Review: Sigil

Read if you like: well build sci-fi worlds, dark romance, and interesting alien abilities.

Sigil | Addison Cain

Series: Irdesi Empire

Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Menage, 18+
Released: September 29th 2016
Pages: 325
Format: Ebook
Source: Purchased

He will possess her in every way.

After a century, The Irdesi Emperor has finally cornered their species’ only female. Sovereign and his fanatic brothers are closing in, driving Sigil to desperation.

They outnumber her, they are stronger, and they are relentless.

Sovereign knows her secrets better than Sigil knows herself. He knows she was conditioned to hate him. It changes nothing. The Emperor cannot help but crave her—just as his loyal brothers crave her.

The entire future of their species hinges on Sovereign’s ability to dominate the slippery renegade and make her feel the truth of what she is. She is his Consort. She is his obsession—a bride destined to be shared with and adored by his kin... to be satiated and ruled, to be overpowered and healed of her compulsions by any means necessary.

She has no choice in the matter. The empire will stop at nothing. Sigil will belong to them; she will be made to love them, even if they are forced to rip the galaxy apart to claim her.

Publisher’s Note: The first novella in Addison Cain's provocative and raw Irdesi Empire series is a dark tale with explicit sexual themes and complete power exchange. Some scenes are written to be disturbing. If such material offends you, please do not purchase.

Well written and I love the space station and every space-y element, plus Quinn is one tough lady. Not sure why I thought it was RH though? It's f/m romance with menage if you squint.

4.5 stars

Review: The Gauntlet

The Cage: The Gauntlet | Megan Shepherd

Published by: HarperCollins, May 23rd 2017

Genre: Science Fiction, Space, Aliens

Pages: 352

Format: Ebook

Source: HarperCollins, via Edelweiss

The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in the final novel in the gripping and romantic Cage series, about teens abducted from Earth by an otherworldly race.

Cora and her friends have escaped the Kindred station and landed at Armstrong—a supposed safe haven on a small moon—where they plan to regroup and figure out how to win the Gauntlet, the challenging competition to prove humanity’s intelligence and set them free. But Armstrong is no paradise; ruled by a power-hungry sheriff, it’s a violent world where the teens are enslaved and put to work in mines. As Nok’s due date grows closer, and Mali and Leon journey across space to rescue Cassian, the former inhabitants of the cage are up against impossible odds.

With the whole universe at stake, Cora will do whatever it takes, including pushing her body and mind to the breaking point, to escape Armstrong and run the Gauntlet. But it isn’t just a deranged sheriff she has to overcome: the other intelligent species—the Axion, Kindred, Gatherers, and Mosca—all have their own reasons to stop her. Not knowing who to trust, Cora must rely on her own instincts to win the competition, which could change the world—though it might destroy her in the process.

That ending was SAD!!!! :(

One of the best damn YA sci-fi series I've ever read - strong from the first page of The Cage to the last of The Gauntlet. I don't know what I can say about this book other than it surpassed my every hope and expectation, and the shocks never let up from the beginning. It's hopeful and miserable and full of guts and determination. I love Cora, I love Cassian, I love the world, the story, the cleverness of the Gauntlet. We even got a sneaky A.I. which I adored. Thank you for this gift of a series. I'm really sad to see it go.

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★★

The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet (ARC Review)

The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet | Becky Chambers

Published by: Hodder & Stoughton, August 13th 2015

Genre: Adult, Science Fiction, Space, Aliens

Pages: 404

Format: Ebook

Source: Hodder & Stoughton, via Netgalley

Somewhere within our crowded sky, a crew of wormhole builders hops from planet to planet, on their way to the job of a lifetime. To the galaxy at large, humanity is a minor species, and one patched-up construction vessel is a mere speck on the starchart. This is an everyday sort of ship, just trying to get from here to there. 

But all voyages leave their mark, and even the most ordinary of people have stories worth telling. A young Martian woman, hoping the vastness of space will put some distance between herself and the life she‘s left behind. An alien pilot, navigating life without her own kind. A pacifist captain, awaiting the return of a loved one at war. 

Set against a backdrop of curious cultures and distant worlds, this episodic tale weaves together the adventures of nine eclectic characters, each on a journey of their own.

The Long Way... was a total impulse read for me. I wanted something sci-fi and spacey and I was hooked by the blurb. Reading it, though, I expected to like it. I turned out to adore it (spoiler: I immediately pre-ordered it upon finishing it - that's how much I loved it.)

The first thing that impressed me was the representation in this book. You have rep of different genders, sexuality (a f/f cross-species relationship!!), a bunch of people of colour, and the use of gender neutral pronouns. This book has it all, and I can easily recommend it based on that alone, but representation isn't all it has.

This book is so, so unique. It's a totally new take on aliens, with every species and culture being different and identifiable - it's clear the author put a LOT of thought into it. Every character had a story, a life - nobody was one dimension, even background characters. It's detailed without being info-dump-y and passion shows on every page. The relationships in this book are new and strange and heartfelt and a little heartbreaking (I mean, I cried over an A.I.) It was a little slow at the beginning, but oddly enough it didn't matter because it gave plenty of time to get to know the characters and the world and the ship and species.

A fascinating, impressive sci-fi novel I'm not likely to ever forget, with characters you care about as if they were real people and an emotional devastating end that sneaks up on you.

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★☆

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The Cage (ARC Review)

The Cage: The Cage | Megan Shepherd

Published by: Balzer+Bray, May 28th 2015

Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Aliens

Pages: 400

Format: Ebook

Source: Balzer+Bray, via Edelweiss

The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in this gripping new series about teens held captive in a human zoo by an otherworldly race. From Megan Shepherd, the acclaimed author of The Madman's Daughtertrilogy.

When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.

Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren't from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.

As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so . . . what world lies beyond the walls of their cage?

I left it WAY too long to write my review of this, and it wasn't in any way because this book is bad. It's because I loved it, for some reason I can't explain, and those are the hardest reviews to write.

So here's what I didn't love, first:

- Every other character but Cora and Cassian. UGH stop whining. I don't care about your teenage romance and your drama. You are all stupid, and how can you not see you're being manipulated??? It was SO obvious that the aliens were manipulating everyone into hating Cora, and yet they were like nah, it's not the aliens, IT'S CORA. Sure, buddy.

- Those two lovebirds, whose names I've forgotten because they pissed me off so much. You're kidnapped, put in an alien zoo, with a zookeeper who tells you to have sex and mate and ... you do it? Wow, okay, sure, seems legit.

- Diverse supporting characters, diverse side characters, but a blonde white MC. Okay, you tried, I see that, but it's not enough.

Here's what I DID love:

- Cassian, who was SO much more complex than I ever expected. So, he's a shiny gold alien, so what,  he's kind and mysterious and he shows Cora that she's strong (and he's evil for a good cause, which is 100% my thing)(and he's vulnerable underneath everything, which is 1000% my thing.)

- Cora, who was strong in a natural, human, weak way. I liked that she was hurt and cried and acted like a typical 'girl' but still stayed strong, got back on her feet, and got them the hell out of there. I really REALLY liked her, and I expected to hate her from the first chapter because she came off as whiny. Which she was - she whined, she despaired, and then she got the thing done anyway.

- ALIEN. FRICKING. ZOO.

- The menageries, the hint at what's to come in future books, the world, the bustling marketplace selling human kids. JUST EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS WORLD MEGAN SHEPHERD CREATED.

Just a side note to say there are plenty flaws in this book, and plenty I hated and skimmed pages of, but it wormed its way into my heart anyway, and I LOVE this book.

Characters ★★★☆☆ (take out the other characters and I'd probably rate this a high 4)

Setting/world-building ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★☆

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