“Rogue Star: Frozen Earth.” Jasper T. Scott
Clueless Male Frozen in Time
This book is about aliens hiding behind a rogue star that turns the earth’s thermostat down. The aliens claim the earth for their own, shoving humans into the colder regions.
I liked the overall story and would read a sequel, at least to find out what happened to Logan Willis’s son, Alex. Logan is a bumbler, who doesn’t think things through. He doesn’t take advice either. First, he catches his wife in bed with another man; he wasn’t paying enough attention to her. I didn’t like his flippant attitude about a porno starring his wife. It’s no wonder she had an affair. Throughout the book, he bosses her around and dismisses her fears. She passes him a sandwich, and no one else had one. No one else was hungry?
He was the Executive Editor of Harper Collins, recently let go. Maybe his bosses were underwhelmed by him, too. So, he’s supposed to be the everyman. That’s a cringer. It makes sense that he wasn’t an outdoors person or a skilled reasoner. Just edited content that other people wrote.
Somehow, he instantly developed skills with guns, even memorizing their models. His brother-in-law, Richard said that he (and his family) needed to learn to use guns, but I missed the part where the lessons occurred. He also wondered if his kids would “pee out the window?” Okay… Jocular, cutesy, macho dialog. Clueless.
He endangered his family by not listening to Richard’s warning ten years prior, by not hiding his computer screen from a stranger (Cowboy Bill), and by returning to Richard’s house without first securing it. He didn’t listen to anybody, especially his wife, Kate.
Seeing the same fight scene twice was annoying, even though they finally killed Bill. I didn’t like Akron or Richard. Logan’s son, Alex was no better, always chasing some stick-figure girl. It was creepy that Logan watched him with the second girl, Celine.
None of the females were fleshed-out characters except his daughter, Rachel. I liked the robot better than any other character but her. Camping on the hotel roof was interesting. I liked the car wall, too. I also like the Rogue arrival countdown. The aliens were awesome.
Maybe the point was having a bumbling dork as a main character instead of a savvy man that people could rely on.
I give it a B-.
“Lady Midnight,” Cassandra Clare
Enjoyable young adult speculative fiction.
This book was about a teenage girl and her friends thwarting the bad spell of a friend who betrays them. It was great to delve into young adult fiction for a change. I like the simplicity. As an adult who still recalls the feelings of being a teenage girl, I found the story relatable. The concept of teens living without adult involvement is an awesome fantasy. I like the disappearing teacher and the uncle with dementia, who left the kids free to be strong. Julian having to be his siblings’ parent was something that often-happened years ago before social services. He kept these responsibilities, his younger brother’s tendencies, and his feelings for Emma a secret to protect them. Emma had her own secrets: the investigation into her parents’ deaths and her feelings for Julian. I liked their budding forbidden romance. I’d like to see how their relationship develops (in a sequel) and how they maintain the good as their power escalates. The parabatai is a great concept!
The author’s warrior girl characterization is great. Emma isn’t just another male warrior with a female name. She’s insecure, not believed by others, and does things by herself to spare others and avoid emotional entanglements. She fights for what she believes in. I like how she treasured her sword.
The author brought to life many mythical characters. The fairies had an interesting culture that I would like to learn more about.
The only sticking point was the extended backstory. The author has written many books about this world. But this was the first book of hers I’ve read and was lost on occasion. This is supposed to be Book One. It should have more retrospective info on the backstory, or less reliance on it. It’s understandable when world-building to have tons of backstory since the “beginning of time.” It’s just part of being a fiction writer, where your world exists as if it were real, but inside your head. Translating that world in a logical, sensible, and enjoyable way to engage the reader is a ton of work.
Key bothersome areas included the previous war, family and friend characters, some of whom just appeared, and what happened to the half siblings after the war. The origins of Mark and Helen were not fully explained. They were older than the other kids. Were they from their father’s prior relationship? There should have been an entire book before this one; and this one should have been Book Two.
I give this book a B+.