Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura: My Introduction to Star Wars Novels

Star Wars - Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura

A Star Wars Disney Canon Junior Novel

Published: August 4th, 2020

Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

# of pages: 252

My rating: 3 stars

Acquired this book: From the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for honest consideration

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It's been a few years since Poe's mother passed away, and Poe and his father, who was a pilot for the Rebellion, have had more and more trouble connecting. Not sure what he wants to do with his life, teenage Poe runs away from home to find adventure, and to figure out what kind of man he is meant to be.

 

 

 

2020 is the year of Star Wars for me. I finally started watching the movies on New Year’s Day (thanks Disney+ for finally giving us a way to watch all of them in one place!). Poe Dameron quickly became one of my favourite characters of the franchise, so when I saw this book about a young Poe, I was intrigued. The Rise of Skywalker movie left me with so many questions - Poe was a spice runner? What was his history with Zorii? - and I was glad to have the opportunity to get some of those questions answered.

 

Since the death of Poe’s mother several years before, Poe’s dad has tried to quell Poe’s desire to be a pilot and seek more than a life as a farmer on Yavin 4. Poe longs for the type of adventure his parents experienced when they were fighting in the rebellion, but he knows he’ll never find it under the watchful, overprotective influence of his father. His life of adventure comes in the form of helping a stranded group of ‘smugglers’ off Yavin 4, but he gets more than he bargained for when he realizes he’s just offered to be a pilot for the infamous Spice Runners of Kijimi.

 

As a newbie to the expanded universe and origin stories, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Free Fall. It was interesting getting a look at Poe as a headstrong teenager and seeing his character fleshed out a bit more. Like many, I wasn’t thrilled about the whole ‘Poe was a spice runner’ reveal in The Rise of Skywalker, but knowing the details made me feel better about it. You could really feel the conflict within young Poe - his desire to return home warring with his desire to stay loyal to the spice runners, especially to Zorii, with whom he’d formed a connection. He ultimately realized that while he wanted a life of adventure, he wasn’t cut out for the violence, thievery, human trafficking, and other horrors that came with being a spice runner. His misadventures were necessary to show him what he did want and that there were safer and more noble ways to get the adventure he craved.

 

While I mostly enjoyed Free Fall, I had a few issues with it. The pacing was off, I was often confused about the passage of time, the relationships were very flat, and the ending was abrupt and not very satisfying. Overall I found myself wanting more. More of a connection to the characters, more depth, more emotion. While I did feel Poe’s conflict, I wanted to really connect to him and feel more emotion from him. This book felt like a tiny piece of a snapshot and I wanted the whole picture, or better yet, the whole album.

 

Poe had lived such a sheltered existence and here he was thrown into this life of crime and violence, but we got more action scenes than actually seeing how it all affected him. And while we did get the history between Poe and Zorii, I wanted to know more about Zorii herself other than the one-dimensional impression we got of her having no morals and being driven by anger and a misguided sense of loyalty to the spice runners. I was also hoping for more depth in Poe and Zorii’s relationship; we were told they’d formed a connection and had moments of intimacy but other than a few brief on-page scenes, we didn’t see much of it. We were told the important bits and then shown the action.

 

Mild potential spoiler: A friend of mine knows I ship Poe and Finn; she sent me an article a few months ago about how this book appeared to keep Poe’s sexuality open in subtle ways. In the book, the author used neutral phrasing that would definitely leave Poe’s sexuality open to interpretation. For example, “He’d cared for people before - felt the flutter of excitement at something new with someone, only to see it dashed” and “He’d messed up relationships with people before”. The use of ‘people’ rather than a specific gender is subtle and I’m sure it’s as much as Disney would allow, but it gives me some hope that maybe somehow, someway, someday, we’ll get more.

 

While I didn’t love Free Fall, I’m glad I read it. If you love Poe Dameron and want to know more of his back story and his history with Zorii, Free Fall makes for an interesting read that answers some of the questions raised by The Rise of Skywalker.

Have you read Poe Dameron: Free Fall? Have you read any of the Star Wars books? Have any favourites/ones you'd recommend to a newbie like me?

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Review: The Girl With the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke

The Girl With the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke

Series: The Balloonmakers #1

Published: September 1st, 2017

Publisher: Albert Whitman Company

256 pages (eARC)

Genre: Young Adult Historical/Science Fiction

Acquired this book: From Netgalley in exchange for honest consideration

Rating: 4.5 stars

Warning: May contain spoilers

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When sixteen-year-old Ellie Baum accidentally time-travels via red balloon to 1988 East Berlin, she’s caught up in a conspiracy of history and magic. She meets members of an underground guild in East Berlin who use balloons and magic to help people escape over the Wall—but even to the balloon makers, Ellie’s time travel is a mystery. When it becomes clear that someone is using dark magic to change history, Ellie must risk everything—including her only way home—to stop the process.

The Girl With the Red Balloon is full of magic, mystery, action, romance, and wonderfully diverse characters. Set in 1988 East Berlin, a year before the Berlin Wall came down, there’s so much history and devastation and love and hope packed into Ellie and Kai and Mitzi’s story.

The book started out a bit slow for me, but when it picked up, I could hardly put it down. The last quarter or so was so exciting I was stabbing at my Kindle pages trying to turn them faster and faster. Locke created a complex story that wove together the lives of several generations of people, from the Holocaust to Cold War Germany where a girl from modern times ends up time traveling via magic balloon.

Whenever I read books that deal with Hitler’s Germany in any way, I realize how little I actually know about the horrors of the Holocaust. The scenes told from Ellie’s grandfather’s perspective, which took place mostly in a ghetto in Poland, left me with a lump in my throat, fighting back tears. I knew even less about the Cold War and the Berlin Wall, and the intense oppression and fear people experienced in East Berlin. As I was reading, I kept thinking, ‘this is recent history. This isn’t even 30 years ago. I was alive when this happened’. Considering what’s happening in the world and the fact the US currently has a leader who has frightening resemblances to Hitler, this book is one that got me thinking, researching, and having important conversations with friends.

The Girl With the Red Balloon wasn’t just a story about the atrocities of history, though. It was also a story about friendship, acceptance, love, perseverance, and hope. So much hope. I know this is a story that will stick with me - I read it weeks ago and have thought about it every single day since. I can’t wait to read the next book and see what happens.

Have you read The Girl With the Red Balloon? Do you consider yourself well educated when it comes to the Holocaust and/or the Cold War? Do you enjoy books about time travel?

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Review: The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie

The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie
Series: The Abyss Surrounds Us #2
Published: April 18th, 2017
Publisher: Flux
320 pages (eARC)
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
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Three weeks have passed since Cassandra Leung pledged her allegiance to the ruthless pirate-queen Santa Elena and set free Bao, the sea monster Reckoner she’d been forced to train. The days as a pirate trainee are long and grueling, but it’s not the physical pain that Cas dreads most. It’s being forced to work with Swift, the pirate girl who broke her heart.

But Cas has even bigger problems when she discovers that Bao is not the only monster swimming free. Other Reckoners illegally sold to pirates have escaped their captors and are taking the NeoPacific by storm, attacking ships at random and ruining the ocean ecosystem. As a Reckoner trainer, Cas might be the only one who can stop them. But how can she take up arms against creatures she used to care for and protect?

Will Cas embrace the murky morals that life as a pirate brings or perish in the dark waters of the NeoPacific?

It’s been almost a year and a half since I read The Abyss Surrounds Us, but within a few pages of The Edge of the Abyss, I was sucked back into Cas’s world of pirates and sea monsters. This was a fantastic conclusion to a well-written, action-packed sci-fi adventure in a world that’s easy to imagine.

Picking up shortly after where the first book ended, Cas has left her life as a Reckoner trainer and sworn allegiance to the totally badass pirate queen, Santa Elena. As one of Santa Elena’s chosen few, she’s in training to one day take over as captain of the Minnow. Her one advantage is an extensive knowledge of Reckoners, which puts her at the forefront when the crew discover the rogue Reckoners that are swimming free in the NeoPacific and could cause irreparable damage in many ways.

I loved how The Edge of the Abyss built on The Abyss Surrounds Us. In this book, we get to see more of the pirates themselves and learn about pirate politics, which was fascinating. We get to see more growth from Cas, and we also get to see more of the secondary characters, which I liked. They became real people for me in this book, a true supporting cast.

I have slightly mixed feelings about the romance in this one. On the one hand, I understand Cas’s hurt and anger and being unsure whether she can forgive Swift for the things that came to light at the end of the first book. She and Swift are finally on equal footing, but so much has happened that seems impossible to get past. Their relationship was always complex, and I appreciated the slow burn of it, but there was almost too much back and forth. Cas has a lot to deal with besides her feelings for Swift - guilt over leaving her life and family behind, uncertainty over her future, trying to figure out a plan to deal with the Reckoners - so while I would have easily understood the romance not being a main focus of the plot, the way it was handled makes the plot feel choppy at times. That being said, the emotions were realistic. Their romance was never hearts and rainbows, full of mushy sentiments and pledges of eternal love, and that made it more realistic than a lot of other YA romances because young love is often rocky and uncertain and confusing. I was ultimately satisfied and I appreciated how things ended, but the rocky ride was a bit tiresome at times.

The Edge of the Abyss is fast paced, engaging, and full of thrilling action and great characters. I’d love to see this duology turned into a movie or TV series. 

{My review of The Abyss Surrounds Us}

Have you read The Abyss Surrounds Us or The Edge of the Abyss? What did you think? If you haven't read them, do you plan to? Do you have any recommendations for books featuring pirates?

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Review: Dreamology by Lucy Keating

Dreamology by Lucy Keating
Series: Standalone
Published: April 12th, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
336 pages (eARC)
Genre: Contemporary YA/Science Fiction
Acquired this book: Via Edelweiss in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
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For as long as Alice can remember, she has dreamed of Max. Together they have traveled the world and fallen deliriously, hopelessly in love. Max is the boy of her dreams—and only her dreams. Because he doesn’t exist.

But when Alice walks into class on her first day at a new school, there he is. It turns out, though, that Real Max is nothing like Dream Max, and getting to know each other in reality isn’t as perfect as Alice always hoped.

When their dreams start to bleed dangerously into their waking hours, the pair realize that they might have to put an end to a lifetime of dreaming about each other. But when you fall in love in your dreams, can reality ever be enough? 

Dreamology is a breath of fresh air. It combines my favourite YA genre - contemporary - and adds in elements of fantasy and science fiction that set it apart and made it wonderfully unique. After reading several meh books and a DNF, Dreamology was exactly the type of light, fun, and funny book I needed.

Alice was a fantastic main character. She had a great voice that felt age appropriate and her thoughts and actions rang true to her age. I connected with her easily and wanted to see her succeed in everything she did because she seemed so real. Besides Alice, this book was full of fantastic characters. I adored Max; he was literally Alice’s dream boy, but he wasn’t perfect, which I appreciated. He was a bit of a mystery at times, since Dream Max and Real Max were so different to Alice, but despite that, he clearly knew Alice well. I loved how even when he seemed distant, he was always looking out for Alice and clearly cared about her. Alice’s best friend Sophie, and her new friend Oliver were stand-out secondary characters. Oliver was hilarious, and if I hadn’t loved Max so much I would have wanted Alice and Oliver together. Alice’s dog Jerry deserves a special mention too. I loved how he was always there, a special part of Alice’s life and her memories of growing up. Keating did an incredible job with all the characters; they were all so real, all had a purpose, and they all leapt of the page.

The dream sequences in the book were so much fun to read. They were wild and crazy and imaginative, and as someone with a vivid imagination, I loved reading about Alice and Max’s dream adventures. It was also fascinating to learn some of the science behind dreams. Dreams are such a mystery to most of us, so I appreciated how those facts were woven into the book in a natural, interesting way. I also appreciated that even though there were fantastical elements that made you feel like you were in a dreamworld, there were also realistic situations - Alice’s family issues, school, trying to figure out what to do with her life, her feelings for Max, a friend’s unrequited feelings for her. There was a lot of real ‘teen stuff’ and it all felt really authentic. 

Dreamology is a book that will stick with me for a long time. Full of vivid descriptions, memorable characters, and an original plot, Dreamology is a must-read for fans of contemporary YA who are looking for a little something extra.

Have you read Dreamology? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you have vivid, memorable dreams or do you forget your dreams the minute you wake up?

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Review: Into the Dim by Janet B Taylor

Into the Dim by Janet B Taylor
Series: Into the Dim #1
Published: March 1st, 2016
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
432 pages (eARC)
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
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When fragile sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. Trapped in the twelfth century in the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Along the way, her path collides with that of a mysterious boy who could be vital to her mission...or the key to Hope’s undoing. Addictive, romantic, and rich with historical detail, Into the Dim is an Outlander for teens.

When I first read the synopsis of Into the Dim, I remember my eyes getting bigger and bigger with excitement. Scotland. Secret society. Time travel. Eleanor of Aquitaine. All things that should make for a Marie Book. I went into it trying hard not to expect too much ‘just in case’, but ended up completely loving this book from beginning to end. It wove together elements of contemporary, science fiction, and historic fiction into a book that was nearly impossible to put down.

Hope has led a very sheltered life. Not only did her mother homeschool her, she also led Hope to believe she didn’t need anyone else in her life - no friends and few interactions with the outside world. Hope’s adopted father loved her, but his family was horrible to her, so Hope stayed away from them as much as possible. She developed a lot of phobias throughout her seclusion, plus she awkward and uncomfortable around other people. A few months after her mother’s death, Hope’s dad is already moving on, so when Hope’s mom’s family invites her to visit in Scotland, she goes. She’s not there long before she learns all kinds of fantastical things, including the fact her family is in a secret society of time travelers, and her mother isn’t actually dead - she’s trapped in London in the 1100s.

Hope was a great main character. She started out really timid and afraid of her own shadow, but she overcame so many obstacles - both mental and physical - along the way. She surprised me with her strength, and I ended up feeling proud of her for how strong, smart, and resourceful she was. I liked that the book started out like a contemporary, giving you time to get to know, like, and even understand Hope, and then BAM, not only does time travel exist, but she’s about to experience it. The book truly grabbed and held my attention once the characters travelled back in time. It all seemed so well thought out, and the plot was incredibly engaging. I’ve always been fascinated by Eleanor of Aquitaine (talk about a badass woman!), and I loved her part in the story. I also enjoyed the other characters and their side stories, and thought they were a great addition. It was obvious Taylor had done her research, and I appreciated that she touched on various aspects of what life was like then, from how horrifically common rape was to how a man essentially owned and controlled his wife to anti-Semitism and a bit of what life was like if you were Jewish. As a history nerd, I loved the little details and facts that were worked into the story, especially since I just visited London for the first time last year.

Overall, I loved Into the Dim. It was action packed, had great twists, plenty of intrigue, and a slow-building romance that kept me guessing and made me swoon. The vivid writing sucked me in - there were even a few times where I was breathless because the things that were happening seemed so real. I had high hopes for this book, and it exceeded my expectations. I can’t wait for the next book!

 

Have you read Into the Dim? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you have a favourite time travel book?

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Review: The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie
Series: The Abyss Surrounds Us #1
Published: February 8th, 2016
Publisher: Flux
288 pages (eARC)
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
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For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the genetically-engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water.

There’s no time to mourn. Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched Reckoner pup. Santa Elena wants to take back the seas with a monster of her own, and she needs a proper trainer to do it. She orders Cas to raise the pup, make sure he imprints on her ship, and, when the time comes, teach him to fight for the pirates. If Cas fails, her blood will be the next to paint the sea.

But Cas has fought pirates her entire life. And she's not about to stop.

Pirates and sea monsters and kickass girls OH MY! The Abyss Surrounds Us was my first read of 2016; it’s rare to start the year with a book that’s so amazing and sets such a high standard you’re afraid all other books will pale in comparison, but that’s what this book has done. It’s been a long time since I read something that captured my complete attention the way The Abyss Surrounds Us did. The story played out like a movie in my mind with every detail sharp and real and larger than life.

This book is full of great characters. I was surprised how quickly and easily I was sucked into the story and then I realized it was Cas’s voice. There’s just something about her, and I spent the entire book feeling like I was hanging on her every word and action. She’s strong, smart, passionate, and funny, and she felt so real. She started out seeming like a regular girl - mind you, a regular girl who risks her life every day dealing with sea monsters - and then morphs into this badass girl living among ruthless pirates and doing whatever it takes to survive, even when it means crossing into a grey moral area. The other characters in the book were equally real; I was immediately intrigued by Swift and terrified by Santa Elena. Every character served a purpose.

The romance wasn’t as much a part of the story as I’d expected/hoped, but it was done so perfectly I didn’t mind. Cas’s sexuality was another part of this story that made it unique: she was gay, but there was no coming out, it wasn’t an issue or an obstacle, it was just part of who she was, and I loved that so, so much. Don’t get me wrong, I will always support coming out stories, but I’ve been desperate for books where a character is gay and out and their orientation isn’t part of the story’s conflict. Cas and Swift’s relationship was complicated for so many reasons, but they had sizzling chemistry, and there were moments that were sweet and funny and achingly beautiful. I loved the push and push, the will-they-won’t-they, the tentative alliance, then friendship, then budding feelings.

The Abyss Surrounds Us is a pretty damn near perfect debut from Emily Skrutskie. It’s original, compelling, and had me gripping my ereader in a white-knuckled grasp through at least half the book. I can’t wait to see what happens in the second book!

Have you read The Abyss Surrounds Us? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you read science fiction? Have a favourite book about pirates or sea monsters?

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Review: The Infinite by Lori M Lee

The Infinite by Lori M Lee 
Series: Gates of Thread and Stone #2
Published: March 10th, 2015
Publisher: Skyscape
378 pages (eARC)
Genre: Young adult fantasy
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration 

Warning: May contain spoilers

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{Read my review of Gates of Thread and Stone}

Kai always believed the only danger to the city came from within. Now, with a rebel force threatening the fragile government, the walls have become more of a prison than ever.

To make matters worse, as Avan explores his new identity as an Infinite, Kai struggles to remind him what it means to be human. And she fears her brother, Reev, is involved with the rebels. With the two people she cares about most on opposite sides of a brewing war, Kai will do whatever it takes to bring peace. But she’s lost her power to manipulate the threads of time, and she learns that a civil war might be the beginning of something far worse that will crumble not only Ninurta’s walls but also the entire city.

In this thrilling sequel to Gates of Thread and Stone, Kai must decide how much of her humanity she’s willing to lose to protect the only family she’s ever known.

I loved Gates of Thread and Stone. The gorgeous cover drew me in, and then my interest was captivated by the story itself - great characters, mystery, magic, romance, action. There was so much to love about the book, and I was eager to find out what would happen to Kai and her friends and family next. The Infinite was a great sequel. It satisfied my curiosity about what would happen next while skillfully adding in new information, new intrigue, and character development, plus setting things up for the next book.

Things in Ninurta are changing quickly after the huge power shift at the end of the first book. Kai has gone from living a simple life where she and her brother struggled to survive financially to living in the city centre and dealing directly with the people who run the city. When they learn that there are more survivors of the war living in their own city, things change even more.

Kai has a lot to deal with. She’s just found out the truth about her past, who/what she really is, and who her biological family is. She’s torn between worlds, between different groups of people, between family and duty, and between two possible loves. Through it all, though, she’s strong, smart, and fierce. She’s not perfect by any means, and she can be impulsive and even reckless, but I think that’s part of what makes her so great. She would do anything to protect the people she cares about, even if that means putting herself in danger. And it’s those flaws that make her believable and easy to connect with.

The romance, while not a main plot of the book, was much more prominent in Gates of Thread and Stone. The Infinite just had hints of romance, because there was so much else going on. I loved Avan in the first book, so it was hard seeing him not be himself. He’s the same person on the outside, but has none of his memories or old personality traits, and I can only imagine how much it would hurt Kai to interact with the boy who looks like the one she cares about but who can’t even remember her or their past. It made me glad he wasn’t in much of the book, because his interactions with Kai usually just left me sad. I did, however, continue to fall harder for Mason in this book. I loved him in the first book and was torn between him and Avan, but unless Avan somehow gets his memories back, I’m leaning more toward Mason. He and Kai are a good match, they work well together, and they have great chemistry.

With lots of twists and turns, a ton of new information, and plenty of action, The Infinite was a great sequel to Gates of Thread and Stone. I’m curious to see where the story will go from here, what will happen to the characters, and how certain things will get wrapped up.

 

    

Have you read Gates of Thread and Stone or The Infinite? What did you think? If you haven't read them, do you plan to? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

  
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Review: Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M Lee

Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M Lee

Series: Gates of Thread and Stone #1

Published: August 5th, 2014

Publisher: Skyscape

335 pages (eARC)

Genre: Young adult fantasy

Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration

Warning: May contain spoilers

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In the Labyrinth, we had a saying: keep silent, keep still, keep safe.

In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to keep hidden her own secret—she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her “brother” has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn’t know where her ability comes from—or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the freight container they call home, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai’s only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper’s son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her.

Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do whatever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she’s ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique power.

When I read the synopsis of Gates of Thread and Stone, I was really excited. Plus, I mean, that cover is just so beautiful and eye-catching, right? Between the cover and synopsis, I had extremely high hopes for Gates of Thread and Stone, and I’m thrilled to say it lived up to my expectations. This book drew me in from the first page and held my attention right to the last page. It was gripping, exciting, mysterious, and well written, with a tightly woven, inventive plot.

I really liked Kai. She was feisty, smart, and strong. She loved her brother fiercely, and would do anything to make him happy and make life easier. She was a believable teenager - at times insecure, uncertain, selfish, impulsive - definitely flawed, and I loved that. We didn’t see much of Reev, Kai’s brother, but from Kai’s thoughts and memories of him, plus the few glimpses we did get, you were able to get a good sense of the protective, loyal older brother who would do anything to keep his sister safe.

Then there was Avan. Oh Avan. *swoon* I loved him. I loved the will they/won’t they pull between him and Kai, and the slow build of anticipation toward the possibility of something beyond friendship. I alternately sighed and squealed every time they touched, especially as the story went on and things were so uncertain. They had each other when everything was falling apart and even though there were moments I wanted to knock some sense into Kai, I loved these two together.

The world building in this book was fantastic. I was fascinated by the Labyrinth and the world beyond, and was able to picture it all clearly. The whole thing had a dark and creepy post-apocalypse vibe to it. I loved that this book was different from anything I’ve read.

I’ll admit, part of me was hoping this would be a really strong standalone. Up until close to the end I thought it might be, but by the end, I knew there would have to be a continuation. The ending was bittersweet, but I’m hopeful it will get worked out in the sequel, and since I loved these characters so much I’m happy to get the opportunity to see them again.

Gates of Thread and Stone is a fast-paced adventure full of magic and romance. I think this book will appeal to a lot of readers, whether you like fantasy, science fiction, post-apocalyptic, dystopian, or romance. Gates of Thread and Stone has a great concept, and Lori M Lee executed it with finesse. I highly recommend this one. 

 

   

Have you read Gates of Thread and Stone? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

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