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Gemina and Obsidio Mini Reviews

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

obsidio by amy kaufman and jay kristoff book
Picture taken by me

Obsidio and Gemina are the last two books in the Illuminae Files series by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. These books were both amazing, though not as great as the first Illuminae book in my opinion. I think what I really missed fromthe first book was the killer infected people. I found them absolutely terriffying. Also, AIDAN (the artificial intelligence in charge of the ships in the first book) was still super creepy in these last two books, but its abilities were diminished and he/it became a bit predictable.

Every story needs its hero. And its villain. And its monster.”

Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Gemina had the mind-sucking alien like creatures which were interesting. Here we were introduced to Hanna, the daughter of the man in charge of Jump Station Heimdall, and to Nik, her drug dealer. These two end up holding the fate of the whole universe in their hands after a wormhole malfunction. Hanna became one of my favorite characters, because she could be a badass and look good doing it at the same time. I also loved Nik’s little cousin Ella, she was hilarious.

Live a life worth dying for.”

Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Obsidio was about bringing the whole story together. I liked seeing all the main characters working for the same team and fighting for their survival on the last book. We are also introduced to the last two characters: Asha and Rhys. What I really liked about Asha was that she was just a regular person, she didn’t have super computer abilities like Kady, or crazy fighting skills like Hanna, but she still managed to make a difference.

Perhaps bravery is simply the face humanity wraps around its collective madness.”

Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

These last two books were fast paced, but there was enough character development to make me fall in love with all the characters and become invested in their survival. The story dealt with the possibility that not everything is black or white, and the plot was full of gray areas. The “bad guys” thought they were doing the right thing. The “good guys” were forced to cross lines they would otherwise never cross before. I would recommend this whole series to everyone. Before Jay Kristoff and Amy Kaufman’s books I was never a big fan of space settings, but they made me change my mind.

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Aristotle and Dante Review

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe by Benjamin alire saenz
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I didn’t understand how you could live in a mean world and not have any of that meanness rub off on you.”

Ari

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz was an amazing read. I started reading this book one afternoon and was surprised to find myself finishing it up at 1:30 AM that same night. I was unable to put it down, and when I absolutely had to in order to do things like cook, eat, and take care of my two children, I switched to the audio book and had it plugged into one ear all day. I became so invested in these kids’ lives, which is my main problem when I read Contemporary Fiction. I keep having to remind myself that these are fictional characters, something I never have to do when I read Fantasy or Sci-Fi. But mainly this was just exceptional writing which kept me engaged and almost hypnotized.

One of the secrets of the universe was that our instincts were sometimes stronger than our minds.”

Ari

The first thing I realized while reading this book, was that Ari was just like me. I really wanted to know what would happen to this dark and heavily guarded boy. On the other hand, Dante was a lot like my husband, right down to his aversion to wearing shoes. Needless to say these characters were well developed and relatable. I could also relate to Ari’s family in many ways, one of the few differences being mine are Cuban and his were Mexican.

But I had learned to hide what I felt. No, that’s not true. There was no learning involved. I had been born knowing how to hide what I felt.”

Ari

The story follows these two boys through their last two years of High School, and two unforgettable Summers. The depiction of High School was so real, it really took me back to the days with no smart phones and limited phone access. Summer is also my favorite season, and I enjoyed their mundane way of spending it. Just two boys going swimming at the local community center, reading, and playing made up games. Those were the simple days, but also the complicated ones because it is the age when we attempt to figure out who we are. I recommend this book to anyone wishing to figure out the secrets of the universe along with these two amazing characters.

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Illuminae Review

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Illuminae book by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
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Authors: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Publication Date: October 20, 2015

I would rather be numb than stand here in the light of a sun that can never chase the chill away.”

aidan

I have so many thoughts on this book that I’m struggling to put them all into coherent sentences. First, let’s start with the formatting. I struggled with it at first, but once I got used to it it read like any other book. I actually thought this book was an amazing work of art. It is comprised of emails, messages, descriptions of camera footage, audio recordings, pictures, and many other types of files.

You’re a speck of animated carbon and water with about seven centimeters of ballistics-grade ceramic between you and absolutely nothing. Ninety three billion light years of *ing nothing. No up. No down. No sky. No ground. Just endless dark shot through with tiny spears of sunlight older than you and your entire species stacked end to end. You want to feel small? Spend sixty seconds in a Cyclone’s cockpit…look out at nothing and feel it looking back. Then you know exactly how much you add up to.”

Ezra

The story is mostly set in space, which was described really well in my opinion (see quote above). Other than describing the inside and outside of the ships in perfect poetic detail, there was not much more world building to be done. We also get some maps of the ships as a reference. The main characters were adequately described, but I could have done with a bit more detail. The dialogue was where this book excelled, which is a very good thing since it was mostly dialogue. Conversations were full of humor and sarcasm in the midst of chaos, and they read like an action packed movie. I could almost hear the characters catching their breath as they talked, whispering, and shouting or screaming. It was very well done.

Miracles are statistical improbabilities. And fate is an illusion humanity uses to comfort itself in the dark. There are no absolutes in life, save death.”

aiden

The romance aspect of the book was great, and it did not take over the whole plot. I loved Kady and Ezra and I was rooting for them the whole time. They fought like a real couple, they compromised over their differences, and overall their relationship was very realistic. Emotions were described in such great detail that everything they could feel I also could. Their fear gave me chills, and their grief was so real it almost made me cry at times, but I don’t cry easily.

Part of being alive is having life change us. The people around us, the events we live through, all of them shape us.”

kady

I went into this book not really knowing what to expect and having no idea about what the plot really entailed, and I think that was the way to go. Many of the events caught me by surprise, and it was very refreshing to read something so different from the other stories I usually read. This book has definitely made me want more SCI-FI in my life, and I will be reading the second and third installments as soon as I can. I would recommend this series to everyone. Read it! I really don’t know why I waited so long.

The universe owes you nothing…it has already given you everything. After all. It was here long before you, and it will go on long after you. The only way it will remember you is if you do something worthy of remembrance.”

aidan
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Daughter of the Siren Queen

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️

daughter of the siren queen by Tricia Levenseller
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I read Daughter of the Siren Queen (Daughter of the Pirate King, #2) by Tricia Levenseller with such high expectations mainly because I had heard that it was much better than the first book, but I found it to be just the same rating.

I’m going to start with the things I did not like. The story got a bit repetitive and tiresome at times, with the characters just doing the same thing over and eliciting almost the same results each time. The characters were also a bit inconsistent and changed their minds quite a lot; things that were an issue one day, did not matter the next. Even Alosa, our main female character had issues with Riden changing his mind over and over, one second he was hot and the next he was cold.

I did enjoy the sense of adventure this story conveyed, and the world building was great. The humor and dialogue were entertaining enough to keep me reading. Even though the story became a bit predictable, it was able to keep me engaged enough to want to know what would happen in the end. I liked that Alosa was a strong female character, and so were the other females on her crew. Little Rosalind was one of my favorite side characters, a child among pirates with a bit of spunk. I would recommend this book to any YA/Fantasy fans looking for a light entertaining read.

Have you read this book? What was your opinion?

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Mini Reviews

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shadow and bone by leigh bardugo
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Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo – Mini Review

The problem with wanting…is that it makes us weak”

The Darkling

Since this book is part of a trilogy there was a lot of world building that I really appreciated. This was the difference between this book and the Six of Crows books. There was a lot more explaining in this one about the different Grisha and what their powers entailed. We as the readers got to learn it all right along with Alina. By the way, I loved Alina. She was a very strong likeable female character who said whatever was on her mind most of the time which was great. She reminds me of a prickly easily riled cat.

I also had a thing for the Darkling, he reminds me a lot of Kaz Brekker from the Six of Crows books. One of my favorite side characters was Botkin, the combat trainer, he was hilarious: “Should not hit girl in the face when she is going to party…Botkin will be fairer tomorrow.”

This was one of those books where I did not understand what the cover meant until I read it, I don’t come across those very often. Sometimes I had trouble believing this world wasn’t real, especially during the scary parts in the Fold. I’m pretty sure Bardugo travels to alternate universes and then comes back to write about them.

Aurora rising by amie kaufman and jay kristoff book
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Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff -Audio Mini Review

The whole place seems like it’s being held together by spit and good luck.”

aurora rising

This was such a great audio book. The full cast really made the difference for me, and I always wonder why more audio books don’t do this. This book had seven different points of views, and each one is voiced by a different person. There are sound effects in the audio book which really makes the whole story come alive, and it becomes almost like listening to a really good descriptive movie.

I loved the humor throughout this book and the play on words. I did roll my eyes sometimes at some of the dialogue and internal dialogue, which is why I took off one star. A few of the characters were full of themselves, but I thought that it made them very entertaining if maybe a bit annoying at times. Tyler reminded me of Captain Thorne from Cinder, except with killer dimples.

The plot is action packed as the characters are thrown from one predicament into another. I really loved this unique group of characters, they reminded me of the gang from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, a bunch of misfits who have really special talents.

Have you read these? What did you think?

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Call It What You Want

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

call it what you want by brigid Kemmerer book review
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Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer is a Contemporary/ YA novel involving two teenagers Rob and Meagan. Rob is living with the consequences of his dad’s actions, while Meagan is dealing with the repercussions of her own mistakes and those of her sister Sam.

People love finding the weak link that makes them feel superior.”

Sam

I usually try to avoid Contemporary, because good Contemporary fiction always ends up making me cry. But Kemmerer wrote this one so I just had to read it. Kemmerer paints such a vivid picture of what it’s like to a be a High Schooler that it brought back all my horrible High School memories. I hated High School. Emotions are so real in this story, and by real I mean not described in flowery detail, but in basic and deeply relatable terms.

My life has collapsed to the point where a ninety-nine-cent cup of coffee with a stranger is meaningful”

Rob

Another thing I liked about this story was Kemmerer’s inclusion of other books I love, like An Ember in the Ashes and Harry Potter. Call It What You Want is the only book that has ever made me add another book to my “to be read” list. She kept mentioning all these books I love, so when she mentioned Winner’s Curse I had to add it.

One choice doesn’t determine your whole future.”

Sam

I appreciate authors who can branch out into other genres and still write amazing stories. I loved A Curse so Dark and Lonely by her, which was Fantasy/ YA, and Call It What You Want definitely lived up to all my expectations as well. I would recommend this book to all Contemporary/ YA fans. This book delves into hard topics such as suicide, underage drinking, and abortion, amongst others. Overall, the main lesson I took from this story was that everyone is fighting their own battles and not everything is black and white. Real people live in the gray areas.

Sometimes when we’re trying to protect the people closest to us, doing the right thing doesn’t always look so clear.”

Maegan’s dad

This book released today June 25th. I hope you guys have time to check it out.

Many thanks to Bloomsburry and Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Soul of the Sword

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Picture from Goodreads

Synopsis:

Yumeko is a kitsune shapeshifter who has been entrusted with a sacred scroll. Her mission is to take this scroll to the Steel Feather temple in order to prevent the great Kami Dragon from being summoned. The dragon is the Harbinger of change, and it will grant one wish to whomever summons it. Hakaimono is a demon that has just been released from a sword called Kamigoroshi after being trapped in it for hundreds of years. He is still wearing the human body of Tatsumi, the Kage demon slayer who had been escorting Yumeko to the temple before the demon broke free. Hakaimono wants to destroy the sword so he can never be put back in it. He has teamed up with he Master of Demons and has promised to get him the scrolls in exchange for destroying the sword. The story ensues as the paths of Yumeko and Hakaimono cross once again, and the fate of the empire hangs in the balance.

True beauty is rare, hidden and often overlooked by others. And it can appear at the strangest times.”

Daisuke

Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa transported me to a warm campfire under a starry night, while a bearded old man told this mythical tale in between puffs of smoke from his old wooden pipe. Suddenly, I was in a world in which emotions like grief and despair had smells, and everything from the scenery to the food was described in poetic detail. I particularly found the Forest of a Thousand Eyes terrifying, even when described from Hakaimono’s demon perspective, who tried to make everything sound amusing.

Around them, the shadowy forest stood frozen, tall shaggy pines drooping under the weight of snow and ice. It was an oppressive weight…cold and domineering, as if the snow was a cruel master, demanding silence and respect from everything it touched.”

SUKI

I liked the different points of views in each Chapter, and the fact we had a glimpse into the mind of the demon Hakaimono. We got to see what the human condition is like from a demon’s perspective, and how living inside humans for hundreds of years has changed him. The demon catches himself missing his “home” in Jigoku (a version of the underworld or hell), and wondering if his fellow demons have missed him as well.

I had spent too much time in the heads of these weak-willed humans.”

Hakaimono

I really enjoyed Yumeko’s humor and wit, but I especially loved her determination to complete her quest and to offer a helping hand to all who needed it along the way. As always, Yumeko’s point of view was full of mischief, true to her fox or “kitsune” nature. The dialogue between Yumeko and the band of misfits she has acquired in her journey was very entertaining. One of my favorite side characters continues to be Okame, who despite being a ronin, or disgraced samurai, has shown to be a very honest and loyal companion to Yumeko on her journey.

A small group who stand against insurmountable odds, who give their lives for the glory of the empire? It is what Bushido is built on.”

Daisuke

The story had a nice feeling of adventure, as our group of unlikely heroes, each with their own special skills, are taken from one predicament into the next. The plot was action packed, and the characters were all spurred into action by a single unifying quest to save the empire from certain doom. I adored the first book in this series, Shadow of the Fox, and this second installment was no exception. I recommend this story to all YA/Fantasy fans, and to all those who enjoy adventure and quest driven tales.

‪Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for the opportunity to review this title in exchange for my honest opinion‬

Have you guys read Soul of the Sword? What did you think?

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This Savage Song

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Picture from Goodreads

Author: V.E. Schwab

Published: July 5, 2016

Series: Monsters of Verity, #1

Synopsis:

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

That’s life…it doesn’t matter if you’re monster or human, living hurts.”

August

This was a very unique world in which music played a big part. Monsters called Sunai could steal a person’s soul by singing or playing music. Music was also used as an escape by both the main characters; though I found myself identifying more with August’s taste in classical music, rather than Kate’s loud rock music.

The characters were very well fleshed out. I thought Kate was a strong female character who was willing to do anything to seek her father’s approval. August was sweet and likeable, but also did not let Kate push him around. I also liked the fact that there was no “instalove” in this story, and that their relationship did not take over the whole plot.

The plot was very action packed from the beginning. The characters were plunged from one predicament to the other with barely any breathing room in between. The only reason I took one star was because the ending was too perfect for me, and there was very little explanation as to what happened. But you will just have to read for yourself.

Overall, I would recommend this book to all fans of YA/Fantasy, and to anyone interested in dystopian novels and how people react at the end of the world.

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The Raven Boys

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⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publication date: September 18, 2012

Series: The Raven Cycle #1

There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

Neeve

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

I thought Stiefvater’s writing was spectacular. The story was hypnotic and entertaining. I admit to laughing out loud many times throughout it. She makes great use of similes and metaphors without overdoing it. I really liked the different POV’s, even the ones from the bad guy’s perspective, it really brought the whole story together.

She wasn’t interested in telling other people’s futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own.”

Blue

Blue was unique, from her name to her clothes to the way she decorated her room. I don’t blame her since she had a very strange upbringing, and grew up surrounded by fortune tellers. But this story was mainly about the boys. I really liked that they all had their own unique voices and distinct personalities. I still can’t decide which one was my favorite Aglionby boy, maybe Ronan, and I hope she wrote a book where we get to find out more about him. I still don’t know about Gansey, I can’t get past his obsession with this quest of his, and it seems like neither can he.

Gansey had once told Adam that he was afraid most people didn’t know how to handle Ronan. What he meant by this was that he was worried that one day someone would fall on Ronan and cut themselves”

adam

There was a great sense of adventure to this story, and the quests and discoveries were unique. I expected some of the twista, and there were some that caught me by surprise. Even though I understand this was part of a series, I still docked a few stars because I felt like the whole story was building up to something and then it fell flat at the end. Sometimes when authors do this, it makes me feel like they cut the story short just so they could write a second book, and it leaves me wanting.

When I was done with this book, I didn’t immediately feel like reading the next in the series. I did really like her writing style, and I am curious to learn more about all these characters, so I will definitely pick it up in the future. Hopefully, in the next book the ending is a bit better and I am left feeling more satisfied and less empty.

Have you guys read this? What did you think? Does the series get better plot-wise?

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A Curse so Dark and Lonely

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was never a curse to be broken. This was a death sentence. The true curse has been the thought that we might find escape.”

rhen
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Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publication date: January 29, 2019

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Plot:

I found the plot to be fast paced and gripping, but without feeling too rushed. I’ve read a lot of fairy tale retellings, and this one was different enough to be entertaining yet it still kept many of the familiar concepts I associate with Beauty and the Beast. It included the beast (of course), a girl taken against her will, and an enchanted castle. I also thought the romance aspect of the story was very realistic, especially the fact that at a young age it’s hard to identify what love feels like.

The choices we face may not be the choices we want, but they are choices nonetheless.”

rhen

Characters:

Harper is the only character I have come across in the YA/Fantasy genre who suffers from cerebral palsy. She was strong and ferocious and did not let her disability hinder her in any way. She was also loyal, and so brave, albeit sometimes bordering on reckless.

Rhen, was a bit self-centered, but Harper helped him come out of his bubble of misery and made him understand that he was not the only one suffering. His people were suffering too, and he had the means to help them. I felt like Rhen’s character wasn’t as fully developed as Harper’s, and we were missing a lot of his background. I understand it was painful for him to talk about his past, but we needed a bit more to make him real.

Lastly, I want to talk about the villains. The enchantress, Lilith was scary, but not as scary as that queen from the other neighboring kingdom Karis Luran. I thought the fact that she was totally fine with burning innocent women and children alive was a lot more terrifying than the torture Lilith was willing to impart on our characters.

I’m always surprised to discover that when the world seems darkest, there exists the greatest opportunity for light.”

freya

The World building:

The world is called Emberfall, but apart from the castle, an Inn, and the surrounding woods we don’t get to see a whole lot of it. The castle is where the characters spend most of the their time and the author does a great job describing it in great detail. I just wish it had a giant Library 🙂

We also get a nice rendering of the bad neighbohood in Washington D.C where Harper is from, and her dingy apartment.

Overall:

This is a story about loyalty, bravery, and what it means to truly love someone. It was beautiful and enchanting. I would recommend it to all Fantasy readers and fairy tale lovers. I read it in two sittings because I could not put it down. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series “A Heart so Fierce and Broken” which will be out January 7, 2020.

Have you guys read this one? What did you think?