The Sound of Useless Wings - Free Short Story Alert

After rereading Tin Star I immediately reread this short story about Heckleck. It's available as an ebook on amazon, but can also be read for free online.

It is a beautiful story in my opinion, so if you read Tin Star or are a fan of SF, I can recommend you give this a try.


The Sound of Useless Wings
CECIL CASTELLUCCI
illustration by DOMINICK SAPONARO

In this prequel to Tin Star, we meet Heckleck, the Hort alien who befriends Tula Bane on the space station Yertina Feray in her fight for survival. In his modest beginnings, Heckleck is raised to understand that breeding and propagating his own kind is the sole reason for living. When he is called upon to settle on a new planet, he meets the daughter of a politician, Goglu, with whom he falls helplessly in love, and is determined to win over. But nothing is easy in love and space exploration, and when his plans become thwarted, he must find a new way of life.

This short story was acquired and edited for Tor.com by Connie Hsu.

Read it here

Tin Star - Book Review (repost)

 I was in the mood for some comfort reads, so I reread this book. Here's a repost of my review + some thoughts on rereading.

Tin Star (Tin Star #1)

by Cecil Castellucci

What is it about:

On their way to start a new life, Tula and her family travel on the Prairie Rose, a colony ship headed to a planet in the outer reaches of the galaxy. All is going well until the ship makes a stop at a remote space station, the Yertina Feray, and the colonist's leader, Brother Blue, beats Tula within an inch of her life. An alien, Heckleck, saves her and teaches her the ways of life on the space station.

When three humans crash land onto the station, Tula's desire for escape becomes irresistible, and her desire for companionship becomes unavoidable. But just as Tula begins to concoct a plan to get off the space station and kill Brother Blue, everything goes awry, and suddenly romance is the farthest thing from her mind.

What did I think of it:

This is such a great read!

I love that this is a story that actually uses real aliens instead of aliens that are basically the same as humans in appearance. Even better is that Tula ends up being looked at as the alien, being the only human on the space station, and humans being a rare sight for the other aliens. I think this book would have deserved a place on my keeper shelves just for that alone.

Luckily there's lots more good things about this book. It's a really cool and intense read.

I loved the aliens, especially Heckleck, Tula's mentor. Castellucci manages to keep him alien, while still giving him qualities that make you like him and relate to him.

I liked reading about the space station, the aliens living there, and about how Tula adapts to her new life. It's surprising how Castellucci makes you fall in love with the space station and its inhabitants with just a minimum of world building.

Then the humans arrive and Tula has to decide how to deal with that.

Not often I've come across a book where you can understand the aliens better than the humans, but this book is one of them. I didn't trust the humans at all, and felt like warning Tula about them. It made for some intense reading.

Some events I saw coming, but others caught me off guard and left me shocked. The ending (although leaving some things open) was satisfying, but I was so in love with this story and world by then that I was eager for more.

All in all this is a really beautiful and suspenseful Young Adult SciFi, and you can bet I will get my trotters on the sequel once it releases. I will also try another book by Castellucci in the meantime.

Thoughts on rereading:

On my first read Heckleck was my absolute favorite. He still was my favorite on this reread, but Tournour, the chief constable on the station really grew on me in this reread. I missed a lot of subtle things in my first read, because I was focused on other things.

Why should you read it:

It's a YA SciFi with actual aliens!

buy from amazon

The Problem with Pugs - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

 

The Problem with Pugs (Love & Pets #1)

by A.G. Henley

What is it about:

New love? Or her pug?

Amelia’s boyfriend Tim broke up with her three months, thirteen days, and eleven hours ago, but at least he left her their baby, Doug the pug. Doug eats her underwear, mutilates furniture, and always poops in the middle of the sidewalk — but he only has eyes for her.

When Amelia reluctantly wades back into the dating pool, meets a new guy, and has to pay his medical bill after Doug launches a sneak attack on him, she realizes she has a problem. She’s determined to do everything she can to help her dog adjust to life without Tim, even recruiting handsome Travis, Doug’s new veterinarian, who’s willing to assist her at risk of life and limb.

But it won’t be so easy. Doug’s the only man in Amelia’s life now... and he isn’t about to share.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:

After reading the prologue as a short story I was invested in the pug enough to want to give the full book a try.

This turned out to be a nice read. Amelia is pretty hung up on her ex, who's a total jerk, so that annoyed me at times, but not too much. I did love Doug and was rooting for him to get a happily ever after. He's quite the destructive pug, but I could understand where the behavior is coming from.

As a romance it didn't really tick my boxes. I was invested in Doug and side characters, but never got that fluttering feeling I want from a good romance. Still I enjoyed myself with the book and was happy with how it ended.

As I do not have kindle unlimited I don't think I'll get other books in this series, unless they go on sale.

Why should you read it:

It's a fun Contemporary Romance with a pug.

buy from Amazon

Dark Wizard - Book Review (repost)

I reread this book recently (still totally awesome!), so here's a repost of my review.

Dark Wizard (Bonds of Magic #1) 

by Jeffe Kennedy 

What is it about:

Lord Gabriel Phel wants one thing: to restore his shattered House to its former station in the Convocation’s complex and arcane society. Fortunately, through a wild chance of birth, he was born with the magic of a powerful wizard, the first in his family in generations. If he can obtain a familiar to supplement his skills, ideally one who is a highborn daughter who can also be his lady wife, then he’ll be that much closer to restoring House Phel. And to exacting his ultimate revenge on the Convocation that destroyed his family.

Lady Veronica Elal doesn’t have many choices. To her bitter disappointment, she will never be the powerful wizard she and her father hoped she’d be. Instead Nic is doomed to be a familiar like her mother, a second-class citizen in the Convocation, and one destined to be bonded to a wizard, serving his purposes for the rest of her life. Her one hope lies in entering the Betrothal Trials—and choosing a wizard from the Convocation candidates that she can manipulate. Whichever one of her suitors impregnates her will claim her as familiar and wife, and she can use her wiles to rule her wizard master, and the House she marries into.

But Gabriel throws a wrench into Nic’s careful scheming, by seducing and fascinating her. When she finds she’s pregnant by the rogue wizard she can never hope to control, Nic does the unthinkable: she runs.

What did I think of it:

This book is amazing!

The world Jeffe creates in this book is intriguing and twisted. I loved learning about the Convocation rules and what they mean for those who have to follow them.

Veronica/Nic grew up with these rules and takes them for granted. Gabriel however is new to them and it was fun to see how different both react to the rules.

The two of them also have very different ideas about a possible future together, and when Nic realizes Gabriel won't ever be the gullible and malleable wizard she was hoping him to be, she runs. Gabriel however won't let her disappear that easily.

I loved both Nic and Gabriel. Nic is a product of her highborn upbringing and once she's on her own has to learn a lot about both herself and the world around her. Gabriel is new to the world of the Convocation and he has to be careful he doesn't break the rules he only recently learned about.

I read this book in almost one sitting and rooted for the both of them. The ending of this book is very satisfying, but there's so much coming for these two, and there's so much yet to explore within this fascinating world that I'm eager for the next book. I want more! 

Why should you read it:

It's a wonderful dark Fantasy Romance

buy links

Love, Pugs, and Other Problems - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

 

Love, Pugs, and Other Problems (Love & Pets #0.5)

by A.G. Henley

What is it about:

She wanted a ring. She got a pug, instead.

Amelia doesn't care much for her job as a legal secretary, but she's head over heels for her boyfriend Tim and his pet pug, Doug. When Tim says he has something important to ask her, she knows the rainbow painted day she's been dreaming of is here. Her naked ring finger is finally getting some bling.

That night, she makes Tim’s favorite meal, lights candles, and plays sure-fire mood music, but when he finally pops the question, Amelia discovers the rainbow road to her dreams may be bumpier than she expected... and covered in pug fur.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:

This was yet another freebie I found on my kindle app. I probably got it as a freebie for signing up for a newsletter, or I came across it on the author's website, but I really don't remember. It was probably the pug that drew me in.

This turned out to be more of a prologue to the first book in the series than a standalone story. It introduces you to Amelia and her troubled love life. And just when it starts getting interesting it's over.

I must say I did love Doug, the pug, from the start and was rooting for him. So when I saw that book one was 99 cents I decided to get it, to see if Doug would get a happy end. And ok: maybe to see if Amelia would get one too.

Why should you read it:

If you want to read the first book in this series, this short story is a great prologue.

Get it on the author's website

Teaser Tuesdays - Capture the Crown

 

I held back a derisive snort. That was even less of a disguise than my short, dyed hair and miner's coveralls. So he was arrogant, as well as duplicitous.

(page 24, Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep)

buy from amazon

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Advanced Physical Chemistry - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

 

Advanced Physical Chemistry (Chemistry Lessons #3)

by Susannah Nix

What is it about:

After four lousy boyfriends in a row, chemical engineer Penny Popplestone swears off men until she can figure out why they keep cheating on her. But her no-men resolution hits a snag when the mysterious and superhumanly hot barista at her favorite coffee shop strikes up a friendship with her.

Penny strives to keep things platonic, but when Caleb gives her the kiss of her life, she realizes he wants to be more than just friends. Tired of always being “good little Penny,” she throws caution to the wind and pursues a no-strings fling with the hottie barista. It’s not like they have anything in common beyond scorching physical chemistry, so what does she have to lose?

Only her heart.

Now, this fanfic-reading, plus-size heroine faces an unsolvable problem. What do you do when being apart is unbearable…but being together is impossible?

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:

I was still in a Contemporary Romance mood, so had a look at the freebies lingering in my kindle app. I came across this one that I downloaded when it was temporarily free on amazon somewhere last year.

And this is a nice read.

I liked Caleb, even where I didn't really warm up to Penny. I'm not sure what it was about her, but she came across as kind of forgettable.

Still I was interested in seeing what happened to their fling, and to some of the customers at the coffee shop. I was disappointed that Penny's job wasn't more important to the story. For a series that prouds itself it's about women working in STEM fields Penny could easily have been working any other work from home job.

All in all a nice, but forgettable read. After finishing it I discovered I actually also have the first book in the series hiding somewhere on my kindle app, so I might try that one to see if that's more gripping.

Why should you read it:

It's a nice Contemporary Romance.

buy from Amazon