Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Finished 1/2026
Synopsis –
“Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.
Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.
All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.
And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.
Or does he?
An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could deliver, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian—while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.”
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
My thoughts –
Okay, I am not a person who typically enjoys these types of books, but WOW. This book was fantastic!
I absolutely loved the way it was written. The flashback style to reveal information only when it was relevant was genius. I also really enjoyed that the flashbacks didn’t completely explain the current problems or events, but instead lent clues that the reader had to figure out alongside the main character.
I loved the voice of Ryland Grace. He was funny and personable in a way that I was able to really connect with. The relationship between him and Rocky was adorable, and I really enjoyed how they showed how collaborative science and research are meant to be. It is not something you see much of these days; most researchers are secretive and selfish with their work, trying to outdo others in the field whenever possible.
Without giving away too much, I thought the ending was so cute and a true full-circle moment. It isn’t an ending you see coming; there is a pretty substantial turn towards the end. However, the resolution leaves you with a fairly warm and content feeling that bookends the story so perfectly.
Ultimately, would 10/10 recommend.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Finished 12/2025
Synopsis –
“After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty.
Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.
Now, Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.
Even if it means keeping a secret so big that it could destroy everything.
They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth.
But a storm is coming…and not everyone can survive its wrath.”
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (3rd installment of The Empyrean series)
My thoughts –
I am going to upset a lot of people when I say I did NOT like this book.
I would like to preface that on my first read of Fourth Wing (the first book of the Empyrean series), I loved it. On the second read, I noticed the writing errors, but ignored them on account of the fact that it was the first book in the series. A lot of the ideas in the first book are taken from other famous fantasy novels, but to write a popular novel you have to have the tropes readers like, so a little repetition is normal.
Then, I found out this author has written upwards of twenty books before this series, so I became much more critical. I still enjoy the overall idea of the series, but the execution is seriously lacking (in my opinion).
Iron Flame, the second book, was very poorly written. It was rushed to production in order to optimize the popularity generated from Fourth Wing, but it really should have gone through at least two more rounds of edits before its release.
Onyx Storm, the third book, is just bad. The writing is poor and honestly just plain lazy, and there is no true plot in this book. The hosts of my favorite podcast, “Book Talk for BookTok” by Jac and Amy, said that this book felt like a bunch of short stories linked together, and they couldn’t be more correct. Nothing that happens is earned or believable. In my opinion, 80% of the island scenes could have been cut out, and nothing would have been lost to the story. Also, Yarros reneges on plot holes she did literal interviews about in order to take shortcuts to move the story along. She wrote this book completely out of convenience.
And if I am being honest, I couldn’t care less about Violet and Xaden’s relationship. He is so pretentious and whiny. I’m sorry, but he isn’t sexy-dark anymore; he’s just annoying. I don’t believe the “choose-each-other-above-all-else” mentality they have anymore. There is absolutely no growth between them, and none as individual characters whatsoever.
I could go on about the problems I had with this book, but I will leave it at that. However, I will be reading the next two books when they come out because I am curious where she could possibly go with this series.
Haley Rutstein 