This month had a few really good books and a couple of meh ones.

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton: Mickey is an expendable. He is part of an expedition to colonize a new planet and his job is to do really dangerous things and probably die from it. But then a new Mickey is regenerated out of the tank to keep doing dangerous things. On a scouting mission, Mickey has an accident and is left for dead. But when he survives with help from some native life, he makes it back to the base only to find out that another Mickey has already be extracted from the tank. While many on the base know the necessity of Mickey, that doesn’t mean they want two of them. The two Mickeys then have to try and figure out how to function as two people when there is only supposed to be one. But then the native life decide to get curious about the humans, Mickey7 might be the only one that can save them. I found this to be a pretty fun book, similar to The Martian but not as good. Come into this without really high expectations, and you will find an enjoyable book.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
c/o Netgalley

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan: I felt a little bamboozled by the description of this book. Sure, it follows the tale of Sir Konrad Vonvalt, a King’s Justice. But it is told from the perspective of Helena, his scribe. While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I don’t understand why the main narrator doesn’t even get a mention in the blurb. Vonvalt, along with Helena and Bressinger, travel the outer edges of the empire handing out the Emperor’s justice. But then they stumble across a plot that aims to take down the the order of Justices and maybe even the Empire as it is. This story has interesting world building, political intrigue, and even magic. It explores morality and power. I can’t wait to continue reading this series.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
c/o Netgalley

Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart: I didn’t really enjoy this one. The premise was super interesting. Humans have figured out how to time travel to the past and there is a timeport (like an airport for time travel) that all trips happen out of and a hotel that is connected to it that time travelers often stay before their trips. The main character is January, who is head of security for the hotel. But something is happening with time, right when some of the richest people in the world are at the hotel to buy the timeport (it is being privitized). January has to figure out what is happening before reality implodes. So super interesting premise, but January is a terrible character. I’m all about imperfect characters, but January has no likable traits whatsoever. I enjoyed the time travel and exploration of what time even means, but the characters really dragged it down.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
c/o Netgalley

Out Past The Stars by K.B. Wagers: This is the final book in the second trilogy of this story. I loved the first trilogy. This second one? Not so much. Hail is once again having to save the universe. And throughout, we get to hear how she just can’t have people dying for her when everyone around her would willingly die for her (and tells her often). It is just tiring. I did appreciate the different alien civilizations and the interactions between them. I’m glad I read this to finish the story, but I don’t think I would recommend picking up the second trilogy.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake: I loved this book. Secret societies, magic, plots within plots, and some great characters. We follow 6 magicians that are selected to be potential initiates of the Alexandrian Society. But access to the society has a requirement that may push the initiates to the edge. Along with the 6, there are a couple very important secondary characters that have their own plans for the initiates. What I enjoyed about this one is that we get POV chapters from all 6 of the initiates plus a couple from a secondary character. All of them are so different (except perhaps that they are all ambitious) that it makes a fascinating read. The interaction between magic, science and power runs through the entire book. But for me, it really is the characters that shine. I anxiously await the second book.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
c/o Netgalley