The Bookish Island: Science Fiction

Showing posts with label Science Fiction. Show all posts

2/01/2019

Agent of Chaos by Kami Garcia | Book Review #145

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
The X-Files: Agent of Chaos by Kami Garcia

Are there spoilers?

There's are some spoilers but then again its all in the synopsis.
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Title: The X-Files: Agent of Chaos

Author: Kami Garcia

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Pages: 311

Publisher: Atom

Published: 2017

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Science Fiction, Fiction

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Date Read: January 24, 2019

Rating: ★★★★☆

How did Fox Mulder become a believer? How did Dana Scully become a skeptic? The X-Files Origins has the answers.

The X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos explores the teen years of Fox Mulder, the beloved character depicted in the cult-favorite TV show The X-Files. His story is set in the spring of 1979, when serial murder, the occult, and government conspiracy were highlighted in the news.

The book will follow Mulder as he experiences life-changing events that set him on the path to becoming an FBI agent.

The Rating:

My Review:

Agent of Chaos is exactly what you need if you love X-Files and crushed on Fox Mulder. I didn't crush on him but yeah- ya know what I mean.

Not only did it have a great mystery but the references to the things we know from the show and the characters were fantastic. Phoebe knowing a bunch about murderers and Gimble playing D&D with Mulder. Love it.

I don't know what to say except that the characters are perfect, the creepiness is just right and the feels -ugh!. It's exactly what you should read if you love X-Flies.

No! Even if you don't watch the show you should read this book.

Goodreads

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11/13/2018

The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth | Book Review #126

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth

Are there spoilers?

No.

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Title: The Killing Jar

Author: Jennifer Bosworth

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Pages: 352

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Published: 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Mystery

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Date Read: October 20 > October 21, 2018

Rating: ★★★★☆

“I try not to think about it, what I did to that boy.”
Seventeen-year-old Kenna Marsden has a secret.
She’s haunted by a violent tragedy she can’t explain. Kenna’s past has kept people—even her own mother—at a distance for years. Just when she finds a friend who loves her and life begins to improve, she’s plunged into a new nightmare. Her mom and twin sister are attacked, and the dark powers Kenna has struggled to suppress awaken with a vengeance.
On the heels of the assault, Kenna is exiled to a nearby commune, known as Eclipse, to live with a relative she never knew she had. There, she discovers an extraordinary new way of life as she learns who she really is, and the wonders she’s capable of. For the first time, she starts to feel like she belongs somewhere. That her terrible secret makes her beautiful and strong, not dangerous. But the longer she stays at Eclipse, the more she senses there is something malignant lurking underneath it all. And she begins to suspect that her new family has sinister plans for her…

The Rating:

My Review:

This was one of the books I picked out for this years Spookathon. And I did manage to read it during this readathon.

For me the story was good. It had a great fantasy element. That had bits of horror strung throughout. Which makes this book perfect for the more spookier times of the year. And it's also a female author writing a horror so that adds something to this book.

I was pleasantly surprised by the first three chapters when I read them. It reminded me too much of something that could come out of the X-Men. And I loved that. It was so spooky yet cool at the same time. But as the story continued I did not feel the same by the end.

Yeah, the story was great but the Main Character was such a ball of conflicting thoughts and feelings that I started to hate everything she did or said. And that made it difficult for me to say that this was a 5 star read for me.

I think that the story alone, with its fantasy and horror, and the mix of mythology with the moths, and the feeling that something could go horribly wrong at any moment, made this a 5 out of 5 star book. But whenever the MC couldn't make up her mind about her feeling towards her family or the two boys that were after her (the love triangle was also way too weird because I had a feeling one of them was up to no good the whole time I was reading this book) I began to not like everything that was going on as much. That's why I gave this 4 out of 5 instead of 5 like I would have wanted to.

Like I said on Goodreads:

"But the main character ruined a lot of the story and what it could have been. I see this story being so cool and all but the MC was all over the place with her decisions. Sometimes it just felt like she had two personalities."

Goodreads

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The Bookish Island
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12/28/2017

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester | Book Review #81

The Bookish Island's Book Review for:
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

Will there be spoilers?

Only a little.
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This is one of the books I read after the passing of Hurricane Maria here in Puerto Rico. With no water, electricity or internet I took to reading my books.
I read this one on September 21. 1 days after.

Title - The Girl Who Could Fly
By - Victoria Forester
Publication - October 27th 2015 by Square Fish
Copy - Paperback, 352 pages

Genre - Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fiction, Science Fiction, Children's Books

You just can't keep a good girl down . . . unless you use the proper methods.
Piper McCloud can fly. Just like that. Easy as pie.

Sure, she hasn't mastered reverse propulsion and her turns are kind of sloppy, but she's real good at loop-the-loops.

Problem is, the good folk of Lowland County are afraid of Piper. And her ma's at her wit's end. So it seems only fitting that she leave her parents' farm to attend a top-secret, maximum-security school for kids with exceptional abilities.

School is great at first with a bunch of new friends whose skills range from super-strength to super-genius. (Plus all the homemade apple pie she can eat!) But Piper is special, even among the special. And there are consequences.

Consequences too dire to talk about. Too crazy to consider. And too dangerous to ignore.

At turns exhilarating and terrifying, Victoria Forester's debut novel has been praised by Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight saga, as "the oddest/sweetest mix of Little House on the Prairie and X-Men...Prepare to have your heart warmed." The Girl Who Could Fly is an unforgettable story of defiance and courage about an irrepressible heroine who can, who will, who must . . . fly.

The Rating:

My Review:

The Cover:

Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.

The cover is beautiful. ❤

With Piper flying in the clouds over the icy mountains on the cover. Helping make a visual of what she looks like as a character. Which is always good. Its also a scene from the book too. Then there's the title which is on a badge type. And it's so cool. 😀

And to be honest it was the whole reason I got it in the first place. 😜

The Story:

Piper McCloud has always been different. From the day she was born she's had an ability to float. Despite her parents telling her not to float or levitate she just cant help it. Its who she is. Till one day she learns to fly and everything changes in her life from there.

Relationships:

Piper x Conrad
Piper and Conrad have such an interesting relationship in this book. They each don't know the other and yet Piper wants to be friends with him and Conrad just wants to use her abilities. So you get to see their progress as they get to see the strengths and stubbornness they both have.

Piper x the McClouds

Their relationship is very much what your expect from a family that grew up on a farm they are hardworking people a that truly cared about each other and it showed.

But with Piper's powers there was a fear her parents had of what people would think. Which is to be expected since they've never heard of a girl who could fly. But they get better at understanding her and her abilities which is very important because if her parents don't believe in her then she'd be alone. Even if there are others. You know?

Overall:

The characters in this book were insanely good.

Each great in their own way. Well written and fully their own person. I was impressed by how amazing they all were. All that made me adore Piper even more because it felt like I was cheering for someone real. I wanted her to get her happy ending.

Then there was the world.

The world in this story was super. Not only did it smoothly transition from a quaint southern town to secret underground government but it was done in such away that I never questioned what was happening.

As for the fantasy element in this story.

It was well done mostly because it wasn't done in such a way that it made you question it. Like does every kid have powers and they just suppressed them or what? No, you quickly learn what the situation is with the powers the children have and what is being done with and about them.
And as the blurb Stepahanie Meyer wrote for this said. I did get that X-Men vibe from this story as well.

I truly wish I could talk more about this book but I really don't want to spoil it.

Get a copy at:
Barnes&Noble | Amazon