BOOK REVIEW: Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop.org | The Broken Binding | Waterstones

Hi Guys, I'm following up my Spotlight post with a review of Shards of Earth.

A big thank you to UK Tor, BlackCrow, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

"Shards of Earth" is a great story set in space and has everything I like in it: war, aliens, politics, and action. 

I'm somewhat new to the adult sci-fi genre, so please take this review with the grain of salt. I'm still trying to find out what works and doesn't work for me in this genre and I'm trying out different types. What drew me to this book was the premise, it sounds amazing and I actually got the audiobook to listen to while working which made the experience pretty good for me. I would switch between the ebook and the audiobook. The narration is excellent and if you like audiobooks, I do recommend it.

Now, I think this book was a slight miss for me due to its complexity and also because I wasn't actually in the mood for it but if I was waiting to get in the right mood for sci-fi, we'd be waiting for another year. 

While I did enjoy it for the majority of it, and I can also tell that this isn't a bad book at all, it just didn't work for me and I'm sad because I really wanted it to be a hit for me. It has all the things that I like except for one: the characters. 

I really can't tell you much about any of them save for Solis and Idris who are the two characters who left the most lasting impression on me. However, I still can't think of much about them. I love the idea of who they are and what has been happening to them and with them and I would've loved to have explored that a bit more.

The novel is actually a lot more plot-driven than I expected and has a lot of action, which I usually don't mind if I care about the characters. I feel like I, as the reader, was thrust into the world and the storyline pretty much right off the bat and so I was mostly confused, wondering what was going on for the most part. 

I liked the writing a lot and all of the action scenes were very well-written. After I got used to the writing, it got so much easier to read and I flew through it. I actually enjoyed a lot of the new species and the world as a whole. Some of the scientific things flew over my head but that's to be expected. I do have to say that I love it when there are aliens in sci-fi novels so this increased my enjoyment by a lot. 

The ending was quite satisfying to me. Even if I couldn't connect to the entire novel, I loved the conclusion and I'd definitely read the sequel.

This was also my first Tchaikovsky book and even though it wasn't completely my taste, I will try his other books too.

I do want to stress again that this is NOT a bad book at all, it just wasn't completely for me. However, it does have great world-building, concept, great action scenes, and atmosphere.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky (The Ultimate Blog Tour)

 

Hello, hello, it's been a while, hasn't it?

Today, I'm here to present to you Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky as a part of The Ultimate Blog tour. I will also be following up with a review of the book next month. 

This will be my first Tchaikovsky book and I'm very excited about it. It sounds like a great read and I've heard nothing but good things about it. So, what is Shards of Earth about?

Publisher: Tor

Length: 592 Pages

Publishing: 27^th May 2021

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HLPZY6X

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55437088-shards-of-earth

Blurb

 

This high-stakes space-based adventure will be perfect for those who loved Children of Time, also by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . .

Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade his mind in the war. And one of humanity’s heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers.

Eighty years ago, Earth was destroyed by an alien enemy. Many escaped, but millions more died. So mankind created enhanced humans ­such as Idris - who could communicate mind-to-mind with our aggressors. Then these ‘Architects’ simply disappeared and Idris and his kind became obsolete.

Now, Idris and his crew have something strange, abandoned in space. It’s clearly the work of the Architects – but are they really returning? And if so, why? Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy as they search for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value, and many would kill to obtain it.

Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky:

‘Brilliant science fiction’ – James McAvoy on Children of Time

‘Full of sparkling, speculative invention’ – Stephen Baxter on The Doors of Eden

Shards of Earth is the first thrilling instalment in the Final Architecture trilogy - by the Arthur C. Clarke award-winning novelist Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop.org | The Broken Binding | Waterstones

About the Author

(from http://shadowsoftheapt.com/about-the-author)

 

Adrian Tchaikovsky is the author of the acclaimed Shadows of the Apt fantasy series, from the first volume, Empire In Black and Gold in 2008 to the final book, Seal of the Worm, in 2014, with a new series and a standalone science fiction novel scheduled for 2015. He has been nominated for the David Gemmell Legend Award and a British Fantasy Society Award. In civilian life he is a lawyer, gamer, and amateur entomologist.

 Thank you to The Write Reads for inviting me to join the tour and please stay tuned for my review next month!

Blog Tour: The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani

Thank you to Harper Teen and Qamar Tours for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Book Title: The Theft Of Sunlight 

Author: Intisar Khanani (http://booksbyintisar.com/)

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Publication Date: March 23rd, 2021

Publisher: HarperTeen (US/CA), Hot Key (UK)

Cover Artist: Jenny Zemanek (http://www.seedlingsonline.com)

ONGOING PREORDER PROMOTION: http://booksbyintisar.com/2021/02/10/theft-of-sunlight-preorder-promo/

 Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon UK  | B&N |  Kobo  |  Apple  |  Google Play  |  Indiebound

Goodreads synopsis:

I did not choose this fate. But I will not walk away from it.

Children have been disappearing from across Menaiya for longer than Amraeya ni Ansarim can remember. When her friend’s sister is snatched, Rae knows she can’t look away any longer - even if that means seeking answers from the royal court, where her country upbringing and clubfoot will only invite ridicule.

Yet the court holds its share of surprises. There she discovers an ally in the foreign princess, who recruits her as an attendant. Armed with the princess’s support, Rae seeks answers in the dark city streets, finding unexpected help in a rough-around-the-edges street thief with secrets of his own. But treachery runs deep, and the more Rae uncovers, the more she endangers the kingdom itself.

_______

I absolutely loved this one!

When I first started reading Thorn back in early 2020 I didn't know what to expect and I also didn't know the original story it was a retelling of, but I found myself completely captivated by it and couldn't put it down.

I didn't believe its companion The Theft of Sunlight would have the same effect on me but I was proven wrong.

From the very beginning, I was captivated by it. Our new main character Rae is quickly introduced as a person who would do anything for those she cares about, especially if they are looked down upon by other people. What's more, Rae is just a normal girl whose motivation to help her best friend and keep her sister safe is what drives her to help others too. I loved that about her, and she is certainly a new favourite character. I love her strength and how real her reactions were whenever somebody from higher up would start having bigger expectations from her than she was initially willing to give.

I loved how we meet some of the old characters in this one too and even though I don't remember them much, I loved seeing them again. We see Alyrra and Kestrin from Rae's POV which was different and refreshing, it basically shows how they project themselves to the people around them and I loved that.

I did predict some of the main twists kind of early on but this didn't stop me from enjoying my read at all because of how much I was invested in Rae's story. I'm also obsessed with Bren and after what happened at the end of the book, I can't wait to see more of him. I want to know his reaction and what his actions will be.

Something I didn't expect at all at the end of the book was what happened to Rae. I did manage to foresee some of it but not what actually happened to her. What I absolutely loved however is her final determination. I can't wait for the second book now.

Make sure to check out the other tour stops!

About the author:

Website | Goodreads | Facebooks | Instagram | Twitter

Intisar Khanani grew up a nomad and world traveler. She has lived in five different states as well as in Jeddah on the coast of the Red Sea. Intisar used to write grants and develop projects to address community health with the Cincinnati Health Department, which was as close as she could get to saving the world. Now she focuses her time on her two passions: raising her family and writing fantasy.