Iron Widow Review | Xiran Jay Zhao

Plot: The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

Publisher: OneWorld Publications | Date: 2021 | Genre: Science Fiction

Altered Tides Review | Harry F. Rey

Plot: A malfunctioning STAR drive strands Captain Ales in a new galaxy. Trapped on a dry, dusty red moon where the rains fall only once every forty years, the restless population barely survives on a teardrop ration of water. Now, the rains are years overdue, and the ruling clerics view Ales as a savior—or a devil. Just as Ales and the She-King’s brother discover a secret the clerics have been hiding for far too long, this world is invaded and torn apart from a most unlikely source.

The blue moon is a world covered in water—water that flows over to the red moon as rain every forty years, thereby drying up the domain of King Sarlord. He’s finally had enough and gathers an army to sail into the sky on the waterspout, land on the red moon, and defeat the god who steals his ocean. His son, Prince Malar, will do anything to avoid staying behind, but even he gets much more than he bargained for when the world as he knows it is swept away on altered tides.

Publisher: NineStar Press | Date: 2021 | Genre: Science Fiction

Feast of Ashes Review | Victoria Williamson

Plot: The Earth’s ecosystems have collapsed and only ashes remain. Is one girl’s courage enough to keep hope alive in the wastelands?

It’s the year 2123, and sixteen-year-old Adina has just accidentally killed fourteen thousand seven hundred and fifty-six people. Raised in the eco-bubble of Eden Five, Adina has always believed that the Amonston Corporation’s giant greenhouse would keep her safe forever. But when her own careless mistake leads to an explosion that incinerates Eden Five, she and a small group of survivors must brave the barren wastelands outside the ruined Dome to reach the Sanctuary before their biofilters give out and their DNA threatens to mutate in the toxic air.

They soon discover that the outside isn’t as deserted as they were made to believe, and the truth is unearthed on their dangerous expedition. As time runs out, Adina must tackle her guilty conscience and find the courage to get everyone to safety. Will she make it alive, or will the Nomalies get to her first?

Publisher: Neem Tree Press | Date: 2023 | Genre: Young adult/science fiction

Fractal Noise Review | Christopher Paolini

Plot: On the planet Talos VII, twenty-three years before the events of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, an anomaly is detected: a vast circular pit, with dimensions so perfect that it could only have been the result of conscious design. So a small team is assembled to learn more – perhaps even who built the hole and why. Their mission will take them on a hazardous trek to the very edge of existence.

For one explorer, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. For another, a risk not worth taking. And for xenobiologist Alex Crichton, it’s a desperate attempt to find meaning in an uncaring universe. But every step they take towards that mysterious abyss is more punishing than the last. Ultimately, no one is prepared for what they will encounter.

Publisher: Pan MacMillan | Date: 2023 | Genre: Science Fiction

Children of Memory Review | Adrian Tchaikovsky

Earth is failing. In a desperate bid to escape, the spaceship Enkidu and its captain, Heorest Holt, carry its precious human cargo to a potential new Eden. Generations later, this fragile colony has managed to survive, eking out a hardy existence. Yet life is tough, and much technological knowledge has been lost.

Then Liff, Holt’s granddaughter, hears whispers that the strangers in town aren’t from neighbouring farmland. That they possess unparalleled technology – and that they’ve arrived from another world. But not all questions are so easily answered, and their price may be the colony itself.

Publisher: Tor | Date: 2022 | Genre: Science Fiction

Eyes of the Void Review | Adrian Tchaikovsky

You know when you see the sequel for a much-loved book, and you have to drop everything to get straight to it? That was me when I received a copy of Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I adored the first in The Final Architects series and couldn’t wait to get back to the Vulture God and it’s crew. Here’s my full review.

Publisher: Tor | Date: 2022 | Genre: Science Fiction

Plot: After eighty years of fragile peace, the Architects are back, wreaking havoc as they consume entire planets. In the past, Originator artefacts – vestiges of a long-vanished civilization – could save a world from annihilation. This time, the Architects have discovered a way to circumvent these protective relics. Suddenly, no planet is safe.

Facing impending extinction, the Human Colonies are in turmoil. While some believe a unified front is the only way to stop the Architects, others insist humanity should fight alone. And there are those who would seek to benefit from the fractured politics of war – even as the Architects loom ever closer.

Idris, who has spent decades running from the horrors of his past, finds himself thrust back onto the battlefront. As an Intermediary, he could be one of the few to turn the tide of war. With a handful of allies, he searches for a weapon that could push back the Architects and save the galaxy. But to do so, he must return to the nightmarish unspace, where his mind was broken and remade.

What Idris discovers there will change everything.

The Necessity of Stars Review | E. Catherine Tobler

I looked back at the synopsis of The Necessity of Stars when I sat down to write this review, and I’m not certain what drew my attention to it. It’s a short book which explodes with a lot of important messages, but I can’t say for sure I understood everything.

Publisher: Neon Hemlock Press| Date: 2021 | Genre: General Fiction/Science-Fiction

Plot: Plagued by the creeping loss of her memory, diplomat Bréone Hemmerli continues to negotiate peace in an increasingly climate-devastated world, ensconced in the UN-owned estate Irislands alongside her longtime friend and companion Delphine.

The appearance of the alien Tura in the shadows of Bréone’s garden raises new questions about the world’s decline. Perhaps, together, Tura and Bréone will find a way forward… if only Bréone can remember it.

The Reckoning Review | Marisa Noelle

Having enjoyed the first two books, I was looking forward to the adventure continuing for Silver and friends. When given the chance to be part of the blog tour, it was my guarantee of reading the book before forgetting the previous events. Today, I’m sharing my review on The Reckoning.

Publisher: Question Mark Press | Date: 2021 | Genre: Science Fiction

Plot: Sinister visions of an evil entity with looming yellow eyes haunt Silver’s dreams, threatening to destroy the new world she and her friends have created. The terrifying omens push Silver to experiment with her abilities, but awaken a burgeoning thirst for more power.

As Silver walks a fine line between good and evil, her friends become wary of her intimidating abilities. She finds understanding in a sympathetic newcomer, but their deepening friendship drives an even deeper wedge between Silver and her suspicious friends.

Tragedy strikes during preparations for the final stand, bringing a terrible choice. Grief drives Silver toward reckless actions that may doom the final battle. Can she repair the relationships with her friends and control her powers before her vision becomes reality?

I received The Reckoning as part of a Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Reckoning Review

I’ve enjoyed the adventures and the powers depicted in the first two books. I had issues with Silver’s character in book two, but she redeemed herself and I was intrigued about where the new threat was going to take things. I was looking forward to The Reckoning.

Characters

It’s an interesting choice when an author deliberately sends her main character on a negative development arc. Silver spends the first half of the book arrogant, selfish and so self-absorbed that I wanted someone (preferably a bulk) to shake some sense into her. I really went off her.

As the story and Silver’s development progresses, she comes full circle and you root for her again. I wish we could’ve seen more of the other characters and their abilities, rather than the narration fixating on Silver and Eli – especially as it’s impossible to connect to the latter because you know not to trust him.

I don’t cry. I don’t despair. I’m more accepting than I thought I’d be.

But I won’t give up either. I won’t. I can’t. It’s not who I am.

The Reckoning by Marisa Noelle

Writing

In true Noelle form, however, it comes together seamlessly.

Silver comes back to herself, the threat manifests, and our band of survivors have to come together to face impossible odds (again). The pacing takes a long time to build, with a large portion of the book being character-focused. Once events gain momentum, you don’t have time to figure out what’s going on: the danger is here and it’s real. It made the character development more pronounced, although the tension may have benefitted from longer to build.

The enemy was unclear. It wasn’t a person or a known threat. Formless and menacing, it’s hard to identify exactly what it was, which undermined it for me: a deranged, power-hungry maniac had more impact than something illusive.

Themes

The book was a lot of fun. As a young adult science-fiction novel, it touches on a lot of important themes, not least that no one is incorruptible and that relationships are complicated. There were times I identified with the messages, and times I sensed it was aimed at a younger audience. It was a good balance between the fate of the world, and personal problems.

Given the current climate, it’s easy to identify with the despair and helplessness of humanity trying to survive when the world turns against you. An invisible, deadly threat is something we can all relate to.

I enjoyed this book, and liked watching everything come together. Very mixed feelings on the ending (no spoilers) but it does make me intrigued where this will go next.

Final Thoughts

If you’re enjoying the series, or looking for a new YA science-fiction to binge, then The Unadjusteds books are entertaining reads. The Reckoning works for a late-teen audience reaching the point in their lives where they want to establish who they are. If that’s your thing, then a definite recommendation. 

Have you been reading The Unadjusteds series? Does this sound like your kind of book?

Also in the series:

• Book One: The Unadjusteds
• Book Two: The Rise of the Altereds

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Shards of Earth Review | Adrian Tchaikovsky

Having adored The Doors of Eden, there was no way I was turning down the chance to jump on this blog tour. There’s something about Tchaikovsky’s writing that works for me: the characters, the plot, the pacing – everything! Journey to the edges of space with my review on Shards of Earth.

Publisher: Tor | Date: 2021 | Genre: Science Fiction

Plot: The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . .

Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade him in the war. And one of humanity’s heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers.

After earth was destroyed, mankind created a fighting elite to save their species, enhanced humans such as Idris. In the silence of space they could communicate, mind-to-mind, with the enemy. Then their alien aggressors, the Architects, simply disappeared – and Idris and his kind became obsolete

Now, fifty years later, Idris and his crew have discovered something strange abandoned in space. It’s clearly the work of the Architects – but are they returning? And if so, why? Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy hunting for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value, that many would kill to obtain.

The Doors of Eden Review | Adrian Tchaikovsky

Adrian Tchaikovsky has been on my TBR wish-list for years. I couldn’t wait to dive into this! It’s complex; it’s epic; and enjoyable from start to finish. It contains a mystery, other worlds, space and end of time. What’s not to like? Here’s my The Doors of Eden review.

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Publisher: Pan Books | Date: 2020 | Genre: Science Fiction

Plot: Lee’s best friend went missing on Bodmin Moor, four years ago. She and Mal were chasing rumours of monsters when they found something all too real. Now Mal is back, but where has she been, and who is she working for?

When government physicist Kay Amal Khan is attacked, the security services investigate. This leads MI5’s Julian Sabreur deep into terrifying new territory, where he clashes with mysterious agents of an unknown power ­who may or may not be human. And Julian’s only clue is some grainy footage ­– showing a woman who supposedly died on Bodmin Moor.

Khan’s extradimensional research was purely theoretical, until she found cracks between our world and countless others. Parallel Earths where monsters live. These cracks are getting wider every day, so who knows what might creep through? Or what will happen when those walls finally come crashing down…

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