Kids Books - Science Fiction

*NO CRITICAL SPOILERS* (Entirely subjective) Dragon Pearl is about a fantasy world taking place in space. And yes, I picked it up because it said, "Rick Riordan Presents" on the cover. In this world, humans coexist with "supernaturals" in space and the summary above pretty much gives the rest of the synopsis. A critical review: Kim Min is the protagonist of the book. As far as characters go, she's one of the most interesting in the whole book. The idea of a supernatural fox-pseudo human going to space to save her brother while is such an enticing premise that is fully realized in this book. She possesses many shades of grey that make the reader question her moral values and the decisions she makes, going so far as to have them decide whether she can even be considered a good character in the first place. She is determined, rebellious, and willing to do anything, even abuse her shapeshifting abilities to pose as another individual. She deceives her closest friends and infiltrates a private room to find information about where her brother (the main motive) has gone. The reader's choice to decide whether or not she can be forgiven gives the book a more immersive feel to it and makes her character more relatable. The most interesting thing about her is her grey shades that leave the reader One of the book's biggest strengths is its worldbuilding elements. The world itself is full of supernatural creatures and is so fully realized it feels almost real. Part of the reason for this is the fact that it's able to reflect real-world prejudices in a realistic manner that mirrors prejudices of our own. In this book, fox species are frowned upon as deceptive and cunning, and while it's a nice nod to Zootopia (ha), it manages to be different from that with its sci-fi theming and setting that takes place in the confines of a military-like spaceship. The Korean mythology that is implemented in this futuristic setting feels so incredibly creative and mind-blowing at times, as the parallels between the legends and the events of the book are so cleverly executed. However, there are some serious criticisms that I feel should be addressed about this book. The book seems to drag on and on forever and is riddled with poor pacing. Lots of patience is needed to go through this book as the "high-octane thrills" that are promised on the cover only come occasionally. This is likely due to the setting, which is restricted within the spaceship. Although Kim Min has lots of drive behind her, the rate at which the goals themselves are accomplished sometimes happens at a staggeringly slow pace. The characters spend lots of their time expressing their opinions on previous events in the book or spend a long time contemplating what to do. And when the destination is finally reached, it doesn't feel fulfilling. The brother Kim spends so many pages looking for is actually in the book for only twenty pages/ The first and last act of the book is where it truly manages to shine as that's where it feels most appropriately paced. Some side plots also unnecessarily intrude in the main story. Kim's two best friends, Haneul and Sujin, are not expanded to their full potential and while they start off strong, get less and less developed as the book drags on. The villain also feels one-dimensional at times, with the generic "I'll take over the world using this epic powerful item" trope. Even Jun, Kim's brother, struggles as a character with the same problems and lack of a proper arc. Jang, the ghost out for revenge, is the only other character that actually feels fleshed out enough. Overall, this book is good. That much is true. It has a fully-realized world and protagonist that is hindered by poor pacing and side characters. But hey. That's just my opinion. If you're patient, go enough and read it. 3/5.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was the most amazing book I have ever read. I am a huge fan of the original trilogy, and I am so glad that this book not only did justice to it, but in my opinion was superior to it. I was at first skeptical at the idea of Coriolanus Snow, the villain, being the main protagonist, but after reading the entire book, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I will say, there are about five pretty slow chapters, but the chapters after that COMPLETELY make up for it. Getting a peek into the mind of Coriolanus Snow was so interesting, especially to see how he articulated his thoughts and put them into words. The ending left me wanting more, and I hope one day we find out what happened to Lucy Gray. I do think the ending was extremely creative on Suzanne Collin's part, how she left it up to the reader to decide what happened to Lucy. I also love the fact that it implies at the end that Snow ends up marrying Livia Cardew, because that just adds so many more layers to the original trilogy. In the original trilogy, Plutarch Heavensbee's assitant is someone named Fulvia Cardew, meaning if Snow married Livia Cardew, Fulvia is most likely related to him in some way. Another thing I loved about this book is the amount of characters that are related to the original trilogy characters, it really adds world building and interest to the story. It really shows how the wealthiest families stay the wealthiest, and how hardly anyone else climbs up to their level. It gives an example of aristocracy, and how Coriolanus was pressured ot keep the wealthy Snow dynasty going. I also love how different this generation of Capitol people and children see the Hunger Games, how different it is from the Capitol people and children in the original trilogy. In the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, everyone sees the Hunger Games as a form of power over the districts. While in the original Trilogy, everyone sees it as a harmless form of entertainment. This story just had so many layers, and I cried especially when Sejanus was executed. Suzanne Collins did an amazing job with making you love this character, and then another amazing job with writing his death as painfully as possible. Lucy Gray's character was also so cleverly written, with how intelligent she was. Another fun detail in this novel is Coriolanus's hatred for mockingjays, obviously connecting back to Katniss Everdeen being the "mockingjay" for the revolution in the original trilogy. In conclusion, I would HIGHLY recommend this book!

This book is awesome it inspires me so much

A good ending to the Shatter Me series, but not the best one. I still liked it though!

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. It gives you chills and nightmares. If your looking for a great zombie book i would turn to this one. I do not recomend this for kids under 12. Such a page turner. Your eyes are glued to this book.

I would definitely recommend this book. It has many twists and turns, and there is a lot of suspense. I would say this book is a mystery book, because you don't know if Alex, the main character, will escape the inescapable prison called the Furnace. If you like mystery, I would seriously recommend this book.

I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't believe Alex and his "friends" had done what they always wished for. More problems occurred in this book, and it just got more exciting for every word I read.

This book is the best book I have ever read. As you are reading, it feels like you are a part of the book.

This book reveals so much! I can't believe people gave up on the series before reading this. It is so good. I hate to see the end of such a great series but at least Alex is okay. He has gone through so much and I hope that he finally can just relax, he already saved the world more times than most people know.

It will keep you wanting to read more. I couldn't stop reading it and it was very addicting. Each chapter left me wanting more. I would spend hours reading this book if only it would last that long.