Despite actually taking the time, for once, and writing "slightly longer" reviews...I completely forgot to post them here 😂

These are ones I read at the end of April while I was still in my sci-fi mood.


🛰 The Earth Concurrence by Julia Huni ★★★

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but...a book by Julia Huni bored me.

Space Janitor was funny, had layered characters that had me invested, and a crazy plot that I couldn't get enough. This book? Not funny. Couldn't care less about the characters (TBH I found Serenity to even be annoying at times because she kept doing things on her own without consulting anyone, and even going against orders she was given). The plot was very underwhelming and I wasn't excited about anything.

Despite all of these points, I can't say that this book was badly written. There were some plot twists I definitely didn't see coming, there were side characters that I cared about (more than the MC but shhh), and generally speaking - the plot had nothing bad about it, it just wasn't interesting enough to keep my focus. Which is sad because I had high hopes for this but oh well...Luckily for me, Julia has a ton of other series I can try 😂


🌕 When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi ★★★★

When you hear the words "the moon has turned to cheese" you probably think to yourself one of these things:

•hah NO WAY, that's impossible

•it's just a conspiracy

•what does this have to do with me anyways?

•but wait, what kind of cheese is it??

I had those exact thoughts and guess what, the author did too. Litearlly everything you could've possible thought on this subject has been mentioned in the book IN THE MOST REALISTIC WAY POSSIBLE. How can a cheese moon be realistic? I DON'T KNOW, IT JUST WAS.

This book is basically a collection of a bunch of different POVs. You get to see how everyone digests this news - astronauts, philosophers, random people on the beach, guys who work at a cheese shop, NASA workers, screenwriters etc. Each and every person was somehow affected by The Cheese and you get to see the details. Maybe this doesn't sound fun in theory, but let me tell you, I WAS INVESTED.

Idk how this guy did it, but I literally cared for all of these people despite each of them having like 20 pages of "screentime." I even got *cough* a lil emotional *cough* toward the end with the singer guy. What I'm trying to say is, John Scalzi is definitely on my radar now and I can't wait to see the rest of his work.


⚓ Escaping Pirates: A Seafaring Cinderella Retelling by Mary Mecham ★★★★★!!

Okay, so please ignore that hideous cover because THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST CINDERELLA RETELLINGS I HAVE EVER READ. Seriously though, from the very first chapter...I WAS HOOKED (pun intended)

Elena was such a strong character and I am happy to report that despite coming from a wealthier background, she didn't act snobby or whatever you'd expect a merchant's daughter to be. She was constantly trying to outsmart the bad guys, scheming and basically doing anything in her power to survive and escape.

Her relationship with Harlan was such a beautiful one, formed on mutual trust and respect. It formed gradually from a friendship, which I think was the best course of action. Their loyalty to each other and care was something gorgeous - every time they did small acts of kindness (and love) I would just swoon.

All the decisions they made (both the ones about their escape and the ones after all the events) were very logical and reasonable. Both of them were smart, resourceful characters that I couldn't get enough of.

What I liked most about the plot was the fact that the author incorporated some crucial Cinderella elements in such a smart way that they fit this pirate story in the best way, instead of just copy pasting some scenes and setting them on a ship. Not only that, the author also changes some elements from the OG (e.g. how Elena/Ella came to work for the stepsisters; the fact that Harlan didn't forget about her at all; her family background etc), which I thought was the best decision ever because we truly don't need any more word-for-word copies.

💬 Have you read any of these books? I'd love to hear your thoughts! 💬