Emma Newman: Before Mars

Hi everyone

This is the review for my second time reading the third book in the Planetfall series; Before Mars; written by Emma Newman. I read my own copy.
The first time I read this, I didn't review it so you won't be able to find that review here on my blog.

"After months of travel, Anna Kubrin finally arrives on Mars for her new job as a geologist and de facto artist-in-residence. Already she feels like she is losing the connection with her husband and baby at home on Earth--and she'll be on Mars for over a year. Throwing herself into her work, she tries her best to fit in with the team.
But in her new room on the base, Anna finds a mysterious note written in her own handwriting, warning her not to trust the colony psychologist. A note she can't remember writing. She unpacks her wedding ring, only to find it has been replaced by a fake.
Finding a footprint in a place the colony AI claims has never been visited by humans, Anna begins to suspect that her assignment isn't as simple as she was led to believe. Is she caught up in an elaborate corporate conspiracy, or is she actually losing her mind? Regardless of what horrors she might discover, or what they might do to her sanity, Anna has find the truth before her own mind destroys her."

I loved this just as much as the first time. I had forgotten what was going on so I felt the suspense as much as the first time. 
Emma Newman's writing style is easy to read, I love her worlds, her characters are full persons and distinct from one another, the plot is really interesting; I really wanted to keep on reading. And I really enjoy her writing about mental illness and trauma in her characters.

Highly recommended!

Happy reading.
Helena

Emma Newman: After Atlas

 Hi everyone

After Atlas is the second book in Emma Newman's Planetfall series. This is also my second time reading the series. Last time, After Atlas was my least favorite in the series and I think that didn't change.
I bought the whole Planetfall series from Bol.com.

"Govcorp detective Carlos Moreno was only a baby when Atlas left Earth to seek truth among the stars. But in that moment, the course of Carlos’s entire life changed. Atlas is what took his mother away; what made his father lose hope; what led Alejandro Casales, leader of the religious cult known as the Circle, to his door. And now, on the eve of the fortieth anniversary of Atlas’s departure, it’s got something to do why Casales was found dead in his hotel room—and why Carlos is the man in charge of the investigation.
To figure out who killed one of the most powerful men on Earth, Carlos is supposed to put aside his personal history. But the deeper he delves into the case, the more he realizes that escaping the past is not so easy. There’s more to Casales’s death than meets the eye, and something much more sinister to the legacy of Atlas than anyone realizes..."

There is a lot to love, though After Atlas is my least favorite in the Planetfall series. The writing is great, it flows nicely and it reads without hitches. There's humor in the book, the murder mysterie really is a mysterie, the characters have real depth and I enjoyed every single person.

But it is,in essence, only a murder mysterie with a lot of questions attached to this murder and the victim. And I'm really not into police novels. But that wasn't bad, just not really my cup of tea. I loved the more science-fictiony elements.
What did annoy me was Carlos' inner drama. The constant whining about being owned and the implications on his life. It's not necessary to keep reminding us every chance you get mrs. Newman, we can remember that fact.

But, aside from that; wonderful worldbuilding, amazing characters and great plot.
And a perfect cliffhanger!

Happy reading!
Helena