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regalvee's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was picked as my book club read for the month and I'm glad I decided to join.
Sci-fi isn't usually a genre I gravitate towards, there is not particular reason for that there are just others that I pick up first but I really enjoyed this one.
I think because it's a YA book the sciencey side of it was easy to follow and get your head round. It may be set across the galaxy but when you really look at it overall the setting in the book is quite small.
I liked the man character of Ash right from the beginning. She is brave and tough and stands up for her friends and what she believes in but can look at the bigger picture too.
I like the range of characters we meet in this, there is quite the collection from her friends, to people she meets on other planets to the hologram that is there as a sort of guide.
There is a second book in this series and I think I liked it enough to pick it up at some point in the future.
Sci-fi isn't usually a genre I gravitate towards, there is not particular reason for that there are just others that I pick up first but I really enjoyed this one.
I think because it's a YA book the sciencey side of it was easy to follow and get your head round. It may be set across the galaxy but when you really look at it overall the setting in the book is quite small.
I liked the man character of Ash right from the beginning. She is brave and tough and stands up for her friends and what she believes in but can look at the bigger picture too.
I like the range of characters we meet in this, there is quite the collection from her friends, to people she meets on other planets to the hologram that is there as a sort of guide.
There is a second book in this series and I think I liked it enough to pick it up at some point in the future.
lawbooks600's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Representation: Asian character
Trigger warnings: Fire, explosions, plane crash, death of a sister, parents in the past and other people, gun violence, physical injury, military violence and war themes
Score: Six points out of ten.
One year ago, I mistakenly read The Infinity Files' sequel, The Infinity Guardians, a letdown from the get go. One year later, it was time to read The Infinity Files, so I picked it up from the library and read it. When I finished the novel, it was such a disappointment, and I hoped that I would enjoy it, but I didn't.
It starts with the first character I see, Ash Yang, who is on the cusp of graduating from Star Corporation Academy when she inexplicably failed her final test. Ash's dreams shattered in front of her eyes, but fortunately for her, SCA is not done with her yet because they want to assign her one final occupation: The Guardian. Ash goes to the library at the end of the universe where she meets Orius who tasks her with the first of many missions to come. The library's most imperative objective is to collect objects to planets to preserve their cultures or leave a record of them if a civilisation ceases to exist. I thought I would get a satisfying reading experience with that premise, but The Infinity Files did not deliver. Its most prominent flaws lie in its characters, plot and writing style. I couldn't connect or relate to any of the people, the narrative quickly got repetitive and the author didn't write engagingly enough for me to delight myself in reading her piece of literature.
I reach the conclusion around the 350 page mark when the pacing stopped being tedious and started being more action-packed, which I liked. The conclusion finishes on a cliffhanger, but now I already know what happens in the second and final instalment. To summarise, The Infinity Files initially showed promise, but in the end, it disenchanted me, and it would be an insult to compare it to outstanding pieces of YA science fiction like The Aurora Cycle by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.
Trigger warnings: Fire, explosions, plane crash, death of a sister, parents in the past and other people, gun violence, physical injury, military violence and war themes
Score: Six points out of ten.
One year ago, I mistakenly read The Infinity Files' sequel, The Infinity Guardians, a letdown from the get go. One year later, it was time to read The Infinity Files, so I picked it up from the library and read it. When I finished the novel, it was such a disappointment, and I hoped that I would enjoy it, but I didn't.
It starts with the first character I see, Ash Yang, who is on the cusp of graduating from Star Corporation Academy when she inexplicably failed her final test. Ash's dreams shattered in front of her eyes, but fortunately for her, SCA is not done with her yet because they want to assign her one final occupation: The Guardian. Ash goes to the library at the end of the universe where she meets Orius who tasks her with the first of many missions to come. The library's most imperative objective is to collect objects to planets to preserve their cultures or leave a record of them if a civilisation ceases to exist. I thought I would get a satisfying reading experience with that premise, but The Infinity Files did not deliver. Its most prominent flaws lie in its characters, plot and writing style. I couldn't connect or relate to any of the people, the narrative quickly got repetitive and the author didn't write engagingly enough for me to delight myself in reading her piece of literature.
I reach the conclusion around the 350 page mark when the pacing stopped being tedious and started being more action-packed, which I liked. The conclusion finishes on a cliffhanger, but now I already know what happens in the second and final instalment. To summarise, The Infinity Files initially showed promise, but in the end, it disenchanted me, and it would be an insult to compare it to outstanding pieces of YA science fiction like The Aurora Cycle by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.
emmanovella's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the start of this book but by the time we got to whatever the snow planet was called, I was struggling. Our MC made some interesting decisions and I was frustrated by a certain continuity error - we’re told Orius can’t communicate with Ash when she uses the bangle to travel yet when she choses to go to Ezra orius appears?? It just made it infuriating when certain things were happening and if you know he can show up he should’ve been showing up and advising.
There was also the fact that at one point it was clear she needed to transport back asap but she just chose not to. It was clear the author obviously wanted certain things to happen so needed to bend the rules or change the way our character acts to make it happen and it was infuriating.
I won’t be continuing the series, but it was enjoyable enough that I kept reading.
There was also the fact that at one point it was clear she needed to transport back asap but she just chose not to. It was clear the author obviously wanted certain things to happen so needed to bend the rules or change the way our character acts to make it happen and it was infuriating.
I won’t be continuing the series, but it was enjoyable enough that I kept reading.
alongreader's review against another edition
4.0
It's the mashup of Star Trek and The Librarians that I never dared to dream I'd get to read!
Ash Yang, orphaned in a bombing run in her planet's never ending war with another in their solar system, wants nothing more than to become a starfighter pilot and get her revenge. Things go sideways in her final test, though, and she finds herself seconded to a job no one knows about, in a place no one has ever heard of, far from everything she knows. Her new purpose is to protect important artefacts from planets all over the galaxy. But as she visits more planets and meets more people, a disturbing pattern starts to emerge, and she has to decide what she's willing to fight for.
This is the start of a fabulous series. I've read the author's first series and this one promises to be even better. (Maybe that's just because I prefer sci fi to dinosaurs, who knows. :D ) The descriptions are brilliant here, really giving you the feel for all Ash's various surroundings and companions. The pace could have been smoothed a bit - large periods of time occasionally elapsed in the turning of a page, which is a bit startling - but I really enjoyed the read overall.
I believe this is to be a trilogy like the first series. Most of the big story threads are tied up neatly at the end of this book, so if you wanted to you could stop here. However, the overall story is still to come, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what gets thrown at us in the next volume. It should be really fun.
A great adventure read. (And if you haven't watched The Librarians, you really should!)
Ash Yang, orphaned in a bombing run in her planet's never ending war with another in their solar system, wants nothing more than to become a starfighter pilot and get her revenge. Things go sideways in her final test, though, and she finds herself seconded to a job no one knows about, in a place no one has ever heard of, far from everything she knows. Her new purpose is to protect important artefacts from planets all over the galaxy. But as she visits more planets and meets more people, a disturbing pattern starts to emerge, and she has to decide what she's willing to fight for.
This is the start of a fabulous series. I've read the author's first series and this one promises to be even better. (Maybe that's just because I prefer sci fi to dinosaurs, who knows. :D ) The descriptions are brilliant here, really giving you the feel for all Ash's various surroundings and companions. The pace could have been smoothed a bit - large periods of time occasionally elapsed in the turning of a page, which is a bit startling - but I really enjoyed the read overall.
I believe this is to be a trilogy like the first series. Most of the big story threads are tied up neatly at the end of this book, so if you wanted to you could stop here. However, the overall story is still to come, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what gets thrown at us in the next volume. It should be really fun.
A great adventure read. (And if you haven't watched The Librarians, you really should!)
susz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
novelheartbeat's review against another edition
DNF @ 104 pages
I wanted to love this one, but I just couldn't get into it. It's not that it was bad...it just wasn't good. The writing is extremely bland to the point of being sophomoric, and I was bored and didn't care about anything that was happening. I also felt like the world building was shoddy at best and to be taken at face value because if you thought too hard it didn't make sense. Some things were pretty farfetched and pushed believability a little too far for me. I usually love space books, so color me disappointed.
I wanted to love this one, but I just couldn't get into it. It's not that it was bad...it just wasn't good. The writing is extremely bland to the point of being sophomoric, and I was bored and didn't care about anything that was happening. I also felt like the world building was shoddy at best and to be taken at face value because if you thought too hard it didn't make sense. Some things were pretty farfetched and pushed believability a little too far for me. I usually love space books, so color me disappointed.
decodethebooks's review against another edition
3.0
3.25 stars★★★
☞ Trigger warnings: *contains spoilers*
Spoiler
war themes, death of family members, death, body modifications☁︎ Would I read the rest of the series? Yeah sure. I hope the next book grows in intensity. I need more action please.
☁︎ Would I recommend this book? If you liked [b:Aurora Rising|30075662|Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560056657l/30075662._SY75_.jpg|50493990], [b:Honor Among Thieves|30129657|Honor Among Thieves (The Honors, #1)|Rachel Caine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498066244l/30129657._SY75_.jpg|50559346] or [b:Stitching Snow|16067008|Stitching Snow|R.C. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390498946l/16067008._SY75_.jpg|21858427] then you will probably like it.
☁︎ Would I re-read this book? Yeah I doubt it, not because its bad just that the plot is easily rememberable and I wouldn't need to.
☁︎ Synopsis ☁︎
Ash flunked her last test to get into the fighter pilot academy, forcing her to return home. Fortunately, she is offered a new position that allows her the opportunity to save lives. Sure, it's a little suspicious that it's at the end of the universe, and her only companion is a hologram. This is a new start for Ash for the world is her oyster. She is now the new Guardian at the Library at the End of the Universe, Home to the Infinity Files.
☁︎ Review ☁︎
I understand now what most reviews say, when this book as so much potential. This book was on the top of my tbr list for a long time and as soon it was released I grabbed it. Of course being me, I procrastinated reading this because I was worried it wouldn't live up to my own hype.
I was soooo upset when I didn't like [b:Aurora Rising|30075662|Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560056657l/30075662._SY75_.jpg|50493990]. I loved [b:Illuminae|23395680|Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1443433956l/23395680._SY75_.jpg|26653661] series written by the same authors and had expected the same love for their newest sci-fi series. So when I read [b:Aurora Rising|30075662|Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560056657l/30075662._SY75_.jpg|50493990], I was heartbroken that it didn't live up to the hype. So when I heard of [b:The Infinity Files|52714574|The Infinity Files|S.M. Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1596100800l/52714574._SY75_.jpg|78632425] I was excited because maybe, maybe this wouldn't let me down. This book could have been my next favourite space adventure. It was marketed as a heist book where the main protagonist jumps around the universe fixing wrongs and getting the chance to save the people on her home planet. I imagined space heists, a smart protagonist talking her way out of trouble and things going wrong where she had to fix space equipment with duct-tape and prayers. She's a guardian. I expected more guarding!
[b:The Infinity Files|52714574|The Infinity Files|S.M. Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1596100800l/52714574._SY75_.jpg|78632425] started out the same as most YA (and even some new adult) space operas start, at a space academy where of course, something goes wrong. It took a while for the story to pick up. We get introduced to the Library, Orius and the role Ash has to undertake. It's an interesting decision to force Ash into the role giving her no option. I had hoped to read more of her escapades, space jumping around but they just tell us of her first adventure and then they skip the rest of her adventures! What they hell was that! I want to see more heists! I love a heist!!!
Once we hit the Czarina section, everything felt more smooth and the pace picked up. I was getting bored until then and then its the middle of the book and the action starts. So of course subsequently the new missions gave me anxiety. There was danger, there was intrigue and there was a HEIST!
Once Ash started questioning her role, questioning the rules that
Unfortunately the ending felt rushed and somewhat unfinished. I wanted to see how everyone dealt with the consequences, and to see Ash come to terms with what she accomplished. It was a big deal and should been addressed longer. Did I cry? I grew misty, and might have shed a tear. It had the potential to make me sob though and it missed such an opportunity for being a gut punching, heart inducing ride. It was 400 pages yet it was somehow 200 pages short. The text was large and the language was pretty straightforward and didn't try to challenge the reader with any 'big' words or new concepts.
Overall it was a solid YA book where the author wants the reader to have good morals, stop doubting yourself and always try your hardest or something... idk I just wanted more space heists.
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bookshelves4paperelves's review against another edition
4.0
So I’m not usually a huge sci-fi reader but S M Wilson never fails to please me!
The world building was great, I felt like I was there whilst reading the book and it gave me some fantastic imagery while I was reading which I LOVE about books.
The book itself was quite fast-paced which, in my opinion, suited the story really well, however I do think some parts could have been expanded to add to the story just slightly.
I went into this book with high expectations after reading ‘The Extinction Trials’, and I have to say I was no disappointed! I cannot wait to read more from this author.
The world building was great, I felt like I was there whilst reading the book and it gave me some fantastic imagery while I was reading which I LOVE about books.
The book itself was quite fast-paced which, in my opinion, suited the story really well, however I do think some parts could have been expanded to add to the story just slightly.
I went into this book with high expectations after reading ‘The Extinction Trials’, and I have to say I was no disappointed! I cannot wait to read more from this author.
izzle17's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75