Book Review: City of Nightmares by Rebecca Schaeffer

Book Review: City of Nightmares by Rebecca Schaeffer

I love good sci-fi and fantasy novels, especially those that blend those aspects into something new and exciting. And superhero stories can be a great example of that. But what if we have a superhero-like story and world without actual heroes? That’s what we’ve got here with City of Nightmares. I was lucky to be sent a proof copy of this book to review, thanks to Kate at Hodderscape. So thank you so much!

In City of Nightmares, we follow 19-year-old Ness, a young woman terrified of nightmares since her big sister transformed into a giant spider and ate their father. Now she lives in Newham with a charity or cult that helps protect people from those Nightmares. But Ness can’t do much to help, so when she takes on a new job hoping to find a reason that she should be able to stay, it blows up in her face? It’s a big problem. The only person around to help her is a nightmare boy she’s terrified of eating her. But as they find their way back to the city, Ness begins to learn that maybe not all Nightmares are what she thought they were.

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Book Review: A Game Of Life Or Death by Triona Campbell

Book Review: A Game Of Life Or Death by Triona Campbell

I think everyone knows that I love video games by now. I love playing them, and books that feature video games as a plot point are definitely a highlight for me. I’ve definitely had my eye on A Game of Life or Death for that very reason. I’m loving that we’re getting more video game-inspired sci-fi thrillers. Hell yes!

I was lucky enough to be sent an early copy of this book from Scholastic. It was a surprise for sure, and I certainly appreciated it.

A Game of Life Or Death follows 16-year-old Asha Kennedy as she discovers her older sister’s dead body in their flat, and her entire life falls apart. Asha is certain that something suspicious is going on, and with the help of her hacker friends, she begins to look into the hit video games studio Zu Tech where her sister worked. She infiltrates the company through the e-sports tournament for their new game SHACKLE, and through her investigation, she discovers that the game hides a monstrous secret.

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Will I Like This Book? – Let’s Play Murder by Kesia Lupo

Will I Like This Book? – Let’s Play Murder by Kesia Lupo

We’re onto the second to last sampler I got from YALC and another book that sounds right up my alley. I love video games though I’ve not got the money for VR and a thriller involving those sorts of things? Yeah, I’m definitely about that.

This book is being published by Bloomsbury and is due on the 13th of April 2023. It’s one I’ll definitely be preordering and reading pretty soon after I get it.

These samplers don’t have a summary on the back, so as I type this up, this is the first time I’ve read this book. But this book follows Veronica as she wakes up trapped with four strangers in a VR world. They’ve all been brought into The Game, a black market competition where they could win millions if they’re the first to solve a murder mystery. But when strange things start happening, and the players themselves start to die in both the game and the real world, Veronica has to decide whether to solve the mystery or whether she wants to win the game.

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Book Review: Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell

Book Review: Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell

Last year I was lucky enough to be on the blog tour for Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell, and this year? This year I’ve been lucky enough to get an early physical copy of Ocean’s Echo to read! I was so damn excited, and damn, as much as I loved Winter’s Orbit…I actually loved this one more. There was still plenty of politics, but I liked the energy between Tennal and Surit a little bit more and all the action.

Ocean’s Echo follows Tennal, a wealthy socialite and walking disaster who gets conscripted into the military after getting caught using his telepathic powers for illegal activities. It’s decided that he needs his mind bound to a lieutenant whose powers are his opposite. Surit isn’t sure he wants to control someone, but he’s pressured into doing it to get his parent’s pension. Surit needs to keep Tennal in the army, but all Tennal wants to do is escape.

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Blog Tour: Glorious Poison by Kat Dunn

Blog Tour: Glorious Poison by Kat Dunn

Though I’m not big on historical books, I saw Dangerous Remedy when it came out a few years ago and was instantly intrigued. Even when I got tired of books set during the French Revolution, I still wanted to pick these up. When I saw an opportunity to be on a blog tour, I had to ask to be part of it. I’m so glad I did and that I didn’t have to wait to read this book, as it was a wild ride from start to finish.

This book starts a few months after the end of Monstrous Design. Olympe is back in the Duc’s clutches, with Ada working with him as an undercover agent. Camille, Al and James have to explore a new France now the revolution has technically ended whilst trying to find a way to stop the Duc. But it can be difficult to seem like you belong somewhere when you’re balancing the line between life and death.

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Book Review: Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Book Review: Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I read this book a little while back, but I wound up waiting to finally post the review for various reasons. And now that time is here! I received this book from Black Crow PR, so a big thank you to the team there as per. This is the second book in a trilogy, and it was one that I was surprisingly excited to get to.

Eyes of the Void follows on a few months after the end of Shards of Earth, and our heroes are scattered as they do what they can in the face of the Architects reappearing. Idris is desperate to retire, but he knows that he’s an irreplaceable hero and that people will need him if they hope to change the outcome.

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Blog Tour: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Blog Tour: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

So you might be thinking that this book doesn’t look like a typical read for me. And you’d be right. But it is the sort of book that appeals to me as it sounds hilarious, but for some reason, I don’t get to unless my sister buys it. Which she usually does, admittedly, but I’m slow at picking them up. However, when I saw that Black Crow PR was offering The Kaiju Preservation Society to reviewers, I couldn’t resist requesting. I was certain that I would love it, and I was right.

The Kaiju Preservation Society follows Jamie. After losing his job just before the pandemic, Jamie wound up a delivery driver for the company that fired him. One day he delivers to a guy he met in college called Tom. Tom offers him a mysterious job with KPS related to large animals, which is much better paid, but all he’d have to do is go away on a mission for six months and lift things. Only the animals that KPS look after are, in fact, Kaiju, and the job is on a different earth. Working on another planet, surrounded by monsters, is dangerous work, and Jamie is about to go on a wild ride.

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Book Review: The Kindred by Alechia Dow

Book Review: The Kindred by Alechia Dow

Usually, I would try to post an ARC review before the publication date, but due to some bad luck, Harper360 did not manage to get me a copy until after it was out! Due to that, I did put it off until I had a few other proofs to read. I’m actually kind of glad I did, as I already have a copy of The Sound of Stars to read after this. I didn’t realise that they’re set in the same world until I checked the reviews, so heck yeah!

The Kindred follows Felix, a duke who would love to be a musician. And Joy, his kindred, who is poor and is stuck within the constraints of her culture. When the royal family is killed, Felix and Joy are both blamed. They have to run away until they can find out what is really going on. They get stranded on earth, and the chaos begins.

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Blog Tour: Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky + Giveaway

Blog Tour: Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky + Giveaway

Hi all! I’m here today with my stop of the giveaway blog tour for Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I don’t seem to read and review much adult sci-fi. But it’s something I’d ideally like to read more of. As soon as I saw the plot of Shards of Earth, it intrigued me. So I thought, why not give some adult sci-fi a go now?

This is a thick book, and it follows a cast of a few different characters. Eighty years ago, earth and many other planets were destroyed by an alien species known as Architects. A group of humans were altered to fight these Architects until one day, they just disappeared. Idris was one of those heroes, but now he spends his life on a salvage ship. Until one day, the ship makes a big discovery. And suddenly, gangsters and politicians alike are interested in this ship and the proof they have that the Architects are back.

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Blog Tour: Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Blog Tour: Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Winter’s Orbit is a book that I’ve been so hyped for since I first heard about it. An adult queer sci-fi that just looks pretty character-driven and a lot of fun? I seriously needed it then and there. The moment I had an opportunity to sign up for a blog tour, I was right on it. I just had to get my hands on this book, and I’m so damn glad I did. This a fantasy novel by a British author and, honestly, I’m here to be promoting fellow Brits. As I don’t think I read enough genre books by British authors.

Thanks again to Compulsive Readers and Orbit for letting me take part in this tour!

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