Chilling Effect | 
panWell shucks. In reading this review, take into account the fact that I skimmed the last third because I just couldn't take it anymore. I like the idea of a found family crew, a badass female protagonist, various hijinks, emotional investment in relationships between characters. 1/?
Aaannd now we come to the downside of programmable tattoos. Which otherwise sound totally awesome, btw.
Cozy sci-fi really does exist! I had so much fun putting together this list. Any cozy sci-fi titles you would add to it?
bookriot.com/cozy-sci-fi-books/
bailedSadly I am DNF‘ing the tagged book. Interesting premise but failed to execute. I found the story a bit of a mess with poor world building and lack of character development. I found myself skimming more & more and getting more & more irritated. Plus there‘s another reason that I put in the comments with the spoiler tag in case.
DNF‘d at 45%.
Book 2 for #20in4
Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes is the first book in this funny/nerdy sci-fi, space opera trilogy. This book was fun, full of pop culture references and pokes fun at tropes.
This book has my favorite trope of all time found family, and if you're still not sold they have psychic cats on their ship as well, how can you not be intrigued?
1. Drama and silliness. In space. But no singing.
2. It‘s not really my genre, but this book sounds fun. I might even read it someday!
3. With proper life support of course, I‘d like to visit Venus.
#sundayfunday
3/6: Science Fiction #noshamereadathon22
1. Space Opera: Chilling Effect
2. Hard Sci-fi: A Closed & Common Orbit (Wayfarers 2)
3. Steampunk: An Alchemy of Masques & Mirrors
4. Speculative Fiction: Severance (also my #roll100 second roll for January)
5. Cyberpunk: Warcross; one I don‘t already own but would like to read. Will probably get it from the library or choose something else
All subject to change at any time depending on my mood. #NSR22
pickEva is just a regular cargo ship captain, trying to make a living in the galaxy. And then her sister is kidnapped, and she has to decide how far she‘s willing to compromise herself for her family.
This was a fun, popcorn kind of listen. Lots of clever references, found family in space, and so many heists! Things kept accelerating and piling up, and the ending felt rushed. But this was a lot of fun. And the narrator was *chef‘s kiss* 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
Going to do some Halloween #AudioNails while listening to a space heist!
#ShadowCat is guarding my book while I push(!) the groceries into the fridge. 😁
#NutsInMay #readathon @Andrew65
Meanwhile I'm listening to the 4th book in Sherry Thomas's Lady Sherlock series: The Art of Theft ⬇️
Enjoying the view. 😁
Might eventually finish this book today. Unless I keep scrolling through Litsy.
#NutsInMay #readathon @Andrew65
You can't see it, but the weather is quite glum. I'm trying to escape it all by heading into outer space. 😁
#BooksAndTea
1. Tagged and re-listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer Stone on audio
2. Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri (it was one of my TBR books recommended by Book Riot)
3. I currently only have audiobooks on hold at the library, 7 of them 🤦♀️. A few are Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder, The Burning Girls by CJ Tudor, and Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor
#WeekendReads
so-soThis was... interesting? I enjoyed the world building but had a really hard time connecting with any of the characters (besides the psychic cats, of course-they were awesome). Decision making didn‘t seem to make sense at times and that is a big pet peeve of mine. Overall it was just ok for me. #bbbbc
pickI found a little difficult to get into this book at the beginning. It felt a bit disjointed & didn't flow well but about 1/3 the way through I started to enjoy. There are definitely some creative components to this but at times it felt like the author was trying to throw in as many random weird things as possible which IMO detracted from the pacing at times.
All in all, I did enjoy and became a little attached to some of the characters. ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
pick4/5
This book was really fun. Eva is the captain of a small cargo ship who's trying to make a life for herself and her crew in a frequently violent galaxy.
This book is non-stop action. I kept thinking I must be at the end of the book because the action was so exciting only to realize I wasn't even halfway through.
It also involves my favorite trope of mysterious and advanced alien tech existing around the universe.
#bbbbc
#BBBBC
It's time for a new book! For March and April's scifi pick we will be reading Chilling Effect!
Pls let me know if you don't plan to read this one so I don't bother you with notifications 💕
If you would like to added or removed from the overall club notifications let me know and I will take care of it.
#BookMail slowly trickling in. We had just one week of snow, but post still arrives late.
No #PennyPerPage pennies were used, I had a voucher. ?
This is the first book in a series, got the second book already. (it wasn't held up in the "flake-down".)
The book is as good as the cover promises. I started reading an eBook copy.
Hey #BBBBC crew!
Our sci-fi pick for March and April will be Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdez. The official start date will be on March 1st with the discussion coming in on the last few days of April!
As always let me know if you wish to be added/removed to the Notification list!
Do you plan to read this one or sit it out?
pickAn incredible fun space opera about a found family crew getting tangled up in some very bad business when her sister is kidnapped and her relationship used as leverage. Uplifting compared to a lot of sci-fi which I loved and Ava's voice is so compelling. Story felt a bit ambling at times and any book that starts with psychic cats ought to utilize them a lot more, but still a really enjoyable sci-fi romp.
I've been doing some stress relieving audio baking
All the books I want to read for #SpaceOperaSeptember and #Latinxathon https://leticiatoraci.wordpress.com/2020/09/09/september-a-month-with-3-awesome-...
so-soI ordered this back when we were worried about our independent bookstores during the pandemic and I was in the mood for a lighter read. This *almost* scratches the Becky Chambers itch but the main character made me crazy and for all the mention of cats on the cover they didn't really play as important of a role as I wanted them to. I didn't want to leave it unfinished so polished it off this weekend.
Have you read past this book? Thoughts?
Doing some reading as a pick-me-up after my last preschool zoom. I thought saying goodbye was hard last year! 😭🤞We‘ll be able to have a reunion and do the goodbyes properly later. Really enjoying this odd scifi adventure comedy. So far, it has an adorable ragtag crew, telepathic cats and a bunch of spanish swears to learn. Also may try to divide my big Monarda taking over the blue pot & see if I can fill some empty containers this afternoon.
pickI really enjoyed this. A found family crew gets embroiled with a shady organization due to the captain‘s family problems. It had its funny moments and lots of action. I will definitely look out for the next installment.
#BuriedAliveChallenge
so-soIf the Guardians of the Galaxy movies (which I love) were written as a new crew, in book form, and then tossed into a blender, you‘d get this book.
I feel like I‘m the only one who thought this was completely disjointed. It could‘ve easily been made into two actually fleshed out novels and been okay. It was just too much for me. Haphazard. And that says something.
There just wasn‘t enough fleshing out of the characters for me to care about them.
pickSooooooo I'm a bit confused and surprised. I read this cause there were weird cats on the cover...but I ended up liking it in a non-gag way. The characters were enjoyable. I want more of Eva's crew and the weird space cats. My beef with this book is it was like the author finished a lot of chapters with language that made it seem like the end...but it wasn't. That happened like 25 times and it messed with my head
I've been trying to work on Angel Mage by Garth Nix but I feel so lost so I'm shifting gears a bit to cats in space
I told myself I was going to try and cut back my book buying until I make a sizable dent in my tbr pile and yet here‘s my #BookHaul from today.
Ooh sorry, would love to go out in the cold & snow to do something, but I have plans. 😉 #sorrynotsorry
“Don‘t give me those puppy eyes.” Pink said “My brother would let me sleep in his basement, if I asked. And I‘d get to hug my nibblings before bed, every night. Hell I could get a job on any ship or station in the fringe, if I wanted.”
“If you wanted?”
Pink smirked “I don‘t. But I could. Anyway my brother‘s basement is cold and I like stealing from assholes. It helps me sleep at night.”
pickThis was so good!!! It's a space Opera/madcap space adventure (or rather, series of misadventures). And we find an overarching nemesis whose take-down will ultimately drive the next books' story arc. Psychic cats in space. What else do you need to know?
5⭐
@Grrlbrarian thank you for such wonderful #lgpog secret Santa gifts!! Everything you sent is so wonderfully me and I cant wait to read these books. I‘m so very appreciative of your thoughtfulness & kindness, words cannot possibly express 💖
Also, these cookie cutters are the coolest! My son is now requesting fantastic beasts cookies for his birthday next week so we‘ll get to try them out soon! 😆✨
A huge THANK YOU and Merry Christmas!! 🎄😘✨💖📚
1. If nothing else, read the tagged book that‘s due back to the library next week.
2. Lots of eating. Might meet my niece‘s boyfriend this year the stars are properly aligned.
#Two4Tuesday
pickI enjoyed this space adventure- aliens, space pirates, psychic cats-it was a fun read! Don‘t be deceived by the cartoonish cover, this read is definitely for adults. I hope the next book has more about the cats!
There are cats... in space... and they are psychic! 😻😻
pickA great setup - if like me you need some more Becky Chambers/Firefly flavoured space opera. Captain Innocente is exceptionally kick ass, her crew are colourful, her love interest is lizardy and she is in deep merde with both a criminal empire and a jilted royal with serious firepower. Plenty of space opera tropes but the new elements were excellent. I just wish she‘d made more of the psychic cats. 3.5 stars
pickCaptain Eva Innocente loves her ship, La Sirena Negra, and her work: running cargo and passengers around the universe. The characters are charming, funny, interesting -- her sweet, concerned engineer Vakar and her tough and badass doctor Pink (who gave me serious Gina Torres-as-Zoe vibes) -- as well as the completely bananas fish-faced emperor who is obsessed with adding Eva to his harem.
pickBased on the blurb I can guarantee you that Chilling Effect is everything you think it‘s going to be, plus so much more. It's nothing if not fast-paced space adventure with a heroine who will do anything for the people she cares about. See early review at VBC blog (http://vampirebookclub.net/early-review-giveaway-chilling-effect-by-valerie-valdes/) There's also a giveaway going on from now until 9-23. #scifi
pickThis book comes out September 17 and features a Latina human space captain trying to balance being blackmailed by one of the most powerful groups in the galaxy with telling the truth to her friends and crew, and keeping them and her ship safe. It is definitely a fun space romp! It was a bit ambitious in scale, so I think the 2nd will be better now that I‘m more familiar with the world. Pick!
