Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (Iron Widow book 1)

 

“The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.” - taken from Goodreads.

This is a unique twist on Chinese history through a science fiction lens. Zetain is the ultimate feminist anti-hero who will continue to rebel against society’s constraints against women to the end. Soon caught between the boy she knew before joining the military and the boy she is ultimately paired with, Zetian is determined to live her own life. With that shocking reveal at the end, readers will be ready to conclude Zetian’s story with the next book. 

The story concludes with Heavenly Tyrant, out now.

Visit Xiran Jay Zhao’s website.

United (Alienated book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, Alienated and Invaded, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“After thwarting a deadly coup and saving the alliance between their worlds, Cara and Aelyx have finally earned a break. Their tiny island colony is everything they dreamed it would be―days spent gathering shells on the beach and nights in each other’s arms.

But the vacation is short-lived.

The treaty between Earth and L’eihr has awakened an ancient force that threatens to destroy them all. The Aribol, mysterious guardians charged with maintaining interstellar peace, deem the alliance a threat to the galaxy. They order a separation of the races, decreeing humans and L’eihrs must return to their own planets within the month or face extinction. In fact, they already have agents in place on Earth, ready to begin.

With the clock ticking, Aelyx and Cara assemble a team of colonists and race back to Earth, where they unite with old friends to solve the mystery of who the Aribol are, what they want, and the real reason the alliance has provoked them. As tensions build to a full-scale war, Aelyx and Cara must fight harder than ever―not just for their future, but for the survival of both their worlds.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Not sure how I feel about this book. I had just finished the author’s other series that I loved. Glad to find out the ending to Cara and Aelyx’s story but I didn’t devour it like I did Starfall.

Visit Melissa Landers’ website.

The Last Star by Rick Yancey (The 5th Wave book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, The 5th Wave and The Infinite Sea, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher on the first book in the series.

“The enemy is Other. The enemy is us.

They’re down here, they’re up there, they’re nowhere. They want the Earth, they want us to have it. They came to wipe us out, they came to save us.

But beneath these riddles lies one truth: Cassie has been betrayed. So has Ringer. Zombie. Nugget. And all 7.5 billion people who used to live on our planet. Betrayed first by the Others, and now by ourselves.

In these last days, Earth’s remaining survivors will need to decide what’s more important: saving themselves…or saving what makes us human.” - Goodreads.com

Four days is all that remains before the end of humanity and Earth as Cassie and company know it. In a race against time, the Others and each other to stop the destruction, everyone finds out what exactly the 5th Wave entails and just how far humanity has been duped. A bit confusing at times as who as survived for another day, the ending isn’t all wrapped up in a neat bow.

Visit Rick Yancey’s website.

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (A Lunar Chronicles Collection)

A collection of short stories set in the Lunar Chronicles. Five of these stories have never appeared in print before.

The Little Android: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles.

Glitches: In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toll it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch….

The Queen’s Army: In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.

Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles.

The Keeper: A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit.

After Sunshine Passes By: In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna.

The Princess and the Guard: In this prequel to Winter, we see a game called The Princess

The Mechanic: In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder’s first meeting from Kai’s perspective.

Something Old, Something New: In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century… taken from Goodreads.com

A worthwhile read for fans of the series.

Visit Marissa Meyer’s website.

Invaded by Melissa Landers (Alienated book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Alienated, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the series for you.

Even after Aelyx's transgressions on Earth, the Way decided to continue alliance negotiations. That was the good news. The bad news is that for their attempts to derail the negotiations, Aelyx and Syrine will return to Earth to repair what they destroyed. The two will have to admit to the humans what they did and find a way to earn their forgiveness. Unfortunately, Cara and the two other exchange students will return to L'eihr as a show of good faith. Aelyx can rejoin Cara on L’eihr when the mission is complete. Jaxen has promised to take care of Cara, to Aelyx’s chagrin, and her brother Troy will still be around. Aelyx has promised to mend the alliance in record time so that they can be together.

Life on L'eihr doesn't turn out like Cara thought. The two other exchange students have refused to leave Earth. Since the exchange program has faltered, the Marines have called Troy back to duty. He will be leaving for Earth in two weeks. None of the students in her Aegis speak, in fact they are downright cruel. Elle, Aelyx’s sister, is her one true confidant. Teachers are mean and Cara has nicknamed her physical education instructor, Satan. When a meteorite lands where she had just been standing during her citizenship ceremony, Jaxen keeps the truth of what exactly it is from her.

Life on Earth isn't a piece of cake for either Aelyx or Syrine. Assassination attempts have been made and the public's opinion of L'eihr isn't very high. Even though the governments of Earth have agreed to the alliance on L'eihr's terms, the Way wants the general population to support the alliance between the two planets. Earth needs L'eihr's technology to correct the contamination of the water supply. The humans don't know that their survival is dependent on the alliance. A goodwill publicity tour is suggested to win over people. Even Syrine isn’t immune to human suffering.

Can Aelyx win over the human population for the alliance to take place? Will Cara be able to win over the L’eihrs? Does the colony on L’eihr go forward? Is the water situation on Earth fixed? Will Syrine have a change of heart over humans? What secrets is Jaxen hiding?Do Aleyx and Cara reunite and if so on which planet?

As of this posting, whether or not there is a third book in the series hasn’t been determined.

Visit Melissa Landers’ website.

Alienated by Melissa Landers

Cara Sweeney is the valedictorian for Midtown High School. When her principal, Mr. Ferguson, calls her into his office to tell her the big news, she is not excited. The L’eihrs chose her over every other high school valedictorian in the United States. The aliens made contact with Earth two years ago but their interest has been nothing but secretive. They did share a cure for cancer as a gesture of goodwill. The L’eihrs technically have the same DNA as humans. Aelyx, the L’eihr student ambassador will be staying with the Sweeneys while Cara’s older brother Troy will be going to stay with a host family on L’eihr. Having just turned eighteen, Aelyx is a top student just like Cara. The exchange comes with an excessive scholarship that will pay for any college that Cara could attend. Her parents have eagerly accepted, especially since Mrs. Sweeney’s cancer was cured by the L’eihrs. Next year, Cara and two others will go spend a year on L’eihr. Mr. Ferguson lets Cara know that this is the opportunity of a lifetime for a future journalist, lots of potential blog material. This could launch her career. Aelyx will shadow her everywhere. Suddenly, she realizes that her boyfriend Eric could be a problem. He loathes the L’eihr, like most people on Earth. Mr. Ferguson tells Cara that he is proud of her and it is nearly her undoing. It’s time for her to “woman up.”

Her suspicions come true when Cara tells Eric and her best friend Tori about Aelyx coming to live with her family. Eric pretty much gives her an ultimatum as he leaves and drops a HALO pamphlet. HALO stands for Humans Against L’eihr Occupation. Even though they provided the cure for cancer, Eric believes that they are up to something. There will be a cost for the cure. They didn’t make contact with Earth for nothing. Tori thinks they are coming to procreate with humans. She doesn’t think the students of Midtown High will be happy with her new alien friend. A championship debater, Cara thinks that for the first time in her life she may have actually picked the losing side.

Aelyx, Eron and Syrine are the three L’eihrs chosen to take part in the Earth exchange program. They are less than thrilled to be going but actually have a secret mission to carry out. The humans on Earth cannot know about it. The three aliens are to meet their host families at a LEAP (L’eihr Exchange Ambassador Program) reception in Manhattan. Cara and Troy are talking while taking in the scene. The spy the L’eihr ambassador and two of the students; one female and one male. Not knowing what Aelyx looks like, she comments to Troy that she hopes the one boy is him. Wearing too tight Spanx under a too small cocktail dress, Cara is clearly uncomfortable. Troy notices and tells her to just go take off her underwear. She goes to the bathroom only to find that it has been closed by the secret Service. The President is in the restroom for an indeterminate amount of time. Looking for another one, Cara glimpses a dark alcove behind a mural. Sliding in, she hikes up her dress to wrestle out of her undergarment. Finally free of it, she is startled when a voice behind her asks if she is going to undress any further. She turns around to find a striking boy who turns out to be the missing L’eihr. Desperately trying to keep her composure, she apologizes. Up close, she is stunned by his exquisite looks but his eyes just have an empty stare.. As she is crossing the floor to rejoin her brother, she remembers that the L’eihr called her Cara. If she thought Eric was being unreasonable before, he was going to come unglued when he meets Aelyx.

Things at the Sweeney home don’t go smoothly. Aelyx is overwhelmed. Life on L’eihr was simple; everyone dressed alike, food was bland and population growth was tightly controlled. Cara’s parents are very affectionate and the home decor overwhelms him. He cannot tolerate the food. Cara goes out of her way to attempt to make him feel comfortable. When Eric and Tori come over to meet Aelyx and celebrate Cara’s birthday, things are disastrous. Aelyx bought a necklace from L’eihr as a gift and she loves it. Eric is extremely jealous and demands that she take it off. The two leave the room to talk. Tori tells Aelyx that she hopes that Cara will finally dump Eric. She doesn’t know what Cara sees in him. Aelyx wonders the same thing. Eric leaves. The two have broken up. The next morning, Aelyx tells Cara that he is sorry about Eric, her mate. Cara explains that they weren’t mates. He doesn’t know why she was with him but he knows why Eric was with her; she is a perfect human female. They start walking to school through the woods.

On the way, Tori meets up with them. She is there to keep Eric away. As the are just about to exit the woods to the school campus, the roar begins. A protest led by HALO is there while a much smaller contingent of supporters stands opposite. This is just a preview of things to come. They are greeted in the hallways by a group of five Freshmen girls who have formed a fan club, Cara gets rid of them. In history class, Cara doesn’t feel like giving the answer and when no one else answers, Aelyx does. Pretentious, he is not winning over any friends. And in the lunch room, most everyone stares but a few girls attempt to flirt. As the week goes on, more HALO posters show up around school. Nasty notes are shoved into both Cara and Tori’s lockers. Tori sticks with her friend, even when it costs her her seat on the student council and her place on the soccer team. Tori tells Cara that she needs to watch out for Aelyx, he looks at her like she is a piece of meat.

Cara notices late one night that Aelyx is in her parents’ gardening shed. She watches him from her window unseen as he goes off into the woods behind the house. She wonders what he might be up to. Aelyx cannot wait for the L’eihrs’ plan to come to fruition so that he and the others can go back home. He does start to have some lingering doubts that Cara will be to blame for what will happen and that Tori might get caught into the fallout.

What have the L’eihrs sent three of their own to Earth? What is happening to Cara’s brother Troy while he is on L’eihr? Why is Aelyx sneaking into the woods at night? What are they planning? Can Cara, her family and Tori survive the ostracism from their peers? Why do the L’eihrs have blank stares? Is Aelyx attracted to Cara? Will he carry through with the plan the L’eihrs have for Earth?

Book two in the Alienated trilogy, Invaded, will be published on February 3, 2015.

Visit Melissa Landers’ website.

Until Midnight is a free ebook short story that bridges the events between Alienated and Invaded.

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey (The 5th Wave book 2)

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher on the first book in the series.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The 5th Wave, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.”

Before Cassie Sullivan and Evan Walker began their mission to rescue Cassie's little brother from Camp Haven, they agreed to rendezvous at a hotel four miles away. Now that Camp Haven is an enormous crater, everyone but Evan is there. Cassie was adamant to go there and Ben/Zombie agreed even though Ringer thought their hideout was too close for comfort. Cassie and Ringer don't agree on Evan's alien/human story. Sam/Nugget is safe but Zombie is wounded where Ringer shot him in the side to keep his promise to Nugget. Knowing that their safe days at the hotel are numbered, Ringer is going to check out a nearby cavern to see if it is safe to inhabit.

Soon after Ringer leaves, their safe haven is compromised. Teacup turns up missing. She has gone after Ringer. Sam is angry with Cassie over the death of their father. Ben tries to mediate between the two of them but Cassie sees just how injured he really is. The inevitable happens and they are discovered. Cassie is stunned to find the roles have been reversed; she is now the caretaker for an injured Even. Evan knows the danger that lurks outside and nowhere is safe.

What does Ringer find at the caverns? Will it be a safe haven for everyone to attempt to ride out the 5th wave? Are there any other human survivors there? Where is Teacup found? Can Cassie’s brother get over his grief to see that his sister isn’t to blame? What danger is Evan hiding from the others? Did anyone else survive the explosion at Camp Haven? Can the 5th wave be stopped?

Readers will be left hanging waiting for the final installment to see if the 5th wave can be stopped and humanity saved.

Visit Rick Yancey's website.

Cress by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first two books in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Scarlet, Stop! I don't want to read a fantastic twist on some of the best loved fairy tales written.

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

For more than seven years, Cress has been trapped in a nightmare. She is imprisoned in a satellite that makes one orbit around Earth every sixteen hours. She loved to gaze at Earth and pretend she was on a mission to land on the planet. Cress avoided any views of Luna. As she passes by Luna today, Cress cannot tear her gaze away from her invisi-screens and the mass murders that gave occurred on Earth at the bidding of the Lunar Queen. Emperor Kaito of the Eastern Commonwealth has agreed to marry Queen Levana to stop the attacks. Cress is sick to her stomach that she has done Mistress Sybil's bidding; she cloaked the ships carrying the attackers from Earth's detection. Only after the damage has been done has she realized what Queen Levana planned to do.

Cinder, Thorne, Scarlet, Wolf and Iko have just over fifteen days to stop the royal wedding between Kai and Levana. Their rough plan is to cause a distraction that will allow them to get into the palace. Once there, Cinder will announce to the world that she is really the loss Lunar Princess, Selene. From there, she really isn't sure if a cyborg can be accepted as Queen. Wolf has been training her but it seems she has a long way to go if she plans on fighting.

Queen Levana has asked that Cress locate Cinder's ship. Cress tells Sybil that she is looking but hasn't found it yet but she is lying. She is an expert hacker since is forced to live a solitary life with only her computers for company. Cress located the ship fairly quickly but has cloaked it from both Earth and Luna. She has a crush on Thorne and is waiting for Cinder to contact her again. When a D-COMM request link comes from Mechanic, Cress eagerly accepts knowing it is from Cinder. She is completely unnerved when Thorne shows up on the screen. Their first meeting doesn't go as Cress planned. Speaking with Cinder, Cress fills in them in on how she has cloaked their ship from both Luna and Earth. Cinder and her friends are shocked to learn that Cress resides on a satellite. They make plans to retrieve Cress from her satellite even though it may be a Lunar trap.

Cress is cleaning up to prepare herself for Cinder’s arrival. Just as she has finished her bath, she receives an incoming message that Mistress Sybil is about to dock. Cress realizes that Cinder's ship is about an hour away. Sybil has brought Cress some work. Levana wants her to program a new bug for Emperor Kai's office. Before she can get her off of the satellite, Sybil notices where Cress has the D-COMM with Cinder established. She immediately knows that Cress has been secretly helping Cinder. Sybil devises a plan to capture her.

Throne pilots the pod ship to Cress' satellite. He docks and is immediately captured along with Cress. Cinder has no idea what is happening aboard the satellite. When the pod ship comes back to the Rampion, Cinder is able to detect two life forms but Scarlet and Wolf are worried that it may be a trap. Cinder decides that she is the only one capable of even standing up to a Lunar and greets the ship alone. Unfortunately, it is a trick. Sybil has glamoured herself and her guard. In the insuring battle, Wolf comes to help Cinder but is shot. Sybil tries to escape with her guard while Cinder attempts to drag Wolf and Scarlet to safety. Cinder tells Iko to open the hatch to hopefully suck Sybil out of the airlock. Before she can, she sees that the guard's glamour is fading and that he is really Scarlet. She looks at her Scarlett and realizes that she has the guard. Sybil escapes with Scarlett.

Wolf is seriously wounded and Cinder is torn between helping him and rescuing Throne and Scarlet. The guard tells her that Sybil has an army close by and she will come after her. He helps her get Wolf stabilized. He can pilot the ship for her. Cinder must find a place to hide. They need to get help for Wolf. He tells her that she can do nothing for Scarlet. She is as good as dead. Sybil also changed the trajectory of the satellite to burn up upon entering the Earth's atmosphere. Cinder asks him how she can trust him when he serves the Queen. The guard answers, "I serve my princess. No one else." Cinder is shocked that he knows who she is and realizes that he is telling the truth.

Who is Cress? Why was she banished to the satellite? Will she and Thorne make it to Earth? What happens to Scarlet? Who does Cinder find to help Wolf? Can his life be saved? Will the royal wedding take place? How did the guard know who Cinder was? Who help her in her mission to claim the Lunar throne?

The Lunar Chronicles will conclude in 2015 with the publication of Winter, a Snow White retelling. If the ending of Cress is any indication Winter is going to be a fantastic ending to the series.

Visit Marissa Meyer's website.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

"They know how we think. They know how to kill us. They've taken everything worth living for. Now they've come to take the things worth dying for."

In the 1st wave, the lights went out. In the 2nd wave, the surf was up. Pestilence came with the 3rd wave. The 4th wave was silence. The Others aren't stupid, not like the aliens of film and television. The Others are much more advanced than human beings. Once they found Earth, humanity didn't stand a chance. They wanted and needed Earth for themselves. David never had a chance against Goliath...

Cassie, short for Cassiopeia, was sixteen when The Others arrived on the planet. Her mother died during the 3rd Wave, from the Red Plague. Sometimes she believes that she is the last human on Earth, even the universe. To Cassie, to stay alive means to stay alone. No one can be trusted. The Others can look and act like humans, up until the moment when it is too late. She lost her father and little brother Sammy at the beginning of the 4th Wave. Living in a refugee camp, The Others came disguised as U.S. military. They wore gas masks saying they didn’t want to risk exposure to the Red Plague. First, they separated the children from the adults and said they were sending them to Wright-Patterson Air Force base on the yellow school buses. Cassie had to stay behind with the adults and that was the last time she saw her brother. He had left her his teddy bear to return to him when they would be reunited. The soldiers collected everyone's weapons before debriefing them. Cassie's father had given her a M16 rifle which she had hidden behind a tree and a pistol that she kept on her. When Cassie realized that the teenage boy who had hit on her was missing from the group, she volunteered to go find him but had to take an escort. She finds him at the ash pit where the dead bodies are buried and her military escort shoots him before she realizes what is happening. Cassie survives because she pulled her pistol and shot the escort. He was too surprised to see that Cassie still had a gun and his reaction was slowed. She heads back to find her father but witnesses him being shot by Colonel Vosch, the man in charge of the military group.

With the two guns her father gave her and Sammy's teddy bear, Cassie decides to fulfill her father's promise; to continue on to a possible refugee camp at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. On her trek, she smells the stench of Cincinnati as she nears the city. On the highway, she is shot in the leg by what she assumes is The Others. Bleeding under a car and awaiting certain death, Cassie realizes that it must have been a sniper when no one comes for her. While lying on her back and thinking of the refugee camp she had just fled from, it dawns on Cassie that the Others must have wanted just the children. She begins to theorize that after three waves, why they would be interested in saving the children now.

Will Cassie make it to the camp at Wright-Patterson? Is she the last human alive? Who is following Cassie and why? What do the Others want with the children? Do we ever find out just who the Others are and what do they want with Earth? What is the 5th Wave? Who can really be trusted! is Cassie truly alone in her fight? And will staying alive really mean staying alone?

Told from multiple points of view with heavy flashbacks to the first sighting of the mother ship, readers will be shocked to see how the story comes together. The story will be continued in 2014 with The Infinite Sea.

Visit Rick Yancey’s website.
Visit The 5th Wave website.