Star Trek: Vulcan’s Forge
Star Trek: Vulcan’s Forge
Authors:
Josepha Sherman
Susan Schwartz
Published: August1, 1997
344 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
Just over a year ago, Captain James T. Kirk was lost to the Nexus while saving the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701-B from destruction. Aboard the science ship Intrepid II, Captain Spock, commanding some of his old crewmates, must face the loss of his closest friend. But while still in mourning for one friend, he must come to the aid of another. Decades ago, Spock had teamed up with David Rabin, the young son of a Starfleet Captain, to fight an attempted coup on Vulcan that would have turned the planet’s people away from the path of logic. Now a Starfleet officer, Captain David Rabin has been assigned to a harsh desert world much like Vulcan, where the Federation is determined to protect the lives of the inhabitants. But Rabin’s efforts are being sabotaged and he has asked for Spock’s help against the unknown forces that may well destroy the society he had come to save.
While reflecting on his youthful adventure with David Rabin, Spock joins with Rabin to face and enemy out of their past and confront deadly Romulan treachery. In the process Spock will decide if the path of his life now leads back toward the family traditions he had once sought to escape.
Kim’s Review:
My timing is excellent! I ended up reading this book just after I watched Star Trek Generations and witnessed the death of James Tiberius Kirk … heartbreaking, but inevitable. Poor Spock and Bones have to learn to accept the death of Jim Kirk and stick together. The best thing about this story is the characters. The authors nailed each of them perfectly and I felt like I knew them as they were on the big screen. Uhura proved herself to be a badass at the helm of a starship. I’ve always loved her, but seeing her succeed in this way was incredibly satisfying. Bones is the same of persnickety doctor who has a heart of gold and a sharp wit. And Spock, my old friend, struggles with the loss of his best friend and captain. The emotions ran high and that almost made up for the plot, but not quite. While most of the story was enjoyable and the banter between characters was funny and entertaining, there was an awful lot of just walking thru the desert. And unfortunately, that brought the rating down. I just got bored. I hate to say it, but it’s true. But I leaned a lot of things about Spock’s childhood and his decision to enter Star Fleet so obviously I’m glad I read it!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
What We Buried by Kate A. Boorman
What We Buried
Author: Kate A. Boorman
Published: February 26, 2019
304 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
Siblings Liv and Jory Brewer have grown up resenting one another. Liv—former pageant queen and reality-TV star—was groomed for a life in the spotlight, while her older brother Jory, born with a partial facial paralysis, was left in the shadows. The only thing they have in common is contempt for their parents.
Now Liv is suing her mom and dad for emancipation, and Jory views the whole thing as yet another attention-getting spectacle. But on the day of the hearing, their parents mysteriously vanish, and the siblings are forced to work together. Liv feels certain she knows where they are and suspects that Jory knows more than he’s telling . . . which is true.
What starts as a simple overnight road trip soon takes a turn for the dangerous and surreal. And as the duo speeds through the deserts of Nevada, brother and sister will unearth deep family secrets that force them to relive their pasts as they try to retain a grip on the present.
Kim’s Review:
What a weird book. The cover held me enthralled for so long and I finally got it for Christmas. I’m pretty sure this book will be in the 2020 Most Gorgeous Cover Tournament . . . But as we were all taught, never judge a book by its cover. It took me forever to even get into the story. The characters were insufferable. The only one I liked was Jory. Literally everyone else was shallow and unlikable. Then as the story progressed, things made less and less sense. I think that was supposed to happen, but I think it was supposed to intrigue the reader. Instead, I was frustrated.
The whole book was one big confusing, annoying meandering that led absolutely nowhere. Honestly, the only reason I’m giving 3 stars is because of the amazing cover. I really don’t think I recommend this book to anyone. It felt like a waste of time, even when I got to the end and things were “explained”.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Jessica’s Thoughts on Wilder Girls
Wilder Girls
Author: Rory Power
Published: July 9, 2019
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: February 10-23, 2020
Jessica’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
It’s been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty’s life out from under her.
It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don’t dare wander outside the school’s fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.
But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there’s more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.
Jessica’s Review:
This is one that Kim read last year and I was curious because of her review, and my library finally received it on audiobook. The premise intrigued me, but the book did not really deliver for me. Instead of being pulled into a situation that is going on 18 months, I would have liked the story from the beginning. I really enjoy books with chaos and I am sure that’s how the beginning of the Tox went.
I just was not attached to any of the girls and really did not care what happened to them. But some of what happens is frightening and definitely not for everyone. Towards the very end I became interested in the story, but that was too far gone.
This was not a bad novel, just not for me.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
