artsy musings of a bibliophile

science fiction

Review: Through to You by Emily Hainsworth

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Title: Through to You

Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: 2 October 2012
Pages: 194 (eARC)

Synopsis

Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. Viv was the last good thing in his life: helping him rebuild his identity after a career-ending football injury, picking up the pieces when his home life shattered, and healing his pain long after the meds wore off. And now, he’d give anything for one more glimpse of her. But when Cam makes a visit to the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees some kind of apparition. And it isn’t Viv.
The apparition’s name is Nina, and she’s not a ghost. She’s a girl from a parallel world, and in this world, Viv is still alive. Cam can’t believe his wildest dreams have come true. All he can focus on is getting his girlfriend back, no matter the cost. But things are different in this other world: Viv and Cam have both made very different choices, things between them have changed in unexpected ways, and Viv isn’t the same girl he remembers. Nina is keeping some dangerous secrets, too, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with who this Viv has become and the part Nina played in his parallel story, he’s forced to choose—stay with Viv or let her go—before the window closes between them once and for all.

My Rating
* * *
The Review
Grieving, moving on, trying to get through every day when everything becomes a chore, a mechanical movement of limbs; it’s all for everything and nothing. Life would have been a lot easier if there was a chance to see how it could all go beforehand. How it would all be if you didn’t lose that one person who was holding it all together for you. There are countless ways in which your life can turn out, unlimited scenarios out there and only two words that can get you there in your mind: what if. The term that can manage to throw logic out the window. Only it does. In Cam’s case.
Camden Pike had everything in Vivian Hayward even if he wasn’t in with the popular crowd or the star quarterback anymore. It simply didn’t matter. It mattered even less when Viv died and Cam life got way out of his comfort zone and into a series of uncomfortable interactions with a psychiatrist and unnecessary notes in the fruit bowl from her workaholic mother. 
There is only one place in all of Fayetville where Cam feels closest to Viv and that is at the exact spot she died. Where they put up a memorial two months ago. Mike doesn’t get it, willing him to join the team, which is not very plausible given the condition of Cam’s leg after the injury and how they both quit football together; him as the quarterback and her as the cheerleader. But then everything changes when Nina stumbles upon the parallel universe and sees Cam. Only she seems to know him and Cam has never seen her before.
The window between the two parallel worlds is there for a reason which Cam sees as the best thing that ever happened to him when he discovers that Viv is alive there. But Nina seems to be dousing his happiness and warning him to not cross the window over and over. It’s clear to see where Nina is coming from and I was definitely intrigued about the part she plays in the book. She’s obviously the sensible one yet she has an aura of sadness around her. As if she is trying hard to live less life.
Cam is very dignified when it comes to honoring Viv and it’s clear that he’s having a hard time letting her go. But Cam is in a downward spiral, he needs to have the sense to be realistic but it’s easier to do the opposite. To close eyes and see Viv smile instead. It’s interesting to see him trying to get past the crossroad trying to decide between his desperation for wanting to be with Viv and trying to get away from everyone.
But he knows that Viv is all he wants and the feeling is mutual. But even if it seems like she’s the same Viv, it isn’t. Cam see glimpses of a person who feels like a stranger to him and given the situation, it isn’t surprising seeing she’s from a parallel world. Yet the mind cannot stop but wonder what would make him not stay if Cam found the person he thought he’d lost forever? Even if that person was not exactly like the person Cam lost. It seems as if there is an obvious solution to the question but once a layer is removed with such a thought, it becomes complicated.
I admired the way Emily Hainsworth took hold of the concept and wrapped it around Cam’s story. It was gripping to read the book and towards the end, I had no idea how it was all going to play out. Being a character-driven story, I found Through to You to be a bittersweet read. The subtle way in which differences in Cam’s Viv and the other Viv starts showing up is done brilliantly. The descriptions of the different-yet-same parallel worlds is unnerving enough to bring weird thoughts in your mind and make it seem almost real.

Best Quote:

“It doesn’t matter why I want to leave. You’re the reason I want to stay.”

“I’m in that place between waking and sleep. The one where everything’s still black and peaceful until it gets invaded by my thoughts.”
Thanks to Balzer + Bray and Edelweiss for providing me an eARC of Through to You for review.

Review: Glitch by Heather Anastasiu Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Title: Glitch (Glitch, #1)
Author: Heather Anastasiu
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: 7 August 2012
Pages:  308 (eARC)


Synopsis
In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.
When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.
As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.
In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.
My Rating
* *
The Review

“Order first. Order always.”

A world where order, logic and peace is above all else. A world which is an interminable gray. Zoel Q-24’s world where people are stripped off of every emotion to the extent of being called subjects. It seems like a perfect world because there is no fear, no anger, no hate and no greed; emotions that were the cause of the downfall of Old Earth. The Community is the be all and end all. Perfection.

But technology can only go so far and humans are evolutionary creatures. Subjects are sometimes able to feel emotions and see colors. To glitch. Zoe has been glitching and while she cannot control her glitches, she works hard to keep them under control. To clear herself of any emotions.

An ideal situation calls for a diagnostic to fix the V-chip so that the subject can be fixed. Glitching is an anamolous behavior in the Community. More anamolies mean the subject are useless, to broken to fix. Deactivation is the logical solution to such subjects unable to contribute to the community.

But Zoe doesn’t want to let go of the glitches because then, instead of the retina display of the Link News, she can access her thoughts, feel and see. She also has a Gift. A Gift that she is afraid of because it will cause her immediate deactivation. So she goes on, pretending.

However, there is a boy whose glance lingered on Zoe for more than a split second. The one with the aquamarines eyes. Is he a Monitor or someone she can trust herself with? It is hard to believe that anyone else could also glitch and be a cause of destruction in the Community. But Adrien helps her and tells her about the lies the community has fed about themselves and about the Old Earth. Adrien’s Gift makes it easier for Zoe to trust him.

Then there is Max. Max with a Gift which makes her afraid for him, the risks he is willing to take. But he is reckless and seem to be hiding something. Almost unable to deal with emotions. It makes Zoe question things. But being in the dark about human emotions for so long, it’s quite easy for her to be in the dark about uncertain emotions.

The Regulators and Monitors watch the subjects for any anomalous behavior and the Officials do the rest of the work. It all seems perfect. Too perfect. Glitch is a fast-paced dystopian novel about a perfect world of technology where nothing could go wrong as long as there are V-chips, memory erasers and deactivation.

Glitch offers characters unable to think, unaware and linked together as moving, breathing robots. It is a very intriguing concept where technology fails to deliver perfectly. Zoe is caught between her obligation to the community and the taste of diversified beauty the world has to offer her. Where will her decisions finally take her? I must admit I am only slightly curious how Zoe’s story will move forward in Override.

Best Quotes:
“Pain was one thing we were still able to feel, because it was necessary to safety; otherwise alloy workers would burn their fingers off by touching a hot kiln and not feeling it.” 
“I could breathe again. I felt myself expand in the same moment, color and sound and sense flooding back in, overwhelming me with a rush of smells and sounds.”
About the Author

Heather Anastasiu grew up in Texas and recently moved to Minneapolis with her family. When she’s not busy getting lost exploring the new city, she spends most days writing at a café or daydreaming about getting a new tattoo.

Glitch is her first novel.

Heather Anastasiu can be found at 

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Buy Glitch (Glitch, #1)
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The Giveaway

Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin and Shane for providing me a copy of  Glitch for review.

Review: Tundra 37 by Aubrie Dionne Blog Tour

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Title: Tundra 37 (A New Dawn, #2)
Author: Aubrie Dionne
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: 7 February 20
Pages: 288 (eBook)


Synopsis
Gemme is a hi-tech matchmaker who pairs the next generation of Lifers aboard the Expedition, a deep space transport vessel destined for Paradise 18. When the identity of her lifemate pops up on her screen, she’s shocked that he’s the achingly gorgeous and highly sought after Lieutenant Miles Brentwood—a man oblivious to her existence. Believing everyone will think she contrived the match, she erases it from the computer’s memory.
Just as comets pummel the ship and destroy the pairing system forever. 
With the Expedition disabled, the colonists must crash land on the barren ice world of Tundra 37 where Gemme is reassigned to an exploratory mission, led by Lieutenant Brentwood. Only in the frozen tundra does she understand the shape of his heart and why the computer has entwined their destinies.
My Rating
* * * *
The Review

It was simply an astoundingly melancholic and an unlikely emotional experience for me to read Tundra 37. So, to say that Tundra 37 is an unpredictable read would be an understatement. I didn’t expect the book to tug at my heartstrings. The book really made me appreciate the life on Earth more than anything else. All the loss and the madness that then ensues longing and deprivation is enough to make anyone lose their minds.
The story of Tundra 37 is not limited to the protagonists alone. The twin sisters aboard the Expedition, known as Seers, play an important role in the story as well. This is where the unpredictability kicks in. Without giving much away, the way the memories connected with the orb blew me away. The flashbacks to Old Earth painted a very vivid picture which made reading those scenes very engrossing.
Gemme, with her job as a Matchmaker, is a determined women and a true Lifer which is why she gives preference to predestination over choice and organization over chaos. But life certainly has entirely something else in store for her starting from her pairing with Brentwood, one of the Lieutenants on board the Expedition. Then she lands a job as an explorer from a matchmaker, talk about a makeover!
Brentwood, on the other hand, has his whole life laid out for him and has never expected more than that. So when something beyond their control happens, altering their course and the foundation of their mission, Brentwood is left to be the leader of his people. 
But the question remains, is it enough to go through with what destiny seems to have chosen for them and not merely computers? From then on, Tundra 37 plunges into the heart of the ice on the planet making it a fast-paced book with never a dull moment in between. The life of the Seers still has me reeling in unbelief. I would highly recommend this book to lovers of science fiction and to everyone else simply because the book has a lot of elements of humanity and the value of human life.
Best Quote:

“The moment felt inevitable, each second pulsing forward to bring them here, at the edge of this world, at the beginning of their own.”

Aubrie Dionne can be found at 
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Review: Paradise 21 by Aubrie Dionne Blog Tour

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Title: Paradise 21 (A New Dawn, #1)
Author: Aubrie Dionne
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: 2 August 2011
Pages: 228 (eBook)


Synopsis
Aries has lived her entire life aboard mankind’s last hope, the New Dawn, a spaceship traveling toward a planet where humanity can begin anew—a planet that won’t be reached in Aries’ lifetime. As one of the last genetically desirable women in the universe, she must marry her designated genetic match and produce the next generation for this centuries-long voyage.
But Aries has other plans.
When her desperate escape from the New Dawn strands her on a desert planet, Aries discovers the rumors about pirates—humans who escaped Earth before its demise—are true. Handsome, genetically imperfect Striker possesses the freedom Aries envies, and the two connect on a level she never thought possible. But pursued by her match from above and hunted by the planet’s native inhabitants, Aries quickly learns her freedom will come at a hefty price.
The life of the man she loves.
My Rating
* * * *
The Review
What attracted me towards Paradise 21 was the synopsis, I haven’t read much sci-fi books and this one seemed good enough to read. So despite the cover which seems to scream steamy romance, I was hooked from the first sentence.

Matched with a manipulating, power-hungry Barliss to preserve the gene pool aboard New Dawn, Aries Ryder couldn’t have it worse. She is not your typical heroine; because even though she is a first class Lifer on New Dawn, she wants out. So she plans her escape and lands onto a deadened planet Sahara 354. Little does she know what’s in store for her; from lizard men who have a habit of stealing to the giant sandworm ready for a kill.

Luckily, for her, there’s Striker abandoned by his fellow pirates on Sahara 354 five years ago. And he’s not only good at surviving in the desert; he has a much bigger plan. An alien ship that crashed into Sahara 354 along with the eggs that won’t hatch is the only hope for their survival and escape from Sahara 354 and land on Refuge.

The two fall into an easy companionship, but they don’t have much time because it’s centuries after Earth disintegrated and technology has far since taken on a new meaning. So it wouldn’t take long for Barliss, to whom Aries is bequeathed, to come out looking for her with the help of her locator and what not. And then there’s the ex-fellow pirate, Drifter and the ex-girlfriend, Tiff who may have found the hidden map to Refuge. But they need Striker to decode it.

Paradise 21 is a fast-paced read, so you never lose interest because there’s something happening at all times. It’s admirable to see the strong protagonists and the world-building is awe-inspiring as I could actually imagine the universe after earth. All the betrayal, the fight for life, the concern about gene pool, remnants of the old Earth and the journey towards Paradise 21 come together in unpredictable ways. The book seems to have it all.

Best Quote:
“The world’s a tough place, and the universe is colder still.”
Aubrie Dionne can be found at