Mini-Reviews: A Spectacularly Suspenseful Sci-Fi Medley

Hey, all, it’s Alexa! So to make up for the lack of a review last week (sorry about that, btw. Lesson learned: do not overcommit at the beginning of the holiday season. :p), I’m going to review two books I’ve read recently instead of one.

First off, we have,

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Goodreads Link for Description

Throughout the past year, I had heard a ton about this book from other bloggers, so when my library finally picked up the copies, I literally dropped everything on my reading schedule, lol, to give it a read. Illuminae 100% delivered on everything people said it would be: it was beyond intense—like, there are no words for the thrill of that climax; it was suspenseful in the most heart-wrenching way; the writing and typography were so atmospheric, putting you directly in the scene; the characters were the ultimate sarcastic and made me laugh out loud a hundred times… No one exaggerated in their flailing over this novel.

However, it still didn’t end up being one of my favorite books, mostly because I had a lot of trouble connecting to the characters in the beginning. Plus, even once I did they were one, continuously slain, and two, I only really liked one of the main characters: Ezra. Kady… I understood her—really, I did—but I still didn’t like her. She was too selfish to me, everything was always about her and her pain and her agenda, and granted, she’d been through a crapton and maybe under other circumstances would’ve earned the right to be selfish. BUT SHE WAS SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN THROUGH THE EXACT SAME CRAPTON and she was endangering them by focusing on what she wanted and what she thought was right, completely regardless of the thousands of other lives around her. Again, granted, she was trying to do the right thing, but I think she was often too focused on her own agenda to really see what the right thing was.

Also, Ezra was precious, romantic, and in a lot of ways, too good for her (though he did make a lot of dirty jokes that made me uncomfortable, I’ll be honest). And, no matter what anybody else tries to tell you, Aidan was freaking insane. There had to have been a better way to save lives than the one that he chose.

Anywho, all-in-all it was a great read, just not a great read for me. You, however, may feel differently, and if you think you will, you can pick up a copy for yourself on Amazon for $11.17. 

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron

Goodreads Link for Description

Gods of Olympus, this book was incredible. Deeply written and utterly riveting, I was 100% invested every moment, my attention completely monopolized by this story. It was dazzling and beautiful, had all of the WHAT-THE-HECK plot twists, and it just took me on this wild, absolutely amazing ride. The plot and writing were my favorite parts, because I didn’t end up loving Nadia or Gray (in a way, I did relate to them, I just didn’t end up loving them on the deepest level), but even so, spending time with them was not a chore. 😉 In spite of some of the choices they made, I loved their story and especially watching their relationships—more with other people than with each other—develop and complicate and fall apart and mend… There were just… all the feels with the entire cast of characters.

All-in-all, The Forgetting was absolutely stunning. It had me from the first sentence to the last, and I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a creative and deep dystopian. You can buy it for yourself on Amazon for $11.16.

Rating: ALL THE STARS out of 5.

Well, that is all for the mini reviews! Hope you enjoyed them! Which one of these sounds the most appealing to you? Have you ever picked up a book because of the raving of other reviewers? How’d it match up to your expectations? Can’t wait to hear from you, and I will see you in the comment section!

~ Love, Alexa <3

Note: Content: The Forgetting and Illuminae contain serious cursing and brutal descriptions of violence, Illuminae more so than The Forgetting. Illuminae also contains several sensual references/dirty jokes.