Category Archives: Science Fiction

Butterfly Blood

December 11, 2018Science Fiction, Teen Reads, YA book clubs, YALitlucindastein

Butterfly Blood takes the reader beyond the same old recycled plots and stereotypical characters found in so many young adult books. The unique storyline ratchets up with each subsequent book in the series.

Author, Rebecca Carpenter, continues to weave a fascinating tale that began with Butterfly Bones. Bethany Keatley survives her dangerous metamorphosis, an experimental and illegal procedure that gives her the healthy body and hot looks she’s dreamed of for years. But after the untimely death of her scientist father, she’s forced to move out of state to live with an aunt she’s never met—and leave behind Jeremiah, the boy she loves.

The cover images are awesome, tweaked for each title. Butterfly Blood, second in the Metamorphosis Series, delivers with danger, suspense, and romance, leaving the reader eagerly anticipating the upcoming book, Butterfly Broken. A must read! 5 Stars

Bronte's Thunder by [Stein, Lucinda]

Review by the author of the new release, Bronte’s Thunder. Fate can change as quickly as a blink of an eye—-or a flash of lightning! Bronte Monroe has always had strange connections to thunderstorms. But this time, she might lose Nick’s love.

York

September 5, 2018Science Fiction, Teen Reads, YALitlucindastein

York by Laura Ruby

Walden Pond Press

476 pages (hardcover)

York is Book One in Ruby’s The Shadow Cipher series. I ordered this title because I loved the author’s book, Bone Gap, a magical realism story. York will appeal to readers who like steampunk, mystery, magic, and history. The story starts out a little slow, but the mystery of the Old York Cipher lures the reader on.

The Morningstarr twins, architects of dazzling machines and buildings in New York, disappear and leave behind a puzzle which promises a treasure beyond all imagining. Despite tries by many people over the decades, the cipher remains unsolved. A note here: the imaginative machines and inventions would make a wonderful movie on the big screen!

Tess and Theo Biedermann and their friend Jaime Cruz live in a Morningstarr apartment. When a real estate developer buys the building with destruction in mind, the young people decide to save their home by proving the cipher is real. This means they have to solve the mystery.

Written to appeal to younger and older readers alike, this story lacks the depth and literary beauty of Bone Gap. But then this is an entirely different book. Delighted with the fantastic world of York and curious about the cipher, I will definitely read Book Two when it comes out!

Side note: If you enjoy magical realism stories, try Bronte’s Thunder!

Magonia

April 18, 2017fantasy, Science Fiction, Teen Reads, YA book clubs, YA Writing, YALitlucindastein

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

The beautiful cover (I have a real case of cover love!) drew me to this book.

Sixteen-year-old Aza suffers from a mysterious disease that doctors have been unable to diagnose. She’s thin, has trouble breathing, and knows her way inside and out of a hospital room. She says, “I think I wasn’t meant to be human.” Her only friend is Jason, a boy with OCD. They’ve known each other since they were five.

I quickly fell in love with quirky, obsessive Jason because he is a true and faithful friend to Aza. He will do anything for her.

Aza glimpses things in the sky, like trading ships and people descending on ropes. Only Jason believes what she sees is real. Aza sometimes hears disembodied voices calling her name that no one else hears.

When Aza is rushed by ambulance because of another medical emergency, Jason rides with her. She dies before they arrive at the hospital. At the cemetery he hears her voice from the sky. Thus begins his obsessive search into legends of people who navigate the skies in ships. Jason is a computer geek and manages to get into databases illegally. That’s how he tracks a storm that he connects to Aza’s travels in the skies above. You see, he believes she’s still alive.

Aza awakens in another world with a different body. This body is strong and healthy but her skin is blue. She learns that she was originally from the world of Magonia, a people in the sky who travel by trade ships. In this world, she has power. But Aza realizes she’s still in love with Jason. “Broken bonds are serious things.” She must find him again.

Magonia gives a realistic glimpse into the world of a teen with a serious, life-threatening disease. But it also sends the reader into a fantastical world of hybrid bird creatures and true adventure!

Magonia is a wonderful mix of fantasy, scifi, and dystopian. Read and enjoy!

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The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron

April 3, 2017Science Fiction, YALitlucindastein

I am made of my memories. . .

Nadia lives in a city surrounded by stone walls. Every twelve years, each person’s memories are lost, completely forgotten, except for what they write down. In the city of Canaan, your individual book is your identity, and you choose what to write down. . . and what to eliminate.

Nadia knows who hasn’t written the truth. She knows because she has never forgotten.

Nadia is a strong character, independent and courageous. She wants to protect her mother and sisters, even if her oldest sister doesn’t believe Nadia is part of their family. Along with a good-looking boy, Gray, she explores the world outside the city walls and begins to discover the secrets behind the Forgetting. They uncover the fact that the Head of Council of Canaan’s governing body knows the cause of the forgetting but does nothing to stop it.

I am made of my memories. . .

Consider how much of yourself is wrapped up in your memories—what you’ve done in the past, the people you’ve known and loved, and even those things you’re passionate about such as hobbies, sports, and other pursuits. Now consider if all that became a blank. Who would you be?

The topic of forgetting has impacted my life with my mother’s dementia. Most of her memories now come from her childhood, but memories of my sister and me seem to be lost. Although I’m still a familiar face to my mother, she never recalls anything about my childhood. She doesn’t remember my children. This has left me with a real sense of loss.

The Forgetting is a unique dystopian novel that will keep you riveted in your pursuit to discover what is causing the Forgetting. And the true history of Canaan is guaranteed to surprise you.

Play List for Jadeite’s Journey

March 4, 2017Science Fiction, Teen Reads, YA book clubs, YA Writing, YALitlucindastein

Check out my playlist for Jadeite’s Journey!

“Happy” by Pharrell Williams- How Jadeite feels when she first meets Mattie, a hot boy from school…

img_20161214_113803 “She Sets the City on Fire” by Gavin DeGraw –When Mattie’s character begins to look questionable, and the perfect world of United Society slowly reveals its deadly flaws…

“Lyin’ Eyes” by the Eagles-Mattie turns into a bully.

“Beat it” by Michael Jackson-When Jadeite breaks up with Mattie…

“Hotel California” by the Eagles-Mattie’s father is a powerful government official. Mattie uses his father’s influence against Jadeite’s friends and family to force her to stay with him. She observes a frightening transformation and discovers deadly secrets hover in the halls of his family’s home.

“Stand by You” by Rachel Platen-Jadeite risks her life to save her younger brother.

“Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson-Danger deepens as Jadeite journeys over the Dark Ridge, and she must call upon her inner strength.

jadeites-journey-final-cover

“Invincible” by Kelly Clarkson-After Jadeite’s father is arrested, she takes his place as an illegal Ridge Runner and risks her life to save her family.

Find Jadeite’s Journey on:

Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

Jadeite’s Journey

January 25, 2017Science Fiction, Teen Reads, YA book clubs, YALitAward winning author, Bookclubs, Goodreads, SciFi, YALit, YASciFilucindastein

When romance turns deadly…

Jadeite’s world comes crashing down on her. In futuristic jadeites-journey-final-cover United Society, her only problem has been how to act around the cute boy on the air shuttle. But Jadeite’s life changes when she comes across a man who looks alarmingly like her father. Clones were declared illegal years ago. When she sees her father, a robotic engineer, headed to the Dark Edge of United Society, she follows him and uncovers her father’s secret life.

Jadeite shadows her father past the boundary of United Society and into a primitive world of canyons and high deserts. She learns her father is a Ridge Runner passing between the two worlds. Even more alarming, she discovers her younger brother, Malachite, is sick and requires medicine only available from over the Ridge. After her father is arrested, Jadeite takes his place in order to save her brother’s life.

But her world turns even more precarious after she breaks up with her obsessive boyfriend, Mattie. Jadeite soon learns his threats are more than words—and her life is in jeopardy.

Lucinda Stein is the award-winning author of several adult novels and short stories. Jadeite’s Journey is her first YA novel.

Available:

I hope you enjoy Jadeite’s Journey!

Happy reading

Butterfly Bones

December 1, 2016magical realism, Science Fiction, Teen Reads, YA book clubs, YALitSciFi, TeenReadslucindastein

Butterfly Bones: The Metamorphosis Series Book #1 by Rebecca Carpenter

Be prepared for a story unlike any you’ve ever read. Fifteen-year-old Bethany suffers from a rare bone disorder and looks years younger than other kids her age. She’s often mistaken for an Butterfly Bones Cover Ebook elementary student. Her only friend is a handsome boy who’s the star quarterback at Springs High School. Bethany has a big crush on Jeremiah, but she realizes the sexy teen only views her as someone to rescue. Despite reality, she daydreams about her first kiss with Jeremiah.

When a new student, beautiful Zoey, mistakes her for a lost little girl, Bethany is afraid to correct the well-meaning teen. Later when Zoey discovers the truth and becomes the laughing stock on social media, she’s out to make Bethany’s life miserable. Like a true bully, Zoey takes great enjoyment at making others laugh at her victim. Though weak on physical strength, Bethany has no shortage of witty comebacks. This only provokes Zoey to further torture Bethany in and out of school. Life is difficult enough as a teen, but it’s intolerable when you’re considered a freak.

Bethany never knew her mother, who died when Bethany was only a toddler. Her father is an obsessed scientist who is working on a cure for her bone disorder. He uses B. selene3 hormone made from Boloria selene butterflies to keep the disease under control. Unexplainably, the butterflies appear to have a strange connection to Bethany and surface at the most unexpected times in her life.

When her father uses accelerated doses of the hormone, the results spin out of control, placing Bethany’s life in danger. Like the mice in his home laboratory, she realizes her own father has used her as a test subject. He warns her that her body will soon enter into metamorphosis and a chrysalis will form around her body. She will fall unconscious and plunge into a coma. Even worse, her father admits Bethany might not survive this unprecedented procedure. She may never live to be sixteen or experience Jeremiah’s kiss.

This SciFi novel has it all: suspense, gore, death, romance, and secrets. This debut book in the Metamorphosis Series from Lakewater Press is available at Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble. A must read!

When a Bully Goes Too Far

How do you deal with a bully? Lucky Linderman escapes in his dreams. There he can be a strong adventurer and a hero like his grandfather who died serving in the Vietnam War. But when the bullying goes too far, Lucky can’t hide in his dreams any longer.

Sometimes funny, sometimes serious, this novel by A. S. King deals with learning to cope with what life throws your way.

Please give me your opinion about the following questions:

Do you think bullies have it all together?
Why do you think bullies pick on kids who are new, different in some way, or shy?
Is it possible the bully’s followers would rather be friends with the bully than be the object of his or her attacks?

I’d love to hear what you think!

The Debut of Butterfly Bones!

June 22, 2016

Butterfly Bones Cover Ebook

Bethany should be dead, just like the doctors predicted. But along came the butterflies, altering the order of nature. And now nature is hell bent on revenge. Because when fate’s path is disrupted, it’s only a matter of time before balance must be restored.

Lakewater Press reveals this exciting new YA novel, Butterfly Bones, by Rebecca Carpenter with their cover reveal.

About the Author

Rebecca Carpenter is a native of western Colorado. She is married with two grown children and has been blessed with four amazing grandchildren. She Rebecca author photo owns and directs a large childcare center where she shares her love for books. In her spare time, she freelances as a copy editor, helping others attain their writing dreams. She finds solace and clarity while spending time with her husband exploring the beautiful mountains of Colorado.

See Rebecca on Facebook: bit.ly/28QqB0f

2616 A.D.

May 11, 2016Science Fiction, YALitAward winning author, Bookclubs, Goodreads, Sciencefiction, SciFi, SciFiNovel, TeenReads, YALitlucindastein

Barrier Canyon Pictographs in Thompson Canyon, Utah

**A Perfect World**

Jadeite lives in a future society where everything is controlled. Under the artificial covering, even weather is tamed. In United Society, the color of the sky changes depending on the effect it produces in its citizens. Imagine a red sky in varying hues but not a hint of blue! Jadeite’s only anxiety is how to act around the cute boy on the air shuttle but when she discovers her father’s secret life, her perfect world comes crashing down upon her.

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