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Waking Spero
Crashed without a clue. Stranded on a strange world. Caught in the fight of their lives.
Aspiring teenaged artist Unai thought he was free from facing struggle like his father. But he’d rather be back in his family butcher shop when he wakes in a downed escape pod with a feral girl and cute-looking kid cadet on a faraway planet. And with carnage on the horizon and a gap in his memories, he’ll need more than his artistic instincts to stay alive.
2045 is the last year that Space Force Academy recruit Clover can remember. And though she’s desperate to honor her father’s military legacy by surviving the massive impact, she fears her two charges are casualties waiting to happen. So she goes with the only viable option: Take the lead to guarantee all three make it through the alien jungle’s deadly night…
Battling conflicting personalities and dodging close encounters with native creatures, Unai struggles to keep it together in the hostile environment. And Clover finds herself stretched to the limit keeping everybody alive when their search for answers unleashes an avalanche of peril.
Can they survive the savage lands before the extraterrestrial wildlife tears them apart?
Waking Spero is the engrossing first book in the Spero Trilogy YA science fiction series. If you like thrilling surprises, friendships forged under pressure, and otherworldly quests, then you’ll love IQ Malcolm’s fast-paced adventure.
Buy Waking Spero to explore the extraordinary today!
Aspiring teenaged artist Unai thought he was free from facing struggle like his father. But he’d rather be back in his family butcher shop when he wakes in a downed escape pod with a feral girl and cute-looking kid cadet on a faraway planet. And with carnage on the horizon and a gap in his memories, he’ll need more than his artistic instincts to stay alive.
2045 is the last year that Space Force Academy recruit Clover can remember. And though she’s desperate to honor her father’s military legacy by surviving the massive impact, she fears her two charges are casualties waiting to happen. So she goes with the only viable option: Take the lead to guarantee all three make it through the alien jungle’s deadly night…
Battling conflicting personalities and dodging close encounters with native creatures, Unai struggles to keep it together in the hostile environment. And Clover finds herself stretched to the limit keeping everybody alive when their search for answers unleashes an avalanche of peril.
Can they survive the savage lands before the extraterrestrial wildlife tears them apart?
Waking Spero is the engrossing first book in the Spero Trilogy YA science fiction series. If you like thrilling surprises, friendships forged under pressure, and otherworldly quests, then you’ll love IQ Malcolm’s fast-paced adventure.
Buy Waking Spero to explore the extraordinary today!
- GenresScience Fiction
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 11, 2020
8 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
I.Q. Malcolm
9 books25 followersIQ Malcolm is a middle school teacher by day, molding young minds for a brighter future, and a sci-fi/fantasy author by night, where he lets his imagination run wild (within reason, of course). When he’s not torturing the next generation with his dad jokes or creating magical realms, you can find him pondering the possible uses for telekinetic spiders or contemplating which character to kill off next.
His mission? To make his universe weirder, wittier, and more approachable, one book at a time!
For more information, you can visit iqmalcolm.com or follow him on social media.
His mission? To make his universe weirder, wittier, and more approachable, one book at a time!
For more information, you can visit iqmalcolm.com or follow him on social media.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
May 16, 2020
✨I received an ARC of this book from the author IQ Malcolm and I can't be more elated with the story.✨
This book is a YA sci-fi where we follow our two main characters Unai and Clover on their adventure on an unknown alien planet with no memory of their past two and a half years.
Plot & World Building:
It was quite a fast-paced book with an avid description of the alien planet and its inhabitant creatures. (An engrossing melange of Avatar and Indiana Jones.) The dangerous forest and its extraterrestrial creatures in combination with the ancient temple and its former aliens continued building up the mystery and kept me on toes till the last page.
Characters:
The main characters were well-developed and have their defined roles but since there is an obvious gap in their memories, we don't get to see much of the history related to WW3 and the circumstances leading to their escape from Earth and crashing on their current planet.
Unai: He is an artist and has a knack of cracking jokes and bringing up references of pop culture to lighten the environment and to keep up with the conflicting nature of his companion Clover. He believes in his gut instinct and has a very generous side to him.
"A fat, sticky tear rolled out of the corner of my eye and found its way down to my ear. It had been too much to take in all at once. More tears quickly followed, and I got to the point where I wasn't sure what exactly I was crying for."
Clover: She is the perfect companion we would need to be on our side if we want to spend a night in an alien jungle. Her leadership and survival skills are on-point. She keeps her past and her thoughts to herself and takes her sweet time to open-up.
"I would never leave one of my own behind," I said as I stopped to twist the top off my canteen. "Especially if they were in trouble." "Isn't that what you just did?" My father's voice tore through my head.
Overall, it was quite an interesting read of this year and I am definitely anticipating the next book, "Invading Spero" to see the direction in which the story will go on from this stage. I would also love to know more about the other characters who were introduced in the later part of the story.
Ratings: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is a YA sci-fi where we follow our two main characters Unai and Clover on their adventure on an unknown alien planet with no memory of their past two and a half years.
Plot & World Building:
It was quite a fast-paced book with an avid description of the alien planet and its inhabitant creatures. (An engrossing melange of Avatar and Indiana Jones.) The dangerous forest and its extraterrestrial creatures in combination with the ancient temple and its former aliens continued building up the mystery and kept me on toes till the last page.
Characters:
The main characters were well-developed and have their defined roles but since there is an obvious gap in their memories, we don't get to see much of the history related to WW3 and the circumstances leading to their escape from Earth and crashing on their current planet.
Unai: He is an artist and has a knack of cracking jokes and bringing up references of pop culture to lighten the environment and to keep up with the conflicting nature of his companion Clover. He believes in his gut instinct and has a very generous side to him.
"A fat, sticky tear rolled out of the corner of my eye and found its way down to my ear. It had been too much to take in all at once. More tears quickly followed, and I got to the point where I wasn't sure what exactly I was crying for."
Clover: She is the perfect companion we would need to be on our side if we want to spend a night in an alien jungle. Her leadership and survival skills are on-point. She keeps her past and her thoughts to herself and takes her sweet time to open-up.
"I would never leave one of my own behind," I said as I stopped to twist the top off my canteen. "Especially if they were in trouble." "Isn't that what you just did?" My father's voice tore through my head.
Overall, it was quite an interesting read of this year and I am definitely anticipating the next book, "Invading Spero" to see the direction in which the story will go on from this stage. I would also love to know more about the other characters who were introduced in the later part of the story.
Ratings: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 7, 2020
4.5
"Where in the universe are we? Why can’t I remember anything from around the time of our departure into space? Is anyone I knew before entering cryosleep still alive?"
Waking up on a strange alien planet with zero memories but a whole lot of questions. Unai, Clover and Alena have no other choice but to start their journey through this strange jungle and unexplored planet. While facing deadly creatures and unexpected trials the three of them form a friendship that needs to survive this planet. Because even though they don't remember anything, they know they were sent here for a reason.
This was an adventurous, fast paced sci-fi book. The reader is thrown right into the action, asking themselves the same question as our protagonists: Why? Where? And how?
I really loved the dynamics between the three protagonists and I adored Alena! I loved their stupidly corny jokes and banter and hope to see more of that in the sequel! While some things left me a little confused and some scenes could've used a little more elaboration, I quite enjoyed this adventure!
This book is for everyone who's looking for a fast and action - packed space story!
And a definite recommendation to fans of Amie Kaufman's and Jay Kristoff's "Aurora Cycle" series!
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
"Where in the universe are we? Why can’t I remember anything from around the time of our departure into space? Is anyone I knew before entering cryosleep still alive?"
Waking up on a strange alien planet with zero memories but a whole lot of questions. Unai, Clover and Alena have no other choice but to start their journey through this strange jungle and unexplored planet. While facing deadly creatures and unexpected trials the three of them form a friendship that needs to survive this planet. Because even though they don't remember anything, they know they were sent here for a reason.
This was an adventurous, fast paced sci-fi book. The reader is thrown right into the action, asking themselves the same question as our protagonists: Why? Where? And how?
I really loved the dynamics between the three protagonists and I adored Alena! I loved their stupidly corny jokes and banter and hope to see more of that in the sequel! While some things left me a little confused and some scenes could've used a little more elaboration, I quite enjoyed this adventure!
This book is for everyone who's looking for a fast and action - packed space story!
And a definite recommendation to fans of Amie Kaufman's and Jay Kristoff's "Aurora Cycle" series!
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
August 10, 2020
When two unlikely friends end up on a new planet with no memory of how to get there they must learn to survive. I completely loved this book. This is not the type of genre I normally read, but now I want to. The characters were so beautifully written and I actually found myself laughing at some of their sarcastic remarks to each other. While the second book is not out yet I have already preordered my copy! So beautifully written, and really left me guessing as to what was going to happen (and my guesses were never right). I did receive this book from the author but that did not change any of my opinions on this book!
September 2, 2020
First of all, thank you to the author for sending me out a review copy for an honest review.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. First going into it I thought it was going to be a fun, little sci-fi adventure but I probably wasn’t gonna pick up the second book. I was pleasantly mistaken. This book is a fun adventure but I will be picking up the sequel.
There is a lot to love with this book; I personally enjoyed how fast paced it was and the dynamics between our main cast of characters. The writing was easy to follow, and I never had to stop and figure out what was going on, which is something I have to do with some sci-fi because they get too science-y.
I would honestly recommend this book to people who love the Aurora Cycle and the Illuminae Files. It fits perfectly in with those books.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. First going into it I thought it was going to be a fun, little sci-fi adventure but I probably wasn’t gonna pick up the second book. I was pleasantly mistaken. This book is a fun adventure but I will be picking up the sequel.
There is a lot to love with this book; I personally enjoyed how fast paced it was and the dynamics between our main cast of characters. The writing was easy to follow, and I never had to stop and figure out what was going on, which is something I have to do with some sci-fi because they get too science-y.
I would honestly recommend this book to people who love the Aurora Cycle and the Illuminae Files. It fits perfectly in with those books.
June 11, 2020
3,5✨
Big thanks to the author for giving me an e-ARC of this book by in exchange for an honest review!
-
*What it’s about*
This book is about 3 teens who wake up on an unknown planet with little memory of how they got there. They set on an adventure in order to find answers.
-
*My opinion*
Waking Spero is a YA sci-fi adventure with fun characters and a fast-paced plot. I decided to give it 3,5 stars because as much as it quick and enjoyable, it wasn’t anything very special and overall I didn’t feel that connected to the story to give it a higher rating.
When I went into this book, I expected an action-packed sci-fi adventure and yes, some parts of it were like that, but a large portion of the book was just conversations between the main characters. While reading this book I felt like the author’s writing style seemed well suited for contemporary novels and it almost felt like I was reading two different books at the same time - the sci-fi adventure I was looking forward to and a contemporary with a slow-burn romance and a lot of pop-culture references. I personally didn’t enjoy the pop-culture references in this book. I usually don’t mind them but here there was just so many of them that I found it disturbing and pointless. The plot still had a bunch of thrilling moments and shocking plot twists that will made me want to read more, though.
I really liked the dynamic between our two main characters Clover and Unai. This book swaps the gender stereotypes in similar way that The Hunger Games does. Clover is a bad-ass with great fighting skill, that she likes showing off whereas Unai is the artist that tells some very bad joked. The characters felt real and were full of personality. However I would’ve liked to know a bit more about their backstroy and their life back on Earth. As much as I enjoyed reading about the main characters, the side characters felt kind of bland, but we didn’t have much time to get to know them though, so I hope that will change in the sequel.
The world building was decent but not amazing. The entiren alien civilization and foreign creatures vibe was cool and enjoyable but I personally would’ve preferred a more techy world, filled with rocketshipes and robots - basically more of a classic sci-fi setting. In some ways this novel felt more of lika a sci-fi fantasy crossover than just sci-fi.
On the other side, it was a great chill read that I could read quickly without having to think about it too much, which is nice too.
-
*Who would enjoy this book*
Overall I’d recommend Waking Spero to anyone who’s interested in a light YA sci-fi with loveable characters!
Big thanks to the author for giving me an e-ARC of this book by in exchange for an honest review!
-
*What it’s about*
This book is about 3 teens who wake up on an unknown planet with little memory of how they got there. They set on an adventure in order to find answers.
-
*My opinion*
Waking Spero is a YA sci-fi adventure with fun characters and a fast-paced plot. I decided to give it 3,5 stars because as much as it quick and enjoyable, it wasn’t anything very special and overall I didn’t feel that connected to the story to give it a higher rating.
When I went into this book, I expected an action-packed sci-fi adventure and yes, some parts of it were like that, but a large portion of the book was just conversations between the main characters. While reading this book I felt like the author’s writing style seemed well suited for contemporary novels and it almost felt like I was reading two different books at the same time - the sci-fi adventure I was looking forward to and a contemporary with a slow-burn romance and a lot of pop-culture references. I personally didn’t enjoy the pop-culture references in this book. I usually don’t mind them but here there was just so many of them that I found it disturbing and pointless. The plot still had a bunch of thrilling moments and shocking plot twists that will made me want to read more, though.
I really liked the dynamic between our two main characters Clover and Unai. This book swaps the gender stereotypes in similar way that The Hunger Games does. Clover is a bad-ass with great fighting skill, that she likes showing off whereas Unai is the artist that tells some very bad joked. The characters felt real and were full of personality. However I would’ve liked to know a bit more about their backstroy and their life back on Earth. As much as I enjoyed reading about the main characters, the side characters felt kind of bland, but we didn’t have much time to get to know them though, so I hope that will change in the sequel.
The world building was decent but not amazing. The entiren alien civilization and foreign creatures vibe was cool and enjoyable but I personally would’ve preferred a more techy world, filled with rocketshipes and robots - basically more of a classic sci-fi setting. In some ways this novel felt more of lika a sci-fi fantasy crossover than just sci-fi.
On the other side, it was a great chill read that I could read quickly without having to think about it too much, which is nice too.
-
*Who would enjoy this book*
Overall I’d recommend Waking Spero to anyone who’s interested in a light YA sci-fi with loveable characters!
January 7, 2021
I received a free copy of this book from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
Waking Spero is a fun and fast-paced Sci-Fi Adventure about a group of 3 teenagers who find themselves on an alien planet after the ship carrying their cryobeds crashes.
However, none of them remember why they got on the ship in the first place or what they were supposed to do.
They start to explore the planet and uncover the remains of an ancient civilization but dangers lurk around every corner.
The mysteries surrounding the planet, it's vanished inhabitants and the characters' missing memories are quite intriguing and make you want to keep reading. This combined with being on the short side means you can finish Waking Spero in a few sittings.
The planet is vibrant and lush and inhabited by a cacophony of interesting animals and plants, many of which want to kill our protagonists. And honestly, I can't blame them. The characters are arguably the weakest part of the book.
Both girls are more or less instantly infatuated with the protagonist and the resulting relationship is painfully predictable.
I was also extremely uncomfortable with the way Alena was compared with an animal or a toddler early on and yet constantly sexualised.
Also, there were a lot of more or less current pop culture references, especially in the beginning and I'm just not convinced a teenage soldier from the future would recite The Hunchback of Notre Dame word for word (including the songs!) while slashing her way through the jungle on an Alien planet full of dangerous creatures.
Waking Spero is a fun and fast-paced Sci-Fi Adventure about a group of 3 teenagers who find themselves on an alien planet after the ship carrying their cryobeds crashes.
However, none of them remember why they got on the ship in the first place or what they were supposed to do.
They start to explore the planet and uncover the remains of an ancient civilization but dangers lurk around every corner.
The mysteries surrounding the planet, it's vanished inhabitants and the characters' missing memories are quite intriguing and make you want to keep reading. This combined with being on the short side means you can finish Waking Spero in a few sittings.
The planet is vibrant and lush and inhabited by a cacophony of interesting animals and plants, many of which want to kill our protagonists. And honestly, I can't blame them. The characters are arguably the weakest part of the book.
Both girls are more or less instantly infatuated with the protagonist and the resulting relationship is painfully predictable.
I was also extremely uncomfortable with the way Alena was compared with an animal or a toddler early on and yet constantly sexualised.
Also, there were a lot of more or less current pop culture references, especially in the beginning and I'm just not convinced a teenage soldier from the future would recite The Hunchback of Notre Dame word for word (including the songs!) while slashing her way through the jungle on an Alien planet full of dangerous creatures.
September 3, 2020
“Crashed without a clue. Stranded on a strange world. Caught in the fight of their lives.”
**Received this review copy of Waking Spero from @IQ Malcolm in exchange for an honest review**
Waking Spero is an action-packed adventure full of humor, pop culture references, mystery, and intrigue! Unai and Clover wake up in an escape pod on an unknown planet with no memory of why there are there. Their last memories revolve around their life on Earth when they were 16/17 years old. Where were they now? Why were they there? What happened to Earth? Is humanity extinct? And the most important question — WHO were Clover and Unai, truly?
IQ Malcolm’s world building was top-notch — as a reader, I was taken away to colorful jungles, coral reefs, deserted aztec-esque cities, and mysterious mountain ranges — all full of strange threats and otherworldly beasts. I loved the flip-flopped point of view — being able to access both Clover’s and Unai’s personal thoughts really added to the complexity of their relationship and their characters. In the next installment of the trilogy, I look forward to more backstories on Clover and Unai’s previous lives — especially now that we know a tiny snippet of their memories from Earth.
If you are looking for a one-of-kind, imaginative story brimming with adventure — IQ Malcolm’s Waking Spero is the book for you. But be warned — you will be left with quite the cliff hanger as you await Invading Spero!
**Received this review copy of Waking Spero from @IQ Malcolm in exchange for an honest review**
Waking Spero is an action-packed adventure full of humor, pop culture references, mystery, and intrigue! Unai and Clover wake up in an escape pod on an unknown planet with no memory of why there are there. Their last memories revolve around their life on Earth when they were 16/17 years old. Where were they now? Why were they there? What happened to Earth? Is humanity extinct? And the most important question — WHO were Clover and Unai, truly?
IQ Malcolm’s world building was top-notch — as a reader, I was taken away to colorful jungles, coral reefs, deserted aztec-esque cities, and mysterious mountain ranges — all full of strange threats and otherworldly beasts. I loved the flip-flopped point of view — being able to access both Clover’s and Unai’s personal thoughts really added to the complexity of their relationship and their characters. In the next installment of the trilogy, I look forward to more backstories on Clover and Unai’s previous lives — especially now that we know a tiny snippet of their memories from Earth.
If you are looking for a one-of-kind, imaginative story brimming with adventure — IQ Malcolm’s Waking Spero is the book for you. But be warned — you will be left with quite the cliff hanger as you await Invading Spero!
May 12, 2020
*I received an e-ARC of this book from the author in return for an honest review.*
.
When 3 teens wake up on an alien planet with no clue how they got there and a gap in their memories they set off into unknown territory facing many dangers in search of answers.
Waking Spero is a Sci-fi adventure novel that takes us to a planet far far away. This novel is catchy right from the beginning. The author did a great job of describing this new planet that it was easy to see exactly how he imagined it, from the terrain to the creatures that live there I could easily picture it in my head.
One of the things I liked about this novel was that it took some of the typical gender roles and reversed them. In a lot of action novels the boys tend to take the lead and set the course, in this novel the girl took that position and it was refreshing to read that.
I do wish that we got a bit more background on some of the characters as we were reading so that we felt a bit more connected to these characters emotionally but I have a feeling we will find out more in the next book.
If you like space adventure novels and pop culture references I would definitely recommend this book. It was a quick and enjoyable read that end in a way that makes you want to read the next one.
.
When 3 teens wake up on an alien planet with no clue how they got there and a gap in their memories they set off into unknown territory facing many dangers in search of answers.
Waking Spero is a Sci-fi adventure novel that takes us to a planet far far away. This novel is catchy right from the beginning. The author did a great job of describing this new planet that it was easy to see exactly how he imagined it, from the terrain to the creatures that live there I could easily picture it in my head.
One of the things I liked about this novel was that it took some of the typical gender roles and reversed them. In a lot of action novels the boys tend to take the lead and set the course, in this novel the girl took that position and it was refreshing to read that.
I do wish that we got a bit more background on some of the characters as we were reading so that we felt a bit more connected to these characters emotionally but I have a feeling we will find out more in the next book.
If you like space adventure novels and pop culture references I would definitely recommend this book. It was a quick and enjoyable read that end in a way that makes you want to read the next one.
August 10, 2020
This book gives me The 100 (show version) meets These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner vibes. And if those references don’t make sense to you, JUST KNOW I LOVE BOTH OF THEM!
The books starts off with our MCs waking up from cryo sleep in a crash landing on a strange planet with missing memories. Sounds good right? Add in some ancient alien civilizations, hidden tombs, and strange creatures. 🤯 I seriously loved the whole setting and plot for this one. All of it. I could picture everything perfectly AND THIS WOULD MAKE A GREAT MOVIE. I’m definitely going to need book two. The one thing I did struggle with was the MCs because I really wasn’t that interested in them but luckily there are other characters that I love AND it seems they will play a more prominent role in the sequel. Looking at you, Zion, my magnificent computer whiz with the Avatar: The Last Airbender references. Overall, I really enjoyed this one.
So in summary, my review is a mess as always. If you love a good scifi space adventure, then check this one out.
More like 4.5 stars, but goodreads hates me and still hasn’t added this feature
p.s. CAN WE PLEASE SEND GOOD THINGS ZION’S WAY? PLEAAAAASE.
The books starts off with our MCs waking up from cryo sleep in a crash landing on a strange planet with missing memories. Sounds good right? Add in some ancient alien civilizations, hidden tombs, and strange creatures. 🤯 I seriously loved the whole setting and plot for this one. All of it. I could picture everything perfectly AND THIS WOULD MAKE A GREAT MOVIE. I’m definitely going to need book two. The one thing I did struggle with was the MCs because I really wasn’t that interested in them but luckily there are other characters that I love AND it seems they will play a more prominent role in the sequel. Looking at you, Zion, my magnificent computer whiz with the Avatar: The Last Airbender references. Overall, I really enjoyed this one.
So in summary, my review is a mess as always. If you love a good scifi space adventure, then check this one out.
More like 4.5 stars, but goodreads hates me and still hasn’t added this feature
p.s. CAN WE PLEASE SEND GOOD THINGS ZION’S WAY? PLEAAAAASE.
June 10, 2020
"Crashed without a clue. Stranded on a strange world. Caught in the fight of their lives."
The book is an adventure Sci-fi novel that begins with three teenagers, Unai, Clover and Alena waking up on an unknown planet. I love how you can imagine everything from the adventures, animals and locations whilst reading this fast paced book. I couldn't put it down and finished it in one day. I can't wait to continue the story when the next book is published and the adventure continues.
*I received this book as an ARC from the author IQ Malcolm for an honest review*
The book is an adventure Sci-fi novel that begins with three teenagers, Unai, Clover and Alena waking up on an unknown planet. I love how you can imagine everything from the adventures, animals and locations whilst reading this fast paced book. I couldn't put it down and finished it in one day. I can't wait to continue the story when the next book is published and the adventure continues.
*I received this book as an ARC from the author IQ Malcolm for an honest review*
November 21, 2020
This is a rather interesting story, following three teenage kids, Unai, Clover and Elana, who were in a starship in cryo-pods travelling through space, when their ship has some sort of catastrophic accident, and they crash on a planet. They are ejected in a crash pod, there were ten in the ejection pod, but seven were killed on impact.
The three that survive, are a Unai, young guy who was training to be a butcher with his Father, but really had his heart set on being an artist. The next is a strong willed, military cadet, whose Father has a Military Legacy, and Clover is determined to honour it by making sure the other two in the escape pod survive.
The third is a fascinating character, and leads to one of the stories plot lines, in that Elana, a young woman, cannot speak. The ship has been in hyperspace for over 2 million years, and during that time, whilst in cryo-sleep, the passengers have started to de-evolve, in that they have started to lose brain function, the cryo-chambers have started to breakdown the neural pathways, and we are reverting to a lesser state of intelligence as such. As a result, Elana wakes up almost feral like, like a scared animal, and acting on animal instincts, fight or flight mode, as her higher thinking centres are gone, and that includes her language ability.
The three of them find themselves on an alien planet, with very limited supplies (I don’t want to give too much away), and with the goal of trying to get rescued, Clover takes lead given her background and training.
This is definitely a young adult story, the way it is written, the dialogue between the main characters, and the way it reads, but it is interesting enough that anyone can read it and enjoy it. It has a mix of survival, thriller, action, a bit of romance, and a fair bit of humour. With 2 teenagers and an Author who thinks that all teenagers do is snipe at each other constantly with sarcastic comments, (which, let’s face it, are they wrong?), there is a lot of humourous moments.
The world building is exceptional, and is probably one of the most outstanding parts of this book. The Author has put a lot of time and effort and thought into this alien world, the plants, animals, alien structures, even the insects. It is a very well crafted and creative back drop to the story, and because so much effort has gone into it, it adds a lot of depth to the story, and allows the Author to use it in the story as well. There are some striking similarities to ‘Pandora’ from Avatar, in that the descriptions of the night-time ecosphere of the planet was very reminiscent of the bio-luminescent plants that were on Pandora. But the Author has done a remarkable job of describing this, and it is obviously different, and who says that planets wouldn’t have a similar plant life?
Given the limited range of Characters to work with, the Author had to make a real effort with those that they had, how they used them. Each Chapter alternates between Unai and Clover’s point of view, which makes for a really interesting perspective of the story, there is some overlap in a few places, but for the most part, it is one continuous story just told from one or other of the two main characters. As they go along, because they to have had some memory loss, and do not have full recall of who they are, they are constantly discussing their histories, trying to remember things, and in this way, we get to learn about the characters. It is a very clever way of introducing the characters. Of course, this leaves out Elana, but as the story goes along, we get to hear what each of the two think about her, and her background as well, and we at least learn some things about her.
I am not going to go into too much detail about what happens, as I don’t want to give anything away. I will say, that there are a lot of different things that happen to the 3 young adventurers, and it makes for a really interesting read as they try and battle for survival on this alien world, and work their way towards what they think is the wreckage of a crashed ship, in hopes of getting rescued.
The Author has thought a lot about the interactions between the characters, at the intellectual level and the physical level. Whilst to a large degree this book is entertaining, I did find that some of the dialogue was a bit grating at times. Unai has this habit of constantly saying sarcastic, or what he thinks are ‘Funny’ comments, but what are really annoying comments, and after about 15mins of being there, most people would have yelled at him to shut up, or duct-taped his mouth closed. On the other side, Clover is a bossy, conceited know-it-all, who just issues orders and expects them to be followed like a drill sergeant, and yet she has absolutely no authority, there wasn’t even a discussion about it.
I just found the dialogue to be somewhat unrealistic, and very over the top, both characters were like the worst case scenarios of their stereotype. I felt really sorry for poor Elana, who had to listen to all of it, and couldn’t actually respond. Hopefully she couldn’t understand most of it!!
But this is my only real complaint about the book, other than that, it is a really fun read, with a lot of interesting stuff. Hopefully, the Author tones the dialogue down a bit in the second book, as this will make a really interesting and fascinating series, to see how it plays out. It actually had a really good ending, and I am interested to see what happens in book 2.
The three that survive, are a Unai, young guy who was training to be a butcher with his Father, but really had his heart set on being an artist. The next is a strong willed, military cadet, whose Father has a Military Legacy, and Clover is determined to honour it by making sure the other two in the escape pod survive.
The third is a fascinating character, and leads to one of the stories plot lines, in that Elana, a young woman, cannot speak. The ship has been in hyperspace for over 2 million years, and during that time, whilst in cryo-sleep, the passengers have started to de-evolve, in that they have started to lose brain function, the cryo-chambers have started to breakdown the neural pathways, and we are reverting to a lesser state of intelligence as such. As a result, Elana wakes up almost feral like, like a scared animal, and acting on animal instincts, fight or flight mode, as her higher thinking centres are gone, and that includes her language ability.
The three of them find themselves on an alien planet, with very limited supplies (I don’t want to give too much away), and with the goal of trying to get rescued, Clover takes lead given her background and training.
This is definitely a young adult story, the way it is written, the dialogue between the main characters, and the way it reads, but it is interesting enough that anyone can read it and enjoy it. It has a mix of survival, thriller, action, a bit of romance, and a fair bit of humour. With 2 teenagers and an Author who thinks that all teenagers do is snipe at each other constantly with sarcastic comments, (which, let’s face it, are they wrong?), there is a lot of humourous moments.
The world building is exceptional, and is probably one of the most outstanding parts of this book. The Author has put a lot of time and effort and thought into this alien world, the plants, animals, alien structures, even the insects. It is a very well crafted and creative back drop to the story, and because so much effort has gone into it, it adds a lot of depth to the story, and allows the Author to use it in the story as well. There are some striking similarities to ‘Pandora’ from Avatar, in that the descriptions of the night-time ecosphere of the planet was very reminiscent of the bio-luminescent plants that were on Pandora. But the Author has done a remarkable job of describing this, and it is obviously different, and who says that planets wouldn’t have a similar plant life?
Given the limited range of Characters to work with, the Author had to make a real effort with those that they had, how they used them. Each Chapter alternates between Unai and Clover’s point of view, which makes for a really interesting perspective of the story, there is some overlap in a few places, but for the most part, it is one continuous story just told from one or other of the two main characters. As they go along, because they to have had some memory loss, and do not have full recall of who they are, they are constantly discussing their histories, trying to remember things, and in this way, we get to learn about the characters. It is a very clever way of introducing the characters. Of course, this leaves out Elana, but as the story goes along, we get to hear what each of the two think about her, and her background as well, and we at least learn some things about her.
I am not going to go into too much detail about what happens, as I don’t want to give anything away. I will say, that there are a lot of different things that happen to the 3 young adventurers, and it makes for a really interesting read as they try and battle for survival on this alien world, and work their way towards what they think is the wreckage of a crashed ship, in hopes of getting rescued.
The Author has thought a lot about the interactions between the characters, at the intellectual level and the physical level. Whilst to a large degree this book is entertaining, I did find that some of the dialogue was a bit grating at times. Unai has this habit of constantly saying sarcastic, or what he thinks are ‘Funny’ comments, but what are really annoying comments, and after about 15mins of being there, most people would have yelled at him to shut up, or duct-taped his mouth closed. On the other side, Clover is a bossy, conceited know-it-all, who just issues orders and expects them to be followed like a drill sergeant, and yet she has absolutely no authority, there wasn’t even a discussion about it.
I just found the dialogue to be somewhat unrealistic, and very over the top, both characters were like the worst case scenarios of their stereotype. I felt really sorry for poor Elana, who had to listen to all of it, and couldn’t actually respond. Hopefully she couldn’t understand most of it!!
But this is my only real complaint about the book, other than that, it is a really fun read, with a lot of interesting stuff. Hopefully, the Author tones the dialogue down a bit in the second book, as this will make a really interesting and fascinating series, to see how it plays out. It actually had a really good ending, and I am interested to see what happens in book 2.
August 9, 2022
*Aug 8, 2022: Marking as reread for beta read of Bleeding Spero*
*Aug 7, 2022: Reread*
*Aug 26, 2021: Marking as reread for beta read of CoT*
Hello Bookworms! First I'd like to thank the author IQ Malcolm who gave me this book in exchange for an honest review. Now without further ado let's get into it!
Right from the beginning this book had me hooked, the first sentence is gripping. "I used to wonder what it would feel like to be buried alive." The writing was easy to follow and made you want to read more. Throughout reading I constantly kept telling myself "just one more chapter" then I'd look at the clock and find an hour had gone by. If you're a fan of pop references this book is definitely for you. I was laughing and smiling while reading this book, as the characters mentioned Bill Nye the Science Guy, Lord of the Rings and more. One aspect that I've realized that I love is when the author casually throws in how to say a character's name. I found the pronunciation of Unai's name to be super helpful as not knowing how to pronounce names drives me crazy. I also found that the dual perspective was really well done and flowed nicely. It was exciting to see both Clover and Unai's thoughts about different events. The world building in this book was also well done. The creatures and plants were very imaginative and wonderful to read about.
The plot of this book was intriguing and there was an added level of mystery since the characters had no idea what was going on. I never once was bored and the story progressed well, being slow where it needed to be and fast paced in moments of tension. The characters were one of my favourite features of Waking Spero. Unai is definitely a new favourite character. His personality was fleshed out and I found him to be really enjoyable. He's compassionate, hardworking and really funny. Clover on the other hand was a complete opposite of Unai, but I also really enjoyed her perspective. When I think of Clover, I think of a strong and stoic soldier. But I also think of her compassion and leadership qualities. Alena was an intriguing character as well and it was great to see her development. The way that Unai and Clover interacted with her was heartwarming. I also cannot talk about characters without mentioning Geode. He's so cute and adorable!
I would have loved to see more of the planet and it's creatures. I also wish we could have seen more of the character's background so that we could connect with them even more. With that in mind I still enjoyed every minute reading this book and can't wait to read the next one.
If you love books like Aurora Rising I would seriously recommend this one! It was a quick and fun read with an ending that leaves you craving for the next book. I can't wait to see what happens to the characters and their journey. This book was a 4/5 Stars for me!
*Aug 7, 2022: Reread*
*Aug 26, 2021: Marking as reread for beta read of CoT*
Hello Bookworms! First I'd like to thank the author IQ Malcolm who gave me this book in exchange for an honest review. Now without further ado let's get into it!
Right from the beginning this book had me hooked, the first sentence is gripping. "I used to wonder what it would feel like to be buried alive." The writing was easy to follow and made you want to read more. Throughout reading I constantly kept telling myself "just one more chapter" then I'd look at the clock and find an hour had gone by. If you're a fan of pop references this book is definitely for you. I was laughing and smiling while reading this book, as the characters mentioned Bill Nye the Science Guy, Lord of the Rings and more. One aspect that I've realized that I love is when the author casually throws in how to say a character's name. I found the pronunciation of Unai's name to be super helpful as not knowing how to pronounce names drives me crazy. I also found that the dual perspective was really well done and flowed nicely. It was exciting to see both Clover and Unai's thoughts about different events. The world building in this book was also well done. The creatures and plants were very imaginative and wonderful to read about.
The plot of this book was intriguing and there was an added level of mystery since the characters had no idea what was going on. I never once was bored and the story progressed well, being slow where it needed to be and fast paced in moments of tension. The characters were one of my favourite features of Waking Spero. Unai is definitely a new favourite character. His personality was fleshed out and I found him to be really enjoyable. He's compassionate, hardworking and really funny. Clover on the other hand was a complete opposite of Unai, but I also really enjoyed her perspective. When I think of Clover, I think of a strong and stoic soldier. But I also think of her compassion and leadership qualities. Alena was an intriguing character as well and it was great to see her development. The way that Unai and Clover interacted with her was heartwarming. I also cannot talk about characters without mentioning Geode. He's so cute and adorable!
I would have loved to see more of the planet and it's creatures. I also wish we could have seen more of the character's background so that we could connect with them even more. With that in mind I still enjoyed every minute reading this book and can't wait to read the next one.
If you love books like Aurora Rising I would seriously recommend this one! It was a quick and fun read with an ending that leaves you craving for the next book. I can't wait to see what happens to the characters and their journey. This book was a 4/5 Stars for me!
June 13, 2020
Where to even begin with this review? I guess it would be best to start at the beginning.
I almost instantly wanted to dive into this book when IQ Malcolm sent over the copy because the cover is phenomenal (and I typically am not a fan of people on covers) and I was so intrigued by the title and synopsis.
I was hooked immediately though with this dedication page. *chef's kiss* "I'll gladly be stranded with you anywhere...besides Hobby Lobby." I felt seen. As most who know me could attest to, if I'm not hoarding books, I am hoarding yarn.
Now to the actual book. One of the things I absolutely love about sci-fi is the reality. The connection to my personal self with humor fear and puns and wit and all the pop culture references just shifted forward into a very plausible future. Malcolm delivers in all of those.
Malcom's writing alternates POV's between the two main characters: Unai and Clover. They awaken from cryosleep on an unknown planet with limited memories. Although a lot of unknown exists to the characters in the beginning, Malcolm is still able to push the plot forward with their different outlooks towards life and their own unique pasts. He keeps the reader interested as he takes you along on an adventure through this new, unique planet.
When I was wrapping up the book, which by the way, really grabs the reader to want to keep going with book two (Invading Spero), I was debating my feelings and rating. Initially I thought this was a solid 4 star book. But then I analyzed it further. What didn't I like about it? Did it lack plot or purpose? Did I not relate to the characters? Was the world building sparse? And I couldn't do it - I really enjoyed this book and it gave me everything I sought for in a sci-fi read.
Thank you, IQ Malcolm, for giving me this opportunity. I cannot wait to see what crazy adventures and plot twists you throw Unai and Clover. Metuit Mors Nobis
**I received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.**
I almost instantly wanted to dive into this book when IQ Malcolm sent over the copy because the cover is phenomenal (and I typically am not a fan of people on covers) and I was so intrigued by the title and synopsis.
I was hooked immediately though with this dedication page. *chef's kiss* "I'll gladly be stranded with you anywhere...besides Hobby Lobby." I felt seen. As most who know me could attest to, if I'm not hoarding books, I am hoarding yarn.
Now to the actual book. One of the things I absolutely love about sci-fi is the reality. The connection to my personal self with humor fear and puns and wit and all the pop culture references just shifted forward into a very plausible future. Malcolm delivers in all of those.
Malcom's writing alternates POV's between the two main characters: Unai and Clover. They awaken from cryosleep on an unknown planet with limited memories. Although a lot of unknown exists to the characters in the beginning, Malcolm is still able to push the plot forward with their different outlooks towards life and their own unique pasts. He keeps the reader interested as he takes you along on an adventure through this new, unique planet.
When I was wrapping up the book, which by the way, really grabs the reader to want to keep going with book two (Invading Spero), I was debating my feelings and rating. Initially I thought this was a solid 4 star book. But then I analyzed it further. What didn't I like about it? Did it lack plot or purpose? Did I not relate to the characters? Was the world building sparse? And I couldn't do it - I really enjoyed this book and it gave me everything I sought for in a sci-fi read.
Thank you, IQ Malcolm, for giving me this opportunity. I cannot wait to see what crazy adventures and plot twists you throw Unai and Clover. Metuit Mors Nobis
**I received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.**
June 30, 2020
Thank you to the author for sending me Waking Spero to review!! This book was a fast-paced read that: didn't give me a book hangover (thank the gods), kept me engaged the whole time, was light and quick and perfect for me to read in-between those books that make you not want to touch a book for a while for whatever reason?? You know what I'm talking about.
.
There's space ship crashes, survival on a new planet, people thrown together and expected to work together to figure out What The Actual Heck is Going On. Aka, things I have a weakness for in my sci-fi anything. I love when the characters don't know anything bc then we can learn together! Bond over being clueless together! Nice. Love that.
.
I think where this one falls a bit short for me is with the pacing and a couple of the characters. When we had the chance to learn about this strange new world and these two people we know Absolutely Nothing About, it stays that way. At the end of the book, I couldn't really tell you anything about this cool deadly planet or Clover and Unai that I didn't find out within the first 50 pages. Those two blended together a bit for me as well. All their dialogue (and internal monologue) seemed to be banter, or irritation with the other because they handle things differently. I had trouble remembering who's pov I was reading at times. And yet....the Relentless Pining through the whole story was a little difficult for me to get through occasionally. That's all probably a personal preference, I'm not one for romance but! This all may sound wonderful to you, and if it does? PICK UP THIS BOOK. It's unleashed on the world August 11th so don't be shy to check it out!
.
TLDR; this book has all the elements I love, but down in the details it wasn't what I was personally looking for.
.
There's space ship crashes, survival on a new planet, people thrown together and expected to work together to figure out What The Actual Heck is Going On. Aka, things I have a weakness for in my sci-fi anything. I love when the characters don't know anything bc then we can learn together! Bond over being clueless together! Nice. Love that.
.
I think where this one falls a bit short for me is with the pacing and a couple of the characters. When we had the chance to learn about this strange new world and these two people we know Absolutely Nothing About, it stays that way. At the end of the book, I couldn't really tell you anything about this cool deadly planet or Clover and Unai that I didn't find out within the first 50 pages. Those two blended together a bit for me as well. All their dialogue (and internal monologue) seemed to be banter, or irritation with the other because they handle things differently. I had trouble remembering who's pov I was reading at times. And yet....the Relentless Pining through the whole story was a little difficult for me to get through occasionally. That's all probably a personal preference, I'm not one for romance but! This all may sound wonderful to you, and if it does? PICK UP THIS BOOK. It's unleashed on the world August 11th so don't be shy to check it out!
.
TLDR; this book has all the elements I love, but down in the details it wasn't what I was personally looking for.
November 19, 2020
*I received an ARC from the author in exchange for a honest review*
“There was nothing quite like running for your life to build up an appetite.”- Unai, Chapter 9
Waking Spero by IQ Malcolm is a fast-paced, humorous science fiction.
What happens when you wake up on a different planet with barely any memories intact? To make the situation worse, what if you wake up with two strangers and you all have very different personalities? This book answers those seemingly specific questions.
Waking Spero starts off from Unai’s point of view, but alternates between his and Clover’s. When the teenager Unai wakes up on a faraway planet, he really has to try to keep it together in such a hostile environment, while military recruit Clover struggles to keep everyone alive. Together, they both must unlock their pasts to find the answers they need.
𝗨𝗻𝗮𝗶
“She’d pronounced my last syllable as “nay,” like the sound a horse would make, instead of “nye” like my aitona’s beloved science guy.”
Unai is an artist with a butcher for a father. He knows that he had done everything to avoid having the same job as his father, but how in the world did he end up on a different planet lightyears away from Earth? Unai is a very kind character who struggles to thrive in hostile and violent spaces. He is full of pop culture references and corny jokes. I like to look at Unai as the mom of the group, ready to put a band-aid on his friend's scraped knee.
𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿
“As my finger found its resting point on the trigger guard, my mom’s voice came to mind. ‘Us Adair women be ready for anything. The world wants to see us fail, so we must never show them a whiff of fear.’”
Clover is a Space Force Academy recruit who comes from a tough family and a military background. She is fast on her feet and likes being the one in charge. On top of that, she speaks her mind. When I first started reading this book I was afraid that she was going to be a standoffish character, but as I kept reading I was very happy to find out she wasn’t. Like her companion Unai, she is very well versed in Disney movies and pop culture and cracks some jokes off when they aren’t in the middle of a life or death situation. Clover is a pretty well rounded character with the emphasis being on “tough.” She’s the dad of the group.
𝗨𝗻𝗮𝗶’𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰
‘“Can I at least be Handsome Squidward?’...
I slowly looked him up and down, and back up for good measure. ‘Nope. Just normal Squidward.’” -Unai & Clover, page 151
Unai and Clover have very contrasting personalities. Unai is nice and does his best to be fair and forgiving. Meanwhile, Clover is looking to survive at the moment and isn’t afraid to call people out. Yet oddly enough, they work well together. They both seem to look at every problem differently than the other. Clover, the tactful way, and Unai, the artsy and creative way.
𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮
Alena, AKA my favorite character. Alena wakes up without the ability to communicate and Unai does his best to help her along. At first, Clover is cold to Alena as she is set on the fact that she will just slow them down. Clover warms up to Alena, but it takes some time. I quickly became attached to Alena’s character. We know she has a past, but unlike the other characters we have even less of an idea about who she really is. (Due to her limited ability to communicate) I really wish we had gotten to see at least a little bit more character development in this first book with Alena.
𝗠𝘆 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗼
As someone who rarely enjoys sci-fi books, this still was a great read. This is a fast paced adventure that really reels you in with characters you can easily envision. I will most definitely be picking up the next book in this series when it comes out!
Thank you for the ARC kind sir.
“There was nothing quite like running for your life to build up an appetite.”- Unai, Chapter 9
Waking Spero by IQ Malcolm is a fast-paced, humorous science fiction.
What happens when you wake up on a different planet with barely any memories intact? To make the situation worse, what if you wake up with two strangers and you all have very different personalities? This book answers those seemingly specific questions.
Waking Spero starts off from Unai’s point of view, but alternates between his and Clover’s. When the teenager Unai wakes up on a faraway planet, he really has to try to keep it together in such a hostile environment, while military recruit Clover struggles to keep everyone alive. Together, they both must unlock their pasts to find the answers they need.
𝗨𝗻𝗮𝗶
“She’d pronounced my last syllable as “nay,” like the sound a horse would make, instead of “nye” like my aitona’s beloved science guy.”
Unai is an artist with a butcher for a father. He knows that he had done everything to avoid having the same job as his father, but how in the world did he end up on a different planet lightyears away from Earth? Unai is a very kind character who struggles to thrive in hostile and violent spaces. He is full of pop culture references and corny jokes. I like to look at Unai as the mom of the group, ready to put a band-aid on his friend's scraped knee.
𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿
“As my finger found its resting point on the trigger guard, my mom’s voice came to mind. ‘Us Adair women be ready for anything. The world wants to see us fail, so we must never show them a whiff of fear.’”
Clover is a Space Force Academy recruit who comes from a tough family and a military background. She is fast on her feet and likes being the one in charge. On top of that, she speaks her mind. When I first started reading this book I was afraid that she was going to be a standoffish character, but as I kept reading I was very happy to find out she wasn’t. Like her companion Unai, she is very well versed in Disney movies and pop culture and cracks some jokes off when they aren’t in the middle of a life or death situation. Clover is a pretty well rounded character with the emphasis being on “tough.” She’s the dad of the group.
𝗨𝗻𝗮𝗶’𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰
‘“Can I at least be Handsome Squidward?’...
I slowly looked him up and down, and back up for good measure. ‘Nope. Just normal Squidward.’” -Unai & Clover, page 151
Unai and Clover have very contrasting personalities. Unai is nice and does his best to be fair and forgiving. Meanwhile, Clover is looking to survive at the moment and isn’t afraid to call people out. Yet oddly enough, they work well together. They both seem to look at every problem differently than the other. Clover, the tactful way, and Unai, the artsy and creative way.
𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮
Alena, AKA my favorite character. Alena wakes up without the ability to communicate and Unai does his best to help her along. At first, Clover is cold to Alena as she is set on the fact that she will just slow them down. Clover warms up to Alena, but it takes some time. I quickly became attached to Alena’s character. We know she has a past, but unlike the other characters we have even less of an idea about who she really is. (Due to her limited ability to communicate) I really wish we had gotten to see at least a little bit more character development in this first book with Alena.
𝗠𝘆 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗼
As someone who rarely enjoys sci-fi books, this still was a great read. This is a fast paced adventure that really reels you in with characters you can easily envision. I will most definitely be picking up the next book in this series when it comes out!
Thank you for the ARC kind sir.
August 5, 2020
I received an arc of this book for an honest review and I greatly appreciate the opportunity!
2.5 stars
This book is a kid friendly sci-fi following 2 main characters POV who have found themselves crashed on an alien planet with memory loss as to how/why/when they got there. It is a fascinating concept and very adventurous. However, this book writing style was just not for me.
What I liked:
The descriptions of the planet and the setting was actually quite lovely and I could really clearly envision everything. Which is kind of rare when it’s a sci fi about completely unknown landscapes and fauna. I love being able to see the book in my head as I read along.
The plot was also very interesting. I love a good space/ unknown planet vibe. The book starts out right in the midst of the plot so you don’t have to wait for any build up.
What I didn’t like:
The characters just seemed to simple to me. The dialogue as well. I know Unai’s character was meant to be the humorous one, but the constant in your face references to the 2010s pop culture was rubbing me the wrong way. Mostly because it seemed to just be stuff relevant to the readers current events even though Unai and the gang, who are teenagers, left Earth decades after now and did not grow up in this time. I understand this is to give the reader something to connect to, but it just seemed unrealistic to me personally.
I also don’t like when books explain themselves repeatedly to the reader. When you have one chapter that has a certain event happen in detail and then spend the next chapter explaining the whole event over again to another character in the same detail, it becomes redundant.
All that being said, I really do think this book has a great concept and would be great for younger readers. It’s not too complicated and would be really easy to connect to young people. It would also be a great way for younger people to dive into the sci-fi realm.
This was just personally not a book I could connect to.
2.5 stars
This book is a kid friendly sci-fi following 2 main characters POV who have found themselves crashed on an alien planet with memory loss as to how/why/when they got there. It is a fascinating concept and very adventurous. However, this book writing style was just not for me.
What I liked:
The descriptions of the planet and the setting was actually quite lovely and I could really clearly envision everything. Which is kind of rare when it’s a sci fi about completely unknown landscapes and fauna. I love being able to see the book in my head as I read along.
The plot was also very interesting. I love a good space/ unknown planet vibe. The book starts out right in the midst of the plot so you don’t have to wait for any build up.
What I didn’t like:
The characters just seemed to simple to me. The dialogue as well. I know Unai’s character was meant to be the humorous one, but the constant in your face references to the 2010s pop culture was rubbing me the wrong way. Mostly because it seemed to just be stuff relevant to the readers current events even though Unai and the gang, who are teenagers, left Earth decades after now and did not grow up in this time. I understand this is to give the reader something to connect to, but it just seemed unrealistic to me personally.
I also don’t like when books explain themselves repeatedly to the reader. When you have one chapter that has a certain event happen in detail and then spend the next chapter explaining the whole event over again to another character in the same detail, it becomes redundant.
All that being said, I really do think this book has a great concept and would be great for younger readers. It’s not too complicated and would be really easy to connect to young people. It would also be a great way for younger people to dive into the sci-fi realm.
This was just personally not a book I could connect to.
June 20, 2020
4🌟s
I was given a ebook of this in exchange for a review! This hasn't affected my review in any way
I loved this! The premise is very similar to The 100: a bunch of teens surviving on an abandoned planet. I found the plot intriguing and fairly well paced, although it wrapped up maybe a bit too quickly. It raised a lot of questions I'm interested in getting answers to in a sequel, and did a good job of world building this foreign planet. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the jungles, mountains, and wild life, as well as how they contrasted to Earth.
Our two main characters, Clover and Unai, are very similar to each other in that they're both sarcastic and witty. Clover is hell bent on survival and wields what feels like every skill needed, but still makes some major mistakes. Unai seems like a pretty chill guy for the whole book and I really enjoyed his pop culture references. However, sometimes the humor between them felt a little forced, or the references could be a little too heavy-handed. I enjoyed the writing style overall, although at times it seemed a little forced. I felt engaged the entire time and at no point did I start to feel like things were dragging or I was getting bored. I also thought that it was a little annoying to be constantly reminded how self righteous they each thought the other was because I never got that vibe from either of them.
Overall, a very enjoyable, fast, albeit typical, scifi read with good characters and good world building! I think fans of The 100 and The Aurora Cycle would greatly enjoy this book!
Note: this book does contain a fair amount of language, including some more severe words
I was given a ebook of this in exchange for a review! This hasn't affected my review in any way
I loved this! The premise is very similar to The 100: a bunch of teens surviving on an abandoned planet. I found the plot intriguing and fairly well paced, although it wrapped up maybe a bit too quickly. It raised a lot of questions I'm interested in getting answers to in a sequel, and did a good job of world building this foreign planet. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the jungles, mountains, and wild life, as well as how they contrasted to Earth.
Our two main characters, Clover and Unai, are very similar to each other in that they're both sarcastic and witty. Clover is hell bent on survival and wields what feels like every skill needed, but still makes some major mistakes. Unai seems like a pretty chill guy for the whole book and I really enjoyed his pop culture references. However, sometimes the humor between them felt a little forced, or the references could be a little too heavy-handed. I enjoyed the writing style overall, although at times it seemed a little forced. I felt engaged the entire time and at no point did I start to feel like things were dragging or I was getting bored. I also thought that it was a little annoying to be constantly reminded how self righteous they each thought the other was because I never got that vibe from either of them.
Overall, a very enjoyable, fast, albeit typical, scifi read with good characters and good world building! I think fans of The 100 and The Aurora Cycle would greatly enjoy this book!
Note: this book does contain a fair amount of language, including some more severe words
August 7, 2020
Waking Spero is told through the perspectives of Unai and Clover, 2 of the 3 teens who wake up in a pod on an unknown planet with little to no memory of why they are there. The third, Alena, has absolutely no recollection of how to even talk. Together, they set out into the jungle and try their best to survive on this planet by themselves. They run into different creatures and have to either fight or run.
In the beginning, when the characters first meet each other, Unai and Clover kept mention how hot or gorgeous the other person is and I thought that was kind of annoying. I feel like if I suddenly found myself on another planet with no memory of how I got there, I would be focused on things other than how attractive the person next to me is. But anyways, I liked the actual action-packed scenes where they are fighting the "alien" creatures or having to run away from them.
While the characters were likeable enough, I thought they were pretty simple. Unai kept making pop culture references from today's time which I guess is fine, but for me, I'm picturing this timeline to be waaay into the future if they have the technology to be on another planet. So I personally, didn't vibe with how many references he made because he most likely wouldn't know a lot of that stuff if this was set in the future.
That being said, I do think the concept and plot of this book were interesting and I can see why some people would love this book. It was a fast-paced read with a lot of light moments between the characters.
Thank you to the author for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
In the beginning, when the characters first meet each other, Unai and Clover kept mention how hot or gorgeous the other person is and I thought that was kind of annoying. I feel like if I suddenly found myself on another planet with no memory of how I got there, I would be focused on things other than how attractive the person next to me is. But anyways, I liked the actual action-packed scenes where they are fighting the "alien" creatures or having to run away from them.
While the characters were likeable enough, I thought they were pretty simple. Unai kept making pop culture references from today's time which I guess is fine, but for me, I'm picturing this timeline to be waaay into the future if they have the technology to be on another planet. So I personally, didn't vibe with how many references he made because he most likely wouldn't know a lot of that stuff if this was set in the future.
That being said, I do think the concept and plot of this book were interesting and I can see why some people would love this book. It was a fast-paced read with a lot of light moments between the characters.
Thank you to the author for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
September 8, 2020
So first off for the characters, I really enjoy Clover and Unai. Clover was very calm and intuitive. She thinks before she acts which was really nice to see.
And Unai is a very kind character. He is not as headstrong as Clover but I loved his compassion along with the many great pop culture references he made.🤣
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I love where they landed. I know it’s so random but most times it’s just a desert styled planet. This was colorful and vibrant. So it felt as Unai described it, “a place Dr.Seuss would write about.”🤣
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This was definitely a fast paced book but I loved that, it didn’t have anything unnecessary! Though as this book left me on a cliffhanger and due to something else that happens in the book that broke my heart....I finished with so many questions😖🤣.
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But this book is a series so I’m excited to see where this goes as I got really invested into Unai and Clovers lives🤣.
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I think my only complaint with this is that these teenagers are originally supposed to be from the year 2045 But all of the pop culture references they made were from the 2000’s. I just don’t know if teenagers would be talking about so many pop culture references that aren’t in their own timeline. Though I will say that as I grew up with many of the references made, I got a good laugh from them.🤣
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All in all this is a great Sci-Fi book, and that’s saying something as I don’t like too many🙈. I loved how quick it was as it constantly kept me on my toes🤣. I recommend this book to anyone that likes Sci-Fi or just wants a fun quick paced read!
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*I was lucky enough to have gotten this as an arc, but this is still all of my true thoughts and feelings.*
And Unai is a very kind character. He is not as headstrong as Clover but I loved his compassion along with the many great pop culture references he made.🤣
.
I love where they landed. I know it’s so random but most times it’s just a desert styled planet. This was colorful and vibrant. So it felt as Unai described it, “a place Dr.Seuss would write about.”🤣
.
This was definitely a fast paced book but I loved that, it didn’t have anything unnecessary! Though as this book left me on a cliffhanger and due to something else that happens in the book that broke my heart....I finished with so many questions😖🤣.
.
But this book is a series so I’m excited to see where this goes as I got really invested into Unai and Clovers lives🤣.
.
I think my only complaint with this is that these teenagers are originally supposed to be from the year 2045 But all of the pop culture references they made were from the 2000’s. I just don’t know if teenagers would be talking about so many pop culture references that aren’t in their own timeline. Though I will say that as I grew up with many of the references made, I got a good laugh from them.🤣
.
All in all this is a great Sci-Fi book, and that’s saying something as I don’t like too many🙈. I loved how quick it was as it constantly kept me on my toes🤣. I recommend this book to anyone that likes Sci-Fi or just wants a fun quick paced read!
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*I was lucky enough to have gotten this as an arc, but this is still all of my true thoughts and feelings.*
May 16, 2020
✨ARC book review✨
I received an ARC of this book from the author IQ Malcom and I am excited to share with my thoughts with you.
summary: three teens wake up on an alien completely planet to their own with no memory of how they got there. they set off trying to look for answers while finding many dangers of a new planet in their way.
what I liked: I found the plot really fast paced, there was always something happening which kept it exciting and made me want to keep reading. The description of the planet made it easy to visualise and imagine yourself there. The characters were complex, hilarious and well matched. I loved the switching of narration between chapters, it helped develop the characters more. I found their personalities bounced off each other’s really well and made it an overall fun read.
What I wanted more of: I wish there was more information about Earth before they left the planet, I found the information I got really intriguing and wanted to know more!
rating: 4/5 stars ⭐️
Overall comment: I found this a really fun and exciting quick read, I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and find out more about the character’s adventures!
June 25, 2020
5/5 stars
I received an arc of this novel from the author for my honest opinion. This is a MUST read. Guysi just loved this novel so much!❣
A super fun fast paced read, that I highly recommend to everyone! This book was such a fun ride, I loved every minute of it from the first chapter until the last sentence. Lots of action and never a dull moment.This gave me like Aurora Cycle mixed with Stanger Things Vibes. The story starts put with the two main characters Unai and Clover who wake up on a strange alien planet with no recollection of how they got there and why they are there. They then end up going on a wild journey trying to find a ship they saw crash on the other side of the planet. I just loved this, it has everything you need in a novel, a growing romance, trials and tribulations, bonding through friendship, death. And that ending though got me right in the feels😢.
I quite enjoyed the authors writing style which makes for smooth sailing. Also if you love pop culture references, this book is for you! Tons of pop culture references in this novel kept me smiling throughout. A definite must read!
I received an arc of this novel from the author for my honest opinion. This is a MUST read. Guysi just loved this novel so much!❣
A super fun fast paced read, that I highly recommend to everyone! This book was such a fun ride, I loved every minute of it from the first chapter until the last sentence. Lots of action and never a dull moment.This gave me like Aurora Cycle mixed with Stanger Things Vibes. The story starts put with the two main characters Unai and Clover who wake up on a strange alien planet with no recollection of how they got there and why they are there. They then end up going on a wild journey trying to find a ship they saw crash on the other side of the planet. I just loved this, it has everything you need in a novel, a growing romance, trials and tribulations, bonding through friendship, death. And that ending though got me right in the feels😢.
I quite enjoyed the authors writing style which makes for smooth sailing. Also if you love pop culture references, this book is for you! Tons of pop culture references in this novel kept me smiling throughout. A definite must read!
July 3, 2020
I received an eARC of this novel from the author in return for my honest review.
This was a fun, adventure sci-fi novel. I really liked Unai, Clover, and Alena. They were great characters who were all unique and engaging. I liked how they approached their situation and worked together.
This novel didn't quite go the direction I thought it was going to initially, but that was for the best because I really liked the journey/adventure aspect of it and just the general way the story went. I also think that made it more unique. I was intrigued by the mysteries that were present throughout the book. It kind of felt like a survival show mixed with Indiana Jones mixed with sci-fi, which was a good combination.
I was a little eh about the romance, but it mostly made sense and did grow in a way that felt natural to me. It was also never the focus and just a B story (perhaps even a C story), which helped it a lot and I appreciated that since, unlike many YA romance subplots, it never bugged me. There was the occasional continuity error, but none of it was really an issue.
Overall, if you enjoy adventure sci-fi stories, you'll enjoy this one.
This was a fun, adventure sci-fi novel. I really liked Unai, Clover, and Alena. They were great characters who were all unique and engaging. I liked how they approached their situation and worked together.
This novel didn't quite go the direction I thought it was going to initially, but that was for the best because I really liked the journey/adventure aspect of it and just the general way the story went. I also think that made it more unique. I was intrigued by the mysteries that were present throughout the book. It kind of felt like a survival show mixed with Indiana Jones mixed with sci-fi, which was a good combination.
I was a little eh about the romance, but it mostly made sense and did grow in a way that felt natural to me. It was also never the focus and just a B story (perhaps even a C story), which helped it a lot and I appreciated that since, unlike many YA romance subplots, it never bugged me. There was the occasional continuity error, but none of it was really an issue.
Overall, if you enjoy adventure sci-fi stories, you'll enjoy this one.
August 17, 2020
✨ i was sent a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review - thank you so much for sending it to me!
waking spero is a YA sci-fi adventure with a lot of potential. we have our female main character clover, who’s an all around badass. and we also have our male main character unai, who’s more of a nerdy and artistic kind of guy.
•in my opinion•
the romance in this book, it felt very rushed, almost insta-lovey. i love the dynamic between them especially the endless banter. i’m hoping that in the second book i feel more compelled into believing the romance.
i do have to say that the environment and world building was really intriguing. the way the author wrote the story everything felt very vibrant. i especially love little geode! one thing i did find to be too much at times was all the pop culture references. it’s fun to have a couple but i felt like every page i turned to there was one. the ending really does leave you wanting more so i plan on picking up the sequel. overall, this was an enjoyable read and i’m looking forward to exploring this world and the characters further.
waking spero is a YA sci-fi adventure with a lot of potential. we have our female main character clover, who’s an all around badass. and we also have our male main character unai, who’s more of a nerdy and artistic kind of guy.
•in my opinion•
the romance in this book, it felt very rushed, almost insta-lovey. i love the dynamic between them especially the endless banter. i’m hoping that in the second book i feel more compelled into believing the romance.
i do have to say that the environment and world building was really intriguing. the way the author wrote the story everything felt very vibrant. i especially love little geode! one thing i did find to be too much at times was all the pop culture references. it’s fun to have a couple but i felt like every page i turned to there was one. the ending really does leave you wanting more so i plan on picking up the sequel. overall, this was an enjoyable read and i’m looking forward to exploring this world and the characters further.
June 25, 2020
Rating:
★★★★1/2 (4.5/5 stars rounded up to 5)
Review:
Thank you IQ Malcolm for sending me an e-ARC for honest review.
Waking Spero by IQ Malcolm follows the adventures of 2 teens who woke up in an unknown planet with gaps on their minds. This book is told from two points of view, Unai and Clover’s.
Wow, what a fun and easy read! This book hooked me up from the very first chapter. I especially love the detailed descriptions that made me feel like I’m seeing what the characters are seeing. I really, really like the characters, though, Clover was kind of hard to like at the beginning. While reading this, I’m getting HUGE Percy & Annabeth vibes from Unai & Clover. Also, another thing that I love about this book is the pace. The pace is perfect! It doesn't feel like it’s rushing to something, nor does it feel like you’re riding on the back of a turtle! I really do wish it’d be longer. If you liked The 100, then there’s a huge chance that you’ll like this book too!
★★★★1/2 (4.5/5 stars rounded up to 5)
Review:
Thank you IQ Malcolm for sending me an e-ARC for honest review.
Waking Spero by IQ Malcolm follows the adventures of 2 teens who woke up in an unknown planet with gaps on their minds. This book is told from two points of view, Unai and Clover’s.
Wow, what a fun and easy read! This book hooked me up from the very first chapter. I especially love the detailed descriptions that made me feel like I’m seeing what the characters are seeing. I really, really like the characters, though, Clover was kind of hard to like at the beginning. While reading this, I’m getting HUGE Percy & Annabeth vibes from Unai & Clover. Also, another thing that I love about this book is the pace. The pace is perfect! It doesn't feel like it’s rushing to something, nor does it feel like you’re riding on the back of a turtle! I really do wish it’d be longer. If you liked The 100, then there’s a huge chance that you’ll like this book too!
March 21, 2021
Unai & Clover..... way smarter than your average teenagers. Can’t wait to see where they go from here. Stranded on a planet they don’t know anything about. Destined to move forward and learn all they can. I keep imagining everything described and wishing I could be an explorer too.... except when there are giant spiders and bog worms!
Narration by Savannah Adkins was incredible. Loved loved loved this book!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Narration by Savannah Adkins was incredible. Loved loved loved this book!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
May 30, 2020
Received as a review copy, this is an honest review. In this spirited adventure, Unai and Clover have to band together after finding themselves crashed mysteriously on an alien with other survivors. Coming to terms with fractured memories of who they are, the group is forced into an alien jungle to seek out answers. Battling fierce animals, bizarre plants is one thing, finding what seems to be an alien temple could be just as deadly as they seek for a way home. Highly recommended.
June 1, 2020
This is my first time reading Iq Malcolm and found his way of telling the story was different from the authors I read.This book was well worth reading once you can. get used to the way it is written the characters were well thought out and had good plot lines with unexpected things happening you did not expect.All in all a good read would have been a 5 star if not for the way you have to figure out who was saying what, will read the second book when it is out.
August 3, 2020
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book and let me tell you, it does not disappoint! The story had me gripped right from the beginning and I loved the character arcs, especially Unai and Clover’s - a super promising first book. I also really enjoyed the world building - I love a dystopian novel and this was no different, I was completely hooked from start to finish! I would highly recommend this book to everyone - thank you IQ Malcolm for letting me read early!
August 18, 2020
It was a little hard for me to get into at first. Once I got past the first few pages it got more interesting and by the end I was well and good hooked. A bit of romance, some humor and lots of mystery and intrigue. Unai and Clover find themselves on a strange planet and no memory of how they got there. I was left wanting more and cannot wait to see where the next book leads them.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 5, 2020
*spoiler free*
I loved this book! It was the perfect blend of sci-fi, mystery, and fast paced action. I really liked our two main characters, Clover and Unai, because they seemed so real. This story grips you from the very moment they first wake up on an alien planet with no memories. I will definitely be reading the next one!! The more questions that got answered, the more questions popped up, and I can’t wait to see what happens
Sent from my iPhone
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