Review: ‘Iron Widow’ (‘Iron Widow’, #1) by Xiran Jay Zhao

He should be the Iron King, and I should be the Iron Queen.Yet Iron Demon and Iron Widow is all they'll let us be.This will not do. I will not let this power go. Rating: 4.75/5 paper planes Genre: YA (I'd say upper range) sci-fi fantasy; mecha; Chinese historical retellingPublication: 7 Oct 2021 (UK)Pages: 394 …

Review: ‘In The Watchful City’ by S. Qiouyi Lu

"White is the color of death... The color of pictures and clothes and bones left untended and eaten by the suns. But black?... Black is the color of life. When you dig into damp, dark dirt to plant a seed or look at the space between stars, wondering - that's life." Rating: 3.5/5 paper planes …

Review: ‘The High Auction’ (‘Wisdom Revolution’, #1) by Misba

“[S]peaking means nothing if you don’t have voice. The real voice. The voice that never fears.
The voice that never doubts.
The voice that wins without being loud.” Rating: 4.5/5 paper planes Genre: Sci-fi-fantasy; post-apocalyptic utopia/dystopiaPublication: 21 July 2021Pages: 164 (paperback) Synopsis: In the near future, a machinist, a monk, and a mesmerizer are looking for the …

Review: ‘The Ones We’re Meant to Find’ by Joan He

Every other sleep, I dream of swimming to the horizon and finding my sister at the edge of the world. She takes me by the hand and leads us home. Home means a city in the sky, sometimes. Or another island. Home could be here, for all I care, if she were with me. Rating: …

Review: ‘Sorrowland’ by Rivers Solomon (narr. Karen Chilton)

[Vern] saw that cursed flag on the hunter's T-shirt, and wondered if he knew about the glut of traumas that defined this nation's founding. Had he fallen so in love with the myth of belonging that he thought the corpses of his imaginary foes were worthwhile sacrifices toward barbecues, megachurches, bandannas and hot dogs?The primary …

Review: ‘An Unkindness of Ghosts’ by Rivers Solomon

[Aster] was standing on the edge of a new world and so ready to jump. How Lucifer felt upon leaving the Heavens. He didn't fall. He dove. Rating: 5/5 paper planes Genre: Science-fiction; Afrofuturism; dystopian fictionPublication: 3 Oct 2017Pages: 351 (paperback) Synopsis: Odd-mannered, obsessive, withdrawn - botanist and healer Aster Gray has little to offer …

Review: ‘To Sleep in a Sea of Stars’ by Christopher Paolini

"We are aware. we are conscious. And we are made from the same stuff as the heavens... We are the universe watching itself, watching and learning." Rating: 4.25/5 paper planes Genre: Science fiction (space opera)Publication: 15 Sep 2020Pages: 880 (hardcover) Synopsis: Kira Navárez dreamed of life on new worlds. Now she's awakened a nightmare. During …

Review: ‘One Wish, One Choice’ by Abby Hope Patrick

"None of us would be here if we only thought about our reasons. We're helping you because you need it. Because at one point we've all needed help and we had each other for that. Now it's our turn to help you." Rating: 4/5 paper planes Genre: YA dystopian fantasyPublication: 1 Sep 2020Pages: 272 (paperback) …

Review: ‘Court of Lions’ (‘Mirage’, #2) by Somaiya Daud

Sacred fire only ever came to the brave and courageous. Hope was given to a person who might reshape the world... For We have sent unto you a Sign. See it and take heed. Rating: 4.5/5 paper planes Genre: YA science-fiction fantasyPublication: 6 Aug 2020Pages: 336 (e-book) Synopsis: Amani, kidnapped into serving as a body …

Review: ‘Seven Devils’ (‘Seven Devils’, #1) by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May

She looked out at the stars and planned her next game.Queens kill king. Rating: 4.5/5 paper planes Genre: Science-fiction (space opera)Publication: 6 Aug 2020Pages: 448 (e-book)Synopsis: Eris thought she had left her old life as the Heir to the galaxy's most ruthless empire behind. But her recruitment by the Resistance throws her right back into …