​Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers | Listening Library
Release Date: September 12, 2017
Format: MP3 Download
Pages: Hardcover: 368 pages | Audio Length: 11 hours 46 mins
Narrators: Nancy Wu​
Source: Publisher
Genre: YA Science Fiction
​Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

*This audiobook was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

​The plot is an interesting concept that I've personally never read before. I liked it, very much. I didn't know anything about gaming in a books at this level, but Marie Lu has has gotten me interested in reading more! Speaking of gaming, Warcross is the ultimate game for these characters. The International Warcross Championships is the goal for hardcore players and hackers. That's the glue that brings all of the different characters together.

The second installment of The Illuminae Files trilogy delivered just as much punch as the first installment. Read on to find out why Gemina scored a 5 bookmark rating!

​Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers | Listening Library​
Release Date: October 18, 2016
Format: Audio MP3
Pages: Hardcover: 659 pages | Audio Length: Approx 12.5 hours
Narrators: Carla Corvo, Steve West , full cast , P.J. Ochlan
Source: Publisher
Genre: YA Science Fiction, YA Fantasy
Review Date: November 30, 2016
Rating: 5 bookmarks

Synopsis: Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The saga that began with Illuminae continues on board the space station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of BeiTech’s assault. Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter, Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum may be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival. The fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

Disclaimer: This audiobook was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to see where Kady and Ezra were in the scheme of things after the end of the first book, so I was ecstatic to return this world. I loved Illuminae so much that I jumped right into Gemina without even reading the description. When I started Gemina I was a bit surprised because while for the most part it picks up where Illuminae left off, there were two major differences. We now have different characters and a whole new setting. Of course because I was expecting one thing and got another, I was a tad confused for the first 8% or so trying to figure out what was what.  Note to self: read the book synopsis!

Meet Hanna Donnelly and Niklas Malikov. They are sort friends and end up along with Nik's cousin Ella Malikova trying to take back control of their space station.  Nik and Ella are from a notorious crime family and Hanna is the daughter of station captain’s daughter. Clearly they are an odd team, so the interactions between the three of them are priceless.

I completed Illuminae a while back and I finally have some time to tell you why this was so much more than an audiobook. So much more. It's a full cast audio production. Not only is the book presented in a unique way, it's prepared so artfully that it's turned into one amazing audiobook. Read on to find out why this unique story earned a 5 bookmark rating.

​Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers | Listening Library​
Release Date: October 20, 2015
Format: Audio MP3
Pages: Hardcover: 600 pages | Audio Length: Approx 11.75 hours
Narrator: Olivia Taylor Dudley , Lincoln Hoppe , Johnathan McClain
Source: Audible
Genre: YA Science Fiction, YA Fantasy
Review Date: November 16, 2016
Rating: 5 bookmarks

​Synopsis: This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes. 

At first when I found out how this book was written - through dossier of documents, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the format of the book so I put it off for a while. Several months later, I was still interested in this story and by then I'd heard that the audiobook was just amazing, so I thought, why not?  The Audiobook version it is. That was the best choice I made.  While I seriously love how the physical  book looks and I appreciate how unique this story is told, I was more than happy the full cast audiobook.

Time travel and young adult fiction anyone? Read on to find out what I thought of Timebound by Rysa Walker.

Timebound was a really cute story, and yes, I mean cute. This story takes place in a present-day setting with some time in the past and a little bit of time in the future. In a nutshell, it's about a teenager who is left to fix an altered time line after her parents disappear.

Publisher:  Disney Hyperion 
Release Date: First published December 10, 2013 / Audio unabridged edition released by Listening Library on December 10, 2013
Format: MP3 Audio
Pages: 374 (Hardcover) / Audio Length: Approx 11 hours
Narrators: Cynthia Holloway, Johnathan McClain, Sarge Anton
Source: Audiobook SYNC
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Review Date: July 16, 2014
Rating: 3 bookmarks

Synopsis: It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. 

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. 

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

This review may seem like I have a lot of issues with this book, but when it was all said and done, over all I liked it.  So I'll start with the positives.  The story has a  Star Trek feel at first, which is pretty cool. A huge brand new ship goes down in deep space. It goes down Titanic style, panic, crowds of people, lots of death, few survivors - two to be exact. That was pretty interesting and the crash was a great jumping off point.

While I thought the book would keep up the pace after the crash, it didn't. Most of it was pretty humdrum after that.  Luckily the last 30% or so really kicked things up to the next level.  I also liked that this story unfolds in a series of flashbacks via an interrogation. The story alternates with the present day interrogation of Tarver of the events starting of the ship evacuation a ending with what lead up to Tarver and Lilac's rescue. Finally, the book ends present day after Tarver leaves that interview.  I liked that the POV of Tarver and Lilac were so different. A lot of authors have a hard time with multiple POVs. Most times the characters voices aren't unique enough and end up sounding alike. That was overcome most likely because there were two authors.

I listened to this on audio and I enjoyed the narrators, while nothing particular stood out about them, I liked them fine enough. However, hearing both a male and female voice was a welcome change from the norm.