Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

Noemi is a young and fearless soldier of Genesis, a colony planet of a dying Earth. But the citizens of Genesis are rising up - they know that Earth's settlers will only destroy this planet the way they destroyed their own. And so a terrible war has begun.

When Noemi meets Abel, one of Earth's robotic mech warriors, she realizes that Abel himself may provide the key to Genesis' salvation. Abel is bound by his programming to obey her - even though her plan could result in his destruction. But Abel is no ordinary mech. He's a unique prototype, one with greater intelligence, skill and strength than any other. More than that, he has begun to develop emotions, a personality and even dreams. Noemi begins to realise that if Abel is less than human, he is more than a machine. If she destroys him, is it murder? And can a cold-blooded murder be redeemed by the protection of a world?

Stranded together in space, they go on a whirlwind adventure through Earth's various colony worlds, alongside the countless Vagabonds who have given up planetary life altogether and sail forever between the stars. Each step brings them closer - both to each other and to the terrible decision Noemi will have to make about her world's fate, and Abel's. 

Space plots generally confuse me, even as much as I like them - whole planets, not necessarily relating to Earth, having their own histories and societal places can be bloody confusing, especially when in this story, Earth was the mother-ship of a ring of planets and one of them wanted out. That's where Noemi comes in - she is a soldier on Genesis, the planet desperately fighting for independence, and when she comes across Abel's ship, she commandeers it and him to help her fight. 

The characters and the romance is what sold this for me; robots who can think and feel and love are like my kryptonite and Abel was just so damn adorable I couldn't stand it. Noemi and Abel are thrown together in what is possibly the most horrible circumstances, but as Abel has information that could help save Noemi's planet, she is willing to overlook the fact that he is a killing machine. They literally have to traverse the galaxy to hunt down parts to build... a thing that would blow up... another thing like a star-gate... yeah, this is where the details just went over my head! Point is, adventure and hilarity ensues, as well as bonding and super cute kissy moments, until Noemi is able to return home with hope.

All in all, a great sci-fi adventure, with some astrophysics stuff that passed me by, but really great characters and fantastic writing. 

Published 6th April 2017 by Hot Key Books.

Nowhere Near You by Leah Thomas

Ollie and Moritz might never meet, but their friendship knows no bounds. Their letters carry on as Ollie embarks on his first road trip away from the woods--no easy feat for a boy allergic to electricity--and Moritz decides which new school would best suit an eyeless boy who prefers to be alone.

Along the way they meet other teens like them, other products of strange science who lead seemingly normal lives in ways Ollie and Moritz never imagined possible: A boy who jokes about his atypical skeleton; an aspiring actress who hides a strange deformity; a track star whose abnormal heart propels her to victory. Suddenly the future feels wide open for two former hermits. But even as Ollie and Moritz dare to enjoy life, they can't escape their past, which threatens to destroy any progress they've made. Can these boys ever find their place in a world that might never understand them?

Warning: spoilers for book one Because You'll Never Meet Me.

As they are both pushing out of the boxes they were stuck in before, Ollie and Moritz are learning about the world and their place in it. And they both struggled with it. Poor Ollie was over-sensitised by practically everything and was like a puppy in his excitable-ness! But he couldn't adapt magically like he thought he was going to, and of course he felt like he had abandoned his mum. As for Moritz, he was taking a huge leap of faith by transferring to an arts school and who does he bump into but Molly - the girl with two mouths who tried to drown him!

Speaking of, we meet more of the "blunderkids", the poor kids that had been experimented on - like Bridget with her removable heart, and Arthur with super-fragile bones. They all had different experiences and had taken different things from them; for example, Arthur was quite like Ollie in that he didn't fear the world, he just wanted to be part of it. 

And back to Molly, turns out she and Moritz had more in common than they thought: they both were hiding behind masks to never betray their fear. Moritz of course had his goggles and Molly her bravado, but when things go wrong, they go spectacularly wrong. 

All in all, this book broke my heart and painstakingly pieced it back together again; Ollie and Moritz showed that our differences make us better and we are stronger for having friends to rely on, and pull us back from the brink if necessary. 

Published 9th February 2017 by Bloomsbury.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met, never even spoken to – someone who is light years away?

Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity amongst the stars. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth – with a single passenger on board. A boy called J.

Their only communication with each other is via email – and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit across space. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love.

But what does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which have started arriving from Earth really mean?

Sometimes, there’s something worse than being alone . . . 

Romy was born in space and has only ever known the inside of her ship - the only contact she has with other people is the delayed messages from her counsellor back on Earth and sometimes an update from NASA. That is until she gets a strange message about world politics back on Earth and then nothing makes sense. There is another ship catching up with her, with better technology, and Romy is communicating with J, the ship's only inhabitant. Finally having someone new to talk to, Romy is understandably excited and nervous about meeting J for the first time. That is, until she realises something about his messages...

I adored this, I literally flew through it! The story was incredible, not just on a sci-fi/ exploration of space level, but also dealing with growing up, isolation, and what it means to be human and a hero. Romy was one tough cookie; at just 17, she has lost her family and her crew, and is now solely responsible for getting her ship to Earth's next planet/project. And yet she was still so normal - she read and wrote fanfiction, she loved to binge-watch TV, and she liked to bake. I fell in love with Romy almost immediately, she was utterly adorable and very easy to relate to, even though her homework had slightly more dangerous consequences if she didn't learn it!

I won't talk much about what happens with J, I want it to be a surprise. One note though: I really loved it. Romy got her chance to prove herself and be her own hero. All in all, a spectacular book packed with everything from space travel and learning astrophysics to first love and trusting yourself to stand for what you believe in.

Published 7th September 2017 by Walker.

Moondust by Gemma Fowler

When Lumite was discovered on the Moon, the dark days of the Earth appeared to be over. But disaster struck: a huge explosion at the first Lumite power station. Agatha, god-daughter of the founder of Lunar Inc., was sole survivor. As the 10th anniversary of the disaster looms, Aggie takes centre stage, a poster-girl for the company. But a chance meeting with one of the prisoner-miners, the darkly attractive Danny, changes her mind about everything she knows about her world.

Humans have colonised the moon, to extract its raw materials for power. Lunar Inc is the company responsible for that power, and the explosion that really ruined the whole enterprise.

I liked Aggie at first impressions, I thought it was quite original that she didn't want to be the Angel, hated the publicity and the anxiety that came with it. She wasn't really anything special, just a normal girl, and that came across; she just wanted a normal life and to put that tragic day behind her. But the company needed the good publicity and so the Angel had to be reborn.

Aggie also had a great best-friendship with Seb but it seemed to change through the book - she didn't want it to be anything more but then was jealous of him with someone else, it just came across as quite flighty. He did support her, eventually, when she was outed (as it were) as the Angel and when she realised things weren't quite adding up on the base. I did, however, hate the insta-love. Sure, Danny was interesting but she shouldn't be hung up on this guy that met for all of five minutes, no matter how attractive he may be. 

What I wanted to read this book for, and luckily really liked, was the space/world building. The whole concept of the Dark Days of limited power and being able to colonise the moon to mine for this seemingly unlimited resource was very interesting. Of course, through the book we come to realise that the company isn't the all-conquering hero they make themselves out to be, and it was a very good commentary on human nature. 

All in all, for me the story was better than the characters; it was a slow start and then jammed everything in at the end and the characters were entertaining but not very well developed. Worth a read, if only for cool space toys. 

Published 2nd March 201 by Chicken House. Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

All Etta Spencer wanted was to make her violin debut when she was thrust into a treacherous world where the struggle for power could alter history. After losing the one thing that would have allowed her to protect the Timeline, and the one person worth fighting for, Etta awakens alone in an unknown place and time, exposed to the threat of the two groups who would rather see her dead than succeed. When help arrives, it comes from the last person Etta ever expected - Julian Ironwood, the Grand Master's heir who has long been presumed dead, and whose dangerous alliance with a man from Etta's past could put them both at risk.

Meanwhile, Nicholas and Sophia are racing through time in order to locate Etta and the missing astrolabe with Ironwood travellers hot on their trail. They cross paths with a mercenary-for-hire, a cheeky girl named Li Min who quickly develops a flirtation with Sophia. But as the three of them attempt to evade their pursuers, Nicholas soon realises that one of his companions may have ulterior motives.

As Etta and Nicholas fight to make their way back to one another, from Imperial Russia to the Vatican catacombs, time is rapidly shifting and changing into something unrecognisable ... and might just run out on both of them.

The sequel to Passenger picks up almost immediately where we left it: Etta wakes up in the hands of the Thorns, along with supposed-to-be-dead Julian Ironwood. Meanwhile Nicholas and Sophia are on the hunt for Rose and more information on how to get back to Etta and find the astrolabe, and hopefully put an end to all this. Even though I did enjoy this, especially getting some answers, it felt really long, and had a pretty slow start as Etta and Nicholas were separated throughout time.

As with Passenger, there was a lot of jumping through time; the variety of different periods and places, both famous and normal, was fascinating. However, messing with the time line was totally confusing me! Etta and Henry go to Russia in 1919 and have dinner with the Tsar, who totally should have been dead for a year! Between this and Rose being a cagey, secretive know-it-all, I stopped guessing what was going to happen. Not that it wasn't thrilling all the same, because it was. But between the adventures there was a lot of family politics and that was both confusing and a little dull. 

What Bracken did incredibly well here was the diversity; we already knew about Nicholas's troubles being taken seriously as a African American, but now we also had a subtle gay romance when Sophia has an her eye on another traveller. Speaking of, there was lots more to be understood Sophia, as we see a different side to her, more vulnerable, as she flirts with Li Min and lets some secrets go about her childhood. 

While I enjoyed the story, I think it was the characters that really made me love this duology. Etta and Nicholas are in many ways complete opposites but they balance each other, find strength in each other, and it's quite difficult not to root for them. And then there's the secondary characters, Sophie, Li Min, Henry, Julian, Rose and of course the Grand Master himself, who made this book come to life with such complexity. I highly recommend this duology for fans of time travel, diversity, romance and swash-buckling adventures!

Published 12th January 2017 by Quercus. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Hanna Donnelly is the station captain’s pampered daughter and Nik Malikov is the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. Together they struggle with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, blissfully unaware that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall with news of the Kerenza invasion.

Gemina is the incredible sequel to Illuminae, which rocked my world! It picks up almost exactly where its predecessor finished but on a different ship, this time on the space station Heimdall that the Hypatia is anxiously running towards. Unfortunately, so is Beitech and its assault teams.

Hanna is the captain's daughter, a spoiled little rich girl who also happens to be trained in martial arts and have a mild addiction to party drugs. This is where Nik comes in; the ultimate bad boy and drug dealer in a crime family, Nik is tough as nails but only because he has to be. As shit hits the fan and we get closer to Hanna and Nik, we see that the facade they show the world is very false. 

As with its predecessor, Gemina is told through IM's, emails, transcripts, even Wikipedia-like entries. It adds up to an amazingly detailed and broad display of the characters and the story, especially cutting between Hanna and Nik, and the assault team as they try to track them down. 

I really don't want to say much more about the plot without giving anything away! So I'm going to leave it there, say that it is just as good as Illuminae if not better, and that you won't be disappointed!

Published 20th October 2016 by Rock The Boat.

The Last Beginning by Lauren James

Sixteen years ago, after a scandal that rocked the world, teenagers Katherine and Matthew vanished without a trace. Now Clove Sutcliffe is determined to find her long lost relatives. But where do you start looking for a couple who seem to have been reincarnated at every key moment in history? Who were Kate and Matt? Why were they born again and again? And who is the mysterious Ella, who keeps appearing at every turn in Clove's investigation?

For Clove, there is a mystery to solve in the past and a love to find in the future. 

Both a sequel and a prequel to The Next Together, as it ties up all the loose ends, telling things from Clove's perspective as well as going back to the original story - ah, time travel makes me head hurt!

Seeing Clove all grown up after hearing about her briefly in The Next Together was very sweet; she was a particularly adorable and terribly smart teenager but was prone to acting impulsively and that made mistakes, sometimes costly ones. Her whole journey was spurred on by the natural urge to find her biological parents and protect her family. But she was only 16 and messing with the fabric of time so obviously things don't go according to plan. 

Enter Ella: now she was damn cool. Quite the opposite to Clove and that made her interesting and irritating in equal measure! But she challenged Clove and that made her better. A great friend and a huge fangirl of Clove's - again, time travel is confusing! - Ella pushed her to be better, to live up to the future's expectations of her. I totally ship these two, they are the most adorable time-travelling couple!

Very much like the first book, the story included brilliant little snippets of IM conversations, newspaper clippings and the like, that pieced together both Katherine and Matthew's original story line and Clove and Ella's future together. I kind of wish I had read these two books back to back because I'm sure quite a few references went over my head, but it was still absolutely incredible, from its pure romance to bounding-heart action. Definitely one of my favourites. 
Published 6th October 2016 by Walker. Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Somewhere within our crowded sky, a crew of wormhole builders hops from planet to planet, on their way to the job of a lifetime. To the galaxy at large, humanity is a minor species, and one patched-up construction vessel is a mere speck on the starchart. This is an everyday sort of ship, just trying to get from here to there. 

But all voyages leave their mark, and even the most ordinary of people have stories worth telling. A young Martian woman, hoping the vastness of space will put some distance between herself and the life she‘s left behind. An alien pilot, navigating life without her own kind. A pacifist captain, awaiting the return of a loved one at war. 

Set against a backdrop of curious cultures and distant worlds, this episodic tale weaves together the adventures of nine eclectic characters, each on a journey of their own.

Apart from Sophie shoving it under my nose, I didn't know much about the story before I started it. And I'm really glad I had so many recommendations because I absolutely loved it! It reminded me very strongly of Firefly in the ragtag group coming together on an adventure. We follow a crew on their job of punching holes in the fabric of time to create portals across space. It balanced character stories with epic space adventures and I loved it for that.

I instantly fell in love with all of them; Kizzy was very easy to love, with her random outbursts, her manic humour and her partner in crime Jenks was awesome and his love for Lovey, the ship's AI, was adorable and brought up all these questions on sentience and the soul. Then there was Sissex in all her glorious scales and feather, Dr Chef with his multiple limbs and complicated language, their navigator Ohan and engineer Corbin. Add in the mix newcomer Rosemary and their captain Ashby, and we have humans, humanoids and aliens living together, each with their own histories and reasons for being part of this crew.

What I especially loved was how this alien mix just blew human mannerisms out of the water! It contained surprisingly in-depth alien backgrounds, from Sissex's reptile race that has no inhibitions, to Ohan's religious beliefs that has them referring to themselves as a Pair. With the characters own explanations and odd documents like excerpts from books and emails, we got a pretty clear picture of each species completely different beliefs, actions, backgrounds and languages. I also loved how humanity was put in its place!

Let's not forget the aim of this story: taking on a previously impossible mission to create a travel route to a hostile part of space. We encounter a terrible alien species that challenge the rest of the universe's peaceful ways. Between their own crew and new contact with that species, Chambers challenges all misconceptions about what it means to be human, or a good person in a vast universe. I loved everything about this, I'm sure you can guess how much I adored the characters, but the story and the emptiness of space pulled everything together in an amazing tale of love and adventure. 

13th August 2015 by Hodder and Stoughton.

The Loneliness of Distant Beings by Kate Ling

'It is that quick, it is that strong, it is that beautiful. And it is also totally impossible.'

Even though she knows it's impossible, Seren longs to have the sunshine on her skin. It's something she feels she needs to stay sane. But when you're floating through space at thousands of kilometres an hour, sometimes you have to accept there are things you cannot change.

Except that the arrival of Dom in her life changes everything in ways she can barely comprehend. For a while he becomes the Sun for her; and she can't help but stay in his orbit. Being with him flaunts every rule designed to keep their home in order, but to lose him would be like losing herself.

In the end they must decide what is most important: loyalty to the only home they've ever known, or to each other?

As soon as I heard about this, I was drawn to a story in space, the literal lack of space on the ship, the bleakness of existence and the existential troubles that would bring. Set 84 years into a 200-odd year mission into space, Seren is fed up with her life and all the rules that it would follow, from where she works to who she marries. As a character, Seren was fascinating; sarcastic, blunt, depressed, a very good teenage voice as she struggles with the expectations of life on the ship and the overwhelming desire for something more. And then she meets Dom.


Seren and Dom had that kind of dangerous, all-consuming relationship but as much as you root for them, you know it's going to end badly. There was a bit of insta-love but for once, it didn't annoy me. Thinking back on it, it was all very melodramatic but at the time, I was so swept up in the restrictions of real life on the ship, I could very much understand Seren falling head over heels with something forbidden. However, there really wasn't much to their relationship other than physical attraction; yeah, they talked but there were a few secrets that almost ruined things for them and I couldn't help but think that their relationship should be stronger than that.


What I did really enjoy was the dynamic of the ship, how it had evolved into this military dictatorship and everything was about preserving the mission. It reminded me of this mini-series I watched on TV a while back but it was very clever and really highlighted the inevitable nature of life, as depressive as that sounds. All in all, a good addition to sci-fi but maybe the build-up of romance was lacking.


Published 19th May 2016 by Little Brown Books.

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

In one devastating night, Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has travelled not just miles but years from home.
Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods - a powerful family in the Colonies - and the servitude he's known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can't escape and the family that won't let him go. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, his passenger, can find.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveller who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods' grasp. But as they get closer to their target, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home forever.


When I picked this up, all I knew about it was that nearly everyone loved it, and it had time travelling pirates! Well, luckily the hype lived up to expectations for me! Etta didn't have any idea about her time travelling gene - in this and quite a few other respects it reminded me of Kirsten Gier's Ruby Red trilogy, but it had this whole other feel to it. The time travelling was, of course, super complicated but so much fun, seeing history happen right in front of you


Etta and Nicholas were pretty incredible, both as characters and as a couple. Etta was this musical prodigy and was worried about getting home so she could play her debut; she was also worried about her mum and the secrets that she was apparently keeping from her, and Rose, the adopted grandmother and violin teacher that Etta might not be able to save. She was a fantastic heroine, smart and quick and considering she was literally dropped in a pirate ship in 1776, she handled it all rather well!


Nicholas was born in the 1760's and is of African descent, so he has very different concerns to Etta. Being literally owned by the Ironwoods hangs over him and he will do whatever it takes to leave this family, even spy on Etta. But of course they grow closer and Nicholas can't see what is so dangerous about this girl that the head of the Ironwood family cannot trust her.


There was also a great and complex relationship between Etta and Sophia, an Ironwood and the guardian sent to bring Etta to back in time. They don't like each other and Sophia will, and in fact does, throw Etta over to get what she wants but it was all about girl power, and sticking together in a tough situation. That is until they are both out of it and Sophia can stab Etta in the back again!


This book had everything from heart-wrenching romance to heart-in-your-throat action and it was all kinds of amazing! Definitely lived up to expectations and I cannot wait for the next book; that cliff-hanger needs sorting pronto!


Published 7th April 2016 by Quercus. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Next Together by Lauren James

How many times can you lose the person you love? 

Katherine and Matthew are destined to be born again and again, century after century. Each time, their presence changes history for the better, and each time, they fall hopelessly in love, only to be tragically separated. 

Spanning the Crimean War, the Siege of Carlisle and the near-future of 2019 and 2039 they find themselves sacrificing their lives to save the world. But why do they keep coming back? What else must they achieve before they can be left to live and love in peace? 

Maybe the next together will be different...

First off, I loved this way more than I thought I would - like, I don't know if I could love this any more! It told of multiple Katherine's and Matthew's, falling in love and reincarnating, their story spanning over hundreds of years. We saw from a few of them, from 1745 to 2039, and had a few references to other incarnations like at Bletchley Park where they helped Alan Turing solve the Enigma Code and saved his life!

We follow all the versions of themselves along the same path, as they meet, fall in love and generally make an impact in their respective time periods. It was really interesting to see them all at the same time, I didn't think it would be set up like that, but I warmed to it immediately. Quite early on you get the sense of the overlap - like Matthew in the Crimea making a reference to Katherine's family from Carlisle, over a hundred years ago. I liked the implications of their actions impacting their later counter-parts and then later regaining their memories.

I loved each time period equally, surprisingly! Even as the story progressed and the mystery in the 2039 time-scape became dominant and the links between all the incarnations become clear, I still loved hearing from all of the versions of Katherine and Matthew. It also had an original place setting, the border between England and Scotland, and Nottingham - not a city UKYA is usually set in but really liked it - especially as the near-future time-scape had an independent Scotland, so being close to the border had political implications. 

Then there was the conspiracy angle with the coding and "intervention requested" when either Matthew or Katherine were in danger. This wasn't explained until the last few pages and even though I would have loved a bit more detail, in a way it fit; it felt like it had come round full circle. Cannot wait for the sequel though, I would love more of James's unique storytelling and hopefully some more answers!

Published 3rd Septmber 2015 by Walker.

Drew by T Cooper

The Cheerleader, The Nerd, The Jock, The Freak. What if you had to be all four?

Changers book one: DREW opens on the eve of Ethan Miller's freshman year of high school in a brand-new town. He's finally sporting a haircut he doesn't hate, has grown two inches since middle school, and can't wait to try out for the soccer team. At last, everything is looking up in life.

Until the next morning. When Ethan awakens as a girl.

Ethan is a Changer, a little-known, ancient race of humans who live out each of their four years of high school as a different person. After graduation, Changers choose which version of themselves they will be forever - and no, they cannot go back to who they were before the changes began.

Ethan must now live as Drew Bohner - a petite blonde with an unfortunate last name - and navigate the treacherous waters of freshman year while also following the rules: Never tell anyone what you are. Never disobey the Changers Council. And never, ever fall in love with another Changer. Oh, and Drew also has to battle a creepy underground syndicate called 'Abiders' (as well as the sadistic school queen bee, Chloe). And she can't even confide in her best friend Audrey, who can never know the real her, without risking both of their lives.

I was drawn to this because of the weirdness - I haven't seen anything like this before and was instantly intrigued. What I got was a lot more than I expected; not only was it Ethan turning into Drew and figuring out her new life, it also had this strange cult-like feel to the rules and regulations of being a Changer. Part science fiction, part religious, it did get a bit weird; I'm really hoping that later books will explain some more about the Changers Council.

Speaking of the Council, they abide over the Changers, made sure they were revealing anything secret or dangerous to people they shouldn't. The Council was all about being the best self you could be and held talks and wrote their bible on how the Changers were proof that people weren't that different and could be brought together towards peace. Then there were the Radical Changers (or RaChas for short), who didn't believe in the Council's view, they thought there was nothing wrong in revealing themselves to bring about change. All this political talk was kind of confusing and only came in every now and then, mostly (I'm assuming) because Drew didn't particularly care either way. She was more than happy to go about her life, figuring things out one step at a time.

Drew's narrative was very easy to read, almost train of thought style prose, as it was told by Drew's chronicle aka her diary in her head - yes, that's another reason I had problems with the cult/serious religion side of the Changers: she had a chip in her brain! But it was super funny and explores everyday sexism. As a boy for the first 14 years of his life, Drew is suddenly subject to leering and stupid comments, and she finds it hard initially to navigate life as a teenage girl. She also has to figure out her new wardrobe and her comments on the clothes she is now forced to wear caused me to fist bump the book, that's how much it made me happy to hear someone complaining about how utterly impractical women's jeans are!

All in all, a great start to what I hope will be an incredible series. It had great friendships, explored fluid sexuality as well as sexism, first love, the impact of religion and figuring out your sense of self. 

Published 12th January 2016 by Atom. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

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.

This book was a little bit daunting; 600 pages and solely made up of random transcripts and images, I thought it would take me ages to read it and even worried if I would be able to enjoy it. Luckily, I very quickly got into it. I have never read anything like it, not just in the way it was set up, which was incredible and unique, but also the plot. It had everything from a love story to spaceship fights!

It starts with Kady and Ezra's home being attacked. They and other refugees are taken aboard the Alexander, the only official space ship in the area, where they are forced to run from BioTech's advancing warship. We follow Kady as she hacks her way into the ship's data to try and understand what is happening and Ezra as he finds his way into the army and learns to fly a fighter space-jet. Put together with interview transcripts, IM conversations, schematics of the ships and the AI's code, we discover alongside Kady the truth behind the attack and what exactly is going on aboard one of the UTA ships. It turns out the ship's AI was severely damaged and is a danger to the ship and the crew's safety. 

Of course it becomes a lot worse than that, as AIDAN has twisted it's understanding of protection and safety. Reading from its code was beyond creepy; the level of complexity and nearly human feeling was unnerving and its self-assurance that it knows what its doing is for the best... urgh, so scary! Then of course there's the fact that BioTech, the evil corporation behind the attack, released a bio-weapon that is making its way through the crew and turning them into space zombies. Let's just say that Kady has her hands full!

Considering this was nearly 600 pages, it really didn't take me that long to utterly devour it. Yeah, some pages were just pictures or a couple of lines but everything was put together so well, and surprisingly succinctly, that it just worked going from AIDAN's core code to a voice-over of Kady's movements back to a hacked email. Putting the pieces together was really easy, seeing everything laid out like this. All in all, this was an incredibly unique and adventurous story and I can't wait for book two!

Published 22nd October 2015 by OneWorld Publishing. Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

Knowledge is power. Power corrupts.

In a world where the ancient Great Library of Alexandria was never destroyed, knowledge now rules the world: freely available, but strictly controlled. Owning private books is a crime.

Jess Brightwell is the son of a black market smuggler, sent to the Library to compete for a position as a scholar... but even as he forms friendships and finds his true gifts, he begins to unearth the dark secrets of the greatest, most revered institution in the world.

Those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life - and soon both heretics and books will burn... 

This is set in an alternate world where the Alexandria Library wasn't destroyed and the written word is the most powerful thing. Knowing me and my love of books added with one of my favourite authors and I was all over this!

First off, I thought it has cool and very interesting world building; with excerpts from various diaries and time periods that builds up the history and background. For example, how the Curators of the Great Library stopped Gutenburg from inventing the printing press, thus not letting the public have access to books. The way that books and the written word was so powerful and special had morphed the way the world had developed. At first I thought it was just incredible the way that people appreciated the written word but without the printing press, it still had that air of entitlement around it. This linked into Jess's home life and the family business of dealing books on the black market. 

Set in London then the Great Library, we follow Jess and his journey to escape his family's black market business and become a Librarian, to expand his knowledge and be a mole and get rarer, more expensive books. Part classroom, part deadly field trips, Jess and his fellow postulants learn a lot from their teacher, Scholar Wolfe. I loved learning about the history and the technical stuff behind the Great Library and having such a mixed lot of postulants we learned so much from each of them; they all had a rich history and bought loads to the Library and its teachings. 

All in all, this was very different from Caine's other books but still had her imaginative style and great story telling with a very interesting subject. An awesome start to what I'm sure will be a fantastic series.

Published 7th July 2015 by Allison and Busby. 

Twinmaker by Sean Williams

Clair is pretty sure the offer in the ‘Improvement' meme is just another viral spam, though Libby is determined to give it a try.

But what starts as Libby's dream turns into Clair's nightmare when her friend vanishes.

In her search for answers, Clair seeks out Jesse - a boy whose alternative lifestyle might help to uncover the truth.

What they don't anticipate is intervention from the mysterious contact known only as Q, and being caught up in a conspiracy that will change everything.

This is a future world where everywhere is a step away; d-mats cover the world, allowing people to travel from their front door to the far reaches of the globe within seconds. The only problem is that they are controlled by computer programs and in typical dystopian fashion, we learn that computers can be hacked. The new fad Improvement see's people like Libby try to change the way they look by hacking the system and re-writing themselves.

Clair gets caught up with an underground battle over control of the d-mats, between the possibly-lying government and the radical WHOLE. Just trying to learn the truth and save her friend, Clair finds herself on the run, her only help: a voice in her personal computer, who just so happens to be able to hack everything, and Jesse, one of the radical's son who seems to know more about the truth than Clair even though he doesn't use d-mats or eye pieces. 

I didn't always understand Clair. Firstly, Libby doesn't actually disappear, she just misses school and hides in her room for a while, but still Clair departs on this mission to figure out what's wrong with her and see if there's any truth to Improvement. Secondly, because we didn't see much of them together, I honestly didn't understand why Clair was going to all these lengths to save Libby, I didn't like her that much. And while I could never really keep up with all the conspiracy theories, let alone guess what was going to happen so half the information went over my head, I did enjoy the ride.

Published 7th November 2013 by Electric Monkey.

Parallel by Lauren Miller

Two worlds. Two separate identities. Two guys. 

A collision of parallel universes leaves 18-year-old Abby Barnes living a new reality - every time her parallel makes a new decision. Never-without-a-plan Abby is forced to cope with the consequences of waking up in a life she has no memory of creating. 

With chapters that alternate between our world (Here) and the parallel one (There), Abby's Here comes complete with a Yale address, a new roomie, and birthday blind date with a super-hot lacrosse player. In the parallel world, Abby's still navigating senior year class schedules, college applications, and her relationship with Astronomy Boy at her high school.

This was a really interesting, if mind-bending, concept for a story; it explores theoretical physics with the possibility of parallel universes occupying the same space, with Abby at the centre. Miller explores the notion that every decision affects our future, even seemingly insignificant ones, which we see as one Abby goes one way and one Abby goes the other. Just by taking one different class, Abby changes the way she see's the world, meets a guy, stays in school rather than jetting off to film a movie and ends up at Yale.

I really liked Abby, although it did take me until half way through to really see the difference between Here and There Abby. Obviously she struggled to make sense of the differing memories and universal paths, if you like, but with the help of her amazing friend Caitlin, she bridges the gap between her original memories and her other half's actions.

It appears that free will seems to have little effect on the grand scheme of things; even on the alternate path, Abby still tries out for a part in the play that got her noticed by big-time director. This plot line was circular and even though it removed the illusion of free will, it was strangely comforting to find that Abby was on a set path and that some things just have to happen. 

However, the whole effect of the book was ruined for me on the very last page, when the world spun back to "normal" and the last few months was a complete waste of thought! I could have done with it ending just two pages before, when Abby realises what was meant to happen and everything seems right with the world because she's found her path. 

Published 6th June 2013 by Scholastic. 

It's The End of the World As We Know It by Saci Lloyd

Welcome to a world controlled by a megalomaniac Lolcat. A world where data pirates, zombies and infobots on surfboards roam free. A world at war over cheese ... When teenager Mikey Malone gets sucked through a wormhole into this parallel world, he discovers a power-crazed corporation is planning to use Earth as a dumping ground for an uncontrollable poisonous algae. It's a race against time for Mikey and his rebel friends to stop the ruthless tyrants from getting their way.

Named as a mix of Hitchhikers Guide and Terry Pratchett, this was very funny and an entertaining read but not one for me. Overall, it was just a little too strange for me to wrap my head around and that took something from the enjoyment of losing myself in the story.

It told of Mikey as he tries to sweet-talk a cute girl into his lair and getting sucked through a portal to an alternate universe. All very well but this was where the sci-fi ended, as the alternate universe was full of nonsense characters, hilarious mishaps and running for their lives from a giant, mind-reading cat. We got to know Kix and her tiny robot BitZer, and their struggles in this strange world as they help Mikey get home. 

I found it often difficult to read, sometimes because of the pig latin-type language that the little robots spoke in, sometimes because it was just so ridiculous that I wasn't sure what was happening! Even after I finished the book, I'm still not entirely sure what the plotline was supposed to be for this, apart from general confusion as the oddball gang try to find and fix the wormhole. Saying that, I believe this is the first in a series so not all questions were answered and set things up very nicely for the next book, especially in terms of complex story and extra complex world building.

A great book for fans of the ridiculous and the weird and wonderful type of sci-fi, but it was not for me.

Published 1st January 2015 by Hodder Children's. Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful Chaos by Gary Russell

Wilfred Mott is very happy: his granddaughter, Donna, is back home, catching up with family and gossiping about her journeys, and he has just discovered a new star and had it named after him. He takes the Tenth Doctor with him to the naming ceremony. But the Doctor soon discovers something else new, and worryingly bright, in the heavens – something that is heading for Earth. It's an ancient force from the Dark Times. And it is very, very angry.

It's been a while since I've read a Doctor Who adventure, so I was a little out of practice of reading rather than watching the drama unfold. But with a book, there is more background to the story than with a standard episode; we learn more about the bad guys, see more of the events that lead up to the Doctor saving the day and learn more about the goings on with the Doctor and his companion, in this case Donna.

While I struggled with reading the adventure, I did really like it. My Doctor is the Tenth Doctor and I love to see anything extra from him, and his relationship with Donna is so sweet and funny. Seeing the Doctor struggle with domestics with Donna's family and how Donna fits back into her family was precious and a little heartbreaking as Donna visits on the anniversary of her father's death. But then things get complicated when a little boy knows more than he should about the Doctor's whereabouts and stars are re-aligning in the sky. 

Apart from the normal alien trying to take over the world, Russell also explored the depth of love between family members and the hardship that comes with Alzheimer's, as we are introduced to new character Netty. The way everything and everyone came together, not just for the Doctor but for each other, was amazing to see and so touching. A little difficult to keep up with in the different format but still a joy to have another adventure to experience. 

Published 7th March 2013 by BBC Books.

The Memory Keepers by Natasha Ngan

"No one can take your memories from you... can they?"

Seven is a thief with a difference - he steals downloadable memories from banks and memoriums to sell onto London's black market, trading secrets and hidden pasts for a chance at a future of his own. He makes sure he keeps some special stuff back to 'surf' himself though - it's the only real form of entertainment he can afford. But one night, as Seven is breaking into a private memorium in a wealthy part of London, he is caught in the act by one of its residents; Alba, the teenage daughter of London's most famous criminal prosecutor. Instead of giving him away, Alba promises to keep Seven's secret - as long as he allows her to go memory-surfing herself. In doing so, they discover a hidden memory about Seven's past, revealing a shocking secret about Seven's childhood, the government and a mysterious experiment known as The Memory Keepers...

Now Seven and Alba will have to race against time to unlock the maze of The Memory Keepers - but can they keep themselves out of harm's way before the London Guard - and Alba's father - catches up with them?

Everything about this promised an amazing story: the future London, the enticing value of memories, and the absolutely heart breaking character stories. I flew through this, completely gripped to finding out the truth behind the Memory Keepers and what the deal was with Seven's past and how it tied to the memory trade.
 
Told in alternative perspectives, it was as much Alba's story as Seven's, which, much like the fact that is wasn't immediately a romance, was refreshing; they both needed a friend more than a complicated relationship on top of everything else! I really liked Alba and I especially appreciated that she wasn't just a spoiled child who wanted to see the world, she was trapped and genuinely hurting in the home she was in. As for Seven, my heart ached for him. He literally grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, with no parents, barely a home and resorting to stealing to make ends meat. They made an unlikely pair but grew to trust each other and came together for each other in the end.

Futuristic London was awesome and a little scary. North and south of the river were completely divided and world's apart in terms of health, social status and money. The economy based on the trade of memories, the most valuable and personal commodity a person can sell. That's what Seven did, but a little more unethically: he stole them right out of rich people's homes. And that's how he met Alba, in the middle of a heist and learned that there was more to it than just stealing. There was also, of course, secret parts of the ruling government and the horrible things they did that need to be uncovered. It was all very fast-paced and terrifying and amazing! I highly recommend it for fans of great UKYA, unlikely couples and just incredibly rich story-telling.

Published 4th September 2014 by Hot Key Books. Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.