BOOK REVIEW: DEFIANT BY BRANDON SANDERSON

Title: Defiant

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Science fiction
Published on: November 21, 2023 by Delacorte Press

Spensa made it out of the Nowhere, but what she saw in the space between the stars has changed her forever. She came face to face with the Delvers, and finally got answers to the questions she's had about her own strange Cytonic gifts.

The Superiority didn't stop in it's fight for galactic dominance while she was gone, though. Spensa's team, Skyward Flight, was able to hold Winzik off, and even collect allies to help with the cause, but it's only a matter of time until humanity--and the rest of the galaxy--falls.

Defeating them will require all the knowledge Spensa gathered while in the Nowhere. But being Cytonic is more complicated than she ever could have imagined. Now, Spensa must ask herself: how far is she willing to go for victory, if it means losing herself--and her friends--in the process.

The eagerly anticipated conclusion to the Skyward sci-fi series is here at last. This story is set in an unspecified distant future. Its protagonist is Spensa Nightshade, a human girl with cytonic (sort of dimensional warping) powers. She was born on a planet called Detritus, where she and her people had been held captive by an alien species for a long time. This was a while ago now. Humans have control of Detritus and its formidable defenses now. They’ve also allied with two species Spensa came across in the previous books: the kitsen (a small fox-like bipedal race) and the Urdail (a human-like species with purple skin and white hair).

Since book two, the main antagonist group of this series has been the Superiority. It’s a sort of galactic consortium ruled by an alien named Winzik. He’s a varvax, the same crab-like race who’d held humans captive in Detritus. Thanks to Spensa and her flightmate/boyfriend, Jorgen, humans now know the secret to the Superiority’s power. This was revealed back in book two, so I don’t consider a spoiler to cover it here. The Superiority wields the powers of alien slugs with cytonic abilities. Some can warp through space, others can create sort of psionic shields, and others can facilitate interstellar communication. Jorgen recently discovered a huge colony of these slugs in the caverns of Detritus. Spensa’s had one as a pet, nicknamed Doomslug, since Skyward.

As for Spensa, she recently came back from a journey into the nowhere. It’s a dimension where cytonics can warp to, and it’s primarily the home of the delvers. They’re mysterious beings who gain nearly unstoppable power when they come into the somewhere (what they call the normal universe). Spensa happens to be bonded to Chet now, a rogue delver she met. His presence in Spensa’s soul had unexpected consequences. She’s been losing control of her powers, warping objects to random locations. It’s clear that Spensa’s teammates don’t feel this instability is too dangerous, though, as they haven’t sidelined her. In a related note, what happened to M-bot (the AI who resided in Spensa’s highly advanced starship) was incredible. He’s now able to let Spensa know what the delvers are up to, which gives her a pretty good advantage.

Spensa has come a long way since the reader first meets her. Back in the first book, she was an impetuous, headstrong girl full of bravado. Spensa often gave lines such as “We’ll fight so well, the Krell will raise lamentations to the sky like smoke above a pyre, crying in desperation at our advent!” and “The most wonderful sound ever is the lamentations of my enemies, screaming my name toward the heavens…”. They make her look intimidating, like someone full of bloodlust. And you can’t really blame Spensa, considering she grew up being shunned by everyone else due to a misunderstanding that was cleared up at the end of the first book. This gave Spensa a thirst to prove herself and to be the best fighter pilot she can be. Now, she’s one of the highest-ranking members of the Defiant Defense Force despite still being so young. Spensa’s bravado is also a bit more toned-down, and she’s not as intent on proving herself as she used to be. Still, Spensa still does some things that give Jorgen–the new leader of the DDF–quite a hard time.

The true enemy of the series is also revealed halfway through the story. Their identity is quite a shock, so I won’t give it away here. I’ll just say it’s someone much like Spensa. This is a person who’s determined to rule the galaxy. It’s not exactly in a Bond villain type of way; more like the antagonist truly believes they’re entitled to be at the top, partly because of their upbringing. This enemy is also incredibly ruthless; they negotiate with the delvers to destroy Spensa and her allies, and also send their troops into battle haphazardly. The antagonist doesn’t care how many of their fighters or support personnel the DDF destroys as long as they win. This makes for quite a thrilling final battle. The DDF gets to show off in quite an awesome way. And yes, Skyward Flight is back at last. They go on a few missions throughout the book. It was good seeing them back, especially Kimmalyn. She’s a memorable character. Overall, the final installment in the Skyward series was amazing. I really enjoyed reading it.

My rating: ★★★★★

5 stars - Absolutely must-read. It's outstanding!!!

BOOK REVIEW: THE HIT BY DAVID BALDACCI

Title: The Hit

Author: David Baldacci

Genre: Thriller

Published on: April 23, 2013 by Grand Central Publishing

Master assassin Will Robie must track down a deadly rogue agent, but the attacks conceal a larger threat that could send shockwaves through the U.S. government and around the world in this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller. 

 

Will Robie is a master of killing.

A highly skilled assassin, Robie is the man the U.S. government calls on to eliminate the worst of the worst—enemies of the state, monsters committed to harming untold numbers of innocent victims.

No one else can match Robie’s talents as a hitman…no one, except Jessica Reel. A fellow assassin, equally professional and dangerous, Reel is every bit as lethal as Robie. And now, she’s gone rogue, turning her gun sights on other members of their agency.

To stop one of their own, the government looks again to Will Robie. His mission: bring in Reel, dead or alive. Only a killer can catch another killer, they tell him.

But as Robie pursues Reel, he quickly finds that there is more to her betrayal than meets the eye. Her attacks on the agency conceal a larger threat, a threat that could send shockwaves through the U.S. government and around the world.

Most of the time, I'm not the kind of reader who judges books by their cover. The one for The Hit really caught my eye, as it's so good. The main characters posing like that looks rather impressive. This is the second novel in a thriller series featuring Will Robie. He's a forty-year-old hitman who works for a clandestine agency under the DOD. Their focus is to take out targets who are close to becoming great danger for the world. Robie in particular has only ever killed bad people. It's been a few months since the ending of the previous book. The Hit finds Robie embarking on his newest and most dangerous mission yet.

One of the agency's higher-ups, referred to as Blue Man, is the guy who assigns Robie the mission. He learns that one of their own people has turned against them. While people within the agency normally don't know each other (for security reasons), Robie knows his latest target really well. She's Jessica Reel, the only female assassin in the agency. Reel is reputed to be as good at what she does as Robie is. That's why he was picked to eliminate her. Reel murdered her handler while she was supposed to be taking out someone on the other side of the world.

BOOK REVIEW: SIEGE AND STORM BY LEIGH BARDUGO

Title: Siege and Storm

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Published on: June 4, 2013 by Henry Holt and Co.

Enter the Grishaverse with Book Two of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy by the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom.

Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Alina Starkov’s power has grown, but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner—hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Shadow Fold. But she and Mal can’t outrun their enemies for long.

The Darkling is more determined than ever to claim Alina’s magic and use it to take the Ravkan throne. With nowhere else to turn, Alina enlists the help of an infamous privateer and sets out to lead the Grisha army.

But as the truth of Alina’s destiny unfolds, she slips deeper into the Darkling’s deadly game of forbidden magic, and further away from her humanity. To save her country, Alina will have to choose between her power and the love she thought would always be her shelter. No victory can come without sacrifice—and only she can face the oncoming storm.

After the shocking ending in Shadow and Bone, the Grisha trilogy continues with Siege and Storm. The main protagonist is Alina Starkov, who lives in the fictional kingdom of Ravka. She and her best friend, Malyen “Mal” Oretsev, are on the run. In the previous book, Alina learned that she’s a Grisha, a human with special powers. In her case, Alina can control and generate sunlight. This earned her the name of Sun Summoner. Ravka is partially divided by a dark magical barrier called the Shadow Fold. Alina is the only Grisha alive who could be capable of destroying it.

Alina spent most of the first book training with Ravka’s Second Army, the Grisha. She was also under the protection of their leader, who calls himself the Darkling. He seemed to want to help Alina develop her power enough to destroy the Fold. The two started growing close, seeming to be on the way to become a couple. To Alina’s shock, the Darkling stole control of her power (temporarily) and used it to extend the Fold. This revealed the Darkling as the series’s main antagonist. It turns out he’s also the Black Heretic, the ancient Grisha responsible for creating the Fold in the first place.

BOOK REVIEW: NEMESIS BY BRENDAN REICHS

Title: Nemesis

Author: Brendan Reichs

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Published on: March 21, 2017 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Orphan Black meets Lord of the Flies in this riveting new thriller from the co-author of the Virals series. 

 

It's been happening since Min was eight. Every two years, on her birthday, a strange man finds her and murders her in cold blood. But hours later, she wakes up in a clearing just outside her tiny Idaho hometown—alone, unhurt, and with all evidence of the horrifying crime erased.

 

Across the valley, Noah just wants to be like everyone else. But he’s not. Nightmares of murder and death plague him, though he does his best to hide the signs. But when the world around him begins to spiral toward panic and destruction, Noah discovers that people have been lying to him his whole life. Everything changes in an eye blink.

 

For the planet has a bigger problem. The Anvil, an enormous asteroid threatening all life on Earth, leaves little room for two troubled teens. Yet on her sixteenth birthday, as she cowers in her bedroom, hoping not to die for the fifth time, Min has had enough. She vows to discover what is happening in Fire Lake and uncovers a lifetime of lies: a vast conspiracy involving the sixty-four students of her sophomore class, one that may be even more sinister than the murders.

After reading book series like In The Company of Killers, I’m used to a tad of darkness in fiction. The synopsis for Nemesis is unquestionably dark. Some suit-clad guy kills the same girl every two years on her birthday. Yes, you read right: he murders her more than once. Evidently, the girl comes back to life somehow. This is as compelling a synopsis as it gets. What could possibly be the reason behind these murders? That’s what drew me to Nemesis. I wanted to find out what was going on.

The girl in question is Melinda “Min” Wilder, the protagonist. She’s sixteen when the book starts. It’s an odd-numbered birthday, so the man in a suit shows up as expected. Whoever he is, he kills Min yet again. And like before, she comes back completely unharmed. Min lets the reader know more about her murders. The man in the suit always succeeds, no matter what Min does. Why doesn’t anyone (like her mother) know about this? Well, the first two times Min told people about her deaths, they dismissed it, even the sheriff. Then a shrink told Min the experiences weren’t real. She’s been seeing the doctor ever since, and kept quiet about the murders.

Min has a best friend, Tack. They’re the inseparable kind of friends, akin to Harry and Hermione or Clary and Simon. The two are sophomores and live in a tiny Idaho town called Fire Lake. Min and Tack lead pretty normal teen lives (apart from the murders, which Tack has no idea about). They have to put up with the requisite school bully, Ethan. Min has a short fuse, which leads her to make a reckless decision at one point. It was quite shocking to me. Tack covers it up, which shows how faithful he is to Min. There doesn’t seem to be any romance brewing between them, though. I doubt it’d improve the story if Min and Tack became an item.

Shortly after Tack is introduced, Nemesis reveals another strange plot point. There’s an asteroid nicknamed The Anvil, and it’s seemingly on a collision course with Earth. This Anvil is a potential planet-killer. Everyone is anxiously waiting for a NASA live announcement that will answer whether the Anvil is striking Earth or not. Min’s mind is so busy wrapping itself around her murders that she barely even cares about the potential end of the world. But what does an asteroid have to do with a suited man who kills the same girl over and over? That’s one of the biggest questions in Nemesis.

The second protagonist is Noah. He is also a sophomore but doesn’t run in Min’s and Tack’s circles. Also, whereas Min lives in a trailer park, Noah is from one of the wealthiest families in Fire Lake. Min and Noah have something in common, though. Min’s investigation into what’s behind her murders (and resurrections) leads her to Noah. It seems he’s involved, but Min has no idea how. She’s relentless, so she eventually uncovers more truths about a mysterious government program. By this point I was still trying to guess what Nemesis is about. I had a few ideas in mind, but still.

When Min and Noah discover the truth about Nemesis, it surprised me. I did not see that coming. I made a few correct guesses, but the big picture? Nope. I’d never even dreamed about the…astronomical idea behind Nemesis. The truth (as well as the fates of the characters) raised more questions, though. The grand plan also has a few eyebrow-raising aspects. Why Fire Lake? And why are kids involved? I wouldn’t say the ending was underwhelming, though. The betrayal was particularly shocking. I’m definitely reading the next books to find out what happens next.

My rating: ★★★★★

5 stars - Absolutely must-read. It's outstanding!!!

BOOK REVIEW: RECURSION BY BLAKE CROUCH

Title: Recursion

Author: Blake Crouch

Genre: Science fiction, thriller

Published on: June 11, 2019 by Ballantine Books

“Gloriously twisting . . . a heady campfire tale of a novel.”—The New York Times Book Review

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • NPR • BookRiot

Reality is broken.
 
At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself.
 
In New York City, Detective Barry Sutton is closing in on the truth—and in a remote laboratory, neuroscientist Helena Smith is unaware that she alone holds the key to this mystery . . . and the tools for fighting back.
 
Together, Barry and Helena will have to confront their enemy—before they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos.

 

Ever read a novel that turned out to be way deeper and more layered than the premise suggested? Recursion is a prime example. It’s a hard sci-fi novel mainly set in present-time New York City (as of 2019). The main characters are Barry Sutton and Helena Smith. Barry is a seasoned NYPD detective. He’s divorced and had a daughter who died in a tragic hit-and-run years ago. Helena is a gifted neuroscientist searching for a way to reverse or stop the effects of diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Barry and Helena don’t know each other at first. They even live on opposite corners of the U.S. The story begins with Barry failing to prevent a suicide. A woman jumped from a building after being unable to endure FMS any longer. False Memory Syndrome is a mysterious affliction that’s emerged recently. Sufferers claim to have vivid memories of a life that never happened. Barry is intrigued after his encounter with the woman. He decides to get to the bottom of what FMS is and where it came from.

BOOK REVIEW: CITY OF GLASS BY CASSANDRA CLARE

Title: City of Glass

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Published on: February 14, 2009 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Love is a mortal sin, and the secrets of the past are deadly. Plunge into the third installment in the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and “prepare to be hooked” (Entertainment Weekly).

To save her mother’s life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters—never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family’s past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he’s willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City—whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third installment of bestselling series the Mortal Instruments.

 

Clary Fairchild and her friends return for another adventure in this third Mortal Instruments novel. This time, the story changes setting to Idris, the secret home country of the Shadowhunters. The previous two books were all set in New York. I like that the book finally introduces Idris. Clary wants to go there to find a certain warlock, Ragnor Fell. He knows how to wake up Jocelyn, her mother, from a self-induced magical sleep. For some reason, though, Jace doesn’t want Clary anywhere near Idris. He goes to great lengths to discourage her. I wondered what his deal was.

Jace decides to pull a fast one and get to Idris earlier than planned. The Institute is attacked at just that moment, though. A horde of Forsaken ambush the Shadowhunters. They manage to kill one of them and wound Simon before the group can Portal away. Clary is furious when she learns Jace and the others went away. Never mind that the Forsaken almost killed them all. Clary really doesn’t like being left behind. In a rash move, she uses her special rune power to open a new Portal. Luke only just manages to catch Clary when she goes through.

BOOK REVIEW: CITY OF ASHES BY CASSANDRA CLARE

Title: City of Ashes

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Published on: March 14, 2009 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

 Is love worth betraying everything? Plunge into the second adventure in the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and “prepare to be hooked” (Entertainment Weekly).

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go -- especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil—and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings—and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

While City of Bones didn’t blow me away, it was more than compelling enough for me to continue with the series. I like the characters, especially since I already watched Shadowhunters. Now that City of Ashes doesn’t have to keep worldbuilding as much, things speed up noticeably. The protagonist, Clary Fray, is still hovering between two worlds. She’s lived as a mundane (a regular human) until she was already fifteen. Clary had no idea that she was a Shadowhunter because of her mother, Jocelyn. The latter fled the Shadow World over a decade ago and didn’t want anything more to do with it.

Clary isn’t a full-blown Shadowhunter yet. She’s been living with Luke Garroway, an old friend of Jocelyn’s whom she loves like an uncle. Luke recently let Clary know that he’s a werewolf. He has his own pack as well (which he took command of to protect Clary). Clary also has a best friend, Simon Lewis. They’re dating now, but taking things slow. Simon has been in love with Clary for years, which shocked her. Clary loves him, of course, but as a friend. She wonders if she can learn to love him the way she loves a certain blond guy.

 

BOOK REVIEW: THE MAN WITH TWO PASTS BY DAN RIX

Title: The Man with Two Pasts

Author: Dan Rix

Genre: Science Fiction

Published on: March 28, 2016 by Burning Ember Press

She was too smart to be popular. Too pretty to be ignored. Too conceited to be tolerated.

Seventeen-year-old Iris Strasser can’t seem to blend in to save her life, and she just made everything ten times worse. Time travel must have seriously compromised her judgment, because somehow she’s blundered into a relationship she’s not ready for with way-too-popular-for-his-own-good Cory Holland, the one boy she hates more than anyone—and now, infuriatingly, has a crush on. Now every girl at Lakeside wants her head on a stick.

Screw her feelings for him. They can have him back. She can’t stand Cory’s prickish cockiness for one more insufferable second. Except breaking up with him also breaks something in the past.

Now, all that’s left of the boy she almost loved is a lingering hint of déjà vu. That, and a confused ache in her heart.

Because everyone knows Cory died a long time ago.

After the first three books wowed me so much, I couldn’t not finish the series. It’s got romance and cool tech, two of my favorite topics to read about. The protagonists have gone on such a journey. First is Cory Holland, a young genius who’s on his senior year at Lakeside High. Next is Iris Strasser, Cory’s overachieving rival turned love interest. Noah Wright is Cory’s best friend, who attends the school on a scholarship. The Timeloopers series centers around a quantum computer prototype named the Chronos. A renowned tech lab donated it to Lakeside. Despite being off limits, Cory snuck out to check the machine and discovered its true nature. Lured by the thrill of time travel, Cory, Iris, and Noah kept using the Chronos for weeks afterward.

In the previous book, Cory barely managed to rescue Iris after mistakenly trapping her in an infinite loop. The ordeal caused them to develop a strong attraction. Cory and Iris are now dating, but their relationship is precarious. Iris has never had a boyfriend and fears that Cory will break her heart. He's an arrogant womanizer and used to treat Iris with disdain. Cory’s never been in a serious relationship either. As expected, Cory messes up bad and Iris breaks up with him.

2021'S TOP TEN BOOKS I READ

 

Here we are at last, at the end of another year. And this one was particularly trying. With the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting quarantine, 2021 has felt long. It wasn’t as hard for me as for other people (I’m an introvert) but I wouldn’t call the year a pleasant experience. 2020 was quite the tough start of a new decade. I’m with everyone hoping for a better 2022.

Even without a pandemic or home isolation, I read every day. The number of books I finished this year wasn’t that much higher than usual. Some of them were really good, which made it a hard choice to pick between them. As I’ve done before, I ended up with 10 picks. These are the books I enjoyed reading the most this year. The list starts after the jump:

BOOK REVIEW: AN INFINITE LOOP BY DAN RIX

Title: An Infinite Loop

Author: Dan Rix

Genre: Science Fiction

Published on: May 7, 2015, self-published

Time travel sucks.

You have to squeeze inside this fridge-sized quantum computer and suffer hours of mind-numbing boredom while it loops back in time. No light, barely enough air, total solitude. All the time in the world.

It’s also like a drug.

After her first nine-hour timeloop, teenage loner Iris Strasser craves another loop, if only for the rush. Determined to one up her, pretty boy Cory Holland ignores the warning signs that they’re meddling with something dangerous and programs in his own timeloop, daring Iris to make increasingly reckless trips into the past.

But when Iris steps into a timeloop and never steps out, leaving Cory with an empty time machine and an ache in his heart, he must come to grips with the unthinkable truth—he’s lost her inside an infinite loop from which she can’t escape. He’s trapped her in the past, and this time, time travel can’t reach far enough back to save her.

Young geniuses Cory Holland, Iris Strasser, and Noah Wright are back for another adventure. It didn’t seem like they’d be up to more time shenanigans, though. In the previous book, the trio clashed against the creator of the Chronos. Edgard Faye didn’t like that they discovered his machine’s secret. He tried scaring them into leaving the Chronos alone. But the huge cliffhanger means Cory and his friends must use the machine yet again. An Infinite Loop starts right where book two left off. Iris gets a strange call, but Cory isn't sure she should answer, lest they open another can of worms.

The trio resume classes the week after their retreat. They’ve resolved to stay away from the Chronos. Of course, the temptation is too great. Cory is stung that Iris one-upped him by getting to time travel before he did. He doesn’t care that she did it out of need rather than fun. Cory wants a go as well. He comes up with a way to use the Chronos without Faye knowing about it. Iris had secretly wanted to sneak into the machine as well. Time traveling left her with an itch, an urge to do it again.

BOOK REVIEW: SHADE ME BY JENNIFER BROWN

Title: Shade Me

Author: Jennifer Brown

Genre: Mystery, Young Adult

Published on: January 19, 2016 by Katherine Tegen Books

Nikki Kill has always been an outsider. Born with rare synesthesia, she sees the world differently. In Nikki’s eyes, happiness is pink, sadness is a mixture of brown and green, and lies are gray.

To Nikki, Peyton Hollis, the ultrarich it-girl at school, was seemingly untouchable. That is, until Peyton is violently attacked and the only phone number the hospital finds in Peyton’s cell is Nikki’s. Suddenly Nikki is pulled into Peyton’s glittering, fast-paced world as she tries to unravel an unfolding conspiracy.

As Nikki gets closer to the dark truth—and to Peyton’s gorgeous older brother—the only thing she can be sure of is death is a deep, pulsing crimson. 

The cover art is what first drew me to this book. Then I read the description, and I was hooked. Shade Me introduces Nikki Kill, an outcast with an interesting name. She’s your average high school student, apart from one thing. Nikki has synesthesia, a condition that causes some of her senses to overlap. It makes her “see” emotions as colors. For example, when a room has a happy atmosphere, Nikki sees pink. If someone is being dishonest, she sees gray. Letters, numbers, and words have their own fixed color in her eyes as well. A fun quirk about this is that Nikki memorizes phone numbers by their colors, not the actual digits.

One night, Nikki’s life is changed forever. She gets a call from the hospital, asking her to ID a girl who was just admitted. When Nikki arrives, she’s stunned to see the girl is Peyton Hollis, almost beaten to death. She’s the queen bee at their school and comes from a rich family. The issue is, Nikki and Peyton have never had anything to do with each other. Nikki’s puzzled when a nurse says her phone number was the only one saved in Peyton’s contacts. This makes Detective Chris Martinez (who showed up to investigate Peyton’s attack) curious about Nikki.

BOOK REVIEW: ONE OF US IS LYING BY KAREN M. MCMANUS

Title: One of Us is Lying

Author: Karen M. McManus

Genre: Mystery, Young Adult

Published on: May 30, 2017 by Delacorte Press

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

When I picked up One of Us is Lying, it was one of those books I knew would be among my top reads of the year. The synopsis sounded awesome. This is a YA mystery set in a high school in southern California. It has four protagonists who are brought together after a suspicious incident. On a fateful Monday, five senior students show up to detention after school. They are Bronwyn Rojas, Addy Prentiss, Cooper Clay, Nate Macauley, and Simon Kelleher. When it’s over, only four of them leave the classroom alive.

None of the five students run in the same circles. They’re sort-of teen movie clichés, but not boring at all. Simon is the one who’s dead by the end of the school day. After the police look into it, they conclude his death wasn’t an accident. Simon’s role in the book is unclear at first. He’s an outcast at Bayview High School. Simon is semi-respected (read: feared), though, as he’s the creator of a gossip app. Simon has been exposing his peers’ dirty secrets for years. The police discover that Simon was about to publish secrets about the four students he had detention with. This makes them suspects right away.

BOOK REVIEW: SKYWARD BY BRANDON SANDERSON

Title: Skyward
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Published on: November 6, 2018 by Delacorte Press

Spensa's world has been under attack for decades.

Now pilots are the heroes of what's left of the human race, and becoming one has always been Spensa's dream. Since she was a little girl, she has imagined soaring skyward and proving her bravery. But her fate is intertwined with that of her father's—a pilot himself who was killed years ago when he abruptly deserted his team, leaving Spensa the daughter of a coward, her chances of attending Flight School slim to none.

No one will let Spensa forget what her father did, yet fate works in mysterious ways. Flight school might be a long shot, but she is determined to fly. And an accidental discovery in a long-forgotten cavern might just provide her with a way to claim the stars.

I came across Skyward while browsing my local bookstore. The awesome cover art drew my eye first. After I read the synopsis, I knew I had to have this book. Skyward is a sci-fi novel set in the far future. The remains of humanity have been stuck on a planet called Detritus for decades. They’ve been at war with an alien species that they call the Krell. Their threat led the people of Detritus to live in deep underground caverns. To fight the Krell—and hopefully escape the planet—the people created the Defiant Defense Force. Pilots who fly for the DDF are like heroes, as everyone else holds them in high regard.

The protagonist of Skyward is seventeen-year-old Spensa Nightshade. Her greatest desire has long been to become a pilot for the DDF. Spensa’s chances of attending Flight School are slim, though. Her father was a pilot who got killed after deserting his team during a crucial battle. Over nine years have passed, and Spensa is still despised for being the daughter of a coward. Spensa is not one to give up, though. And an accidental discovery in a hidden cavern strengthens her resolve.

MY 10 FAVORITE READS OF 2020

Here we are at last, at the end of another year. And this one was particularly trying. What with the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting quarantine, 2020 has felt long. It wasn’t as hard for me as for other people (I’m an introvert) but I wouldn’t call the year a pleasant experience. 2020 was quite the tough start of a new decade. I’m with everyone hoping for a better 2021.

Even without a pandemic or home isolation, I read a lot. The number of books I finished this year wasn’t that much higher than usual. A bunch of them were riveting, which made it a hard choice to pick between them. As I’ve done before, I ended up with 10 choices. These are the books I enjoyed the most this year. Without further ado, here they are:

BOOK REVIEW: EVIL NEVER DIES BY T.R. RAGAN

Title: Evil Never Dies

Author: T.R. Ragan

Genre: Mystery, thriller

Published on: August 4, 2015 by Thomas & Mercer

Private investigator Lizzy Gardner believed in law and order once. But after losing a loved one to a killer and watching too many vicious predators game the system and walk free, she’s traded flawed justice for perfect vengeance.

Together with her tough and trusted assistants, Lizzy is tracking down a list of Sacramento’s worst offenders and dealing out the payback they deserve. But she may be lethally outmatched by a new criminal, a murderer the papers have dubbed the Sacramento Strangler. This ritualistic serial killer is dropping corpses and cryptic clues at a shocking rate—and he’s growing bolder and bloodier the longer he’s at large.

In the suspenseful finale to the Lizzy Gardner series, bestselling author T.R. Ragan’s gutsy heroine lashes out against the relentless onslaught of evil as she desperately fights to hang on to her own humanity.

Over four years since determined PI Lizzy Gardner made her debut, the final book in her series is here. Lizzy has since become one of my favorite fictional characters. Although she’s pretty on the surface, she is rather damaged on the inside. When Lizzy was a teen, she escaped from the clutches of a twisted serial killer. The experience inspired Lizzy to become a private investigator and a self-defense instructor. She wanted to help other women defend themselves from the monsters of the world.

In Evil Never Dies, Lizzy is even more broken than ever. At the end of the last book, her would-be husband (FBI agent Jared Shayne) died. He got shot several times during a surprise attack. Since Jared's death, Lizzy hasn't been the same. Now she harbors a deep, powerful anger towards the criminals and wrongdoers out there. Seeming to cross over to the dark side, Lizzy partners with Hayley and Kitally. She's resolved to take justice into their own hands. The criminals they target become the main villains this time around. That means there are more than one or two bad guys in this book. One of these is the strongest, so he can be considered a main antagonist.

BOOK REVIEW: REVIVING IZABEL BY J.A. REDMERSKI

Title: Reviving Izabel

Author: J.A. Redmerski

Genre: Thriller, romance

Published on: December 4, 2013 (first edition), self-published

Determined to live a dark life in the company of the assassin who freed her from bondage, Sarai sets out on her own to settle a score with an evil sadist. Unskilled and untrained in the art of killing, the events that unfold leave her hanging precariously on the edge of death when nothing goes as planned.

Sarai’s reckless choices send her on a path she knows she can never turn back from and so she presents Victor with an ultimatum: help her become more like him and give her a fighting chance, or she’ll do it alone no matter the consequences. Knowing that Sarai cannot become what she wants to be overnight, Victor begins to train her and inevitably their complicated relationship heats up.

As Arthur Hamburg’s right-hand man, Willem Stephens, closes in on his crusade to destroy Sarai, she is left with the crushing realization that she may have bitten off more than she can chew. But Sarai, taking on the new and improved role of Izabel Seyfried, still has a set of deadly skills of her own that will prove to be all she needs to secure her place beside Victor.

But there is one test that Izabel must face that has the potential to destroy everything she is working so hard to achieve. One final test that will not only make her question her decision to want this dangerous life, but will make her question everything she has come to trust about Victor Faust.

New Adult romance and dark thrillers are considerably different genres. J.A. Redmerski manages to handle them both with brilliance. Killing Sarai was mind-blowing, and now the author brings the titular character back in Reviving Izabel. This book’s story continues months after the first one ended. Sarai is living with her surrogate mother, Dina, trying to lead a normal life. The endeavor is proving rather difficult. Until some time ago, Sarai was kept captive by Javier, a Mexican cartel lord who dealt in sex trafficking. All those years of suffering left their mark on Sarai. She can barely function in normal society now.

Sarai's still far from well-adjusted despite finding a friend (Dahlia) and a boyfriend (Eric). Unbeknownst to anyone, Sarai hasn't forgot about Victor Faust, the man who freed her from Javier. Victor is a contract killer who grew to care for Sarai in the time they spent together. Because of his dangerous life, he knew he couldn’t keep her close. Victor thought Sarai deserved a chance at a normal life, so he left her with Dina. She has other things in mind, though. Sarai goes after a vile man named Arthur Hamburg, whom she met in the previous book. It doesn't take long for Sarai to realize she's in over her head. She barely escapes with her life thanks to Victor, who returns just in time.

BOOK REVIEW: CRASH INTO YOU BY KATIE MCGARRY

Title: Crash Into You

Author: Katie McGarry

Genre: Young Adult, romance

Published on: November 26, 2013 by Harlequin Teen

From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a romance forged in the fast lane

The girl with straight A's and the perfect life—that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy family…and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker—a guy she has no business even talking to. But after the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

The last thing Isaiah needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks. But when their shared love of street racing puts their lives in jeopardy, Isaiah and Rachel will have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

I have no idea why I hesitated to read this book for so long. Pushing the Limits was good, but it wasn’t like “wow!” for me. The second book, Dare You To, was a step up. I liked Ryan and Beth better. When I read in the synopsis that Crash Into You would be Isaiah’s story, that didn’t compel me to read the book. I didn’t find Isaiah very likable. Guy with a bunch of tattoos, and earrings! That makes me sound judgmental, but trust me, I’m not. I just think earrings are decidedly female jewelry. Seeing a guy wearing them is odd. It’s like seeing women with facial hair.

Boy, was I wrong about this book. From the first chapter, I was hooked. Maybe it has something to do with Rachel, the heroine. Though I'm not picky about hair color, I like blondes. Anyway, we get to learn a lot more about Isaiah in this book. I don’t like cars with the same passion he does, but I sort of like speed. I’m simply more cautious about it. Rachel also happens to be a huge car fanatic. She knows a lot of stuff that most guys don’t! Rachel loves to be behind to wheel, and to feel the rush of speed. One night, she seeks out a race. This leads her to a guy named Eric, who is about to organize an illegal race. Isaiah is there, because he needs money. As soon as he sees Rachel, Isaiah feels mesmerized. It’s lucky that he’s there, though. Rachel has no idea of the danger she faces. Erick is known for ruthlessly beating up those who dare mess with him.

BOOK REVIEW: BOUNDARY BORN BY MELISSA F. OLSON

Title: Boundary Born

Author: Melissa F. Olson

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Published on: June 21, 2016 by 47North

Something wicked is at work in Colorado’s supernatural community. Vampires are being paralyzed or killed with poison…a weapon favored by witches. This offense threatens to break apart the already-fractured alliance between witches and the undead.

The state’s cardinal vampire, Maven, summons boundary witch Allison “Lex” Luther to stop the killing before it ignites a war. Lex has barely started investigating when she gets another surprise: the biological father she’s never met arrives on her doorstep. He has answers to all of Lex’s questions about her bloodline, but getting those answers could mean betraying the life she’s already built.

Then the next vampire is poisoned—and this time it’s Maven herself. The new evil that hunts Lex is powerful and ruthless enough to stop the strongest supernatural creature in the state. In order to find such a killer, Lex will have to face down her own birthright and call on every ally—both living and dead.

This is the third installment of the Boundary Magic series. The protagonist, boundary witch Lex Luther, is back for another adventure. She narrowly managed to save the day in the previous book. After weeks of dealing with the aftermath, Lex gets to settle down for a bit. Also, as thanks for her service, Lex's boss Maven grants her permission to let her brother-in-law John Wheaton know she’s a witch. This happens before the book starts, so the reader doesn’t get to see it happen. It appears that John didn’t take the news well. He takes Charlie and some of their family on a trip away from Colorado. Lex isn’t happy, but she at least knows Charlie will be safe away from Boulder.

It doesn’t take long before new trouble arises. Maven discovers that some of her vampires have been poisoned with a rare strain of belladonna. If there’s anything Maven hates, it’s that plant. And it so happens that belladonna is most commonly used by witches. The only clan in Boulder is the Pellars, who are Maven's allies. If the attacks continue, it could start a war. Maven sends her right hand, Quinn, along with Lex to stop the attacks.

BOOK REVIEW: OBSESSED BY T.R. RAGAN

Title: Obsessed
Author: T.R. Ragan
Genre: Mystery, thriller

Published on: August 12, 2014 by Thomas & Mercer

Desperate for better ratings, radio psychologist Madeline Blair tells her listeners she’s being stalked, unaware that her long-time listener and biggest fan, Seth Brown, will do anything to protect her. When her publicity stunt is revealed, Seth becomes enraged by her deceit and dangerously unhinged.

When her friends mysteriously begin to vanish and damning evidence points to Madeline, she turns to private investigator Lizzy Gardner for help. Lizzy knows her way around a murderer’s mind, after surviving her own horrifying ordeal at the hands of a serial killer years ago.

As Lizzy closes in, Seth Brown is undeterred. Madeline wanted a stalker and now she has one. Nothing is going to stop him. He’s obsessed.

Lizzy Gardner and co. are back for yet another suspenseful case. I thought this series would be a trilogy. I'm glad that's not the case. In Obsessed, the main villain is a man fixated on a love that cannot be. The guy, Seth, dreams about Madeline Blair (even though he has a wife). She is a celebrated radio psychologist in the Sacramento area. When Madeline tells her listeners that she has a stalker, Seth makes himself her protector. Let me note that Seth has mental issues going back for decades. While Seth is standing guard outside Madeline’s one day, something bad happens.

Meanwhile, Lizzy and her assistants are working on other cases. Hayley Hansen now lives in an, ahem, shitty apartment. I thought she had become bad after what happened at the ending of A Dark Mind, but Hayley is still on the side of good. That impressed me. This girl has so much strength. Jessica Pleiss, Lizzy’s other assistant, has been at the FBI academy for the past several months. She returns to seek Hayley’s assistance in a criminal case. Although Hayley isn’t happy that Jessica hasn’t called or even texted her for so long, she accepts.

BOOK REVIEW: THREE BY J.A. KONRATH & ANN VOSS PETERSON

Title: Three
Author: J.A. Konrath, Ann Voss Peterson
Genre: Thriller

Published on: June 25, 2013 by Thomas & Mercer

Time is running out for Chandler, the elite assassin whose mission to rescue her sister from a notorious black ops prison landed her at the top of the nation’s Most Wanted list. Burned by her handlers and forced to work with her mortal enemy in a race to preserve the very government that wants her dead, the living weapon has become a ticking time bomb.

In saving her sister, Chandler unleashed a power-mad American president dead set on controlling the world—no matter how many millions of innocent people he must kill to do it. To stop him, Chandler will go deeper than she’s ever gone before, pushing her body and mind to their absolute limits. All the while she is hunted by the one man who knows her every secret, her every hiding place—and her every weakness. Infiltrating the White House, crashing a bullfight in Mexico City, hijacking a blimp in Toronto…these are just the beginning of the end, as the Codename: Chandler trilogy races towards its stunning conclusion.

This is a satisfying conclusion (or is it?) to the Codename: Chandler trilogy. I'm questioning the conclusion part because I wonder whether there will be a sequel. I don't know anything for sure, so I'll continue with my review of Three. The story picks up where Spree left off. Chandler is really burning the candle at both ends, and she's facing her most difficult mission yet. After her failed relationship at the end of book 2, Chandler finds herself struggling to avoid crumbling down. She's wondering whether she has any humanity left inside her, after all the people she's killed.

Meanwhile, The Instructor has done a Ra's Al Ghul and turned on his former students. He used Chandler to get rid of the former President and aid the new one in a heinous plot. To stop him, Chandler and her twin/former handler Fleming will have to ally with their old enemy, Hammett. She happens to be their identical sister. Hammett's not thrilled that The Instructor's plan to discredit her siblings also affects her. They have the exact same face.