to stop Lachlan’s plan to reprogram humanity. But she’s failing—Cat can’t even control her newly regrown panel, and try as she might to ignore them, she keeps seeing glitching visions from her past everywhere she turns.
When news arrives that the Hydra virus might not be as dead as they’d thought, the group is pushed into an uneasy alliance with Cartaxus to hunt down Lachlan and fix the vaccine. Their search takes them to Entropia, a city of genehackers hidden deep in the desert that could also hold the answers about Cat’s past that she’s been searching for.
But when confronted with lies and betrayals, Cat is forced to question everything she knows and everyone she trusts. And while Lachlan is always two steps ahead, the biggest threat to Cat may be the secrets buried in her own mind.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
I started this immediately after finishing This Mortal Coil, and finished it within a day, so that should tell you all you need to know about my feelings about this book. This Cruel Design was just as fast-paced, well-written, and absolutely addicting as the first book.
The book picks up right where This Mortal Coil leaves off, and the action begins almost instantaneously. Readers have no cause to worry as there’s no second book syndrome here! I could hardly put it down and there are plenty more plot twists and reveals that kept me hooked. As with the previous book, the science and technology elements continue to be really intriguing and unique. I had no problem following along with all of the terminology and jargon.
I was under the impression that this was a duology, so the last couple of chapters really had me nervous! The ending is a total cliff-hanger and I have so many questions! I’m not sure how I’m going to survive the wait for the final book. This Cruel Design was a fun, action-packed, thrilling sequel to This Mortal Coil.
Emily Suvada was born and raised in Australia, where she went on to study mathematics and astrophysics. She previously worked as a data scientist, and still spends hours writing algorithms to perform tasks which would only take minutes to complete on her own. When not writing, she can be found hiking, cycling, and conducting chemistry experiments in her kitchen. She currently lives in Portland, OR, with her husband.
Follow Emily:
Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest
Two (2) winners will receive a finished copy of This Cruel Design. US only.
Week One:
October 22 | That Artsy Reader Girl
October 23 | The Reading Corner for All
October 23 | Fan-Girl-Tastic
October 23 | Oh Hey! Books
October 23 | Boston Book Reader
October 23 | It Starts At Midnight
October 24 | Book Dragon Lair
October 24 | Angela Walker’s Reviews
October 24 | JusticeReads
October 24 | 808bookdr
October 25 | Vicky Who Reads
October 25 | Paws and Paperbacks
October 25 | Reader Rising
October 25 | the Bibliophagist
October 26 | RhythmicBooktrovert
October 26 | Nay’s Pink Bookshelf
October 26 | Belle’s Archive
October 26 | Bri’s Book Nook
October 27 | Portrait of a Book
October 27 | MetalPhantasmReads
October 27 | Morgan Vega
October 27 | Confessions of a YA Reader
Week Two
October 28 | Bookish Friends and Felines
October 28 | Magical Reads
October 28 | Library of a Book Witch
October 28 | The Critic Uncritical Bookworm
October 28 | Luchia Houghton
October 29 | Kat’s Books
October 29 | Book Lady’s Reviews
October 29 | Vicarious Bookworm
October 29 | Haunted by Books
Title: This Mortal Coil (This Mortal Coil #1)
Author: Emily Suvada
Rating: ★★★★½
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me a finished copy of this book!
I’m so mad at myself for sleeping on this book for a year, especially with all the rave reviews I had seen for it. This Mortal Coil had everything I love in a Dystopian novel, and reminded me why that genre used to dominate my bookshelves.
From the first chapter, I was instantly pulled into this story. The action starts right off the back, and continues throughout the entirety of the book. This Mortal Coil was fast-paced and full of twists and reveals that kept me riveted. The entire concept is extremely intriguing. I’m the first person to admit that anything involving coding and hacking goes way over my head, but even with all the science terminology and technical jargon, I never found myself overly confused and could (for the most part) follow along with what the characters were talking about. And there’s a really neat The Walking Dead undertone here that mixes so well with all the Sci-Fi elements, which creates a dystopian story unlike any other I’ve read – and one that I absolutely loved.
Were there a lot of tropes in here? Yes. Did I mind? Not one bit. The author did such a fantastic job crafting this book, that even the few predictable plot points and romance tropes seemed to fit perfectly within the story. I’m really thankful that I received this in anticipation of reviewing This Cruel Design, because I don’t know what I would have done if I had had to wait a year between books. This Mortal Coil is a spectacular debut perfect for fans of science-fiction, dystopian settings, and compelling characters.
