Cassie James's Blog: Itz All About Books!! - Posts Tagged "spaceship"

Skyfarer by Joseph Brassey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Thanks to Angry Robot Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review, This doesn't in any way influence my opinion on it.



Skyfarer by Joseph Brassey is one of the books I've read that is a perfect blend of Fantasy and SciFi. This book is so good there isn't enough words I can use to fully describe the impressive quality. It's simply a magical version of Star Wars. From the beginning, the story grabs your attention. It's about two main characters. One, Aimee is an newly appointed apprentice to the legendary Mage Harkon Bright on his magical (literally) spaceship Elysium. Harkon is famous for his exploits and heroic achievements. The second is Azrael, a Knight of the External Order. He's basically villain but he's just complicated, He does despicable things but there's a deep internal struggle in him as he comes to terms with who exactly he is and who he has been made to be. That's the main characters now the plot. So it begins with Aimee becoming the apprentice of Harkon and joining him and his crew on the majestic one of a kind spaceship Elysium. She's quick to bond with the diverse members on Elysium despite their different backgrounds. On a basic sojourn across the skies, a portal spell cast by Aimee goes awry and they're cast straight into the middle of an attack being laid on a world, Port Providence. This attack is spearheaded by none other than Azrael who on behalf of his master the terrible and ferocious Master Roland is sacking the planet looking for the Axiom Diamond which is a mythical relic, with the power to show its bearer any truth they desire. To save the remaining people, Aimee and her master make a deal with the surviving Prince of the land for him to surrender the Crown and flee thereby saving the lives of the remaining soldiers while the crew of the Elysium will venture with the Mage of the Gray Sage (The Ancient order of mages who protect the secret of the Axiom's location) who can lead them to the Axiom. Azrael who is trying his best at also locating the Gray Sage along with the Axiom is having an identity crisis. For the thirteen years he has been with the Order, he has always done what he was told but this time, He's having troubles being the perfect soldier. He's having visonlike thoughts of someone named Elias along with guilt over the things he does in behalf of the order. The Eternal Order is a mysterious group of fierce mercenaries with influence and power who train their men valiantly and produce the fiercest of warriors for their cause. Azrael is one complicated character I can't help but like. It's one huge race against time for who can get to the Axiom first and the fate of the galaxies rely on it. This is also a journey a villain finding redmeption and a sorceress learning exactltly who she is meant to be.
The writing is so top notch, the quality is so good it's unlike most you'll see these days. The idea is quite original with the magic aspect brilliantly portrayed. The worldbuilding is equally phenomenal made even more so as it is a vast universe. The SciFi goodness of it all is complex yet simple enough to understand and exciting. The characters have engrossing storylines that hooks your attention without letting go and the cover of the book is just breathtaking. The end is an explosion of events that has been brewing throughout the book, It is full of action and revelations that just straight up blew my mind. There is truly no other book like this, it's one of a kind. Full of adventure, magic, action, SciFi treats, camaraderie, comedy, drama, Interplanetary exploits and just a dash of romance,breathtakingly Skyfarer is a book I DARE you to read and tell me one bad thing about it. Joseph Brassey has made me a huge fan of his and I can't wait for more incredible writing from this insanely talented author.



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Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This doesn't in any way influence my opinion on it.



Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre is just as amazing as I expected it to be. Coming from two of my favorite authors, I knew I would love it but still I am still entranced by just how good this book is. Zara is a multilayered character that drew me in from the very beginning, everything about her fascinated me despite her ‘profession’. The way her mind works, her thinking, her behaviour, her smartness, her kickassery. It's like watching a piece of precious art. Zara Cole left her life of comfort in Paradise when her mother and her sister wanted to relocate to Mars to get away from their abusive father, Zara declined joining them and instead chose to live in the Zone (kind of like the streets) with a friend of hers and their crew. There are many complicated yet understandable reasons why Zara made the bizarre decision. In the Zone, to survive and keep herself afloat, She resorts to stealing from those that have enough to ‘Give Away’. Unfortunately for Zara, A day came when her mark was the daughter of a criminal lord (unknown to her). When Deluca retaliates by sending his goon after her, Zara had to flee for her life. She sought refuge in a Correctional facility, She narrowly escaped death but then She suddenly gets chosen to join the elite Honors program which has it's members travelling in sentient space ships which are an alien species called the Leviathans to their home planet. Zara at first wary of the attention of the press and the people, eventually but reluctantly warms up to the idea because it could provide for her Mother and sister and it also makes it harder for Deluca to get rid of her. But as she begins find out, There is something not quite right with The Leviathans and the aim of the Honor Program. To ensure her ultimate survival, She decided to get to the bottom of her suspicions. The relationship Zara has with Nadim (The Leviathan she's travelling with) is beautiful, pure and inspiring. Their connection is deep and iridescent. Zara also gets along with her only other human crewmate Bea, They are quick to form a bond. The romance between Nadim and Zara might be a little different from what we're used to but it doesn't make it any less intriguing. Because it's pure, amazing and just freaking adorable, It's nice for someone to finally break down the highly defensive walls Zara erected around her heart. There is a lot of interesting stuff in the book, SciFi goodness, different planets, amazing tech, amazing explanations and details, adventure, action, romance and SPACE!. This is a book that will grab your attention and evoke your thoughts. It will be forever etched in you. The ending was absolution awesome, so many revelations to mysteries that plagued me throughout the book, interesting developments that will pay off in the next book in the series. Honor Among Thieves is a book I can recommend to every reader cause it's amazing, not just because it comes from two powerhouse authors but because it's just that good.



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The Empress by S.J. Kincaid

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review, This doesn't in any way influence my opinion on it.


The Empress by S.J. Kincaid is a book I've been very eager for ever since I read the last line in The Diabolic and I was not at all disappointed by it. S.J. Kincaid is once again at her best in this amazing sequel. In The Empress, Nemesis and Tyrus still have a lot of obstacles to get through. Mostly in the form of the Grandiloquy and those opposing Nemesis as Empress including Vicar Faustian. Adjusting to her new role as Empress is not easy for Nemesis because it means having to fight her base instincts and compromise. Enemies everywhere are vying for Tyrus most especially Pasus who is not only angry about the death of his daughter but also hungering for the throne. Things get especially complicated as Tyrus can't control the Scepter thus also losing control of the bots, connection between all the ships etc. This puts him in a very vulnerable position.
All this scheming leads to a deadly dance of power between Pasus and Tyrus, the tides keep shifting as both parties get victories at different turns and loses in others. Alliances are made, Betrayal runs rampant and true colors are shown. We get to see the Helionics at their worst. Nemesis and Tyrus kept proving their stronger together and invulnerable, their relationship further strengthens as they keep finding their way towards each other despite the numerous obstacles in their way. Nemesis also begins to truly learn what it means to be human, She begins to make choices not as a Diabolic but humanely.
More background/worldbuilding on the Empire is also a welcome addition especially about the Transaturine System and the Interdict which I have been very curious about. Many new important characters are introduced as the pace of the story is accelerated. Revelations that changed everything about the world was revealed.
Their various romps through space was also quite entertaining. I loved the lush and vivid descriptions the author gave. S.J. Kincaid is a master when it comes to weaving enchanting words.
The romance between Nemesis and Tyrus was hot as ever and really intensely emotional, Their love and devotion to each other remains one of the many positive aspects of this series.
The moments before the ending can be best described as action filled and absolutely batshit crazy. So many twists and turns that were either heartbreaking or just cruel. I have mixed feelings about the ending itself (I expect any misgivings I have will be resolved in the last book in the series) but The Empress was a very enjoyable read.
The brilliant characters, engaging storyline, sizzling hot romance, exciting action and beautiful cover of The Empress makes it a must read.
Lovers of the series are going to devour it as it is a return to form for the divinely talented S.J. Kincaid.

P.S: The SciFi tidbit is as amazing as ever as the experience gets even more intense and interesting.



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Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review, This doesn't in any way influence my opinion on it.


Brightly Burning hit me like a wrecking ball (in a good way). It's one of those phenomenal books you don't see coming until you're knee deep in it unable to let go. I didn't even know about this book until it was up for request on Netgalley and it ended up being one of the best I've read this year. Its not quite easy to pull off retellings but Alexa Donne did so spectacularly.
Stella Ainsley is one of the occupants of the Stalwart, a spaceships filled with farmers and mechanics. Earth has been inhabitable for hundreds of years as it's frozen in an Ice age. Humanity to to space for survival.
Stella the main character is an Engineer that's quite good at her job though she wants to be more (i.e A Governess). After numerous rejections, her dreams finally come through when she's accepted to be the governess of a Private Spaceship called the Rochester which is uber private and no one has heard of. She leaves behind the place she's learned to call home and headed into the unknown.
Life on the Rochester feels heavenly, almost like it's too good to be true. Stella get more luxuries than she's ever had.
But Stella begins to notice odd things, secret classified places she's not authorised to access, ghostly laughs in the empty corridors at night and sabotage on the ship. One things that made the oddities worth it is Jessa, the pupil she's tutoring. The little girl is an absolute delight and as teaching is something Stella loves to do, everything worked out well. Another positive point is Hugo, the young and captivating captain of the ship who is also Jessa's older brother. Their first meeting is a little disastrous but thankfully, first impressions are sometimes overrated.
They tentatively form a friendship and bond over their love for reading (they're my kind of peeps).
The friendship evolves into something deeper, love. Their emotional bond was very strong as they understood and saw each other as no one else did. Stella's time on the Rochester is full of drama and many obstacles that threaten to pull her away from Hugo. More strange things did happen but I was very glad about the explanation eventually given as it makes total sense and gives closure to events of the past.
Terrible things happened before the ending and it was a whirlwind of action and life changing decisions. This book always reminds that it is Science Fiction and that is definitely one of it's compelling qualities.
I liked how it all ended despite the things that came before the end and the cost, It was a new beginning through which they can achieve a new reality. I commend Alexa Donne for writing it so well.
Everything about Brightly Burning is amazing, from the action to the hot romance to the SciFi tidbits. The book is very aptly detailed and vivid due to the lush and rich writing of the heavenly talented Alexa Donne (Yes this book deserves every bit of praise).
It's a stand alone but I certainly can't wait for the next book from the author.

P.S:That's cover is just so beautiful, I can't wait to have this in my bookshelf.



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