Review: Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci

Tin Star

Cecil Castellucci

There was a lot about Tin Star that I really enjoyed. It was a unique tale that didn’t always go in the cliché ways I predicted it would. There was so much about it that I really did like but alas I just needed more. So be prepared to hear that a lot in this review.

Tin Star begins with our amiable protagonist, Tula Bane, being beaten to near death just for being perceptive and daring to question Brother Blue. She is then left for dead on an out of the way space station where there are no other humans. She manages to survive with the help of a lovable yet mischievous alien, Heckleck. He not only helps her survive but he teaches her how to thrive in this alien environment. Everything is going relatively smoothly until three humans arrive on the space station.

I liked Tula but I had a hard time emotionally connecting to her. And everybody knows I am ultimately an emotional reader. She really became more alien-like after years being the only human and I really think that was why I had such a tough time connecting with her. It was fascinating to watch her struggle to connect with the other humans after being around aliens for so long but if you’re an emotional reader like me it may make it a struggle for you to fully invest in her.

I loved the aliens and the differences between each species’ behavior was well thought out. I was weary of Heckleck initially since he’s quite manipulative and cunning but he ended up being my favorite character of the entire book. I also enjoyed the other main alien character, Tourdar. He is a Loor and one of the leaders on the space station. He wasn’t the most forthcoming but I loved his protective nature.

The humans were a big disappointment for me. I didn’t feel like I got to know any of them very well and they were all rather bland. I just needed more depth from them so I could understand why they did the things they did.

Brother Blue was the big villain of the book but he wasn’t around enough for me to truly begin to understand him either. When he was around he was horrible but I needed to see more of him and his motivations to make him truly terrifying. I like the set-up with him but I’m really hoping that he gets fleshed out more in the next book.

The romance argh- where to even begin? The blurb is really misdirecting on this. There is a little romance but it’s very rushed and glossed over and not at all one of those that will give you a major case of the feels. Unless maybe “huh?” counts as a feel.

Life onboard the space station was really the most fascinating part of this book. There is an upstairs/downstairs class division between the aliens that was an awesome concept that I hope we get to see more of. The differences in the cultures and mannerisms of the various species definitely held my interest.

Ultimately, while I did like this book I didn’t love it. I think it’s definitely worth giving a shot and a lot of you may like it even more than I did. There was some interesting civil unrest and political intrigue elements toward the end that pretty much guarantee I will be reading the next one. Here’s to hoping it goes more in-depth and hooks me.

Review: The Almost Girl

The Almost Girl

Amalie Howard

4.0/5.0

I'm not going to lie.  I generally am really leery of sci-fi.  It's just one of the genres that I don't generally connect well with.  I don't know why, I just don't.  I was hesitant to grab this one, and flipped past it probably 10 times before I caved and requested it.  

I'm so glad I have zero willpower when it comes to books with pretty covers and a remotely interesting blurb, because I really, really enjoyed this book.  

I really appreciated how strong all of the female characters in this book were.  Riven, her sister, the guardians.  They weren't meek and waiting for Prince Charming to save them.  Quite the opposite actually.  Additionally, the characters were complex and flawed.  They made mistakes, they got confused, they struggled internally with each decision.  I love to see this in books, because it makes the characters more relatable and realistic.  

The action scenes were very well done, and each one of them left me frantically flipping pages trying to figure out exactly how they were going to get themselves out of whatever crazy situation they were in at the moment.  It was intense, stressful, anxiety ridden goodness.  I love when a book has action scenes that literally make me panic.  

The only thing better than the action scenes were the numerous plot twist.  Even though I caught on to many of them before the "big reveal" I still got like oober "OMG" every single time.  The ones I didn't suspect were even better.  I have no idea how ridiculous I must have looked, sitting there, with my kindle, just staring at it, dumbfounded, going "Did that REALLY just happen???"  Like if I just stared at it long enough it wouldn't be quite so shocking.  

My only complaints were fairly minor.  I could have done without the high school adventure.  I feel like its overplayed and boring, but it wasn't unbearable.  I also found Riven contradicted herself a lot throughout the book.  One page she'd be all "I'm never going to do this" and then the next she'd be all "nothing can stop me from doing this".  It didn't really take away from the story, and I took it as the author just trying to show how divided and unsure Riven was of her actions and decisions.  However, there were points were it kind of confused me and I had to go back to make sure I hadn't read something wrong.  

Overall, its a fantastic book, and it gets my seal of approval.  I highly recommend!

REVIEW: Defy by Sara B Larson

Defy
Sara B Larson
5.0/5.0
Publish Date: January 7th, 2013

"A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?"

I've gotta say, that this perhaps is one of the HARDEST reviews I've ever written because I really am so blown away all I want to do is jump up and down and squeal with delight at how much I loved this book....

even if it made me cry SOB ... a lot.

In all seriousness though, I have never connected with and fallen in love with characters as quickly as I did in this book. Within in the first few chapters she already had me so attached to charecters that I was bawling my eyes out over situations involving them. Seriously, at 10% I called Stacey, my blog partner, and was like "YOU HAVE TO READ THIS!!!!" Which I never, ever do. EVER. Usually, I have to be at least half way through the book before I'll even CONSIDER recommending it, but usually I have to be almost done before I'll give a final go on it.


Larson is amazing. The descriptions of the world and the situations are so vivid. You can feel the anguish, the fear, the unease, the... passion... ;) It's absolutely brilliant. I've never felt so "IN" the world while reading the book. She managed to make me feel everything from utter disgust to butterflies in this book.

Additionally, her characters are phenomenal. I adored Alex. I loved that she was written as a really strong female lead, but that she was still allowed to show fear, and doubt, and question everything and everyone. She was flawed enough to be real. Even when I was SCREAMING at my Kindle for her to STOP questioning things and just GO with it, I still understood WHY she did.

As far as the love triangle went, I thought it was really well done. I don't really mind a love triangle, as long as I can understand why the main character would be torn. I could totally understand being torn between Damien and Rylan, because I'm still torn between the two. I love them both so, so much. Damien is sharp, and witty, and infuriating at times. Rylan is sweet, protective, and her best friend. They are both amazing in their own ways, and they are both beautifully (swoontastically) flawed.

This is definitely going on my list of favorite reads this year. It was a breath-taking, exhilarating ride, and I can't wait to get back on for book 2!

Also!  Sara Larson has a post up on her blog right now for a chance to win a FREE SIGNED ARC of Defy.  I'm entering just because this is definitely a book for my "keeper shelf" and I would love nothing more than a SIGNED copy of it!  So hurry up, don't let me steal all your fun!  Get to entering!

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Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars

Starbound #1

Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Release Date: December 10, 2013

5.0/5.0 stars

This book should seriously come prepackaged with smelling salts because you’re gonna swoon so hardcore you just might need them. If I had to describe this book in only one word, that would be it: swoon. You will swoon for the cover, you will swoon for the writing, you will swoon for the characters, and you will most definitely swoon for their relationship.

This book is told from the dual points of view of Lilac (the spoiled and overprotected daughter of one of the richest and most powerful men in the universe) and Tarver (a young, decorated war hero who comes from an everyday working Joe type of family). They are both traveling onboard the Icarus, which is a monstrous spaceship owned by Lilac’s father. Something happens to pull the ship out of hyperspace and the ship begins to crash. People, of course, panic and even trample each other in their haste to reach the escape pods. Unfortunately, due to an electrical surge the escape pods do not function properly and will not launch. Thanks to Tarver’s quick thinking and protective nature and Lilac’s own intelligence they manage to launch their own escape pod and land on a nearby partially terraformed planet. They expect to be rescued quickly but when no rescue team shows up they are forced to figure out how to survive on this desolate planet by themselves.

While this book does contain some nice sci-fi elements it should be noted that this is really much more of a survivalist story. That being said the entire crash scene was awesome! It was intense and the wreckage afterwards was horrifying enough to make me feel queasy. There are also some well played creepy moments along their journey that gave me anxiety.

The real strength of this novel is the characters. I don’t know if I have ever read two characters who felt more real to me. I felt so connected to both of them. Their struggles and triumphs resonated so deeply with me. It makes me so sad the next book won’t be following them.

Lilac in the beginning had some brat moments when they first arrived on the new planet that made me not instantly love her but given her background it’s understandable. She was completely out of her element and is used to being protected and shielded by her father’s name. She does grow as a character as they travel and it wasn’t long before I absolutely adored her.

Tarver – book boyfriend alert! He was strong, solid, courageous, kind, and took no shit from anybody. As a soldier, he is much more prepared for the situation they find themselves in and doesn’t have as much issues adjusting. I liked him in the beginning but he just kept growing on me more and more as the story went on. It was refreshing to see a strong, confident male lead that didn’t cross into arrogant territory.

Their relationship is a bit prickly in the beginning and neither of them trusts one another for obvious reasons. Watching them slowly start to become friends and open up to each other was a thing of beauty. Their dialogue and interactions felt so true and not at all forced. I roll my eyes at a lot of romances but this one had me hooked.



This is one of the best books I have read all year. I will most definitely be buying the hardcover for my keeper shelf. They say never to judge a book by its cover but in this case go ahead. This book is as stunningly beautiful as its cover, maybe even more.