I Am Traitor by Sif Sigmarsdóttir

The Blurb On The Back:

London, present day.

Extra-terrestrial visitors have landed.

Amy Sullivan used to feel safe living in a high-rise tower block in the middle of London. Now it’s the worst place to be. As large metallic arms fall from the sky, terrified are transported to an unimaginable world on the other side.

Amy runs until she can’t run any more. Then, she is taken.

Scared and alone, she finds herself inside a spaceship, where those in power will stop at nothing to destroy all she knows.

To save her planet, Amy will have to put faith in those she fears the most. But what if it means becoming a traitor to everyone she has ever loved?

At the end of the world … Who can you really trust?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sif Sigmarsdóttir’s YA SF novel is a disappointing affair hampered by poor world building, inconsistencies and holes in the plot, two-dimensional characters who never react as you would expect and a main character who is supposed to be the ‘every teen’ who saves the day but who displays zero common sense – all of which is a shame because there are hints at sophisticated politics here that never get a chance to breathe.

I AM TRAITOR was released in the United Kingdom on 7th September 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

Monstress Volume One: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

The Blurb On The Back:

Set in an alternate world of art deco beauty and steampunk horror, MONSTRESS tells the epic story of Maika Halfwolf, a teenage survivor of a cataclysmic war between humans and their hated enemies, the Arcanics. In the face of oppression and terrible danger, Maika is both hunter and hunted, searching for answers about her mysterious past as those who seek to use her remain just one step behind … and all the while, the monster within begins to awaken …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The first volume in Marjorie Liu’s and Sana Takeda’s dark fantasy graphic novel series is a sumptuous, violent affair that marries power, revenge and dark secrets into a sophisticated plot that requires effort to follow but rewards you for sticking with it and offers complicated characters who cross and double cross each other and who I care about enough to want to read Volume 2.