Welcome to our To Be Read pile! Or what was recently a part of our TBR pile. Here you can find reviews of the books we meant to pick up for months, sometimes years, and have only recently gotten to read. These are reviews of books that aren’t quite new, but not quite old either.
Wake of VulturesLila Bowen’s Wake of Vultures is a a wonderful YA fantasy with a truly unforgettable protagonist. It is a fantasy set in the western US. And I am very, very happy I picked up this book.
StyxI won’t lie. I picked up this book solely because the author has one of the most awesome sounding names I’ve ever come across. And I’m happy I gave this book a chance. Styx, written by Flemmish author Bavo Dhooge, is a mystery novel with what is probably the most original twist on a zombie story I’ve ever seen.
Nearly GoneWhat draws you to a book? Is it the cover artwork? The title? The cover tagline? The synopsis on the back of the book? For me this time around it was all to do with the cover. The art was intriguing, showing only a portion of our main character Nearly Boswell’s face and, while her lips are on the cover it isn’t explicitly sensual. I tend to grow tired of the covers with beautiful girls in beautiful clothes in a beautiful scene somewhere. We all know that for most of those books the beautiful, idyllic cover is a lie. This time around, the haunting cover tells you everything you need to know, that nothing is okay and you’re in for an intense ride.
Let me also state that this book has a very Pretty Little Liars feel to it in that teenagers are solving crimes and, in the process, getting themselves into trouble/making matters worse. Now that that’s out of the way let’s talk about the book itself.
Welcome to Night ValeHave you ever listened to the Welcome to Night Vale podcast? Heard of it? Well, this is Welcome to Night Vale the book, written by the podcast’s creators Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor. Those who’ve never listened to the podcast, don’t be afraid. The book doesn’t require any previous knowledge of the world or plot of the podcast, though I do feel as though fans will get just a little more from this book than others as it does wrap up the Man in the Tan Jacket subplot.
ChampionAgain, this time I didn’t tear through Champion. I was anxious to read this book and finish the series so once I got past the second chapter I went through it fairly quickly.
We open with Day and June apart, Day working within the military and June as the Princeps-Elect. As the Republic struggles towards a peace treaty with the Colonies a biohazard plague starts ripping through the Colonies.
Beacon 23: The Complete NovelSo, I’ve had a Kindle for years. Somehow, I missed that you could check out a book from the Amazon store as a library book. Once I figured out that (a) this was a thing and (b) how to do it, I borrowed Beacon 23: The Complete Novel by Hugh Howey. Despite actually owning his first novel, Wool, this is the first of his books I’ve read. (I know, I know. I’m a serial tbr pile neglector.)
The Flicker MenThe Flicker Men by Ted Kosmatka is a fast paced science fiction thriller about a washed-up scientist with a serious drinking problem who suffers from depression and has a family history of suicide and mental instability. When an old friend presents Eric with a second chance and research position, he takes it. The job comes with a stipulation, though – produce some kind of results within three months – and Eric has no ambitions of trying to meet this. When the unthinkable happens and his easy, safe reproduction of the double-helix experiment produces new results not everyone is happy with him.
LegendI freely admit that sometimes I try to avoid new series. Not because I don’t love series (let’s face it, I adore series) but sometimes you aren’t ready to commit to a new series just yet. Every time I’d gone into Barnes and Noble I’d look at Legend by Marie Lu. I’d read the book jacket, the quotes from the New York Times review and other authors and I’d read a few lines on the first page. I just couldn’t commit to the series yet.
The fact is, I’m mad I waited to read this series! I know I’m a bit behind in joining the Legend fandom and if you’re waiting to join in and read the series please don’t wait much longer.
Made to KillI can’t begin to describe how happy I was when I first found Made to Kill by Adam Christopher. I was in the library right after Fallout 4’s Far Harbor DLC was released, and really wanted to find a book somehow involving cyborgs, androids or the sort as main characters. (Because Nick Valentine is a great character, and I need more of that in my life.) And lo! Right there, directly at eye level was Made to Kill with a robot on the front cover just begging me to read it.
The Grace of KingsThe Grace of Kings by Ken Liu is the start to an epic fantasy series set in an Asian inspired world steeped in political upheaval. This first volume in the Dandelion Dynasty series is filled with memorable characters and gorgeous settings, and is the perfect book for anyone looking for the next long saga about a fantasy world.
Welcome to Looking Glass Reads! We review speculative fiction novels as well as manga, light novels, and graphic novels.
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