Review: Blood Crown by Ali Cross

Title: Blood Crown

Author: Ali Cross

Series: The Eden Project #1

My Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Genres: YA, Sci-fi

Published February 20th 2014

Format read: eARC, NetGalley

Goodreads/Amazon/Book Depository

Description from Goodreads:

Androids have claimed power over what remains of the human race. They rule without remorse. They are the Mind and humans exist only to serve them. 

But it wasn't always so.

Before the android uprising, select droids, called Servants, were pivotal in engineering anew human race with nanotechnology enhanced DNA. The Blood Crown theorum was to be humanity's crowning glory and the key to their survival in deep space.

But Serantha, Daughter of the West, was the last female to receive Gifts from her Servant and when the Mind mutinied, she was hidden away, and presumed dead. 

Without Serantha there is no hope of the Blood Crown being realized so Nicolai, Son of the East, abandons his crown to join the rebel forces. He might not provide the future for his people he had once dreamed of, but he will not go down without a fight.

When Nicolai discovers Sera among a small compliment of kitchen staff, everything changes--but Sera's Gifts were never completed and she is ill-equipped to face a legion of androids determined to wipe her, and every other human, out of existence.

Their only hope is the Blood Crown--but even if Serantha and Nicolai can realize their potential it may be too late to save mankind.

My Review

Let me start by saying how much I love the book cover. I mean, it's SO PRETTY!!! I can't stop looking at it. *Sigh*

I really enjoyed reading Blood Crown, and I think it's a great book. After reading Shattered Veil (read my review *cough* my fangirling here), I was like "I want to read more Sci-fi books".  And when I saw Blood Crown on NetGalley I requested it without even reading the synopsis; I was totally swayed by the gorgeous cover.

I'll be honest, though. I did have some issues with Blood Crown. First of all, I have to say that it was hard for me to get into the story, because like I said earlier, I didn't bother to read what it was about before diving into it. Also, Blood Crown is told from different points of view which is another reason why I struggled with it. However, when I finally clicked with the characters, I couldn't stop reading. Another issue I had was the insta-love. I couldn't understand why Sera felt instantly attracted to Nick, and the affection these two felt for each other didn't seem realistic to me. But later on, I discovered that <spoiler>the two had formed a bond when they were little kids</spoiler> which explained the "strong connection" they felt. And I was glad that everything made sense.

The world building. I think the world building was great! While I was reading, everything took place clearly in my head. So, I liked that it wasn't confusing, and appreciated that there weren't a lot of information to take in all at once. But I was left with a couple of unanswered questions, such as, "How do they produce food on space?" and "How can they live with infinite electricity?"
The book was fast paced, and I was focused on the fight between the Mind and humans, so my questions didn't pop up until after I finished reading the book. And I know these questions are probably irrelevant, but I'm kinda curious. I hope they will be dealt with in the sequel.

The characters are a strong point in Blood Crown. The plot was great too, with a few twists that I didn't expect, but I think the characters are the reason why I highly enjoyed this book. Sera is a wonderful main character; I loved seeing how this lonely girl, whose only wish was to be accepted, grew confident and found her rightful place. She is strong-willed, but she also has some insecurities, and I like that she isn't perfect. On the other hand, we have Nick. Now, if you ever read this book you will probably fall in love with Nick. As a prince, he has lots of responsibilities; I like that he's passionate, and that he fights back. The side characters were notable, too. I particularly liked Archibald, and was amazed with how loyal he was. 

Overall, I think this is an amazing book. I did have some issues with it, but I ended up really enjoying it. If you love reading YA and Sci-fi books, then I would definitely recommend this book to you.

Review: Shattered Veil by Tracy E. Banghart

Title: Shattered Veil

Author: Tracy E. Banghart

Series: The Diatous Wars #1

My Rating: ★★★★★

Genres: YA, Sci-fi, Dystopian

Published February 28th 2014

Format: eARC, NetGalley
Goodreads/Amazon/Book Depository

Description from Goodreads

When everything that defines you is stripped away, who do you become?

War has invaded Atalanta’s quiet villages and lush woodlands, igniting whispered worries in its glittering capitol. Far from the front lines, 18-year-old Aris Haan, a talented wingjet flyer, has little cause for concern. Until her beloved Calix is thrust into the fray, and a stranger makes her an impossible offer: the chance to join a secret army of women embedded within the all-male military. 

Aris’s choice to follow Calix to war will do more than put her in physical danger; it will make her question everything she believes about herself. When she and her enigmatic commander uncover a deadly conspiracy, her expert flying may be the only hope for her dominion’s survival…and her own.

It’s Mulan meets Battlestar Galactica, with a heroine who is strong enough to save a nation…but only if she’s willing to sacrifice everything, even the one promise she swore she’d never break.

My Review

Wow. Just wow. This book is AMAZING! It kept me awake all night, and I just didn't want it to end. I'm totally on a book hangover, and can't read anything else. 

I've been putting off writing this review because I find it difficult to write whenever I'm overwhelmed. Though a week has passed from when I finished reading Shattered Veil, I'm still very obsessed with it. My feelings are still all over the place, but I'll try my best to write a coherent review.

Alright, so what's it about? Shattered Veil is a Sci-fi/Dystopian book, and it's about a girl called Aris who disguises as a man to become a Military flyer. Now, in case you guys are wondering why she has to cross-dress, let me explain it to you. Women in this book can't join the military. The story takes place in the future, and after decades of war the population has diminished drastically. So, the government decided to ban women from doing any kind of dangerous work, as they wanted to ensure the survival of the human race.

Aris has never cared about the war, she decided to enter the military just to be with Calix, the guy she loves. She's the silly type of girl who's hopelessly romantic. Initially, I was a bit annoyed at her because I wanted her to join the military for a honorable reason, and not because of a man. Things developed quickly though, and I soon saw her change as the story progressed. 

The transformation from Aris to Aristos was very different. It wasn't the usual 'breast binding' and 'dressing like a man' transformation. It was more complex, and really extreme. I mean, she shaved her head to look like a guy!

There wasn't much romance in this book. Aris did have a long distance relationship with Calix, but it was obvious from the beginning that they weren't meant to be. So, I kept wondering if there was some other guy. Although the book didn't really focus on the romance, I was glad that there was indeed another guy!

The book is told from different point of views which helped building the climax towards the end of the story. The mystery aspect was beautifully executed. I liked how everything unfolded, and that ending!

Shattered Veil left my mouth wide open, so READ IT!

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Edit: August 1st 2014
SHATTERED VEIL has a new title and cover: Rebel Wing.