Artemis by Andy Weir

Title: Artemis
Author: Andy Weir
Genre: Science Fiction

Synopsis: Jasmine Bashara is a young woman trying to make her way as a porter/smuggler in the first Lunar settlement, Artemis. Barely scraping by, everyone she knows is telling her she has wasted her talents and can do so much more with life. When a shady billionaire customer offers Jazz a dangerous and illegal job along with a hefty payment to match, she jumps at the offer. After beginning stage one of her brilliant plan, Jazz realizes she is in over her head and will have to call in her friends and estranged father to help save the city.

 My Thoughts

This is the second novel I have read/reviewed by Andy Weir (The Martian). I was excited to have recieved it as a gift for Christmas! As I expected, it is filled with good, factual science along with some really interesting science fiction. The ways that the Lunar city is built to allow life, the moral code that creates civilization, and the factory that produces aluminum and the oxygen needed for Artemis by smelting are all really well thought out.
I find it interesting when a male author chooses to write a story from the first person perspective of a female protagonist. Weir clearly wants to make it known that Jazz is an independent, head-strong, takes-no-crap-from-anyone kind of woman. I totally respect that. Unfortunately, I think he overdoes it by trying to shock the reader with her constant foul language and redundant references to casual sex. I'm not saying that female characters cannot use expletives and such, just that the author was trying too hard to make his protagonist 'a tough lady.' Strong female characters can be written without having to be incredibly crass.Toward the end, at the climax of the plot, Weir is too busy actually telling the story and Jazz is allowed to show that she is a strong character though actions and not her words. 
I really liked the way that the author gave the reader insight into Jazz's past. She has an email pen-pal who lives on Earth. They start emailing as a school assignment when they are probably pre-teens and continue their relationship into the present. Overall, I think this novel is pretty entertaining and worth reading.

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


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Victoria by Daisy Goodwin

Title: Victoria
Author: Daisy Goodwin
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis: The story of 18-year-old Alexandrina Victoria ascending to the throne to become Queen Victoria of England. This novel follows Victoria as she learns how to be a queen after living a sheltered life with her mother and her mother's advisor John Conroy. When she leans heavily on the helpful and handsome Lord Melbourne, her prime minister, for guidance everyone says it is time Victoria find a suitable husband.

 My Thoughts

As soon as this hit the shelves I was dying to read it. I love the British Royal Family and have read exhaustively about the Windsors, Tudors, and Plantagenets, but I was so excited to read about Victoria, a monarch I have read little about. I was unwilling to pay for a hardcover copy and ended up getting a paperback copy as a Christmas gift. 
I must admit that while I was waiting for the paperback version, I watched the Masterpiece Classic television show by the same name. It was written by the same author as she wrote this novel. I highly recommend both.
 I would suggest reading the book first, which covers the first four episodes of the series. The novel provides much more detail and helps the reader understand exactly how the characters are related or their job in the palace, the motives of Victoria's various uncles and her mother, the mistakes Victoria makes and why they make her unpopular with her people at first, and her relationship with Lord Melbourne and her cousin Albert.  The series is filled with beautiful costumes and also has a side story about the Queen's dresser, Skerret, that is not included in the novel.
This is the third novel I have read by Goodwin (The American Heiress, Fortune Hunter) and I have enjoyed all three. Her descriptions allow the reader to create a clear mental picture without overexplaining or going into exhaustive detail. She also writes strong, independent female protagonists who are relatable even decades after they lived. 

If you love British royal history, coming of age stories, or women working to overcome discrimination, this book is for you. 

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


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The Cavendon Luck by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Title: The Cavendon Luck
Author: Barbara Taylor Bradford
Genre: Fiction

Synopsis: The third book in a series of four following the esteemed Ingham and Swann families of Cavendon as they manage life on the estate and in London just prior to and during World War II. Each member of the family is given a section of the book focused on their life at the time.

 My Thoughts

The first few pages of this book really made me consider not finishing it. The sentences were short when they could have easily been complex. The author over-explained what was happening in the scene to the point of redundancy. Then, of course, it starts with the cheesiest of love scenes. (Multiple more follow throughout, bleh) I hate not finishing a book, so I muddled through the first two chapters.
I can forgive the fact that the characters were seemingly underdeveloped at first because I did not realize that this novel is the third in a series of four. That being said, it is not necessary to read the previous books to understand this one, but it would be helpful.
Once it gets going, the story is actually engaging and the writing improves. There is one storyline that is engaging about getting a Jewish family out of Berlin before war breaks out. Honestly, if the book had ended after Part I, I would have been content. Unfortunately, Part II is completely unnecessary to the main plot of the novel. It seems that in an attempt to discuss every member of the Ingham and Swann families the author loses focus of the story she is trying to tell. Maybe if Part II had been a separate novel about the family during WWII then it could have been better developed. (spoiler alert!) Disappointingly, it just quickly covers the years of the war wounding a son at war, bringing another baby to a complete family, and killing off a beloved aunt.
I don't think I will be seeking out any of the other books in the series.
Positives:
The relationship between the sisters/sisters-in-law is interesting.
The women have interesting places in society for the time.
Part I overall is engaging (minus the initial two chapters)


Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above.