The Red Rover: Origins by C.E. Whitaker III

The Red Rover: Origins is the first YA scifi book in a futuristic series where the remaining humans live on a gigantic space station. When global warming and nuclear fallout made the Earth uninhabitable, humans from around the globe escaped on the Rover Base Alpha in search of a new home. When their current star system appears to be nearing a violent end of its life, seven teens are thrust into the role of hopefully finding a new planet to colonize.

One thing I enjoyed was the very wide range of characters that showed all aspects of society- from corrupt businessmen to complaining children, even throwing in mental health conditions and a touch of heartbreak. I loved watching the development of these teens and their growth in emotional maturity. They went from selfish, spoiled children to young adults who truly cared about their teammates and the greater good of their society. It was super fun to watch them in their action-packed challenges. I also loved how the book accurately depicted a star's life cycle and conditions in outer space.

I highly recommend this book! The author is currently finishing the next book in this series, Clash of the Celestials, and I cannot wait to read it! That cliffhanger was crazy!

Title: The Red Rover: Origins
Author: C.E. Whitaker III
Publisher: C.E. Whitaker III
Pages: 286
Series: Yes, Book 1
Rating: 5 Stars
Goodreads

The Viperob Files by Alister Hodge

The Viperob Files is a YA dystopian book about a group of teens who discover a conspiracy and race to prevent it. This book was sent to me by the author. Fast forward to an island off the coast of Australia in 2194. The misuse of fossil fuels led to a global warming catastrophe with sea level rise over 30 meters and ocean acidity so high that trilobites proliferate. Ethan, Jaego, and Gwen live on an island fiercely controlled by the Viperob company. Its citizens are nothing more than slaves. When the three teens come across a secret project where the Viperob are planning to invade the country, they must leave the island and get to the mainland to warn the Australian military before it's too late.   

The cruelties of the Viperob honestly remind me of the BEIC in India or King Leopold II of Belgium and what he did to the Congolese. Lieutenant Harris disgusts me and angers me. He is extremely violent and has no empathy for others. He is a manifestation of humanity at its worst- and he's just a mindless robot following the orders of someone even crueler. I don't think I've been this angry reading a book in a long time. I love it!! Creating powerful protagonists and making the reader care about their success is just as important as creating terrorizing antagonists and making the reader hope for them to fail. I did!

I am amazed at the courage and bravery of these three teens. My mouth dropped in awe at some of the major close calls. These kids are surviving by the skin of their teeth. The Viperob Files was absolutely thrilling and terrifyingly realistic. Having the trilobites come back to life was a humorous twist that I, being the science nerd that I am, found completely fascinating!

Hodge has told me that he is in the process of writing the sequel. I cannot wait to find out what happens next! I highly recommend this book!

Title: The Viperob Files
Author: Alister Hodge
Publisher: Crossroad Press
Pages: 217
Series: Yes, Book 1
Rating: 5 Stars
Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten YA New Releases in Late 2019

One of the most exciting things is discovering new books to read! Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by That Artsy Reader Girl. If you want to participate, click here. The theme for this week is Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2019. The following releases I look forward to the most are in order of release date.

1. The Beckoning Shadow by Katharyn Blair

Expected Publication: July 2nd 2019

Vesper Montgomery has the power to make somebody's worst fear come to life. She is terrified of her ability, but is forced to use it when she enters a fierce competition for the chance to rewrite the past.

2. Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Expected Publication: July 9th 2019

A bizarre and deadly plague called the Tox has infected Hetty's boarding schools. After all the teachers died, the students were left to fend for themselves in quarantine. 

3. Here There Are Monsters by Amelinda Bérubé

Expected publication: August 1st 2019

Skye always knew that her younger sister was strange, but she never thought that the imaginary creatures she plays with in the woods would ever come to life.

4. I'm Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal

Expected publication: August 6th 2019

When what was supposed to be a normal football game suddenly turns into a city-wide riot, two girls have to stick together and help each other survive the night and get home safe.

5. A Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Weymouth

Expected publication: September 10th, 2019
Violet's house has magical powers and kept everything beautiful and happy, until her father is killed and Violet is forced into fleeing. When she returns to the house years later, she finds it has become dark and twisted, poisoning nature. Violet will do everything she can to make her house happy again.

6. Suggested Reading by Dave Connis

Expected publication: September 17th 2019 

When Clara's school principal starts banning dozens of meaningful books, she starts a secret library in her locker to fight back.

7. Who Put This Song On? by Morgan Parker

Expected publication: September 24th 2019 

Morgan is an African American teen struggling with depression. She feels too much pressure to be the "right kind" of black, but will now decide to not let her skin color define her.

8. The Memory Thief  by Lauren Mansy
Expected publication: October 1st, 2019
In this city, memories are money, and sold to the highest bidder. Ones with magical gifts can simply steal a memory with a slight touch. When Seventeen-year-old Etta's mother's memories are up for grabs, Etta will do whatever it takes to save her.

9. War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi
Expected publication: October 15th, 2019
In 2172, global warming and nuclear war has decimated the majority of Earth. The only way to even go outside is to wear bionic body parts and artifical organs to protect themselves from the deadly climate. In Nigeria, two sisters will sacrifice everything to try to restore peace.


10. I'm a Gay Wizard by V.S. Santoni
Expected publication: October 29th, 2019
When Johnny and Alison accidentally unleash an earthquake while practicing their magic, they get recuirted to the Marduk Institute and must use their magic to defend their new world.

What releases are you looking forward to?

Whispers of Nowhere by Shannon Rohrer

Whispers of Nowhere is the first book in a YA fantasy series sent to me by the author. When Gwen's father brings home magical artifacts from work, Gwen mistakenly touches them, causing their seals to break and open the magical prison gates to Nowhere, allowing demons and criminals to escape into the moral world. Gwen's special ability to sense and wield the artifacts makes her a prime target of demons. Gwen takes off in the middle of the night with guardians Phenex and Forneus to clean up her mess and find the artifacts before the monsters do.

I love how the book combined mythology from different religions and cultures, like Greek, Egyptian, and even aspects of demonology engraved in Japanese folklore. It was very mind-boggling to now see the Gods and Demons of multiple religions and cultures existing in the same realm. The author did a great job building a world that I could envision and comprehend. The fighting scenes were perfectly executed and I loved the vivid imagery describing the almost unfathomable magic. The book felt like a fun treasure hunt, and I very much enjoyed the adventuring aspect of the novel.

I loved the complicated relationship between the three teens and the boys' desire to protect Gwen. The almost love-triangle feel between the three of them was very sweet. Phenex's complicated and traumatizing history leaves a roughness and fear to him, and  I loved it when he showed his true vulnerable self. I will always remember his ultimate fiery display in the final battle.

There were some inconsistencies in the plot that bug me, but will hopefully be resolved in the next book. I wanted Gwen to have more power or unearth a grand evolution which feel a little short. I would have liked to see more character development from her. She mostly remained weak but I am hoping that will change in the next book. My love of Phenex and Forneus, however, overshadowed my irritations with Gwen.

I recommend this book! I'm looking forward to reading the next book that I'm told will come out sometime next year.

Title: Whispers of Nowhere
Author: Shannon Rohrer
Publisher: Shannon Rohrer
Pages: 483
Series: Yes, Book 1
Rating: 4 Stars
Goodreads

Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner

Goodbye Days is a YA realistic fiction book about one text message that took three lives. When Carter's friends Eli, Mars, and Blake were running late to pick him up from work, he asks them where they are- but when Mars goes to answer the text, he gets into a car accident, resulting in the boys dead. Carter begins having panic attacks and massive feelings of guilt and shame. To make matters worse, he could potentially be going to jail for negligent homicide or involuntary manslaughter. 

I enjoyed many parts of the book, like the very strong lesson of not texting and driving. Usually something that we can think be so obvious, but in the moment you can just forget and make a mistake, like what happened to Carter. He didn't stop to think before he texted his friends, and while it was Mars' fault that he chose to respond, Carter did have a role. It is one of those books that teaches a major lesson in the worst case scenario. Carter's panic attacks were also extremely realistic. The book overall was written very well, but I had some issues with the characters.

I felt no sadness for Eli, Mars, and Blake. They were extremely irresponsible people with little to no compassion for others. Some of the jokes they made are just plain mean and borderline inappropriate. I’m not happy that they’re dead, but I saw no reason to care for those boys. They were just classic teenage boys and class clowns. I think they were a bad influence on Carter. This is one of the most masculine books I've read. While I felt like there was nothing to connect to and shake my head in exasperation at the boys' ridiculous behavior, it would make a lot more sense to a male reader. I will say that the audience for this book is definitely teenage boys, not girls.

I do recommend that you read the book, but don't get your hopes up on the characters.

Title: Goodbye Days
Author: Jeff Zentner
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 399
Series: No
Rating: 3 Stars
Goodreads