Category: Sci-Fi

Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston

I won a free ARC of Amari and the Night Brothers during NYCC/Metaverse in exchange for an honest review. Special thanks to Epic Reads and the publisher Balzer + Bray for the physical copy I was provided. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this book we follow Amari Peters, a young girl who just wants to find her missing brother, Quinton. When she gets an opportunity to visit the special camp that he used to attend every summer, she’ll find that things aren’t always as they seem, and she’s off to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Soon she finds out what her supernatural talent is, but will she be able to save Quinton in time?

I really enjoyed this book. It had everything I like in a middle grade novel. There were interesting characters, it was set in a fun world, there was magic, and we got to follow a strong Black female main character. So let’s get a little bit more into the specifics of what I really liked.

Amari and the Night Brothers: The Breakdown

First, let’s talk about this world building. This book has dual worlds in it: the natural world and the supernatural world. Alston did a great job juxtaposing the two throughout the book. Along with this, there were the specific jobs and departments that were a part of the supernatural world that I especially enjoyed. These included: Department of Coverups, Department of the Unexplained, etc. I thought these were fun additions to a book about a supernatural world and I can only imagine what a middle grade reader who enjoys magic would think.

So what about the magic? I’ll admit, I do hope there is more about this in the second book. What we were given was interesting, but I wanted more about how it worked. I don’t want to give any spoilers away about this aspect so I’ll just leave it at that.

Alston wrote interesting and recognizable characters. I love that the hero of our story is Amari, a young Black girl from the “wrong side of town” who just wants to find her brother. I love that we see her internal struggle with self-worth, because that is such a true-to-life issue, and it’s been validated for her by her peers. Alston did a great job with Amari’s character and showing her growth from self-doubt to self-assured. I also liked that he made her best friend, Elsie, a weredragon who is a science genius. The characters in here were so thought out and had such awesome quirks, I loved them!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I fled through it, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next with Amari and her friends. I can’t recommend this enough! It’s due for publication on 1/19/21 so be sure to get your copy!

Amari and the Night Brothers

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

I read The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White as one of my buddy reads this month. Since it was a retelling of a classic with a female protagonist, I was really excited to read it.

We follow Elizabeth, a girl who was taken in by the Frankensteins as a child. Given food, shelter, and everything she could want or need, she’s to befriend Victor and be his companion. Together since childhood, they forge a tight knit bond. But appearances are often only surface deep and what’s lurking beneath the depths are hideous secrets better left unspoken. We follow her journey to finding Victor, the truth, and ultimately, herself.

I was really excited going into this book. A twist on a classic with a strong female protagonist? Sign me up! For some reason, I had also had notions that it was Elizabeth going mad that we were going to be reading about. And, I love a good story with an unreliable narrator, so that was another check in this books column. While the book wasn’t bad, my own expectations had caused me to be disappointed with it.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein: The Nitty-Gritty

First of all, let me reiterate, this was a good book. The reason I was disappointed with it is because I had my own expectations that weren’t met. I really enjoyed the characterization of Elizabeth. The way that we are privy to Elizabeth’s thoughts as she questions her motives and her courses of actions, I thought this was excellent. It made her character more authentic and showed her desperation. The employment of flashbacks was done well. I’m not sure if I would have preferred it done in a different way or not; that’s something I wondered about as well while reading.

One thing that bothered me was that, despite the fact that this was a retelling with a female protagonist, I still felt like it was mainly about Victor. Even though we are reading through Elizabeth’s point of view, the whole story is centered around Victor and his madness and his brilliance. I understand their relationship and why this was, but it just felt like it was still mostly Victor’s story. I wanted more of Elizabeth.

Overall, this book was good. It wasn’t what I had been expecting but it wasn’t a bad read. I enjoyed reading it but I can’t say it gave me too many spooky vibes, which is what I was hoping for. I do think it’s a good read and you should check it out, especially if you’re looking for a twist on the classic.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

Hush by Dylan Farrow

I won a free copy of Hush by Dylan Farrow in a sweepstakes in exchange for an honest review. Special thanks to Wednesday Books for hosting the sweepstakes and providing the ARC. All opinions expressed are solely my own. *Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission, at no additional cost to you. You can read more here.

We follow Shae, a 17-year-old girl determined to figure out the secrets of her world. A world that’s kept quiet by Bards who use magic to silence its citizens. Shae must figure out who to trust and find strength to break the Hush. After a deadly plague tormented her world, killed her brother, and marked her family as cursed, Shae has lived a fearful life. When strange things start happening to her, Shae can no longer hide behind her fear, but instead must use her fear to find out the truth.

I was intrigued by this book from the start. The synopsis hooked me and I couldn’t wait to read it. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down. A book about words being cursed? Sign me up! You can imagine my surprise and delight, then, when I opened up the mail to find I had won an ARC.

Strengths of Hush

You should know by now that I enjoy a good strong female protagonist. While Shae has her faults, I think she is a great main character. She is determined, having to know the truth behind her mother’s murder. She is strong-willed, stubborn, and smart. I appreciate that she isn’t painted as a damsel in distress. Being the only one left in her family, she doesn’t succumb to the “I need a man to protect me” ideal.

Another aspect that I love is the magic, although I wish we learn more about it. I love that Shae is told how it is a blessing and a curse, and she often thinks of comforting things to get her magic to “work.” I actually like the fact that it’s marketed as one thing and then we learn it’s another; it reminds me of true life.

The detail in the story, for the most part, is very vivid and well done. The way they dress, the way things smell, it is all described so well.

What Could Have Been Better

While I think Shae is great, for such a strong protagonist, she is very naive. She trusts some too easily considering her background and her world. I also don’t understand why she questions herself about stuff that she knows to be true.

Some things just don’t make sense to me. This included Shae’s ability to get away with stuff. Although it’s not allowed, Shae breaks into the men’s barracks to search Niall’s belongings for evidence. After she’s caught, essentially nothing happens to her.

Again, I want to mention the magic. It is so interesting, but we don’t really get a good understanding of it. I’m hoping that we get to learn more of it in the sequel.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I look forward to the sequel.

Hush by Dylan Farrow Physical ARC
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White Fox by Sara Faring

As a member of the Faring Society, I received a free e-ARC of this book thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group-Imprint in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this novel we are following two sisters, Manon and Thais, as they work to uncover the truth behind their famous mother’s disappearance. They’ve returned to their home island, Viloxin, after being gone for years and living in America. They find their mother’s famous last work, White Fox, which holds the clue to truths about her. Now they can try to find out what really happened to her. But with knowledge comes cold, harsh reality. Are they ready to accept that everything they thought they knew about their lives may be lies? 

Y’all, when I read the synopsis for this book, I just HAD to read it. Of course I joined the Faring Society when I had the opportunity because why wouldn’t I?! I love reading spooky stories and psychological thrillers. And let me tell you, parts of this book go there.

The atmosphere of this book really sets the tone. The girls venture back to this island that they haven’t been to since they were children. They haven’t lived in their childhood home in years, and it is described almost as a living entity. It’s creepy but adds to the story in such a necessary way. It almost taunts, but I loved the descriptions of it. Along with the fortress of the childhood home, there are the surrounding woods: Delirium Forest, as it’s called. They’re known for people going in and not coming back out. It was haunting but I was loving the way these areas were described. They were spooky but really created such a vibe that made me want to keep reading.

We’re introduced to so many people on Viloxin and most seem shady or like they’re hiding something. As we come to find out, things are not as they always appear and people are not always who they appear to be. One thing that was frustrating was that, as I said, we were introduced to so many characters and seemingly so many important plot points, and then these plot points would just never be mentioned again. I think we could have done away with so many characters and just focused on a few and really fleshed out their storylines. As it was, we have several characters who seemingly are significant but we never really explore why they’re significant or really go anywhere with them. 

I would have liked the ending to have been different. Without going into any details I’ll just say that it wasn’t what I expected. 

Overall I enjoyed this book. There were a few things I’d have liked to see changed or improved upon, but it was a good read. I recommend picking this one up. It’s a perfect spooky read for fall! Publication is set for September 22.

Letters From The Light by Shel Calopa

Recently I was given the opportunity by Inspired Quill to read Letters From the Light by Shel Calopa in exchange for my honest review. The synopsis sounded intriguing so I was excited to read it. It is a sci-fi dystopian book set in futuristic Australia where the world is divided in light and dark. Only the privileged have access to the light. The dark is for those who are meant to serve the upper class. The lower class all have some type of limitation. Some are blinded, some are made deaf and mute.  

The book had a Hunger Games-type feel to it. We’re following a war between two “players:” The Master, a power-hungry corrupt man who is determined to keep the world as it is no matter the cost; and an artificial intelligent feminine-esque being known as The Light, or Illustria, who wants to help unite all. The Solarans typically follow the Master as he helps ensure things stay as they are and the Solarans benefit from that. The Light, or Illustria, is working to help the lower classes, or Damarans, to bring light to everyone. In order to achieve her goal, Illustria needs to unite five manifestations, or “chosen ones.” 

There were a few different main characters and they were all pretty well developed. In the beginning of the story it was confusing being introduced to them all but once you were able to get them sorted out, you got pretty invested in their journey through the story. Calopa did a great job eliciting anger or sympathy for certain characters when appropriate and when the characters felt betrayed or torn between sides in the war, I felt the character’s pain and confusion.

There were inclusions of important topics, such as racism, misogyny, politics, and classism, just to name a few. Calopa’s descriptions were vivid and I particularly liked how she discussed the communication system of the deaf community, calling it “foot noise.”

One thing that confused me was that this was considered a futuristic society but a few members of the elite classes hadn’t even heard of some of the technology that we have in today’s society. I also wanted more from the ending–what that would be, I don’t know. The ending was not bad and perfectly satisfactory, I just was expecting more.

Despite the slow start with all the characters, this was an interesting and fun read. If you enjoy Sci-Fi or Fantasy Dystopian novels, I recommend checking this book out. You won’t regret it!