Book review: Do You Dream of Terra-Two?

May 14, 2019May 14, 2019 Rach @ Anxious Nachos1 Comment

Title: Do You Dream of Terra-Two? By Temi Oh

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: 7 March 2019

Genre: Science fiction | Adult

Page count: 520 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet meets The 100 in this unforgettable debut by a brilliant new voice.

A century ago, scientists theorised that a habitable planet existed in a nearby solar system. Today, ten astronauts will leave a dying Earth to find it. Four are decorated veterans of the 20th century’s space-race. And six are teenagers, graduates of the exclusive Dalton Academy, who’ve been in training for this mission for most of their lives.

It will take the team 23 years to reach Terra-Two. Twenty-three years spent in close quarters. Twenty-three years with no one to rely on but each other. Twenty-three years with no rescue possible, should something go wrong. And something always goes wrong.

Wow – what a read. Do You Dream of Terra-Two? has SHOT to the top of my all-time favourite science fiction. This descriptive and moving debut novel takes a very different style to any other science fiction I’ve read, with a much bigger focus on the characters and a much smaller focus on the technology and science-aspect.

Do You Dream of Terra-Two follows 6 young adults as they prepare for a space mission to the long dreamed of, Terra-Two. Terra-Two is a potentially habitable planet found in another solar system, and humanity has dreamed of reaching it since it’s discovery. The book begins at the prestigious Dalton Academy, a school where teens compete to be chosen for the Terra-Two mission. Six are chosen, and it is these six that we follow in the book. The book flits between the point of view of these characters, though we hear more from three of them.

Each of these teens has a very distinct voice and I enjoyed reading all of them. Definitely don’t expect any unrealistic, completely perfect characters – all of the people in this book are so real and so human. The teens have so many problems (as you could expect after being trained and brainwashed about Terra-Two for years) and I could see myself and everyone I know in every single one of these teens. Temi Oh really managed to write such a realistic portrayal of all her characters. Whilst Eliot was my favoruite character, thanks to Temi Oh’s brutally realistic depiction of his pain, I think my favourite to read from was probably Jesse. In saying that, this was one of the only multiple perspectives books I’ve ever read where I wasn’t bored with one or more of the perspectives. Everyone is just so different and had so many different reasons for why they want to go to space that each of their POV’s made for a really great read.

This book is both filled with wonder and drama, with a little bit of edge-of-your-seat action thrown in. There are lots of twists and turns and everything always goes wrong, and I really wasn’t ever sure what would happen next or how the story would end. I wished I could’ve stayed with this crew so much longer, I enjoyed it so much. There is such a humanity to the book, from the sense of wonder and excitement about finding a new livable planet, to the very human interactions and relationships which form between the crewmates. This book had me gripped from start to finish, and I really could not recommend it more!

Let me know your thoughts on this book!

Paws out!

Top 5….2019 releases

May 12, 2019May 14, 2019 Rach @ Anxious Nachos1 Comment

Hi world,

2019 has been FIERCE so far with its new releases and I am already falling behind. And yet there are so many great releases to still look forward to it this year, it makes me so sad to think that there is no way I am ever going to be able to read them all.

Today, I bring you the first of my Top 5 recommendations – expect to see these every few weeks. If you have any Top 5 suggestions you’d like to see me write, drop me a comment and let me know! They can be as random and wild as you want – from my Top 5 magic systems, to my Top 5 books featuring cats (I can’t wait till I write that one!) But for now, here are my Top 5 2019 releases (still to come.)

Number 1 – Gideon the Ninth by Tasmyn Muir

Lesbian. Necromancers. Do I need to say more?! Necromancy is one of my favourite fantasy powers, in part, I won’t lie, because Dorian was a necromancer in Dragon Age: Inquisitions and he is such an important fictional character to me, and therefore I support all things necromancy. But also, because necromancy just has the perfect amount of creepiness and darkness that it’s so appealing. Release date: 10 September (just in time for my BIRTHDAY!)

Number 2 – I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver

Okay I’m almost cheating with this one, since it’s a mere few days before this is realeased, but I have been waiting for this book for what feels like forever and I can’t WAIT to read it. IWYATB is about a person who comes out as non-binary to their family, and they’re thrown out of their home. It sounds both heartbreaking and heartwarming and everyone should go pre-order this immediately. Also, Mason created an awesome Spotify playlist for this which made me cry at work and so therefore I think everyone should listen to it (you can check the playlist out here). Release date: 14 May

Number 3 – The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus

The cover for this book is just stunning. Audre, a 16 year old from Trinidad, has found out she is being shipped off to the US after her very religious mother caught her with the pastor’s daughter. This book calls to me with the talk of religion and queerness in the blurb as it was something that really f**ked me up as a teen and so I can’t wait to read this one. Release date: 17 September

Number 4 – The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah

Okay you guys but this book sounds AMAZING: humanity now lives under the ocean becasue of climate change. The protagonist, Leyla, is a British Muslim who’s father has been arrested and she enrols in an underwater marathon to try and win a prize that will free him. This has such a great premise and I am very excited to read it. Release date: 29 October

Number 5 – Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Another hella gay one, another that is almost cheating because it’s out in just a few days. I am SO SO SO SO excited. This is a romantic comedy where the First Son of the United States falls in love with a British Prince. The two have to fake a friendship in order to fix the relationship between the US and UK after pictures leak of the two in a confrontation at a wedding. Release date: 14 May

And that’s my Top 5 books still to be released in 2019! Let me know if you are as excited as me to read any of these books, and if you have any suggestions for a Top 5 list, drop me a comment.

Paws out from Draco and I!

Anxious Nachos introduction

May 10, 2019May 10, 2019 Rach @ Anxious Nachos6 Comments

My top 5 books of 2019 so far

Hello world!

Thank you for reading the very first of (hopefully) many bookish posts here at Anxious Nachos. I’m Rachel and I’m here to talk to you all about the many books I’m reading and loving.

I thought I’d start with a little introductory post that would give everyone an idea of the type of books I read and enjoy. So without further ado, here are…my Top 5 books I’ve read so far in 2019!

2019 is the first year in quite a while that I have properly got back into reading, and I’ve already read so many excellent books that narrowing it down to just 5 was so tricky.

There is one book I’ve read this year which I had no problem deciding to put on this list. It has become one of my absolute favourite books, it is ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR: The Fever King by Victoria Lee. The Fever King was released earlier this year, and I picked it up after spotting it on a ‘Best queer books releasing in 2019’ list. It tells the tale of Noam, a queer Jewish immigrant, in a post-apocalyptic America. Lee combines science and magic into a fantastic, unique magic system. A full review will follow for this title, but suffice to say, it is my favourite book I’ve read so far this year, and I fully expect it to be a contender for my favourite book of the year. I couldn’t sleep the night I finished this book because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The sequel, Electric Heir, is out in March 2020 and I cannot. wait.

The next book on my list is a bit different from my normal reads. I picked it up after V.E. Schwab kept recommending it and I am so glad I did. It is the marvellous If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio. If Were Were Villains opens when you meet Oliver, a man who has just spent 10 years in prison for murder. The story jumps back and forward between the present day, where Oliver is telling the true story of what happened to the police officer who investigated the murder back when it originally happened; and then the past, which takes place at a elite arts school and follows Oliver and his 6 friends as they study Shakespeare. This book is absolutely beautifully written, and it twists and turns until the very last page. The ending is just…..Gah. I have no words.

I won’t say much about this third book, it’s a book I completed very recently and there will definitely be a full review to follow in the next week or so. Do You Dream of Terra-Two by Temi Oh I think might be my favourite sci-fi book EVER. There’s not a huge amount of focus on technology or space, instead, it is very character-driven which I loved. Do You Dream of Terra-Two follows 6 teens who have been training to go to space in search of a new, habitable planet (Terra-Two). It follows them as they launch their mission and is very much focussed on how space travel and the mission affects each of the characters. Absolutely fantastic, more will follow on this book soon..

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd was the first book I bought when my hard copy purchasing ban ended (a move to Australia and lack of space at various flats very much limited my buying power). But The Book of M caught my eye as it has such a pretty cover and looked beautiful in the bookstore. Set in what feels like a very near future, people start losing their shadows. And it turns out that shadows were where memories were stored. The book follows the story of Ory and Max, a couple who escaped to a hotel in the woods when people started losing their memories. However, when Max loses her shadow, she runs away from Ory to avoid causing him any pain at seeing her deteriorate. The story then switches between Ory’s point of view, as he tries to find Max, and Max’s, as she tries to reach New Orleans, where ‘something’ is happening. This is another one that has an ending that hurts (appears to be a theme in this list), but it felt very unique and I really loved reading it.

The last one for this list is very special one for me. I read it very early in the year, and it was so fabulous and magical and I cannot recommend it enough: Witchmark by C.L Polk. This book was really what propelled me to start reading in earnest again, because I was so happy at seeing the diverse cast and the beautiful queer relationship that it made me want to go find more awesome diverse books to read. Witchmark is set in what feels like a Edwardian England, where noble families use their powers to control the nation. Miles Singer was born less powerful than his sister, and thus was destined to spend life enslaved to his family’s desires. Not willing to suffer this, he went to fight in his country’s war. When he returned, he started work in a hospital, where he treats those suffering mentally after the war. His powers give him a gift for healing, but when a patient is murdered and his powers are revealed, he has to investigate the death. I struggled when I first read this to find words other than MAGICAL to describe this book, because that’s what it truly is. It features such an interesting magic system, and yet feels like it could’ve been taken out of a history book, the setting is so realistic. Add the fierce character list, and it really is just such a wonderful read. Witchmark has a sequel coming out in 2020 with Grace, Miles’ sister at the helm, and I am so interested to see her thoughts on what happened in the first book.

And that’s it for my first post! In working out this list, I noticed two very clear themes that come through:

Queer books are killing it in 2019. Expect to see quite a lot of amazing books featuring queer characters on this blog. This year so far, I’m very much reading for teenage me who would’ve killed to see such awesome queer books on her shelf (but instead had to resort to fanfiction).
I like to be hurt: 3 of the 5 books on this list had endings which absolutely killed me

Let me know what you think of these reads, or if they’re on your TBR!

Goodbye from me, and Draco (my cat)

P.S. Okay so I’m cheating with the whole ‘Top 5’ and giving a special mention to The Poppy War by R.F Kuang which I only finished last week and which was phenomenal.