1. The First Sister (The First Sister #1)
Author: Linden A. Lewis
Publisher: Skybound Books
Date: August 4, 2020
Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★☆
SYSNOPSIS
"First Sister has no name and no voice. As a priestess of the Sisterhood, she travels the stars alongside the soldiers of Earth and Mars—the same ones who own the rights to her body and soul. When her former captain abandons her, First Sister’s hopes for freedom are dashed when she is forced to stay on her ship with no friends, no power, and a new captain—Saito Ren—whom she knows nothing about. She is commanded to spy on Captain Ren by the Sisterhood, but soon discovers that working for the war effort is so much harder to do when you’re falling in love.
Lito val Lucius climbed his way out of the slums to become an elite soldier of Venus, but was defeated in combat by none other than Saito Ren, resulting in the disappearance of his partner, Hiro. When Lito learns that Hiro is both alive and a traitor to the cause, he now has a shot at redemption: track down and kill his former partner. But when he discovers recordings that Hiro secretly made, Lito’s own allegiances are put to the test. Ultimately, he must decide between following orders and following his heart."
MY THOUGHTS
This is the first backlist sci-fi series I am tackling this year. It started off very strong and I did enjoy the fact that one of the main characters felt very new. First Sister seemed like a character I'd never read about before. It was a bit jarring moving between characters POV, especially when chapters would have multiple using first person. While I did enjoy the diversity included in the book, I thought a couple of the twists were poorly done, and the ending was by far one of the weaker that I've read in a while. However, the rest of the book was so good! I loved the commentary on certain issues and how the author used a lot of tension to create suspense.
The world building was very well done and I loved that the world felt like it was built rather than thrown together. The characters may not have had the most distinctive voices, but they did feel like actual people. I also like how there were real consequences to the use of various technology. As there is in real life, the use of tech comes with it's own set of variables and Lewis definitely had those well thought out and executed. Overall it was very good and I look forward to continuing the series in April.
2. Lucha and the Night Forest
Author: Tehlor Kay Mejia
Publisher: Make Me a World
Date: March 21, 2023
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
SYNOPSIS
"A scorned god.
A mysterious acolyte.
A forgetting drug.
A dangerous forest.
One girl caught between the freedom she always wanted and a sister she can't bear to leave behind.
Under the cover of the Night Forest, will Lucha be able to step into her own power...or will she be consumed by it?
This gorgeous and fast-paced fantasy novel from acclaimed author Tehlor Kay Mejia is brimming with adventure, peril, romance, and family bonds--and asks what it means for a teen girl to become fully herself."
MY THOUGHTS
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this book. The cover, the description, the fact that it was a dark fantasy. It had a lot going for it that sounded intriguing. And while it was described as being fast paced, it was almost too quick. Everything in this book moved so quickly. I wanted to Lucha, the main character, to pause and reflect at some points, or even to just think about her next move. But instead the book jumps from action to action with very little breathing room for the plot to become something. We don't even get very much backstory into who Lucha is as a person and how her and her sister came to be where they are. The book starts right away in what felt like the middle of a scene that I had no context to. Lucha wasn't very well fleshed out as a character so I never really got a feeling of who she was as a person.
I also felt like the romance felt a bit last minute. Like the author thought, it's YA and it needs a romantic aspect. I wish the author would have leaned even more into the familial bond between Lucha and her sister. What we did get was wonderful as I love to read about sibling bonds since it tends to remind me of my and my own sister.
I did enjoy the world as it felt new and fresh. I love weird biology in books and I could tell that the author put a lot of work into building the world. The execution of plot and characters, however, did take away. I liked that it tackled real world issues (poverty, drug addiction, violence) within the confines of fantasy, but the book fell flat in more than a couple of ways for me.
3. Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six
Author: Lisa Unger
Publisher: Park Row
Date: November 8, 2022
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
SYNOPSIS
"Three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway to die for in this chilling locked-room thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.
What could be more restful, more restorative, than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, complete with spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s loving and generous tech-mogul brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It’s his birthday gift to Hannah and includes their spouses and another couple. The six friends need this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R, far from the chatter and pressures of modern life.
But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare. A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep. How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? And who is the new boyfriend, crashing their party? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried. Who is the stranger among them?"
MY THOUGHTS
I listened to this on audiobook and the whole time I was thinking that it was a complete mess. The ending better have been worth it but sadly it was not good. I hated the characters first off. They were all so unlikeable and whiny and "woe-is-me". I didn't understand some of the perspectives that the author chose. There were so many characters that made the plot difficult to follow. It tried to do too much. There was a ghost story, characters with secrets, unreliable narrators, alternating timelines, one sideplot that held no meaning. Do you understand the rating now?
It felt like the author took every possible plot point that could be in a mystery/thriller book and decided to use them all. I like secluded thrillers because they give a creepy feel, and the book did start off rather well, but it literally went downhill from there. This was my first Lisa Unger book and while I have a few others on my TBR, I am in no hurry to read them.
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