september book haul

it’s rare that i do a book haul. however, september was my birthday month and it was also hot new releases month. i think all of us book worms can agree that september is one hot month for book releases lol. i am seriously looking at the pile that is on my night table wondering WHERE will these books go. *freaks out forever* nevertheless let’s get started!

*titles will lead you to goodreads page

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These three were gifted by my wonderful twin Lilly @ Lair of Books. Check out her beautiful diverse book blog where she’s always reviewing the newest releases.

  • Monstress Vol. 2: The Blood by Marjorie M. Liu
    A continuation of the graphic novel/comics. Filled with steampunk elements, witchcraft, poet cats, and monsters. I cannot wait to read this one. I have a full review for Vol. 1: Awakening here.
  • They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera
    “On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure and to live a lifetime in a single day.”
  • Ringer (Replica #2) by Lauren Oliver
    The continuation of a YA Sci-Fi trilogy about clones aka replicas. Oliver takes us to questioning humanity, what is real, and life between two girls. In a dystopian world, Oliver creates a book that can be read in three different ways. I have a full non spoiler review for the first book Replica, here.

 

15993203I also was gifted The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1) by Alison Goodman. A huuuuuuge thank you Debbie @ alwaysbooking for this book!! I cannot wait to read it. I know a few bloggers who highly recommend this one. The setting is perfect and definitely something I would read.
“London, April 1812. On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall’s presentation to the queen, one of her family’s housemaids disappears-and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?”

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  • The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell
    “In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.
    Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.
    But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past.”
  • Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2) by Jay Kristoff
    An adult fantasy book (or crossover genre of YA and Adult) where we continue the journey of Mia Corvere. The first book follows Mia going to a school of assassins in order to learn and then avenge for her family’s death. Mia who also happens to have a gift for speaking with shadows is also on the run. I have a non-spoiler review for Nevernight here.
  • Warcross (Warcross #1) by Marie Lu (arc review here)
    “For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.
    Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.”
  • Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2) by Kerri Maniscalco
    After the events of Stalking Jack the Ripper, our main character Audrey Rose finds herself in what might be a similar situation. This YA Historical Fiction/Mystery will have you wanting to know what takes place after each page. I have a non-spoiler review for Stalking Jack the Ripper here.
  • The Chaos of Longing by K.Y. Robinson
    If you’ve been following me for a while, you might be wondering what is this collection doing in this book haul. The wonderful K.Y. Robinson got published by Andrews McMeel and this version was revised with more new poems!! This collection is about “trauma, shame, injustice, and mental illness.” I have a review for the self-published version here.
  • The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo
    “Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid’s voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy’s bidding but only for a terrible price.
    Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.
    Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.
    This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.”

32711722I tried for the most part to participate in #ARCAugust before life came and hit me. At the beginning of #ARCAugust, I was a part of the twitter chat that was going on. I ended up winning an ARC!! Thanks to @shellysrambles for this ❤

These Things I’ve Done by Rebecca Phillips
“Before: Dara and Aubrey have been inseparable since they became best friends in sixth grade. Dara is the fearless one, Aubrey the prodigy, yet despite their differences they support each other unconditionally. However, as they begin their sophomore year of high school, cracks in their friendship begin to form, testing the bond they always thought was unbreakable.
After: It’s been fifteen months since the accident that killed Aubrey, and not a day goes by that Dara isn’t racked with guilt over her role in her best friend’s death. Now, after spending a year away from home in order to escape the constant reminders of what happened, Dara is back at her old high school to start her senior year. Dara thought the worst thing about coming home would be confronting the memories of Aubrey that relentlessly haunt her, but she soon realizes it’s not half as difficult as seeing Ethan, Aubrey’s brother, every day. Not just because he’s a walking reminder of what she did, but because the more her feelings for him change, the more she knows she’s betraying her best friend one final time.”


and that is it for today’s post! have you heard or read any of these books?? what were your thoughts? let’s chat in the comments! ❤


instagram: @chicnerdreads
twitter: @chicnerdreads

The Sunshine Blogger Award #3

It’s been such a long time since I’ve done a Sunshine Blogger Award! Whoaaaaaa!!! Thank you Flavia @ Flavia the Bibliophile for awarding me with this! Her questions are amazing and I cannot wait to read them! Also, definitely check out her awesome blog.

Rules

1.) Thank the person who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
2.) Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
3.) Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
4.) List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

***Before we start, I want to make a note that if you ever tag me, please tag a blog post so that I can see it. For some reason due to my theme, I won’t get a notification/ping-back if you tag my about me or blog link. Thanks so much! Let’s get started!***

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  1. What are you reading right now?
    Odd & True by Cat Winters
  2. What was your favourite read from 2016?
    OMG so many to choose from but I’ll have to say Illuminae by Aime Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
  3. What is your favourite read of 2017 so far?
    The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Definitely started off the year with a bang!
  4. Do you read more than one book at once? Why? Why not?
    The only time I ever read two books at once is if I am reading a fiction (any sub genre in this category) book and take a break to read a poetry book which doesn’t happen all the time. I cannot read two fiction books or two poetry books at the same time. My mind does not do well at all lol. I admire people who can read multiple books at the same time.
  5. Do you enjoy reading classics?
    Nope.
  6. What is your ideal reading spot?
    My bedroom, I can read well on my bed or the floor lol.
  7. Do you read when you travel?
    No I do not!!! I usually can read on the plane or car ride but I do not read on vacation.
  8. How many books do you read in a month (approximately)?
    My reading has slowed down tremendously this year due to being an author now lol. I would say 3-4 books per month.
  9. How many books do you read in a year (approximately)?
    About 50 to 60 books per year but that most likely will be lower this year.
  10. What is your favourite genre? Why?
    OMG this is so hard! No it isn’t lol it’s a tie between anything YA and poetry. I feel like I connect most to these genres, poetry for personal reasons and YA for the fun. I love reading action packed YA stories, oh it just takes me to another world!
  11. Do you read more during a particular season than other seasons?
    I read a lot more during Fall/Winter/Spring seasons because once summer comes, I have a lot of guest in my household *side eye* and that messes with my reading time.

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I suck at tagging people and making questions up so I will definitely be passing this part lol. Call me a rule breaker? I would love to chat in the comments though! Do we have anything in common?


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Twitter: @chicnerdreads

October Wrap-Up and November TBR 2016

I’m skipping Mini-Review Monday because I honestly have had a crazy week and just haven’t had time for anything. I apologize for being absent with liking/commenting on blog post. Anyways!! I am so happy that October is over, can the rest of the year move along as well too? K, thanks.
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So…
umm..
I only read 2 books lol. I was busy watching Sons of Anarchy.

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Don’t mind if I do Jax. (I’m going to get so much
crap for this lol)

On to the books I read in October:

  1. Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo ★★★.75
    Fantasy, Young Adult
    I have not written a review for this book. I just felt really underwhelmed with all of it. That’s the best way to describe my feelings towards this one.
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  2. Gemina (The Illuminae File #2) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff ★★★★★
    SciFi, Young Adult
    I have a rave review for Gemina here
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So this month I went to New York Comic Con with my brother and met up with my fave/book twin/book soulmate/friend Lilly @ Lair Of Books. We scored so many books!! Lol. I split the book haul into 2 parts. For Vol. 1 click here and for Vol. 2 click here

Writing wise, I posted 7 poems. 3 for my People I Once Knew segment and 4 personal. If you want to check out my poetry, click here for the page =)


November TBR (to be read)

I never have a monthly TBR planned out because
A. I’m a mood reader
B. I’m a mood reader
C. I’m a mood reader

HOWEVER!!! This month I have some ARCs and highly anticipated releases that I am definitely going to get too. So let’s get to it =)

  • Heartless by Marissa Meyer is a Young Adult Retelling where Marissa Meyer writes a prequel of Alice in Wonderland featuring Queen of Hearts as the main character. We get to meet a sweet girl by the name of Catherine and this is her story. I’m buddy reading this with Lilly since we snagged an ARC copy at Comic Con, if you want to read the full synopsis click here.
  • The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid is a Young Adult SciFi novel about engineering beings rather humans, an empire, and rebellion.  Which is what I got from the slightly confusing synopsis. I also snagged an ARC of this book at Comic Con and for some reason I thought it released later in November but nope. Ugh!! If you want to read the full synopsis click here.
  • Replica by Lauren Oliver is another Young Adult SciFi book, yay to me that I’ve been reading more SciFi lately lol. This book is about clones Lyra and Gemma who do not live near one another at all and all of a sudden things go haywire for both Lyra and Gemma in which makes Gemma go to where Lyra is at. Both girls do not know one another, from what I gathered in the synopsis. If you want to read the full synopsis, click here.
  • Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4) by C.C. Hunter is a Young Adult Paranormal story. I will not be including a brief synopsis because I feel like it would spoil. However, if you like boarding schools, witches, vampires, fairies, werewolves, a mix of everything paranormal then read the first book Born at Midnight =)

And that is it my friends! I hope you all have a lovely November, let me know in the comments if you’ve read any of these books, your thoughts, etc etc..I love to chit chat, it keeps me sane lol. What do you plan on reading this month?

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Friend me on Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Gemina Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: Gemina (Book #2)
Series: The Illuminae Files
Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Illustrator: Marie Lu
Genre: YA, SciFi
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Format: Hardcopy (Owned)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.


***please note that this is a review for the 2nd book to a series***

One of my favorites of 2016!!! Just like Illuminae which I read the beginning of the year. Gemina is once again told in a series of documents, IMs, emails, files, etc.
Gemina follows a different set of characters in a different spaceship but still carries the same plot from Illuminae.

Welcome to the future where people now live in Spaceships and there are space pirates, space gangsters, and drug dealers. Yes, drug dealers in space. I had initially asked myself how the hell did these people have access to drugs in space but Ms. Kaufman and Mr. Kristoff obviously answered my question.

“a whole sky of different stars”

Everything was all perfect and dandy. Hanna, daughter of the station captain who lived like royalty worrying about her boyfriend and what she was going to wear for Terra Day. And Nik, the drug dealer, who was just helping his family sell drugs on the spaceship. Till a space pirate came along and shook things up with his crew taking control of Jump Station: Heimdall. BeiTech is here again with their crap, as always.

Once Heimdall is invaded that is when things really start to go down. Then there’s Hypatia, where Kady and Ezra from book 1 are on their way to Heimdall. Man oh man things really start to get good in this book when Hanna and Nik realize that not only do they have to save their own lives, but everyone on Heimdall because they’re all at risk from a universal breakdown a.k.a. dying. But also imagine being stuck on Heimdall where you’re almost dying and this pathetic song is being played over and over and over AND THERE’S NO ESCAPING IT.

I really loved this book and I will not be comparing it to Illuminae because I just loved all of it equally as book 1. This one seriously had me laughing out loud and I love when a book can make me laugh. It also had that “edge of the seat” feel like the first book.

fullsizerender-29Illustrations done by author, Marie Lu.
Writer of the Legend and Young Elites Trilogy.

The characters of this book are unique and authentic within theirselves. Hanna, although the daughter of the station captain can be easily stereotyped as the brat is fantastic, smart, and selfless. Plus she’s a kickass fighter. Nik who is a drug dealer and can also be easily stereotyped had me balling in laughter, he knows exactly what he’s doing and will not stop till everything is safe in Heimdall. We also meet Ella, omg I love her!!! She was definitely the brains and helps Hanna and her cousin Nik throughout the crises.

The plot is full of action, angst, and just “ohmygod what the hell is going on” moments. I loved how the authors add scientific elements to make the story more real in a sense. I mean this is a scifi book but not everyone executes the science greatly. And with everything that is going on in our real world lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if the future composed of us humans living in a spaceship.

The authors talk about theories in which the title “Gemina” comes in and I don’t want to go into full detail because that would be a major spoiler. But again, SCIENCE, THE UNIVERSE, IT’S ALL GOING DOWN. However, I would like to thank the authors for making a fun, action packed, science based novel.

The writing..what can I say? The story is told by different formats but it just WORKS. And the story is delivered with all the interactions in emails, files, IMs, transcripts. You understand everything that is going on with the flow of it all.

Please read Illuminae and then pick up Gemina if you haven’t done so already.

image1-3Credit to myself because I made this lol.

Song that reminds me of Gemina:
High (Young Bombs Remix) by Jesper Jenset (Click here for the YouTube link)


Follow me on Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Friend me on Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Nevernight Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: Nevernight (Book #1)
Series: The Nevernight Chronicle
Author: Jay Kristoff
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5 out 5 stars

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

The first in a new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author.

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?


WOW THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!

Just want to point out that although the characters in this book are 16+, this book is not Young Adult. It is an Adult Fantasy. The book has sexual content, unfiltered language, and graphic violence.

This is going to be a semi short review because I feel like everyone should go into this book not really knowing anything. Nevernight is one of those books that starts off slow but is well done because of the world building. The world is beautiful, rich, and dark all at the same time. I got an Ancient Rome feel while reading it. I loved the descriptions of the towns and it’s people, all coming from different backgrounds, cultures, and religions.

We follow Mia Covere whose been through so much darkness in her life at a very young age. The story is told in a third person POV – the narrator being pretty hilarious sometimes (he was seriously throwing shade at other authors). There are footnotes throughout the book, a lot more in the beginning, some were pretty important because we get to understand the world/culture/religion. And the other footnotes were funny and okay.

The book follows Mia’s past and present life. When I was reading the “past”, I was pretty confused in the beginning, however once the world was set, it all started connecting and making sense.

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Mia Covere and Mister Kindly done by Mona May (click here for link)

Mia isn’t your typical girly-girl assassin, she is on a mission to avenge her family and she will not stop until she sees specific people dead. She’s a very surprising character. Once you think you know her, BOOM! SURPRISE SURPRISE! You thought! She first goes to the Red Church (an assassin school) to become a Blade. She also wants to learn about herself since she is a Darkin which means she can control the shadows and darkness. This school isn’t like other schools you read about, yes you learn, however the test students go through are life or death. Literally. There is no sympathy from the ministry.

In the Red Church, we meet other very important characters that take a major part in the plot of the story. Within these characters we meet other students, teachers, and workers of the Ministry. They were all very different coming from other parts of the Itreya Republic with their own hidden agendas.

I was on my toes when reading this book, I didn’t expect so many turn of events. There are so many different magical elements that I enjoyed reading about. I never once compared the Nevernight world to the real world because it was unique and authentic within itself. I probably wouldn’t want to visit nor be apart of this dark world but I would LOVE to go to the library in Red Church. Oh the library is so perfect!!

If you want to read a dark fantasy with it’s own language and twisted world with a gruesome school, then pick this up. You will not regret it.

I NEED THE SECOND BOOK ASAP!

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

“Listen, girl,” Aelius sniffed. “The books we love, they love us back. And just as we mark our places in the pages, those pages leave their marks on us. I can see it in you, sure as I see it in me. You’re a daughter of words. A girl with a story to tell.”

“The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow.”


Have you read this book? What did you think?

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine. On every Wednesday you discuss a book that you are highly anticipating.

This week’s pick is Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle #1) by Jay Kristoff which releases in the US (where I live) on August 9th, 2016. But I’m getting the UK version which releases on July 25th so here’s the UK cover:

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

The first in a new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author.

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

THIS BOOK SOUNDS LIKE EVERYTHING I NEED!!!! Ugh!! It sounds so good! This will be my first Jay Kristoff book (aside from Illuminae) and I am excited for it!

Will you be reading it?

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine. On every Wednesday you discuss a book that you are highly anticipating.

One of my anticipated releases for the Fall of 2016 is Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.

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I will not be writing a synopsis for Gemina because I don’t want to spoil you if you haven’t read the first book, Illuminae. But I’ll place the synopsis for Illuminae instead from Goodreads:

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it’s clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

I’m personally not a huge sci-fi reader and I wasn’t going to pick this book up because of all the hype but the hype is so worth it. The first book was amazing and although it’s close to 600 pages, you fly through the book because of the format.

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Click here for the creator of original photo above.