Hey y’all! I happened to get particularly lucky with s chance to get an advanced reader copy of a book that made stars pop into my eyes the second I saw it was coming out. So what is this magical amazing book?
Hint #1: it has three appendices, including an appendix of terms and one about the physics in the book, and that’s how you know an author is super serious
Hint #2: it’s an absolute beast at almost a thousand pages long
The Power by Naomi Alderman – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Wow. I did not anticipate this to be so… Chilling.
Recommended: Yes. But you need to be ready for it.
For a look into power, for a painful clever parallel with lots of tongue-in-cheek moments, for something that will challenge your perceptions about society and your own patterns of thinking, for an unflinching story of a world in the midst of change
Summary:
In The Power the world is a recognizable place: there’s a rich Nigerian kid who lounges around the family pool; a foster girl whose religious parents hide their true nature; a local American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But something vital has changed, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power – they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world changes utterly.
Thoughts:
I wasn’t ready for this. I should have known better, but I went into this thinking “Oh, it’ll be a fun fantasy read about how crazy the world is after women develop the power to create and control lightning!” Looking back, I don’t know how I was so wrong, but I’m glad I was because this story blew me away when I least expected it.
Cryptofauna by Patrick Canning – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recommended: For the curious and the open-minded who are ready for something new
For those who will pay attention to detail, appreciate each person for who they are, and hold tight through the supremely bizarre/amusing/revolting moments
Summary:
Are you allowed to be mad that someone leaves you to die, if they did so just before you were about to kill yourself? Jim is left with that question, even as he’s thrown into the secret game Cryptofauna. Ambiguous rules, yet strenuous training. Randomly plucked allies are there to help him not-die, but there are plenty of monstrosities trying to help Jim complete his original suicide attempt. Sticking to his socks and his bag of smiling ash, Jim rolls through his initiation as an Operator. If he can just get that out of the way, maybe he can stop his Rival from bringing about the apocalypse. You know, if there’s time.
Thoughts:
If you’ve read a lot of science fiction, you might be bored of the tropes that come up fairly often. This book will be a refreshing break from the safety and familiarity of cliche, by throwing you details, characters, and situations that baffle the mind — in the best way! I was a little nervous this would be the kind of story that’s forcibly odd, where details and twists are thrown in deliberately just to be weird, even if they don’t add to the story or really make sense. Amazingly, that was not it at all, and I was beyond delighted to see what I had instead!
Lost and Found by Orson Scott Card – 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Release Date: September 10, 2019
I want everyone to read this book so we can talk about it. It’s one of those books.
Recommended: yessssss ♥
For people who also adore Orson Scott Card’s work, for those who want immediately deep and lovable characters, for an intriguing exploration of unique tiny magic that will have you thinking about what your micropower might be. For lovely warm fuzzies enhanced by the incredible darkness woven together
Summary, from Goodreads:
“Are you really a thief?”
That’s the question that has haunted fourteen-year-old Ezekiel Blast all his life. But he’s not a thief, he just has a talent for finding things. Not a superpower–a micropower. Because what good is finding lost bicycles and hair scrunchies, especially when you return them to their owners and everyone thinks you must have stolen them in the first place? If only there were some way to use Ezekiel’s micropower for good, to turn a curse into a blessing. His friend Beth thinks there must be, and so does a police detective investigating the disappearance of a little girl. When tragedy strikes, it’s up to Ezekiel to use his talent to find what matters most.
The Similars by Rebecca Hanover – ⭐⭐⭐
Recommended: only if it sounds particularly interesting to you
For fans of an ethically charged question on rights future people (‘people’?) may or may not have, conspiracies, or your fairly standard sci-fi ya combo
Summary, from Goodreads:
The Similars are all anyone can talk about at the elite Darkwood Academy. Who are these six clones? What are the odds that all of them would be Darkwood students? Who is the madman who broke the law to create them? Emma couldn’t care less. Her best friend, Oliver, died over the summer and all she can think about is how to get through her junior year without him. Then she comes face-to-heartbreaking-face with Levi—Oliver’s exact DNA replica and one of the Similars.
Emma wants nothing to do with the Similars, but she keeps getting pulled deeper and deeper into their clique, uncovering dark truths about the clones and her prestigious school along the way. But no one can be trusted…not even the boy she is falling for who has Oliver’s face.
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