ARC Review: Wranglestone |A Gay Zombie Thriller with a lot of Heart

TITLE: Wranglestone
AUTHOR: Darren Charlton
SERIES: N/A
RELEASED: February 2020; Stripes Publishing
GENRE: YA Science Fiction
FORMAT: Paperback

KEY INFO: post-Apocalyptic American, zombies, romance, dark secrets, winter settings
REPRESENTATION: m/m relationship between lead characters

Content Notices

death, queer death

amazon // book depository // goodreads

ARC Review: Aurora Rising | It’s Time for a New Space-Adventure

TITLE: Aurora Rising
AUTHOR: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
SERIES: The Aurora Cycle
RELEASED: May 2019; Oneworld Publications
GENRE: YA Science Fiction
FORMAT: Paperback

KEY INFO: space-adventure, military science fiction, squad goals, multiple POVs
REPRESENTATION: bisexual male (Finian) , women of color (Auri is half-Chinese and Zila is black), physically disabled (Finian) and neurodivergent (Zila)

Content Notices

death, war, body horror, being knocked unconscious multiple times, unresolved guilt/tension around a one-night stand, ableism

amazon // book depository // goodreads

ARC Review: The Luminous Dead | A Sci-Fi Thriller That Never Quite Reaches Its Potential

TITLE: The Luminous Dead
AUTHOR: Caitlin Starling
SERIES: N/A
RELEASED: April 2019; Harper Voyager
GENRE: Sci-Fi/Horror
FORMAT: eBook

KEY INFO: cave expedition, psychological thriller, romance, unreliable narrator
REPRESENTATION: f/f (main/side)

Content Notices

claustrophobia, caves, absence of light, hallucinations, dead bodies, drugs & forced drug use, descriptions of bodily functions & fluids

amazon // book depository // goodreads

ARC Review: A Memory Called Empire | A Stunning and Intelligent Debut from a Promising New Voice in Science Fiction

TITLE: A Memory Called Empire
AUTHOR: Arkady Martine
SERIES: Texicalaan
RELEASED: April 2019; Tor
GENRE: Science-Fiction
FORMAT: e-Book

KEY INFO: Political science fiction, space opera, empire and imperialism, non-western setting, great world-building, political intrigue
REPRESENTATION: brown-skinned characters (side), female protagonist, f/f relationship (main), bisexual (side) with both male and female love interests, elderly (side) 

Content Notices

Murder, attempted murder, poisoning, descriptions of blistering skin, bombing, pink mist, suicide, death, brain surgery, political violence

amazon // book depository // goodreads

Series Review: Constellations #1 and #2

TITLE: Defy the Stars (#1) / Defy the Worlds (#2)
AUTHOR: Claudia Gray
SERIES: Constellations
RELEASED: April 2017/ April 2018 by Little Brown Books for Young Readers
GENRE: YA Science Fiction
FORMAT: Paperback / eBook

KEY INFO: artificial intelligence, interstellar war, space journeys, complex ethical issues, romance, switching POV in third person
REPRESENTATION: female MC who is descended from Chilean relatives
CONTENT NOTICES: kidnapping, AI experiments on children, bombing of innocent civilians

#1: amazon / book depository / goodreads
#2: amazon / book depository / goodreads