book review: Songlight by Moia Buffini

 

published September 3, 2024

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Star-crossed lovers, against-all-odds friendship, and a brutally unforgiving world make this first in a trilogy utterly unforgettable.

We’re two songs joined. And there’s a word for that. A harmony.

Elsa is used to hiding the most important parts of herself—her feelings for Rye, her distaste for a world ruled by men, and, most crucially, her gift of songlight. She buries that secret deep inside. In Brightland, those with songlight are called Unhumans and are abhorred. Rye is the only other person Elsa has known with songlight, and their shared bond has brought them together.

Elsa’s world begins to fall apart one desperate, heart-wrenching day and she doesn’t know where to turn until a girl appears before her. But the girl isn’t really there—her songlight has been drawn to Elsa’s frantic grief.

Elsa lives in a remote seaside village; Nightingale, her new friend, lives in a city hundreds of miles away with her father, a government official responsible for rooting out Unhumans. The two never expected to connect via songlight. But when they do, and when they realize the extent of their power, they’ll be thrust in the middle of a war that threatens their very existence.

MY REVIEW:

Songlight by Moira Buffini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story was different than others. It is like Telepathy and in singing. Even able to "talk" to someone you have never met or lives miles away. How the world outcasts them and call them unhumans and is punishable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ebook to review.

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Moira Buffini

BornCarlisle, The United Kingdom

Moira Buffini (born 1965) is an English dramatist, director, and actor.

She was born in Carlisle to Irish parents, and studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths. She subsequently trained as an actor at the Welsh College of Music and Drama.

For Jordan, co-written with Anna Reynolds in 1992, she won a Time Out Award for her performance and Writers' Guild Award for Best Fringe play. Her 1997 play Gabriel was performed at Soho theatre, winning the LWT Plays on Stage award. Her 1999 play Silence earned Buffini the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for best English-language play by a woman. Loveplay followed at the RSC in 2001, then Dinner at the National Theatre in 2003 which transferred to the West End and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy.

Buffini wrote Dying For It, a free adaptation of Nikolai Erdman's classic, The Suicide, for the Almeida in 2007. She followed it with Marianne Dreams, a dance play with choreographer Will Tuckett, based on Catherine Storr's book. Her play for young people, A Vampire Story was performed as part of NT Connections in 2008.

Buffini is said to advocate big, imaginative plays rather than naturalistic soap opera dramas, and is a founder member of the Monsterists, a group of playwrights who promote new writing of large scale work in the British theatre. She has been described by David Greig as a metaphysical playwright. All her plays have been published by Faber.

Buffini is also a prolific screenwriter. In 2010 her film adaptation of Posy Simmon's Tamara Drewe was released followed by her adaptation of Jane Eyre for BBC Films and Ruby Films in 2011. The script appeared on the 2008 Brit List, a film-industry-compiled list of the best unproduced screenplays in British film. It received nine votes, putting it in second place. Buffini also adapted her play A Vampire Story for the screenplay of Neil Jordan's film Byzantium released in 2013.

She took part in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six for which she wrote a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.

Book Review: Breaker by A.K. Nevermore

 

Published July 11, 2024

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Self-exiled to the Outside, Flynn Scot is oath-bound to a life of strict penance.

Cursed with a vicious temper and haunted by the blood-stained debauchery of his past, Flynn’s sworn off women, whiskey, and violence, and doesn’t give a damn about whispers of the coming war. He sure as hell isn’t in the mood to make good on a debt when it’s called in, especially when playing white knight outs him as a Talent, and the damsel in distress as his soulmate.

On the run from her future as a broodmare for the Source, escaped Talent Kara Jester is no distressed damsel.

And the last thing she wants is to be trapped in a blizzard with a surly—and frustratingly captivating—thug. Without the suppression meds holding her libido in check, her biology’s primed to procreate, and Flynn’s growled assurances that he won’t touch her doesn’t match the hunger in his eyes.

It doesn’t align with what fate has in store for them, either.

With elite troops hot on their heels and the border set to close, it’s a race to the North, away from Kara’s horrific future and towards the dark past Flynn wants to keep buried. Clinging to the shreds of his oath, he’s forced to choose between protecting the woman he’s afraid to love and letting out the animal he swore he’d never be again. Either may destroy him, if Kara’s secrets don’t get them killed first.

MY REVIEW:

Breaker by A.K. Nevermore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Flynn has a short temper and on his way to his grandfather's. He has sworn off Women, whiskey, and violence. He ends up finding Kara and they are traveling together. Things of course heat up with them and they end up as soulmates. This was so interesting to keep reading and her Talent gets them out of a lot of sticky situations along with his Talent. But when they get together or even n close proximity and the lust comes out then everyone around them can feel the intensity. I had to laugh at his family when this happened.
I received this ARC from the author.

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A.K. Nevermore

Website

https://aknevermore.com

Twitter

AkNevermore

Genre

Science Fiction, Paranormal, Romance

AK Nevermore enjoys operating heavy machinery, freebases coffee, and gives up sarcasm for Lent every year.

A Jane-of-all-trades, she’s a certified chef, restores antiques, and dabbles in beekeeping when she’s not reading voraciously or running down the dream in her beat-up camo Chucks.

Unable to ignore the voices in her head, and unwilling to become medicated, she writes full time around a nest full of ravens. Her books explore dark worlds, perversely irreverent and profound, and always entertaining.

AK belongs to a bunch of industry associations, volunteers for far too many committees, teaches creative writing, and on the rare occasion, sleeps.

Book Review: Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

 

                                                              Hardcover, 370 pages
                                           Published November 24th 2020 by Ballantine Books
                                                              Buy on Amazon

An unexpected quest. Two worlds at stake. Are you ready?

Days after Oasis founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything. Hidden within Halliday's vault, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the Oasis a thousand times more wondrous, and addictive, than even Wade dreamed possible. With it comes a new riddle and a new quest. A last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize. And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who will kill millions to get what he wants. Wade's life and the future of the Oasis are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.

                                                      MY REVIEW:

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you loved Ready Player One then you will enjoy this. I found this very enjoyable and fun to read with all the characters moving along with the characters of John Hughes movies. So many 80 references that I had to ooh and ahh over. I wanted to be there.
A new riddle and a new quest. A last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize. And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who will kill millions to get what he wants. Wade's life and the future of the Oasis are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.

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                                                       Ernest Cline


Born in Ashland, Ohio, The United States

Website
http://www.ernestcline.com

Twitter
erniecline

Influences
Kurt Vonnegut William Gibson Neal Stephenson Stephen King Douglas ...more

URL
https://www.goodreads.com/ernestcline


ERNEST CLINE is a novelist, screenwriter, father, and full-time geek. His first novel, Ready Player One, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, appeared on numerous “best of the year” lists, and is set to be adapted into a motion picture by Warner Bros. and director Steven Spielberg. His second novel, ARMADA, debuted at #4 on the NYT Bestseller list and is being made into a film by Universal Pictures. Ernie lives in Austin, Texas, with his family, a time-traveling DeLorean, and a large collection of classic video games.

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Blog Tour: It Takes Death To Reach a Star by Stu Jones and Gareth Worthington

Sci fi, dystopian, apocalyptic

Date Published: May 22 2018

Publisher: Vesuvian Books

 

The world you know is dead. We did this to ourselves.

The epidemic struck at the end of the Third World War. Fighting over oil, power, and religion, governments ignored the rise of an antibacterial-resistant plague. In just five years, the Earth was annihilated. Only one city survived—Etyom—a frozen hellhole in northern Siberia, engulfed in endless conflict.

The year is 2251.

Two groups emerged from the ashes of the old world. Within the walled city of Lower Etyom dwell the Robusts—descendants of the poor who were immune to the New Black Death. Above them, in a metropolis of pristine platforms called lillipads, live the Graciles—the progeny of the superrich, bio-engineered to resist the plague.

Mila Solokoff is a Robust who trades information in a world where knowing too much can get you killed. Caught in a deal gone bad, she's forced to take a high-risk job for a clandestine organization hell-bent on revolution.

Demitri Stasevich is a Gracile with a dark secret—a sickness that, if discovered, will get him Ax'd. His only relief is an illegal narcotic produced by the Robusts, and his only means of obtaining it is a journey to the arctic hell far below New Etyom.

Thrust together in the midst of a sinister plot that threatens all life above and below the cloud line, Mila and Demitri must master their demons and make a choice—one that will either salvage what's left of the human race or doom it to extinction … 

 MY REVIEW

 It Takes Death To Reach A Star by Stu Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The epidemic struck at the end of the Third World War. Fighting over oil, power, and religion, governments ignored the rise of an antibacterial-resistant plague. In just five years, the Earth was annihilated. Only one city survived—Etyom—a frozen hellhole in northern Siberia, engulfed in endless conflict.

The year is 2251.
Two groups emerged from the ashes of the old world. Within the walled city of Lower Etyom dwell the Robusts—descendants of the poor who were immune to the New Black Death. Above them, in a metropolis of pristine platforms called lillipads, live the Graciles—the progeny of the superrich, bio-engineered to resist the plague.
Mila Solokoff is a Robust who trades information in a world where knowing too much can get you killed.

Demitri Stasevich is a Gracile with a dark secret—a sickness that, if discovered, will get him Ax’d.

Thrust together in the midst of a sinister plot that threatens all life above and below the cloud line, Mila and Demitri must master their demons and make a choice—one that will either salvage what’s left of the human race or doom it to extinction …

The thing that helped me with this book is the chapters are short. There is so much going on and we have several characters who are Robusts and Graciles. So having the shorter chapters helps keep track for me. I liked the concept of the story and it was well written.


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        Bronze Medal Winner — 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards — Science Fiction

·         Gold (1st Place) Winner — 2019 Feathered Quill Book Awards — Science Fiction/Fantasy

·         Finalist — 2018 Dragon Awards — Science Fiction

·         Winner — 2018 New York Book Festival — Science Fiction

·         First Place Ribbon — 2018 Chanticleer International Book Awards — Science Fiction

  

MY REVIEW:

 

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Next Book in the Series

Sci fi, Dystopian, Apocalyptic

Date Published: Aug 25 2020

Publisher: Vesuvian Books

 

Four years have passed since the lillipads fell and Etyom slipped into darkness. The New Black Death has mutated again, spreading to near epidemic proportions. What little order existed in Earth’s last city has disintegrated into chaos.

Rippers roam the Vapid, robbing and leaving their victims butchered. The Robusts have spilled out of their broken enclaves and hide in any dark corner that will conceal them. Meanwhile, the elite Graciles, fallen from their pristine towers in the sky, have all mysteriously disappeared.

Demitri is a prisoner in his own mind. His demon, Vedmak—now known as the Vardøger—is manipulating Demitri’s body to execute a secret plan far more disastrous than even the Gracile Leader dared.

Mila, her status among the fractured resistance elevated to that of Paladyn—a protector of the people—leads the fight against zealots intent on destroying what little remains of Etyom. It is a responsibility she never wanted, a calling that prevents her from doing what she truly desires.

Yet, Mila should be careful of what she longs. Caught between annihilation and loyalties that refuse to die, she must reconcile a single immutable truth: following your heart comes at a price.

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 About Stu Jones

A veteran law enforcement officer, Stu Jones has worked as a beat cop, an investigator, an instructor of firearms and police defensive tactics and as a member and team leader of a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team.

 

About Gareth Worthington 

Gareth Worthington BSc PhD EMBA is a trained marine biologist and holds a doctorate in comparative endocrinology. Gareth works in the pharmaceutical industry helping to educate the world's doctors on new cancer therapies.

 

 

IT TAKES DEATH TO REACH A STAR: TRAILER #1 

IT TAKES DEATH TO REACH A STAR: TRAILER #2 

IN THE SHADOW OF A VALIANT MOON: TRAILER #1 

IN THE SHADOW OF A VALIANT MOON: TRAILER #2 

 

Contact Links

Website

Gareth Worthington Goodreads

Stu Jones Goodreads

Instagram: @garethworthington @stujonesfiction

 

 

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Book Review: Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Kindle Edition, 400 pages

Published December 1st 2015 by Disney Hyperion

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A year ago, Flynn Cormac and Jubilee Chase made the now infamous Avon Broadcast, calling on the galaxy to witness for their planet, and protect them from destruction. Some say Flynn’s a madman, others whisper about conspiracies. Nobody knows the truth. A year before that, Tarver Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux were rescued from a terrible shipwreck—now, they live a public life in front of the cameras, and a secret life away from the world’s gaze.

Now, in the center of the universe on the planet of Corinth, all four are about to collide with two new players, who will bring the fight against LaRoux Industries to a head. Gideon Marchant is an eighteen-year-old computer hacker—a whiz kid and an urban warrior. He’ll climb, abseil and worm his way past the best security measures to pull off onsite hacks that others don’t dare touch.

Sofia Quinn has a killer smile, and by the time you’re done noticing it, she’s got you offering up your wallet, your car, and anything else she desires. She holds LaRoux Industries responsible for the mysterious death of her father and is out for revenge at any cost.

When a LaRoux Industries security breach interrupts Gideon and Sofia’s separate attempts to infiltrate their headquarters, they’re forced to work together to escape. Each of them has their own reason for wanting to take down LaRoux Industries, and neither trusts the other. But working together might be the best chance they have to expose the secrets LRI is so desperate to hide.

                                                    MY REVIEW:

Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The 3rd book of this trilogy and we follow Sofia Quinn and Gideon Marchant.
Sofia Quinn has a killer smile, and by the time you’re done noticing it, she’s got you offering up your wallet, your car, and anything else she desires. She holds LaRoux Industries responsible for the mysterious death of her father and is out for revenge at any cost.
Gideon Marchant is an eighteen-year-old computer hacker—a whiz kid and an urban warrior. He’ll climb, abseil and worm his way past the best security measures to pull off onsite hacks that others don’t dare touch.
When a LaRoux Industries security breach interrupts Gideon and Sofia’s separate attempts to infiltrate their headquarters, they’re forced to work together to escape.
Who to trust is the name of the game. Just when you think someone is a friend then they turn on you but there is always a reason.
These 2 do meet up with Jubilee, Flynn,Tarver and Lilac, from the previous books.
Lilac's father is head of LaRoux Industries and they want to take the company down.

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Book Review: This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Kindle Edition, 400 pages

Published December 23rd 2014 by Disney Hyperion

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The second installment in the epic Starbound trilogy introduces a new pair of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a bloody war.

Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.

Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.

Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.

Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.

                                                                  MY REVIEW:

This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the 2nd book of the trilogy and the story of Jubilee and Flynn.
Lee(Jubilee) is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.

Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.

These 2 are on opposite sides but still want the same thing in the long run. Constantly being caught by each others sides and fleeing seemed to go on for quite a bit in this story.

The last book was about Tarver and Lilac and you will read about them a little bit in this book too.
I liked how Jubilee and Flynn helped each other and he realized she isn't really the enemy and she finds that he isn't as bad as she thought he would be.

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Book Review: Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

Princess Snow is missing.

Her home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back—but that’s assuming she wants to return at all.

Essie has grown used to being cold. Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero, and she fills her days with coding and repairs for the seven loyal drones that run the local mines.

When a mysterious young man named Dane crash-lands near her home, Essie agrees to help the pilot repair his ship. But soon she realizes that Dane’s arrival was far from accidental, and she’s pulled into the heart of a war she’s risked everything to avoid. With the galaxy’s future—and her own—in jeopardy, Essie must choose who to trust in a fiery fight for survival.

Hardcover, 328 pages

Published October 14th 2014 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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                           MY REVIEW:

 Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Essie is used to a cold planet and is a princess but doesn't want anyone to know. She has been hiding out on this planet for a long time under another name. But when Dane crashes on the planet he asks for help to repair his ship but then she learns he had planned on this crash and everything to follow, She knows the King would like to find her and get her back but what about her stepmother?
This is a sci fi fairytale retelling but I didn't read it that way. I enjoyed the storyline and even though people were comparing it to Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, did not think it was. I saw it as the fairytale retelling.
This book had been sitting on my bookshelf for a long time and I am glad that I finally got to reading it. 

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R.C. Lewis

Born

in San Francisco

April 12

Website

http://www.rclewisbooks.com

Twitter

RC_Lewis

Genre

Young Adult, Science Fiction & Fantasy

https://www.goodreads.com/rclewis

When I'm not writing novels, I'm teaching math. Or when I'm not teaching math, I'm writing novels. It gets a little confusing in here sometimes.