The Martian by Andy Weir

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate leaving him behind thinking he is dead. Mark finds himself stranded, completely alone, and with no way to contact Earth.

“It’s true, you know. In space, no one can hear you scream like a little girl.”

The Martian is a science book that fits into a fictional storyline and this is what makes this story so amazing. That being said it's also a book that could fit in any number of genres.

The Martian  will more than likely be one of the best things I'll read all year. As much as I like science I'm in no way a science brainiac, so when the science overload started I feared I would be weighed down by all the facts. Turns out it was the opposite. Everything is broken down so that anyone can catch a grip on it. 

The main reasons I wanted to pick this book up was one: the amazing ratings it holds on goodreads and two: because I love the idea of someone being stranded on another planet. Somewhere a person has to figure out how to survive somewhere no one is meant to survive on. Weir nailed his delivery. Mark Watney is written to perfection. He has a style and flow that makes him seem so realistic and relatable. He's a character that will take you by surprise and one you might not fully understand right away. When we are first introduced to Mark you'll see right away that he is a sarcastic joker. At first this was kind of a turn off for me... I was wondering how someone in his situation could be so cavalier. As the book goes on your can see that it's the way he is surviving. Him taking a light approach to everything might of just been his greatest survival tool. I also really embraced the fact that he would have these freak out moments where he would be so over thing, screaming F this planet, then would take a moment to get himself together and figure shit out.

The plot and storyline of this book is something so simple yet so gripping. Can you imagine how terrifying it would be too be left on a planet completely alone? The fact that you just breathing could kill you. A place with no food or water source!!! That thought alone makes me want to run to Costco and stock pile. Knowing that you have to be alone until the next Mars mission happen?!!? Pretty sure I failed to mention that the next mission isn't for another four years! I would go mad. Even the moments that the story is a little slower there is something still so addictive about it.

The best part about this book isn't it's laid back character with a snarky remark to all things; it's that such a simple idea was laid out so well. While reading this novel I had to actually stop myself and remember that I wasn't actually reading someone journal . That this is fictional story that just happens to feel so real. 

This is a fast paced -can't put down survival read with a message that is so strong. Seriously, if the last paragraph in this book doesn't give you goosebumps then you have no soul. The Martian has a plot line that will keep you on the edge of your seat and a character you'll be cheering for. I can't wait to see this book play out on the big screen.

10/10 Stars 
-Angela 

sidenote: Matt Damon is the perfect pick for Mark Watney.

The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon

Someone found him in a laundry basket at the Quick Wash, wrapped in a towel, a few hours old and close to death. They called him Baby Moses when they shared his story on the ten o’clock news. Moses is strange, exotic, beautiful, and broken.

I'm gonna start off this review by saying straight up this will be one of the hardest reviews I've ever had to write before. The Law of Moses left me feeling every emotion humanly possible. I guess I'll just start at the beginning...

First off the prologue is probably one of the best ones I've ever read. It's only a couple of pages long, but after reading it I already had to set the book down because I knew it would be an emotional read. Even with the warning crystal clear at the start I wasn't prepared for how deep this book would hit. I didn't stay away long before crashing right back into it. Amy's writing is the thing that kept drawing me back. Her writing is like no others. She writes so that the reader isn't just reading they are actually able to see everything. It makes you have to stop and close your eyes just to take it all in before you can move on to the next page. It's remarkable. Her words had me drowning and I was in no rush to get air.

"If I tell you right up front, right in the beginning that I lost him, it will be easier for you to bear. You will know it's coming, and it will hurt. It will still make your chest ache and you stomach flip with dread. But you'll know and you´ll be able to prepare . And that's my gift to you . I wasn't given that same courtesy. I wasn't prepared."

If that doesn't both pull you in and give you goosebumps I don't know what will.

As far as the characters went, they were just as stunning. Georgia is a strong willed and strong written character. I loved her love for live. I loved that she was 100%  Moses' opposite. She's the soft to his rough. I loved her boldness and the way she always kept pushing forward. Moses was my favorite character. He might actually be one of my favorite written males. Why is that? Because he is what made me so emotional. One moment I loved him, the next I wanted to punch him, and then the next he would have me in tears. This book had me crying and sometimes there was no reason other than the writing style. Moses is the definition of character development. I loved that Georgia is just a small town girl and that Moses is a mess with so much artistic talent is unreal. Georgia comes from a loving family with so much heart, and Moses was the crack baby left in a basket at a local laundry mat. Everything about how the characters clashed was flawlessly written.

The other highlight of this book was the love story. It wasn't the typical tale, and it wasn't the untypical, it was something all its own. I loved watching it grow. I loved it's highs and it's low. My favorite part of not just the story but the romance was the way Moses' art came into play. I love how it was the pretty little bow that tied everything together.

“My mom always said negative attention is better than no attention at all. She was usually talking about foster kids who acted out. But apparently it also applied to seventeen-year-old girls who were in love with boys who didn’t love them back.”

As far as the plot goes I sadly can't go too deep into it. I will say that the book is split into two halves. The first half is a lot of background and build, while the second is all the heart hitting emotional reveals. I preferred the second half to the first but with saying that I loved the first so much. The plot line surrounds the fact that Moses is able to see the dead and then paint their messages. I thought this would come off as cheesy, but it never once felt that way. Something that really brought this story to such a high level was the switch of Povs and how it was never constant. It didn't alternate between Georgia and Moses every other chapter, it only changed when needed. This might make it sound like a cluster but it was so important to how the story played out. 

That's all I can say about this book. I can't go into an events or even sub-characters. This is a book you need to go into blind. The Law of Moses wasn't at all what I thought it would be. I agree with most when they say they don't know what genre this book would fall into. Paranormal? Contemporary? Romance? I don't know and I don't really care. It's unique theme and it's thought provoking writing won me over. The writing is captivating, the story is heart breaking, and has a love story of all its own. This was the first Amy Harmon book I've ever read, but it wont be the last. This book struck a emotional cord that I can't even explain.

10/10 Stars 
-Angela 

(The Law of Moses BookDepo) 

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

"Old enough to screw, old enough to crew"

I actually started Red Rising last year and it ended up going in my "DNF/On Holf" list on goodreads. At the time it just wasn't want I wanted to read... BUT seeing as in it's the start of a new year I said I was going to go back to that list and finish every book on it (there's around 11). I am so thankful I did this.

Originally I got about 90-ish pages in and it was just so slow... So this time knowing some of what was going on I powered through the first part of the book and when I hit the second half I wanted to smack myself in the face for even putting it down. If I would have known that the second half of the book would have hit like a train I wouldn't have stopped in the first place. I also, like everyone else I know whose read this, am having a hard time placing this book... Is it Sci-fi? Is it YA or NA? Is it Fiction?... I don't know and I don't care I just loved it. 

I will repeat though the first half of this book is slow. Once I hit the other section I completely understood why. Pierce does an amazing job in world building and setting up the story to have this amazing POW effect towards the end. On to the actual review though.

Darrow is a Helldriver on Mars. He is drilling mines with the hopes that one day people will live on the surface. This world is ruled under strict laws/rules. Darrow is all about keeping a low-pro and just doing what needs to be done. His wife, Eo, however doesn't feel the same way. Disgusted by how the Golds rule she wants to take action to free everyone from the way things are. The relationship between Eo and Darrow is so much more than sweet. I feel a lot of times male writers either hit or miss the mark when it comes to capturing relationships, and Pierce hit the bulls-eye. After several events take place Darrow ends up on the surface of Mars disguised as a Gold. After which he enrolls into an Academy with the goal of rising up in the Gold ranks. 

“I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war.”

 

The Academy however is not what you would think. THIS IS WHERE THE STORY REALLY HAPPENS! THIS IS WHERE I SHOULD HAVE PUSHED MYSELF TO GET... Once he is enrolled all shiz hits the fan. Darrow goes from this mundane kind of boring character and truly transforms into someone that is even hard to describe. Just this off the charts growth. I thought this story was going to take kind of a feeling like The Testing had too it, but I was so so wrong. I was excepting the school to start off norm and then become something insane. What I didn't expect was Darrow's first test to be killing a boy with his bare hands. I didn't expect his character to be thrown into such warfare. I didn't expect all hell to break loose or this story to go from zero to sixty so fast. I know I'm saying "I didn't expect" a lot during this review, and again I don't care, because this book wasn't at all what I thought it was going to be.

The thing Red Rising has going for it besides the complete turn around in plot, was the surprising amount of action. I ended up feeling like I read two books at once. The first half was this world building, low key gem and the second half was this action packed book that could and will play out amazing on the big screen. There are so many surprises and action packed into the last half of this book that I swear I said "WHAT THE F DID I JUST READ" probably 50 times.

Character development was another thing that Pierce mastered, with such grace. If I would have read Red Rising last year it probably would have gone as my "biggest surprise read of 2014", sadly it didn't happen for me then... But thankfully it got my 2015 reading year off on the right foot. Also can't thank him enough for how he ended the book. (it wasn't on a cliffhanger and for once I'm really glad about it.)

Red Rising if you can't tell, took me by surprise and I can't wait to read Golden Son. This is a book you need to experience.

8.5/10 Stars 
-Angela