How is it August!? Well, no matter, I have some books to review! Here are the first half of my August books!
Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis
The Empire Wars by Akana Phenix
Burn by Peter Heller
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
Key Lime Sky by Al Hess
Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis
Series: Chaotic Orbits #1
Published by DAW on August 6, 2024
Pages: 192
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley
A high octane sexy space heist from New York Times-bestselling author Beth Revis, the first in a novella trilogy.
Ada Lamarr may have gotten to the spaceship wreck first, but looter’s rights won’t get her far when she’s got a hole in the side of her ship and her spacesuit is almost out of air. Fortunately for her, help arrives in the form of a government salvage crew—and while they reluctantly rescue her from certain death, they are not pleased to have an unexpected passenger along on their classified mission.
But Ada doesn’t care—all that matters to her is enjoying their fine food and sweet, sweet oxygen—until Rian White, the government agent in charge, starts to suspect that there’s more to Ada than meets the eye. He’s not wrong—but he’s so pretty that Ada is perfectly happy to keep him paying attention to her—at least until she can complete the job she was sent to pull off. But as quick as Ada is, Rian might be quicker—and she may not be entirely sure who’s manipulating who until it’s too late…
A phenomenally fun novella that kicks off a trilogy of sexy space heists and romantic tension, Full Speed to a Crash Landing is packed with great characters and full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.
Yay, a space adventure novella series, we love to see it! Especially when it has all the stuff this one has: It’s fun, witty, full of twists and adventure and fabulous characters… need I go on? I mean probably, otherwise this review will be one sentence, but. Novella reviews have to be shortish, right? Lest I give something away. Ugh fine I’ll do more. This book hooked me from the epigraph, which is saying something. I thought about telling you what it said so you could chuckle and realize you need the book, but don’t you realize that already anyway? Buy it yourself, see the epigraph that had me cackling from the start!
Yeah so it is very high stakes and features all kinds of stuff I did not see coming. So it’s the perfect blend, you see. Action, excitement, laughs, swoons, feels… and in such a tiny, unputdownable, quick-read package. And the best news? The sequel is out in December. Which means no waiting years on end to see what happens next for Ada and company!
Bottom Line: If I haven’t convinced you by now, that’s kind of on you.
The Empire Wars by Akana Phenix
Series: The Empire Wars #1
Published by Blackstone on August 6, 2024
Pages: 464
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley
The Empire Wars is a powerful YA debut where survival and magic are a deadly mix.
Coa, who was born feral in the North Transatlantic wilds, has just been captured. Now, Coa is subject to public humiliation and execution in a gruesome spectacle known as The Great Hunt.
If participants die in the Great Hunt their entire family will be executed—in front of everyone. The nationalist regime, known as the Allied Force, will not rest until all foreigners are exterminated. Coa’s best hope of survival might be Princess Ife—born of privilege, but newly married into the authoritarian lineage.
Her riskier choice is an alliance with a gorgeous, cunning fellow participant, marked as a traitor to his militarized nation. Coa entangles herself with the captivating young man, but soon finds he could be her ultimate downfall…
TW in preface: “As in all stories about genocide, graphic violence, human exploitation, extreme intolerance, abuse of power, and blatant inhumanity are portrayed.”
Okay this is such a hard book to rate. And to review, but at least in the review I can more easily explain stuff. Look- this is not a perfect book by any stretch of the imagination (we’ll get to that). There were times I was about to throw the thing across the room and call it quits. But then… there were also times I was completely captivated by the story, and would have bit you if you tried to take it from me. So let’s just say it’s… an experience.
For a brief summary: Coa, girl from island nation now forced into slavery, has been sent to the Great Hunt which is really just Hunger Games on crack. If she dies, her whole family dies. She doesn’t even have any actual family so Idk how that works, but… it’s fine. Bad stuff will happen. Princess Ife, who is from an African country and/or region that may or may not exist today. She is married to Corporal Baddie of the Arctic Asshat Army. He’s the son of General Extra Baddie, Leader of the Arctic, and Ife thinks she can use her position in their inner circle to help save the world. We get to read from both of their perspectives.
I usually lead with the good parts, but in this case, the good parts came later, so I am going to start with the stuff I had trouble with.
- I don’t get this world. At all, really. Like- you have your baddies, who in my head were like… if the cast of Frozen and Nazis had redneck babies? Or something? They claim to be “genetically superior” (which we all know baddies love to do, in fiction and in the
GOPreal world). But then there is talk of them coming from all different places around the world so… which is it? And you might think that your typical Scandinavian folk would fit the bill, but you’d be really wrong because they don’t like those guys either. Except for a few that they do. I have no idea. Most countries are gone but then not really, but maybe yes? And I think there is a country that is made up? Or maybe it fell off of the continental US? It claims to be a Florida-Louisiana sort of mix, but with mountains? I mean, if you told me we finally lobbed off Florida in the future, I wouldn’t fight it, but that doesn’t appear to be the situation. Then something about an asteroid comes into play and I guess asteroids explain all the new countries and groups and stuff, but not actually. In my head when I didn’t understand how some random island popped into existence, I filled the gap with “Because Asteroids™” and it allowed me some peace. Until they started telling me that volcanic air dust let people live for three or more centuries, that is just silly. - The political system, as you may have gathered, is confusing as well. And there is so much of it! This probably ties into the worldbuilding too but whatever. At some point, the characters just start ratting off random leaders of places that hadn’t been mentioned. After one such tangent, I wrote in my Kindle “I thought… you know what nevermind” and just gave up. There are a ton of different factions at play, but it is very hard to keep track of them because, well, you can’t even fully figure out where they come from, frankly.
- Holy contradictions! Legit in one line, Ife says someone is upset about being deaf: “Thorsten’s at the age where he desperately hopes he’ll recover his hearing, since the war obliterated…”. Then not two sentences later she says “Above all, he loves being deaf.” Um. Ma’am. I don’t think that makes sense. Then like- one minute Coa is legit telling people to kill her already, and in the very next breath says she’s ready to fight and kill everyone for her siblings. Who aren’t her siblings, but that’s a whole other Oprah. There’s just a lot of that, and I hope some of it is worked out in editing.
But here’s the weird part: despite the whole debacle, I actually… kind of liked the damn thing? And when I say “kind of”, I mean “give me the sequel immediately I need answers”. Idk what that says about me as a reader, but alas. Parts of it really worked! Like…
- Genocide and slavery are bad. I mean this should go without saying, but apparently a lot of people need this message. And boy, does this book deliver! Not only in the story, but I thought it was cool that the author used examples of real genocide and hate crimes to illustrate the point further. So from a commentary perspective, it delivered.
- I really felt for the characters, and even though they were at times contradictory, I quite liked them. Look- it’s impossible to not feel bad for them, because they’re literally being attempted-murdered through the whole book. And even before the killing rampages began, things were pretty awful for Coa.
- It is dark. Maybe akin to a train wreck that you can’t look away from, I could not put this book down. I had to know what happened. (Well- after I got past the first quarter in which I was in danger of throwing things.)
- I was just completely invested in the outcome. Look, some things you just can’t explain. And for better or for worse, by the time I got about a quarter of the way through, I was hooked. Don’t get me wrong, I still found the inconsistencies and world building fully baffling. I just didn’t quite care as much.
- Along the same lines, it was just very engaging. A lot was happening, and it was very twisty and exciting. And sure, a lot of the twists were very… View Spoiler » but honestly that probably helped me like it more. And, I did not see most of the twists coming. Whether that is because they were extra twisty or because nothing makes sense I won’t ever know, but suffice it to say, I was entertained.
Bottom Line: I cannot objectively give this more than three and a half stars, but the subjective part of me who was hooked refuses to give it any less. Do with that what you will.
Burn by Peter Heller
Published by Knopf on August 13, 2024
Pages: 304
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley
From the acclaimed author of The Last Ranger, a novel about two men—friends since boyhood—who emerge from the woods of rural Maine to a dystopian country wracked by bewildering violence.
Every year Jess and Storey have made an annual pilgrimage to northern Maine where they camp, hunt, and hike, leaving much from their long friendship unspoken. Although the state has convulsed all summer with secession mania—a mania that had simultaneously spread across other states—Jess and Storey figure it’s a fight reserved for legislators or, worse-case scenario, folks in the capitol. But after two weeks hunting moose off the grid, the men reach a small town and are shocked to find a bridge blown apart, buildings burned to the ground, and bombed-out cars abandoned on the road. Trying to make sense of the sudden destruction all around them, the men set their sights on finding their way home, dragging a wagon across bumpy dirt roads, ransacking boats left in the lakes, and dodging men who are armed—secessionists or military, they cannot tell—as they seek a path to safety. And then, a startling discovery, a child in the cabin of a boat, drastically alters their path and the stakes of their escape. Drenched with the beauty of the natural world, and attuned to the specific cadences of male friendship, even here at the edge of doom, Heller’s magisterial new novel is both a blistering warning of a divided country’s political strife and an ode to the salvation of our chosen families.
Burn was a bit of a quieter, more introspective apocalypse fare about two men stranded in the Maine woods when SHTF. Jess and Storey are besties from way back, and they get together annually to camp and hunt and such. Sounds miserable, but you do you. Then… some stuff happens. Thing is, Jess and Storey have no idea what that is. They can, at first, just tell that something is amiss. I loved that this is told through Jess’s POV, because we the reader remain in suspense just as the guys do, which makes the book feel more exciting.
They do realize, fairly quickly, that they are not safe. And thus begins a quest for survival, and to make it home. Storey is desperate to get home to his wife and kids, while Jess now has time to think about what he has lost. We get a lot of glimpses back into the lives of Jess and Storey as younger boys/men, and what led Jess especially to the melancholic place he finds himself now- and that was before he was being actively shot at.
Let me just say, I love that this book is told in the perspective of these two male besties. There is simply not enough of that. Add to it, they obviously have a lot of deep chats since they’re in emotional and physical turmoil. More of that, always. I don’t want to say too much about the character evolution, since that is kind of a key point to the story, but Jess could be frustrating at times. Which is okay, because he is only human, but your initial sympathy for his “I lost my wife and dog” is going to… wane, a bit.
I do not mind a more thoughtful, contemplative apocalypse book. In fact, I quite like them. Here’s the one thing that had this one frustrating me a bit: the ending just… View Spoiler ». So I didn’t love the ending, especially since a big part of the enjoyment of the book was the whole “what is happening here?” theme. My other minor qualm was that some of the flashbacks just ended up being a bit lengthy, when a little more time in the present would have been better for character development. Just my opinion, of course.
Ultimately, what we (and the characters) knew about what was going on seemed eerily plausible. Also, what the heck would you do out in the woods with no cell service and no way to get home? I’d say “this is why I don’t hang out in the woods”, but the truth is, their being isolated likely is why they survived.
Bottom Line: A quieter, yet still dark and tumultuous apocalypse novel, I enjoyed the story and just wanted more answers.
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
Published by Tor Books on August 6, 2024
Pages: 336
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley
A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic
Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend—unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.
After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.
Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.
First, a disclaimer: Idk anything about Goose Girl. As such, I have no idea how this compares. So good luck with that part.
Gosh I love T. Kingfisher. This was so quirky and fun, yet also quite heartfelt. From the start, my heart broke for Cordelia, being raised by this awful mother Evangeline. By like chapter 2 I was thinking off ways to off this B. She sucks. And now she’s whisked Cordelia away to some stuffy old manor, where she’s going to try to seduce the older gentleman who lives there, and try to marry off Cordelia while she’s at it. Also, Cordelia is fourteen. See what I mean about feeling homicidal?
Luckily, the gang at the manor isn’t going to let this happen without a fight! Hester, the sister of the aforementioned older gentleman, is feisty and wonderful. So she gets to scheming, and enlists the help of some friends to do so. What ensues is all kinds of shenanigans, from both Hester & Co as well as Evangeline, who we can tell isn’t going to go down without a fight either.
The humorous bits absolutely balance out the darker bits perfectly, which is always my favorite part of a T. Kingfisher story. Sure, it’s dark and messed up, but it’s funny and whitty too. I will say, there were maybe a few bits that I felt dragged a wee bit, but this is a very minor complaint in the grand scheme of things. Overall, I adored the book, especially Hester’s character, and the adventure of trying to stop Evangeline from ruining all their lives.
Bottom Line: It’s dark and it’s fun, which is how you know it’s another hit from T. Kingfisher!
Key Lime Sky by Al Hess
Published by Angry Robot Books on August 13, 2024
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review
An alien invasion hits the town of Muddy Gap, but a disgruntled pie aficionado is the only one who seems to remember it…
Denver Bryant’s passion for pie has sent him across Wyoming in search of the best slices. Though he dutifully posts reviews on his blog, he’s never been able to recreate his brief moment of viral popularity, and its trickling income isn’t enough to pay his rent next month.
Driving home from a roadside diner, Denver witnesses a UFO explode directly over his tiny town of Muddy Gap. When he questions his neighbors, it appears that Denver is the only person to have seen anything – or to care that the residents’ strange behavior, as well as a shower of hail-that-isn’t-hail, might be evidence of something extraterrestrial. Being both non-binary and autistic, he’s convinced his reputation as the town eccentric is impeding his quest for answers. Frustrated, he documents the bizarre incidents on his failing pie blog, and his online popularity skyrockets. His readers want the truth, spurring him to get to the bottom of things.
The only person in town who takes him seriously is handsome bartender, Ezra. As the two investigate over pie and the possibility of romance, the alien presence does more than change the weather. People start disappearing. When Denver and Ezra make a run for it, the town refuses to let them leave. Reality is folding in on itself, and it’s suddenly a race against time to find the extraterrestrial source and destroy it before it consumes not only Muddy Gap but everything beyond. Denver’s always been more outsider than hero, but he’s determined to ensure that a world with Ezra – and with pie – still exists tomorrow.
Key Lime Sky is yet another charming, cozy sci-fi from Al Hess with wonderful characters… and this time, pie! And horror! I won’t lie friends, I was craving pie in a big way when I finished this book. And I do not have any pie. (Al has recipes, but I need both recipes and someone to bake them for me, heh.)
Denver is non-binary and autistic and living in Wyoming whilst writing a pretty fabulous blog about pie, and as such is known colloquially as “Professor Pie”. Honestly, their blog is better than mine, for it has pie. Go there. But maybe do not go to Muddy Gap, Wyoming, because things are amiss, and no one is taking Denver seriously. They saw something that definitely seems extraterrestrial, and when townsfolk start to vanish, there is definitely something afoot. Luckily, they find one person who does believe them in Ezra.
Thus begins the adventure to try to figure out what the heck is happening. Look, it requires some suspension of disbelief, sure. Especially toward the end. But I really enjoyed the ride! And frankly, the overall messages were great too. Like maybe don’t dismiss someone just because they happen to have autism. Or that being kind is the better life choice overall. Or that pie always wins. You know, the important stuff. I loved that Denver really got to see themself in a different light as the journey went on, too. It made the book feel quite hopeful, even when our characters did happen to be stuck in the midst of some kind of invasion. It’s quirky and cute, but still serious at times, and I liked the balance.
Bottom Line: Can cozy horror be a thing? Cause I’m pretty sure Al Hess just created it and I am 100% here for it.
I have a Revis book festering on my shelf. You almost make me want to take a look. It is kind of nice that Revis put out that novella to bridge the gap until the sequel, and what a bonus that it was full of surprises.
I feel like I read a Beth Revis book years ago – now I’ll have to go see. I have positive associations with her name, but that’s all I can remember!
Wonderful reviews, thanks for putting some of these books on my radar! I’m really curious about A Sorceress Comes to Call, it sounds really good!!
Cozy horror? Interesting. I mean, it turns out I’m not a fan of cozy sci-fi, so I don’t know…maybe I’m too of a hardcore (old) girl for cozy horror too LOL.
“And frankly, the overall messages were great too. Like maybe don’t dismiss someone just because they happen to have autism. Or that being kind is the better life choice overall. Or that pie always wins. You know, the important stuff.”
😂👍
I just started Key Lime Sky and I’m already loving Denver’s character, they are so awkward yet endearing. I’m kind of kicking myself that I didn’t accept a copy of the Beth Revis book, so many folks are loving it! And I’m happy to read a review of Burn. It was calling to me but felt a little too literary for my blog, so I ignored the call, lol.
That review for The Empire Wars had me cracking up. Well done. Now I want to read it.LOL
sherry @ fundinmental
I’m a simple girl, I see a “short sci-fi book filled with good humor”, I’m gonna add it to my TBR 😂 Bonus points because it’s Beth Revis, I’ve read her book Across the Universe ages ago and remember it being a decent YA sci-fi novel with great twists 😄
I’m glad you liked the T. Kingfisher book. I’m excited for that one.
Well, I’ve added Full Speed to a Crash Landing and Key Lime Sky to my list, because I do me some fun scifi. And cozy horror intrigues me. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy pie and who wouldn’t want to follow a great blog about pie (and about pie you can buy instead of pie you have to bake)? Thanks as ever for the reviews!
I loved the YA space series by Beth Revis and I’ve got this one to read too. Glad to hear it is good! The last one on the list looks good too. Great reviews!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2024/08/27/arc-review-the-lies-of-alma-blackwell-by-amanda-glaze/