Category Archives: science fiction

books, Reviews, science fiction, Space opera

The Tangled Stars by Edward Willett

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Stars: 5 out of 5

That was a delightfully entertaining story! I haven’t read anything else by this author before, but seeing how much I liked this book, I’m inclined to check his other works as well.

This is part heist, part mad adventure in space, part exploration story. It’s fast-paced and full of twists and turns, and it keeps you engaged throughout. 

I think the biggest draw, at least for me, was the characters. I love good character-driven stories, so this was right up my alley. You can’t help but like Coop. Yes, he is a crook and a conman, but he had this earnestness about him that just makes him so endearing. Laysa is also a great character with her own motives for joining this mad capper. And she and Coop play really well off each other. I could truly believe that they used to be partners in crime and lovers before. There is this easy understanding they have when push comes to shove, and the situation goes sideways.

As far as villains go, Galioto is on the heinous side of the spectrum. A little overboard at times. Though his motivation for pursuing Coop to the edge of the solar system and beyond is well laid out and makes sense. He is a megalomaniac who wants more money and control when this adventure starts, and is forced to see it through because his empire is in shambles and he has no other choice but succeed in the end. You could argue that his undoing is entirely of his own making, though. If he hadn’t gambled everything to pursue Coop and his mad bid to steal the only MASTT-equipped ship in the system, he wouldn’t have been betrayed and sidelined from his own criminal empire. So he is getting exactly what he deserves in the end. 

But the best character in this story by far is Thibauld, the AI-uplifted cat. Where can I get one of those? He cracked me up with his Star Wars and Star Trek references that nobody else in this century understood. His relationship with Coop is hilarious at times. The whole idea of AIs going rogue and what that would spell for humanity is also very well done. 

And I loved how all of their plans would inevitably go awry, almost from the get-go, and they would have to scramble and pivot. Fast thinking and smooth talking (and a little bit of coercion at times) got them out of the frying pan and into the fire on more than one occasion.

The ending hints at the possibility of a sequel, but it doesn’t look like it’s been written yet. I really hope that the author comes back to this world in the future.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Horror, Reviews, science fiction

An End to Potential by Emily Swiers

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Stars: 4 out of 5

This was a surprisingly good read, even though it turned out to be a completely different story from what I had expected when I started reading this book.

Yes, this is a quest and a mystery to unravel, but more than that, this story is about coping with trauma and piecing together tattered bits of yourself in the hopes of becoming a better (and healthier) person.

I admit that I didn’t particularly like Kana at first. She seemed like the typical spoiled rich brat who always gets her way without even once stopping to consider the lives she wrecks in the process. And admittedly, she is all that, but there is also so much more that meets the eye. Frankly, with all the abuse and trauma she’s been through in her short life, I’m surprised she isn’t a raving lunatic most of the time.

The further I read into this book, the more I came to sympathize with her. Yes, she is capricious and always wants to have her way. Yes, she can be cruel and has a total disregard for the safety and well-being of others. But would you blame her? She learned from a young age that a nanny could kidnap you or sell you to kidnappers. The bodyguard assigned to you might be the one handing you over to people with a grudge against your mother. The doctors who treated your injuries would turn around and sell your medical records to the press to turn a quick profit. No wonder she is paranoid and doesn’t trust anyone. Or have any friends or romantic interests.

The story itself is a bit convoluted with a lot of flashbacks that, though useful to paint the picture of Kana’s life, sometimes bog the narrative down. It felt like it dragged at times. Also, some of those flashbacks raise more questions than they provide answers. Like the postcard referenced at the very beginning of the story. What was that about? And the incident that left Kana disfigured. It’s mentioned in the beginning, but never expanded upon. Why talk about it if it doesn’t have any impact on the story?

My other issue is with Bexley. Who is she? Kana treats her like a close friend during that one phone call at the beginning of the book, yet Bexley isn’t present in any of her other recollections of her childhood or teenage years. She isn’t mentioned at all for most of the book, apart from one other time. What are her ties to Kana and the Amobrose family? Why is she in California and not wanting to come back? The lack of any mention of her in Kana’s past makes her seem like a figment of Kana’s imagination rather than a real person.

The other question that is left unanswered is why Rabid Sinthies were attracted to Kana. What makes her so special? There are hints to it, but nothing is fully explained. 

All in all, I really liked this book, and I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. And if there is a sequel, I will definitely pick it up.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Reviews, science fiction, Space opera

Stars and Bones (The Continuance 1) by Garreth Powell

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Stars: 2.5 out of 5

My mind is divided about this book. On one hand, I liked the idea behind it, the symbiosis between humanity and the intelligent ships they live on. On the other hand, it was all a bit too… simplistic, I’d say?

In this story, humanity didn’t earn anything they have. All they did was try to self-destruct in a final conflagration of atomic fire. One person made a breakthrough in space travel and got the attention of a cosmic being so advanced it might as well be a deity. Heck, they even call it the Angel of Benevolence in the book. Nothing of what happens after that was earned. The arks the humans live on? Created by the Angel. The artificial intelligences that pilot and run them? Also created by the Angel. All food and shelter is provided to everyone involved. Oh, and humanity is pretty much condemned to roam the cosmos in these arks for all eternity without ever setting on another planet. 

Doesn’t the author realize that this would literally be the end of our species? Slow death by apathy. If there is nothing to aspire to, nothing to invent or better ourselves for, then there is really nothing to live for. It reminds me of that experiment researchers did with a mouse colony back in the last century – they provided them with ideal conditions where food and shelter was abundant… and the colony died out. They just stopped reproducing or even interacting with each other. They ate, they slept, and they slowly gave up on life.

I would understand if there was something to strive for – get a good education, and you will be taught how to pilot a ship. Continue scientific research into space travel, study alien ruins or something else. But when everything is provided, and all the decisions are made for you… I’m not sure this is a future I want to live in.

My other issue is the characters. They are barely developed enough to be more than cardboard cutouts. Heck, the different ship envoys have more personality than the human characters. Which, seeing what I talked about in the previous paragraphs, kind of makes sense. Eryn was the only more or less fleshed-out character in this book. The rest were labels. Lee is the love interest. Then there is the annoying teenager whom she has to care for because she is her sister’s child. Then there is Frank, the genius who discovered warp travel… and who is pretty much useless for the rest of the book. I barely remember any of the other character names because they were introduced only to advance the plot and then die off-screen, like the wannabe reporter Tessa.

The story would have been more interesting if the characters had more agency. As it is, Eryn is sent on a wild goose chase to find a McGuffin (who is Frank in this case), even though the McGuffin is useless to this particular problem. Then the deus ex machina that is the Angel puts something into her brain and sends her on another quest to deliver this payload to the enemy. And that wins the day. End of story. Never mind the fact that over three-quarters of the arks had been corrupted by the time it’s done, which means the Continuance is a ghost town with critically low population. None of that is addressed at the end of the book.

In summary, I went into this book looking for a space adventure that would keep me entertained and characters I could root for. I was rather disappointed instead.

books, Reviews, science fiction, Space opera

The Relentless Legion (The Divide 3) by J.S. Dewes

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Stars: 3 out of 5

I loved the first two books in this series. In fact, I rated both of them 5 stars, so I was both excited and apprehensive to pick up the final book in the trilogy. Would the author be able to stick the landing? Will the ending be a satisfying payoff for having invested so many hours into this story? Would the characters I grew to love get the futures they deserved? Would all the plotlines be tied up neatly (or messily, I don’t care, as long as they are not left hanging)?

The answer is meh… kind of?

The biggest issue with this book is the pacing. The first two books were characterized by an almost breathless pacing where action was non-stop, and things went from bad to worse, yet the characters still persevered and somehow managed to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat. This made for very tense, but also immersive reading. I remember finishing each of the first two books within 2-3 days of starting them. This book, though… let’s just say that it took me two weeks to get to just over 50%, after which I put it down and didn’t touch it for half a year (set aside in June, and finished end of November).

The reason is that it’s boring. Almost nothing happens for Rake or Cavalon for the first 50% of the book. Yes, we get some action in Jackin’s POVs, but… let’s just say that he is not having the best of times, so those passages are quite heavy, and with nothing to compensate for it in Rake and Cav’s POVs, it makes for a long read. They are basically stuck in that ancient fortress, twiddling their thumbs and talking circles around what they could/should/might do. And when the action finally picks up, it’s not because of a decision that Rake made, but because it was forced on her by Augustus. 

And then in the last quarter of the book, the pace suddenly revs up to 100mph, and everything careens towards the ending like a car without brakes. The ending is a jumbled mess. Too many deus ex machina moments and wins that are literally handed to our heroes on a silver platter. Why spend over half a book trying to find the cure to the mutagen, when it will be handed to them on a thumb drive in a parallel universe? Why portray Augustus as the big bad for three books just to resolve this situation in less than a chapter? Everything feels rushed and half-baked in the ending. I would have rather the author sped up through the first slogging part of the book and took more time bringing all her plots to the resolutions they deserved.

The biggest strength of these books has always been the characters. I love Rake, and Jackin, and Cavalon as our protagonists. I grew to dearly care for them, as well as the side characters like Mesa, Griffin, Puck (oh, Puck)… So as far as the characters go, this book does a good job with them. 

Cavalon especially gets a huge boost in character development. He finally overcomes his fear of abandonment, his impostor syndrome, and realizes that just because he is Augustus’ clone doesn’t mean he will become another Augustus. I loved watching him grow a spine and take charge of his own destiny.

Jackin gets a good send-off as well, though I feel like the horrors he went through in captivity weren’t addressed as thoroughly as they should have been. There is no way he would be this okay after all this, as he is portrayed to be. I know the author wanted to have a happy ending for everyone, and I really want that as well, but it’s just not realistic. He needs therapy. He needs rehab. His road to being physically and mentally okay would be a lot longer than it is portrayed to be.

My biggest disappointment, though, is what the author did with Rake. She was such a driving force in the previous two books! Yes, she had moments of doubt and despair, but she always knew when to act and get shit done. And it feels like the author took all of her agency in this book. She isn’t acting, she is reacting. She is reacting to Jackin being back, she is responding to Augustus attacking the fortress, and she is reacting to the information Kaize gives her about the generation ships. In fact, the only time she seems to act on her own is when she takes Jackin to get his implants removed and when she decides to strike at the heart of Augustus’ empire at the very end. 

Other than those instances, she is just spinning her wheels for three-quarters of the book, and it seems like everyone around her is trying to push her to do something, anything, and she just… procrastinates, is not the right word. Overthinks everything, maybe? And because of that, the final promotion Lurgen tosses at her doesn’t feel earned. She is portrayed as this great leader who is able to galvanize people and persuade them to follow her into a literal insurrection, but nothing in her actions in this book supports that. The previous books? Yes, absolutely. This book? It’s like she is a different person. And that’s so disappointing, because she has always been my favorite character.

I am, however, glad that we avoided the dreaded love triangle. I loved her friendship with Cav. They really felt like siblings more than colleagues or friends. 

So in summary, this is an okay ending to an otherwise great series.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Reviews, science fiction

The Reinvented Detective by Cat Rambo

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Stars: 2.5 out of 5

I honestly expected more of this anthology. I mean, stories about detectives set in the far future, solving cases using technologies we can only dream of? That’s right up my alley! The cover is gorgeous as well, and contributed to my requesting this book from NetGalley. The contents were rather disappointing, though.

I think I liked maybe three stories out of the whole anthology. Murder at the Westminster Dino Show by Rosemary Claire Smith was a fun short story that made me chuckle a couple of times. I mean, pocket-sized dinosaurs? Humanity would be crazy enough to fall for that trend. The downside of this story was that the protagonist wasn’t particularly bright. Heck, it felt like her pet dinosaur brought her all the clues she needed.

In the Shadow of the Great Days by Harry Turtledove was also fun enough to read, even if it presented a rather bleak image of the future.

The Unassembled Victims by Peter Clines was the highlight of this anthology for me. It was well-crafted, and I loved the characters. It set up the tone and the world effortlessly. It made you care about what was happening. More importantly, both detectives were actually smart people who did some detecting. I wouldn’t mind reading other stories set in this world, because there is so much to explore there.

The rest of the stories in this anthology fell rather blah to me. The biggest issue is that in many of them, there wasn’t much detecting or unraveling of clues. I also either didn’t connect with the protagonists or the writing styles. And I will admit that I don’t particularly care for poetry. Some of the stories also felt half-baked, as if the author had a word count to meet and didn’t particularly care about aspects like worldbuilding or characterization.

All in all, this is more of a miss for me, with one excellent story and two okay ones.

PS: I received an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Post-Apocalyptic, Reviews

Three (Legend of the Dustwalker 1) by Jay Posey

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Stars: 2.5 out of 5

I really wanted to like this book. I am a sucker for a good post-apocalyptic story, so I had high hopes. And that cover is amazing. 

The book started strong, and I really connected with Three, even if I was confused about the different pieces of worldbuilding the book was throwing at me left and right. Surely, everything will get explained eventually, I thought. Right?

Wrong. NOTHING is explained. We have a world surviving some earth-shattering technological catastrophe that left everything in pretty much ruins. Yet it seems like advanced technology still works. I mean, all the people born in this world have a genetically implanted ability to connect to satellites to check the time, use GPS, ping each other, etc. So that means that the satellites are still functional… How exactly? Without constant monitoring from the surface and course corrections, all of them would have slowly drifted out of orbit and burned in the atmosphere. 

At one point, it’s also mentioned that people can upload their consciousness into a digital afterlife before they die, but where exactly are those servers kept? That’s a lot of data that would require a lot of processing power and infrastructure. It’s not like it can exist in thin air alone. So are there still places with advanced enough technology to keep the satellites and other complex systems functioning? Don’t know. It’s never mentioned.

The same catastrophe presumably also created the Weir, but we never get any explanation as to what those Weir really are or where they come from. Why do they attack at night and hide during the day? Are they all part of a technological hive mind? Do they infect other connected people or reuse the bodies of those they kill? 

And speaking of uploading and leaving their bodies behind. It’s mentioned at one point that one of the characters uploaded, but then came back into his body, even though it’s implied that that is not possible… And afterwards, it’s never mentioned again. All the characters just shrug at something that is clearly abnormal and just go on about their business.

And this whole book is like that – the author throws in a concept or mentions some kind of event, but never expands on it. Nothing is ever explained. It’s hard to understand the hardships the characters are facing if we aren’t clear about the rules of this world. What is the Strand? We are told that it’s mortally dangerous, but it’s never explained why. 

And the Weir’s behavior also changes depending on what the author needs it to be. In the beginning of the book, Three mentions to Cass that if they stay silent and “unplugged”, the Weir won’t sense them. Yet, the Weir find them anyway in the Strand, so which is it?

My other issue is with the characters. While I liked Three, I was a lot less happy with Cass and Wren. I mean, Cass doesn’t have much personality apart from Mama Bear when Wren is concerned and a damsel in distress when he isn’t. We are told that she was a valued member of RushRuin, but why exactly? What was it that she brought to the table? 

And once again, this is where the lack of worldbuilding is hurting characterisation. Cass is augmenting her body and mind with chems, and it’s killing her, but we never get a real explanation as to why. What is the difference between the chems named in this book? Why is quint so dangerous? How exactly is it killing her? How is all this produced if most of the world is in ruins? Also, what are the limitations? See, I cannot tell when Cass is doing something normal, phenomenal, or even extremely dangerous because I have no clue what quint is supposed to do to her.

I was okay with Wren, because even though he is the Special One, he behaved like a normal 5 year old child for most of the book. A scared child who is out of his depth and forced to see and confront some pretty ugly things. 

What I didn’t like was that Three transformed from this ultra-compenent survivalist, a lethal warrior who roamed the desolation between various human enclaves for years, into a self-doubting wreck of a man who couldn’t do anything right. Also, I wasn’t sold on the sudden affection he developed for Cass. Sorry, don’t buy it. Grudging respect – yes, care for her and Wren – absolutely, but love to the point of sacrifice? Erm, nope. 

It is hinted that she reminded Three of someone he had loved and failed to protect, but once again, the lack of worldbuilding does a disservice to the characters. We get brief mentions of Three’s past, but not enough to explain his behavior. Like what ties him to jCharles and his wife? Where does his guilt come from? What was this House he was created in and for what purpose? Also, WHEN was that? 

In the end, I was left with a lot more questions than answers and a very vague worldbuilding that left me frustrated and unengaged most of the book. And the final confrontation with Asher was just ridiculous. Talk about a one-dimensional villain with no redeeming qualities. It begs to question, if Asher was such a horrible human being, why didn’t the other members of RushRuin do him in or walk away from him? Most of them seemed like decent people and were powerful in their own right, so he must have had some kind of hold on them.

Anyway, I am not sure if there are more explanations about this world in the next book, and I am not even sure I feel like continuing with this series.

books, Post-Apocalyptic, Reviews, science fiction, Soft Science Fiction, Space opera

We are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse 1) by Dennis E. Taylor

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Stars: 4 out of 5

This was a rather unique premise for a story. At least, I haven’t encountered this kind of story before. I have read plenty of books about real AI and sentient starships, but not one where the digitalized consciousness of a real person is put into a starship. 

The world in which this story takes place is a rather bleak one, and I would really hope that humanity can do better. Though, judging by everything happening around the world right now, I might be giving our race too much credit. I think humanity has an infinite potential for self-destruction. Unfortunately, I can very well see humanity going into an all-out nuclear war just to prevent a nation from sending out a probe ahead of others. It’s not science fiction anymore, it’s a fact of life.

Fortunately, Bob is a very endearing character who brings much-needed levity to what otherwise would be a very depressing book. His positive outlook and curiosity are what made this book fun. All the problems he encounters don’t discourage him at all. He approaches them as challenges to overcome. In that sense, this book reminded me of The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. The protagonist has the same vibe – ready to McGiver his way out of any situation. 

Granted, it feels like some of the problems Bob faces are non-problems at all, because he overcomes them so easily. I understand that this is a world 100 years into the future, but some of the technological advances seem implausible with the state of science and technology we are at now. Unless there are some significant breakthroughs in the next 100 years, and a lot more money is invested into research. It’s even less plausible in a country that reverted to fundamentalist Christianity like FAITH. 

But the story is engaging enough that I was willing to overlook the parts that stretched my disbelief a little too much. I was invested in the exploration of every star system the new Bobs go into. Heck, I was on the edge of my seat during the first contact story and the migration Bot initiated with the Deltans. 

My only issue, and the reason this book didn’t get 5 stars, is that it ends on a cliffhanger. None of the story arcs were brought to a satisfying conclusion, but just left in media res, to be picked up in the next book. 

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Reviews, science fiction, Space opera

Empire of Silence (The Sun Eater 1) by Christopher Ruocchio

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Stars: 4 out of 5

This is a promising start to what shapes up to be a very interesting series.

The worldbuilding is very detailed, and the hints we see at a larger universe are very enticing. You can really believe there is a galaxy-spanning empire somewhere beyond the little planetary system where the story takes place. And not just the Old Earth empire that Hadrian was born into, but the other political forces as well. We meet representatives of some of them in this book, and I am looking forward to seeing more in the next books.

I liked Hadrian as the protagonist, even though he was a bit annoying in his whininess sometimes. But at least he was self-aware of that particular trait of character and even self-depricating sometimes. And I mean, as far as a coming-of-age story goes, the universe sure threw him a few curveballs, so a little bit of self-pity is justified.

I was surprised at just how bleak this world is. It’s a rigidly stratified society where your status and just how good a life you will lead depend on your genetic code. If you were born into an aristocratic house, you would live a life of luxury that many dream of… But even then, even nobile houses are but pawns to the empire and the Chantry that controls all technological advances. I mean, even the nobile children are conceived in vats, their genes carefully selected and edited by the Chantry.

The Chantry has absolute power in the Empire, because it can simply refuse procreation privileges to a noble house and effectively eliminate that house in a generation or two. Or they can declare them heretics and glass the whole planet from orbit with weapons and technologies only they possess.

And the commoners? Well, they live in abject poverty, at least on the two planets Hadrian visited in this book. No genetic modifications for them, or even advanced medical practices. Just hard work, servitude, and blood sports.

Honestly, by the end of this book, I wasn’t sure if I was rooting for humans or for their alien enemies to eliminate them. And the jury is still out on that one.

But all in all, I am excited about continuing this series in the next book.

books, Reviews, science fiction, Space opera

The Blighted Stars (The Devoured Worlds 1) by Megan E O’Keefe

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Stars: 3 out of 5

I loved the worldbuilding in this novel, although it presents another rather bleak view of humanity’s spacefaring future. REminds me a little bit of Murderbot, actually. Only, instead of everything being owned by corporations, we have the MERIT families who have all the riches and privilege, and power. The rest of humanity is either working for those families on more or less favorable terms or living in poverty.  And the fact that the shroud is destroying the few habitable planets and forcing humanity into space stations only increases the inequality and the dependence on the MERIT families. 

So it was interesting to watch this story unfold from both the perspective of Naira, who grew up on one of those destroyed worlds and then had to claw her way up from the dregs of society on a space station, and Tarquin, who has always been the spoiled son of Mercator – one of the most prominent MERIT families. Add to that he fact that Naira hates Mercator, and for good reason, and is also considered a terrorist, the author could have made a very interesting story out of the clash of their worldviews. 

Unfortunately, the author opted to follow the path of having them romantically involved instead, and that basically killed the book for me. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a good romance between my protagonists if it’s well done and organically woven into the story. And I would point to pretty much any series by Ilona Andrews as an excellent example of that genre. 

There is nothing organic about the way Naira and Tarquin’s romance develops. In fact, it’s so unnaturally done that it’s painful to read about. It feels shoe-horned into the story because the author felt like romance was needed. It wasn’t, though. They could have gone from enemies forced to collaborate to escape a dying planet to slowly becoming grudging allies or even friends. But romantic feelings between those two? Nope, can’t see that. Naira had more chemistry with her Conservator accomplice. So much more, in fact, that the author promptly killed him off. 

My other issue is that once the whole plot finally comes to light, it sounds rather far-fetched. I will try not to give too many spoilers, but humanity in thrall to a fungus? 

The pacing of the book is also rather uneven – we get good action scenes that propel the plot forward, but then we get bogged down in the minutiae of squables between survivors, everyone discovering their budding feelings for each other, etc. Not to mention pages spent in Naira and Tarquin’s heads while they analyze their own feelings, feel inadequate, or reflect on what was and could have been. I found my interest flagging until I would put the book down and read something else, and had to force myself to come back and read a few more pages.

It was a good concept, but the execution didn’t work for me, so I will not be continuing with this series. 

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Dystopian, Horror, Reviews

The Monsters in our Shadows by Edward J Cembal

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Stars: 4.5 out of 5

Oof, this was a depressing book to read, and up until the very last chapter, I really didn’t know if the author would give us even a sliver of hope at a decent ending.

The world is bleak – most of the world (at least the continental USA, from what I see) has been eaten by Shivers. Those are monsters that appear out of a person’s fears, depression, despair, and grow closer and closer, until they literally eat the person who created them. They are like our darkest emotions made manifest, and the more we experience those emotions, the closer they get, and the closer they get, the more negative emotions we experience. It’s a vicious circle that ends in death and blood.

As it stands, only the village of Atlas is left, the last refuge where what’s left of humanity hides behind high walls from the horrors roaming the Deadlands. It’s a bleak and run-down village in the middle of a downtown of some unnamed pre-Shiver city where humans try to survive under a constant cloudy sky where the sun hasn’t shone in years and no rain ever fell. Only thunder, no lightning, no rain.

I would say the saving grace of this book is Anthem, our protagonist, because even though his world is bleak, and the work he does is even bleaker, he harbors a wealth of compassion and a sliver of hope that refuses to die even in the most dire circumstances. We experience the horrors of this world through his eyes, and he has the knack of seeing beauty and peace even in the darkest times. And a child-like wonder for new things, like the man playing piano in the middle of a dead city, or the peaceful surface of a lake undisturbed by human activity. Yes, Anthem can be whiny and depressed, and downright annoying throughout the book, but his refusal to give up, to lie down and let his Shiver eat him is what makes us root for him.  

My only complaint about Anthem is that he can be rather obtuse sometimes. Or maybe naive? Like his insistence to see the best in people, no matter what. Him trying to reason with Doubleday even when it was obvious to everyone else that the man wouldn’t listen. On the other hand, this willingness to negotiate and try to get his point across is what helped him get what he wanted at the Spit, and help the afflicted of Atlas in the end, so I can’t fault him for that.

I would also say that the story has plenty of twists and turns, and I honestly couldn’t say where we were heading most of the time. Like I said, I wasn’t even sure we would get a good ending, since the events leading to it were depressing. 

All in all, it’s a wonderful reflection about mental illness and depression, and how sometimes we let our negative emotions eat us from the inside. Here, those emotions are made manifest, just waiting to consume us.

I loved the main message of this book as well – that no matter what, no matter how dark the times and how bleak your world is, hope might be just one step away. You just have to be courageous enough to take that step, and then another, and then another one.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.