Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye

 Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye by Alex White, 452 pages.

This sequel to August Kitko and the Mechas from Space follows several months after the first book, as Gus, Violet, and the other conduits continue trying to find someway to stop the seemingly evil AI who nearly exterminated humanity with giant robots. But this time they have help! A whole lot of aliens with a shared enemy and giant robots of their own are here to help; although alien politics is a whole other complication, and one there isn't much time to solve.

This book is as self-indulgent and fun as the first one! I enjoyed the dual perspectives between Gus and nonbinary pop star Ardent Violet. The aliens were very creative and diverse, which is something I always enjoy with Sci-Fi. I do think the pace of this book dragged a little compared to the first book, and it definitely feels like the middle book in a trilogy. That being said, I am excited to read the conclusion and see how everything comes together! These books are a great example of the kinds of things space opera can do, and I would definitely recommend them for anyone interested in the genre. 

Sleeping Giants

 Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel, 320 pages.

When Rose Franklin was a little girl she fell down a hole and into a giant metal hand. Nearly two decades later she is a physicist leading the team studying that same hand. It quickly becomes clear that Earth is not capable of making something like this, and also that there are more pieces of one very large body scattered across the globe. Dr. Franklin's secretive team, brought together by a man so mysterious they don't know his name or affiliation, bear the responsibility of decoding technology that has the potential of shaking the nature of the world.

I listened to the audiobook of this novel and was immediately entirely engrossed. The story is told entirely through primary source documents of the events (interviews, diary entries, mission briefings, new reports, etc), which is a format that really works for me. I loved seeing the story gradually get pieced together from every angle. I also really enjoyed all of the characters, who were a good throughline for the many perspectives. The audiobook in particular was fully cast, and I thought every narrator did a great job, which may have also influenced how much I liked the characters. Perhaps in the highest mark of praise, a review for the second book will be coming soon, because I started listening to it immediately after finishing this one. 

Iron Widow

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (2021) 394 pages

This is the beginning of a relatively new series. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Rong Fu on Libby. Part Mighty Morphin Power Rangers kaiju adventure and part feminist revenge tale. The story is set in the future, but cultural values and some characters were pulled from Chinese history, according to the author. This leans more toward fantasy than science fiction with Chi energy powering soldiers' armor and the mecha Chrysalises like the vermilion bird pictured on the cover. Zetian is a powerful teen pilot who gains the nickname the Iron Widow. She is unstoppable in fighting the misogyny in her culture in addition to the alien insectoid "invaders" that the government sends the soldiers to eliminate.