SF/F News, Reviews, Interviews, and Giveaways
Courtesy of Saga Press, I have a copy of Savage Legion by Matt Wallace for one lucky winner!
Contest is open to US residents only. No PO Boxes please. To enter, just fill out the form below. Contest ends August 28. I’ll draw a name on August 29, and notify winner via email.
ENTER DAILY TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING!
Good luck!
The following are the books, movies, television shows, etc. I received last month for review and/or giveaways:
Barb Hendee/ND Author Services:
The Hunters’ Girl by Barb Hendee
Del Rey:
Malorie: A Bird Box Novel by Josh Malerman
Disney Hyperion:
Hood by Jenny Elder Moke
Snow Day for Groot! by Brendan Deneen
Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia
Penguin / Razorbill:
Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson
Saga Press:
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Live to Tell the Tale by Keith Ammann
Savage Legion by Matt Wallace
Simon Pulse:
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Subterranean Press:
The Best of Michael Marshall Smith by Michael Marshall Smith
Comes a Pale Rider by Caitlín R. Kiernan
Dying With Her Cheer Pants On: Stories of the Fighting Pumpkins by Seanan McGuire
Titan Books:
Alpha Omega by Nicholas Bowling
Tor:
Architects of Memory by Karen Osborne
The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
Uranus by Ben Bova
Tor Teen:
The Princess Will Save You by Sarah Henning
War Planet Press:
Warbot 1.0: AI Goes to War by Brian M. Michelson
The Princess Will Save You by Sarah Henning
Synopsis:
When her warrior father, King Sendoa, mysteriously dies, Princess Amarande of Ardenia is given what would hardly be considered a choice: Marry a stranger at sixteen or lose control of her family’s crown.
But Amarande was raised to be a warrior―not a sacrifice.
In an attempt to force her choice, a neighboring kingdom kidnaps her true love, stable boy Luca. With her kingdom on the brink of civil war and no one to trust, she’ll need all her skill to save him, her future, and her kingdom.
Review:
The inspiration for this novel was Princess Bride. This becomes really evident at times, with quite a bit of similar dialog and events. But don’t expect the same lighthearted humor. While there isn’t much in the way of humor, there is plenty of suspense, drama, and intrigue. And in this novel, the princess does the rescuing.
The Princess Will Save You is a fun YA novel that will appeal to fantasy fans of all ages. The adventure and mystery make for an engaging read. As well as several exciting twists and surprises. This is the first in a planned series, so don’t expect all threads to be wrapped up. But I certainly look forward to the next installment.
Courtesy of Tor, I have a copy of The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal for one lucky winner!
Contest is open to US residents only. No PO Boxes please. To enter, just fill out the form below. Contest ends August 21. I’ll draw a name on August 22, and notify winner via email.
ENTER DAILY TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING!
Good luck!
Captain Marvel: Beware the Flerken! by Calliope Glass (Author), Rob McClurkan (Illustrator)
This new picture book is basically the Captain Marvel movie told from the Flerken’s point of view. The artwork is cute, and not at all scary for young children. We never actually see the flerken’s tentacles when she eats something.
Captain Marvel fans raising a young generation of Marvel fans will all enjoy this sweet and colorful story of a cat-like flerken who likes to eat a variety of things and makes several new friends.
Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson
Synopsis:
When Andra wakes up, she’s drowning.
Not only that, but she’s in a hot, dirty cave, it’s the year 3102, and everyone keeps calling her Goddess. When Andra went into a cryonic sleep for a trip across the galaxy, she expected to wake up in a hundred years, not a thousand. Worst of all, the rest of the colonists–including her family and friends–are dead. They died centuries ago, and for some reason, their descendants think Andra’s a deity. She knows she’s nothing special, but she’ll play along if it means she can figure out why she was left in stasis and how to get back to Earth.
Zhade, the exiled bastard prince of Eerensed, has other plans. Four years ago, the sleeping Goddess’s glass coffin disappeared from the palace, and Zhade devoted himself to finding it. Now he’s hoping the Goddess will be the key to taking his rightful place on the throne–if he can get her to play her part, that is. Because if his people realize she doesn’t actually have the power to save their dying planet, they’ll kill her.
With a vicious monarch on the throne and a city tearing apart at the seams, Zhade and Andra might never be able to unlock the mystery of her fate, let alone find a way to unseat the king, especially since Zhade hasn’t exactly been forthcoming with Andra. And a thousand years from home, is there any way of knowing that Earth is better than the planet she’s woken to?
Review:
The synopsis hooked me when a girl is woken up 1,000 years in the future instead of 100 on new planet. Andra wakes up to everyone calling her a goddess and expecting her to use her powers to save them. But she knows she’s just a girl, with everyone she’s ever known long gone.
Goddess in the Machine is the first in an inspired, new YA series. Set in the far distant future, this group of humans that Andra wakes up to are not familiar with any advanced technology. And the young man who woke her up has his own, secret agenda. Full of danger, suspense, political intrigue, romance, and betrayal – this is an impressive debut novel. It’s fast-paced and compelling. I certainly look forward to the next installment.