Tag: sci fi

Review: Red Demon by Sill Bihagia

Anna and AlexisLeave a comment
An ARC package of Red Demon sits on a wall

Alexis:

Happy October 1st! 🎃

Thanks so much to author Sill Bihagia for sending me this beautiful ARC package.

Red Demon was released on September 16th! It’s a science fiction/fantasy book with found family and themes of coming of age, resilience, and redemption. It has a mystery woven throughout and some really interesting worldbuilding.⁣ The bioengineering concept was fascinating. 

Overall, I enjoyed this one and appreciated Jesse’s resilience and will to survive. I liked reading from his POV, and my favorite part of the story was him forming a connection to his adopted brother, Asher. 

My main critique is that the pacing in the first half dragged, as Jesse growing up and finding his new family took up a large part of the book. I love a good coming of age story, but since this was advertised as a fast paced book, I expected just a little more action and for the plot to move along faster; the actual plot didn’t start until the second half of the story. Additionally, the ending felt too abrupt.  

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐/5

I have several more ARCs to read, and I look forward to digging into them this fall!

If you want to learn more about Red Demon, check out the synopsis below.

Synopsis:

On an isolated planet where unity is as engineered as its people, Jesse seeks the truth behind the slaughter of his family-starting with the immortal who spared him.

A century ago, two human lines nearly wiped each other out rather than acknowledge their shared humanity. But when Jesse’s mining town is slaughtered under mysterious circumstances, it’s clear ancient bigotries are still alive, and rebels have access to some magic or tech capable of wide-scale genocide.

The Red Demon bloodied her swords in that massacre-a bioengineered immortal left over from that century old war. Jesse expected her to be upholding his empire’s fragile peace, not killing her own. But Jesse is too optimistic and stubborn to break. Better days are coming, and he’s willing to take on an immortal to protect the life he’s rebuilt among the ashes.

Faruhar, the so-called Red Demon, is not the mastermind Jesse expects. Her fragmented mind is ravaged by guilt over crimes she cannot remember committing, and a code impressed on her by a few kind people she cannot forget.

Review: Skipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue

Anna and AlexisLeave a comment
Alexis holds a library copy of Shipshock in front of a bookshelf

Alexis: If you’re looking for a unique sci-fi/fantasy book, check out Skipshock!

This is a new adult book told in dual POVs. Margo is an Irish schoolgirl who finds herself thrown into a strange new world. Moon is a salesman who makes his living through a series of interconnected worlds on a network of train lines.

Skipshock has interworld travel, rebellion, and a romance subplot. In this universe, time is valuable. If you travel north, time passes by quicker; days are only a few hours. If you travel south, the days grow longer. When Margo finds herself being chased by the Southern Guard, Moon helps her find her way back to her home world.

This was a fascinating read! I loved the universe and its rules. I loved the plot that focused on rebellion against a repressive group. I loved learning about the different cultures in this universe and the magic that comes with them. I also appreciated the humor and whimsy sprinkled throughout the writing amongst the darker themes. 

My only critique is there was a section ¾ of the way through that dragged a bit too much. However, this is a fantastic start to a series, and I look forward to reading more.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5