Bookish Bluebird: sci-fi

Showing posts with label sci-fi. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Review: CINDER by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

"She was a cyborg, and she would never go to the ball."

I have an undying love for fairy tales and this was my first retellings book. Needless to say, I la-la-LOVED all the Cinderella parallels. It blew my expectations right out the water to be honest. I didn't expect such a complex story or an equally complex yet wonderful group of characters. Cinder quickly became one of my top fave heroines of all time! She's sarcastic, intelligent and brave. She's a take-action kind of character that I always love to read about. She's just so bad-ass and awesome :D

Review: THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT by Veronica Rossi

Title: Through The Ever Night
Author: Veronica Rossi

Publication Date: January 8, 2013

Under The Never Sky #2

It's been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect.

The Tides don't take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe's precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, can their love survive through the ever night?

"We lose and lose, but we're still here."

Okay *takes deep breath*. Where do I even begin? This series is everything I could wish for in a novel. There's adventure, action, betrayal, heartbreak, danger, romance, friendship and loads more. Loads more. I can't even describe it properly but I'll do my best.

Through The Ever Night is the second installment to the Under The Never Sky series by Veronica Rossi and it picks up right where book one ended. THIS SCENE. It was all kinds of wonderful, let me tell you. I absolutely loved Perry's reaction to seeing Aria after being apart for so long. My heart warmed completely and I smiled like a loon:

"When she saw him, her eyes widened in surprise, but her stride didn't slow and neither did his.

He shed his things, dropping them where they fell, and sprinted."

Do you feel the love? Because omg the feels from this scene alone, sigh <3. In TTEN, it's apparent how both Perry and Aria are hesitant to be open about their feelings. Especially since many of the tribe members aren't so welcoming to having a 'Dweller' in their midst, even if Aria is an Aud. Aether storms are worsening and occurring more often than not. Aria had struck a deal with Consul Hess to ensure the safety of Talon, Perry's nephew. And as Aria continued her communication with Consul Hess about finding the Still Blue, she quickly learned that the Pods are also at risk from the Aether. Just when I was celebrating over the fact that Aria and Perry are finally together, circumstance calls for them to be separated again but I loved seeing their character grow as the story progressed. Aria just continually got even more and more kick-a. And even though it sort of saddened me to see Perry 'stuck' in place as the new Tides' Blood Lord, I enjoyed seeing him mature as one. The Tides depended on him and it wouldn't have been in his character to abandon them. It's one of the reasons that make him such a strong and lovable hero. In the parts of the book that they were together though, constant swoons.

"Be ready, because when I see you, I'll never let you go again."

In my opinion, TTEN had a huge emphasis on trust. Trust between the Tides and Perry. Trust between Aria and Roar and even trust between her and Soren, a character I did not think I would ever come to like. I really loved seeing how close Roar and Aria had become though, how their friendship grew. But oh how my heart hurt during the few chapters close to the end. I was definitely worried that one of my favorite characters wouldn't be the same *wipes tear*. Overall, this is a story of strength and persistence, and one filled with a multitude of memorable characters. There wasn't a thing that I disliked (besides Sable, but that's a given...oh wait and that red-headed Scire!!). Ms. Rossi certainly knows how to keep you wanting more. And with how this book ended, the series is sure to conclude with a bang.

"Love is a rebellious bird that nobody can tame."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Under The Never Sky

--> My Review <--

Roar And Liv

| Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo |

(#0.5: Prequel novella in Roar's POV)

Through The Ever Night

Brooke

| Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo |

(#2.5: Novella in Brooke's POV)

Into The Still Blue

Friday, September 19, 2014

Review: UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky

Author: Veronica Rossi

Worlds kept them apart.

Destiny brought them together.

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its places, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild—a savage—but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

"If there was no fear, how could there be comfort? Or courage?"

I LOVED IT. I was incredibly hyped about starting this book because I was told that the romance was a glorious slow burn and that the secondary relationships were incredibly heart-warming (I'm a sucker for bromance and friendship). Under The Never Sky met those expectations and left me wanting more! More Perry. More Roar. More Perry and Roar. Oh, yeah and more Aria. I loved that she got pretty kick-ass in around the last third the book. Yay for character development! :D

"I never really wanted to sing. Now I have the urge to do it. Songs are stories.
Maybe I've got my own stories to tell now."

The story was unique, amazing and complex. You had Aria who lived inside the Pods and then Peregrine who lived outside them. I loved being able to read both their perspectives and get a feel for both worlds. There's quite a lot of terminology and I found myself writing them down or asking questions to make sense of it all. But I did like how new information about the setting was given at a pace that didn't overwhelm me. One feature of Aria's world that I really liked was the 'Smarteye', a virtual reality device worn over one eye. Everyone living inside the Pods were dependent on these devices, they never took it off. With the device, the world was brighter and more colorful. Within the Realms the device can take you to, there was no need for fear and no sense of pain. When Aria finds herself on the outside without her Smarteye, she has to learn how to survive.

""A world of nevers under a never sky." She fit in well then, he thought. A girl who never shut up."

Ahh I loved how Perry and Aria's relationship developed. Every moment I felt they were growing emotionally closer, I couldn't help but grin. I love enemies-to-friends-to-lover scenarios cause I find they often have the most amusing dialogue between the main characters. And their bantering...oh, their bantering was excellent. I liked Aria from the start. I liked her even more at the end. She was strong-minded when she had a plan and she wasn't one to stand to the side and let other's do all the work. She'd want to help, even if it meant the possibility of killing. She wasn't afraid to do things on her own and her determination to find a way out made me admire her even more.

I have a deep love for Perry. Right off the bat, I felt for him, I felt his worries and his love for his nephew, Talon. His conflicting feelings about his brother, Vale. He was incredibly caring. He always had the tribe's best interest in mind. All the little things he did for Aria, like making her shoes and teaching her how to pick berries (Perry's pov during this scene was priceless), everything, made my heart all warm and fuzzy. He was a natural leader with killer instincts. And when he has his sights set on you, he can be incredibly smooth. Their kiss... I can't even...so many feels when it finally happened!!! Then there's Roar, Perry's best friend, who made me smile until my cheeks hurt. He was such a fantastic secondary character and great comic relief.

"Everyone feels lost and low. It's how a person acts that makes them different."

I cannot wait to continue with Perry and Aria's story, but before that I must know that Roar has a happy ending! For anyone who hasn't read Under The Never Sky yet, DO IT. There's friendships, love, alliances, betrayals, supernatural powers, deaths, twists, scenes that melt your heart, scenes that make you grin and chuckle, and more!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Roar

I love Roar! He's charming and witty.

Reasons why I think he's awesome:

1. He's desperately in love with Liv

2. He's compassionate (e.g helping Cinder)

3. He's the perfect wing-man

Tosca Aria
It was almost like the words of the aria were foreshadowing the future of their relationship.
They were telling each other their feelings without actually saying them.
The feels were strong with this one.
"They reached for each other then like some force had pulled their hands together."

Extras: Aria+Perry edit

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Review: CINDER by Marissa Meyer

Friday, February 6, 2015

Review: THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT by Veronica Rossi

Friday, September 19, 2014

Review: UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi