Tag Archives: science fiction

2016, blogging events, Robot Week

[So, You Want To Be Human?] – 5 Reasons You Should Read Boy Robot by Simon Curtis

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“So, You Want To Be Human?” is the promotional event and blog tour in association with Simon and Schuster Canada.

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Thoughts

I was invited by Simon and Schuster Canada to champion one of their Young Adult SF-F novels being released this Fall and to be part of their blog tour. You best believe your boy got dibs on promoting Simon Curtis’ Boy Robot.

To start off this week of nerdy fun, I bring you two prompts asked by S&S Canada: (1) why did I agree to champion Boy Robot; and, (2) what does it mean to be human?

Continue reading [So, You Want To Be Human?] – 5 Reasons You Should Read Boy Robot by Simon Curtis →

2016, Book Review

[Review] Metaltown — Kristen Simmons

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Book Title: Metaltown (Standalone)
Author:     Kristen Simmons
Number of pages:  380

Synopsis:

metaltown - kristen simmons - book coverMetaltown, where factories rule, food is scarce, and hope is in short supply.

The rules of Metaltown are simple: Work hard, keep your head down, and watch your back. You look out for number one, and no one knows that better than Ty. She’s been surviving on the factory line as long as she can remember. But now Ty has Colin. She’s no longer alone; it’s the two of them against the world. That’s something even a town this brutal can’t take away from her. Until it does.

(re: Goodreads @ Metaltown by Kristen Simmons)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr review:

– Steampunk Newsies meets Les Miserables — if this intrigues you, go for it and read no further
– Dark, dirty, and visually compelling, Metaltown weaves the themes of social inequality and classism through its infrastructures and character dynamics
– Non-protagonist characters (e.g. antagonists) lacked depth that made conflict of striking very easy and convenient to attain
– The instalust/instalove/romance can feel as though it hi-jacks the plot.

Initial Thoughts

I must have hyped this book to myself way too much because it was a flop for me.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of Metaltown from Raincoast Books re: TOR Teen.

Continue reading [Review] Metaltown — Kristen Simmons →

2016, Book Review

[Review] The Last Star — Rick Yancey

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Book Title:  The Last Star (The 5th Wave #3)
Author:      Rick Yancey
Number of pages:  338

Synopsis:

The enemy is Other. The enemy is us.

They’re down here, they’re up there, they’re nowhere. They want the Earth, they want us to have it. They came to wipe us out, they came to save us.

(re: Goodreads @ The Last Star by Rick Yancey)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr review:

– Underwhelming conclusion that felt rushed and gave limited fulfillment to questions that stemming from the first book
– World building lacks support to sell the alien storyline
– Though Cassie is present, Ringer reads like the protagonist
– Solid action sequences and vivid landscapes in support of it
– The ending is either going to be a hit or miss with readers

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Initial Thoughts

Good start (The 5th Wave).

Derpy middle (The Infinite Sea).

A terrible, terrible end (The Last Star).

^ my summary of The 5th Wave in a nutshell.

Continue reading [Review] The Last Star — Rick Yancey →