KayCee K.

As a successful social media journalist with half a million followers, seventeen-year-old Cal is used to sharing his life online. But when his pilot father is selected for a highly publicized NASA mission to Mars, Cal and his family relocate from Brooklyn to Houston and are thrust into a media circus.
Amidst the chaos, Cal meets sensitive and mysterious Leon, another “Astrokid,” and finds himself falling head over heels—fast. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so does their connection. But when secrets about the program are uncovered, Cal must find a way to reveal the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.
Expertly capturing the thrill of first love and the self-doubt all teens feel, debut author Phil Stamper is a new talent to watch.

Review

The Gravity of Us is a YA contemporary set around NASA's first human mission to mars and the two sons of said astronauts. We start off with Cal who, out of now where, he has to move Houston. Because his father has been selected to be an astronaut. Leaving behind everything, he is now part of a reality TV show that is filming the NASA program and their families. I was surprised by the role of this and it made me stop and think about rights, what it's like to be in that world.

The characters are the best part of this book. They are adorable and witty. Their relationship blossoms into a bundle of cuteness. Cal is a social media journalist with over half of a million followers, he uses his power for making a difference. There is a strong theme of how teenagers aren't taken seriously, I found that this is an important thing to be talked about. I believe this story did a great job of showing how hard it can be when you feel like your problems are just being overlooked. I also like how social media played into Cal's life, how it can be a reward but also how it comes with its problems, can be hard too. Mental health is also played a part in these pages, the way shows that you can still have good days while dealing with depression and anxiety, is important because I think people who don't have depression and/or anxiety thinks it's just all sad, being down when really it can be a mix. I also like how mental health is handled, that it doesn't just go away, that it's something you have to work at.

The writing style is wonderful. Phil Stamper's skill of making you feel for his characters is my favorite part. I felt along with these characters.

This is a unique story, I haven't read many books about teens whose parents are in working towards heading to space. I enjoyed the mix of NASA, social media, mental health, and queer romance.

- Goodreads -

Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs. But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity--and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death. Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki--near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat. Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be--not even Deka herself.

- Goodreads -

We start out meeting Deka and her father, in their lives leading up to the blood ceremony that will determine if Deka's will become a member of her village. This matters a lot to her because she is already different from the others in her village. Her mother was from a different village, so that makes people wary of her. On the day of the ceremony, nothing goes as plan and by the end of the day, she is now part of an army of girls called Alaki, who have immortals with rare gifts. We follow her throughout her journey to the training grounds, meeting other soldiers, and learning what's really going on. I found the world and 'magic' systems the coolest part of the story. The fighting scenes were also well done, it felt like I was right there watching the action. I felt that this book talked about many themes and topics, but the one that stood out most to me what society and women. I enjoyed how this book handles and developed that thought the pages. The first part of this book is all about her and the other girls and what color their blood will be if she bleeds red, she is deemed pure, if she bleeds gold, she is deemed impure. It also deals with race, abuse, trauma, and more; all I feel is done in a good way. Once, we get to the training part of the book we get to learn and see more of this world. There is an f/f relationship, that felt real and that I was all for. In the cast of characters, we meet a large mix of races, but they are all well developed. Deka, Britta, Adwapap, Belcalis are just a few characters that I enjoyed reading about. This is a story of underdogs, about learning to rise up. There is also a side plot of romance for the main character, but that was light. The writing is wonderful! It's violent, strong, powerful; paints a bight world with a colorful bunch of characters.
Overall, The Gilded Ones is like a mash-up of Children of Blood and Bone and Kingdom of Souls, but better! Out of these three books, The Gilded Ones is my favorite!

About The Book:

Title: TENTH STEM

Author: Mary Cook

Pub. Date: February 12, 2020

Publisher: Mary Cook

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 263

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle

No longer is there a waiting list. Not when women can be created in a lab for the express purpose of supplying readily available organs that can be harvested within hours.

An international research corporation does the unthinkable. Taking stem cell research to new levels, they push the boundaries.

An innocent young life hangs in the balance. Because of the simple fact of one child too many, Tansy faces certain death. A baby thrust into her arms, then a kind guard whisks her away from all she has ever known. Lost and alone on the streets, Tansy finally finds sanctuary in an unlikely ally. Together the three work to stay one step ahead of the individuals who seek to cause them harm.

Her only desire is to find hope, love, and acceptance. She is faced with desperation, terror, and death. Now she must turn the tables and work to bring down those who would seek to destroy her new found happiness.

*warning: Graphic violence. LGBTQ.

Excerpt:

She looked down at the bundle in her arms, “If I sit here holding number 1, that means that the numbers are coming faster, and pretty soon mine will be up? Is that it, Mark? Is that the everything you wanted to talk to me about?”

Shoulders hunched, his head bowed in shame, he couldn’t meet her eyes. He sat, silent, as he drew circles in the cold hard dirt with his fingers.

10 heard him sniffle and knew how hard it was for him.

Guilt for the way she had talked to him consumed her, as she put her hand on his arm in comfort. He was too kind. Sympathy rose for the man who had always tried to be more than what was required. She knew what this job could do to one such as him, she had seen it before. The caring souls who became cold and callous, so she decided to do what she could to give him a boost in the right direction.

“Mark, why are you doing this? Why are you here?” She lowered her voice to a whisper as she looked around, “Get out while you can.”

His head jerked up, the startled expression on his face; the tears he had been trying to hide, unsettled her like nothing before. She had never seen Mark like that. He was afraid. She had always known fear, that was what her world was all about. Never would she have considered one of the guards would also know the same fear she lived with every single day.

“Granny, I’m as stuck here as you are. Sure, I get to go home every day, but if I were to miss one shift—”

When he mentioned going home, she couldn’t help thinking back on the question 31 had posed earlier that day. She scooted a little closer, then looked over at the closed door before she asked the question that all of them wanted answered.

She trusted him, and so she leaned in, the question blurted out before she could stop it, “Is this it, Mark? Is there anything else out there? Is this what it’s like… I mean, for everyone?”

About Mary:

Mary Cook is a retired police detective that lives in a small town right outside a ring of fire, just on the other side of…no wait, that’s a different character.

Actually retired, with hours and hours to write the next great novel, oh wait…nope that’s me. Yes, totally retired. Worlds come alive in my head, characters stand over my shoulder, and sometimes they wake me up at night. All of them want to come alive, to have their stories written. No matter how I think the story should go, it goes according to how the character decides it should. An evil character finds redemption. A beloved character is massacred for no good reason. They all write their own stories.

The ideas come to me, the character develops a personality, and the result is a book. I sincerely hope that everyone will love my books, but what I write isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. (Is it Mary? You sure you don’t want me to take care of it?) (Get back in the book, Ann!) I love to write stories that make you think, maybe make you a little uncomfortable. I am actually a pretty boring person. Retired, live in a dungeon (my office), two birds and a dog. Every now and then my husband expects me to come out and interact with the world, and I do (begrudgingly). Writing is my hobby, I used to do other things with my hands, crochet, knit…but then I got old(er), and they just don’t work as good as they used to.

On a more personal note, I do have children. I have three grown children, and lots and lots of grandchildren, with a few great-grandchildren. It’s like they’re in a competition on who can produce the most. If any of you read the back of the book, you’ll know that there’s more. But, outside of that, nothing. Boring. So, I bring life and color into the world through the pages of my books. Every time someone buys a book, or gives a review, I’m delightfully surprised. My eternal gratitude to all of you, for reading what I have written, and allowing me to become a small part of your life.

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Giveaway

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC, International.

Ends May 26, 2020. Midnight EST.

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How do you put yourself back together when it seems like you've lost it all? May is a survivor. But she doesn't feel like one. She feels angry. And lost. And alone. Eleven months after the school shooting that killed her twin brother, May still doesn't know why she was the only one to walk out of the band room that day. No one gets what she went through--no one saw and heard what she did. No one can possibly understand how it feels to be her. Zach lost his old life when his mother decided to defend the shooter. His girlfriend dumped him, his friends bailed, and now he spends his time hanging out with his little sister...and the one faithful friend who stuck around. His best friend is needy and demanding, but he won't let Zach disappear into himself. Which is how Zach ends up at band practice that night. The same night May goes with her best friend to audition for a new band. Which is how May meets Zach. And how Zach meets May. And how both might figure out that surviving could be an option after all.

- Goodreads -

The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson is a powerful story of the aftermath of a school shooting. We follow a girl, May, who's brother past because of the school shooting. This story is really about May and hows she's handling her life. What her grief looks like. I do have to say that I really like how Liz Lawson wrote May, she feels real; she is angry, guilty, overwelled. Her feelings felt real, not over the top, not pushy, but real. Like, if I were in her shoes, I would feel the same way she is. I was surprised by the relationship between the characters, going in I thought it was going to be more about the shooting, but it's not, it's about May's and her current relationships. It's about the people in her life now, old and new people, and her leaning to continue her life. This story is also about judging people because of their parents. We meet Zach and his mother who's defending the shooter who killed May's brother. We seem how people can judge people because of other people in their lives, and I enjoyed how Liz developed that role. I really enjoyed Zach's relationship between him and his younger sister, I always down for a good sibling plot. Overall, this is a moving story that I haven't read anything like this. It really made me stop and think that this is something we have to think about & deal with in today's world, that shatters my heart. I can't wait to read more by Liz.