Armada by Ernest Cline is a sci-fi novel that follows Zack Lightman, a teenage gamer who discovers that the video game he excels at, "Armada," is actually a government simulation training players to defend Earth against an impending alien invasion. When the threat becomes real, Zack and other top players are recruited to use their gaming skills in a battle for humanity’s survival.
The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu is the second book in the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Set during an alien invasion, the book explores humanity's response to the Fermi Paradox, proposing the "Dark Forest" theory as a solution: the universe is a dark forest where every civilization is like a hunter hiding in the darkness, seeking to survive while avoiding detection by conflict.
As a rewrite of Obsidian, I expected Oblivion to fall flat or be a copy, but Jennifer L. Armentrout’s writing truly made this addition as spectacular as its predecessors. Oblivion is a new version of the first book of the Lux series, Obsidian, but from Daemon’s perspective instead of Katy’s.
Opposition is the fifth and final book in Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Lux series. This book begins right where Origin left off; Katy, Beth, Luc, and Archer are separated from the Black siblings after a group of Luxen arrive on Earth. This book will determine how far Daemon and his siblings will go to protect the people they love.
Onyx, the second book in Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Lux series, was absolutely amazing. After being healed by Daemon, Katy becomes a Luxen mutant and must learn to manage her powers, but the Department of Defense is suspicious. As Katy and the others try to stay under the DoD’s radar, they will discover what the Department has been hiding.
Obsidian, the first book in Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Lux series, was shamefully addicting. This book fits the typical YA paranormal romance plotline, but I couldn’t put it down. Katy, a typical girl next door character, moves to the middle of nowhere in West Virginia, where her neighbors, Daemon and Dee Black, are aliens. Forming a relationship with the Blacks places Katy in the middle of a timeless rivalry between the Luxen and their evil alien counterparts, the Arum.
Ender’s Game is a Science Fiction movie which tells the story of a boy named Ender Wiggen. This futuristic film takes place years after aliens invaded Earth almost causing the end of the world. In order to be better prepared to take on the aliens, the government created a battle school for brilliant children to learn how to fight, fly fighter jets, and take down the aliens. Ender Wiggen is one of the most brilliant kids in this program.
I was so into this book I wanted more after I finished it. All of the plot twists and thickenings kept me intrigued and enveloped thought the novel. I really love all of the character development in the book as well, it added so much more depth than I realized looking back.
I didn't read the first book, but Last Pick: Born to Run was gripping and beautiful. It checked all of my boxes: murderous aliens (and more importantly, a not-so-murderous one), people banding together to find hope in the dark times, empathy, and, well, two friends falling in love. I was disappointed that it ended.
The Last Star is the final book of The Fifth Wave trilogy and picks up six weeks after the events of The Infinite Sea. After the Others, an alien race, sent four waves of death they killed seven billion people.
