If I were to summarize Blocks in one word, I would say strange, because the whole book gave me a feeling of something out of the ordinary. Written by Tara Basi, this was a very interesting read, starting with the themes, which are science fiction, mystery, and a kind of brutal atmosphere from beginning to end. Leaving that for the story, it begins with two sides that gradually connect: on the one hand, Battery Boy tries to survive outside the Block and looks for a way to reach Tress; on the other, Mina returns from space and discovers an empty Earth, dominated by inexplicable things. So you can already get ready, because the book opens its doors with strange ideas, Bands controlling lives, destroyed cities, and these huge Blocks dominating the world, so it draws attention more through curiosity, and as I said, it was an interesting read. One of the things that interested me was the way Tara Basi builds the story, because she does not present this universe in a too didactic way. For example, right at the beginning we see Battery Boy finding a corpse with a fake Band, a weapon, and a little book with a strange map, while at another moment Mina wakes up in space and discovers that the Earth is silent and taken over by oblong giants. Instead of explaining everything at once, the author reveals pieces little by little, which helps create strangeness and curiosity at the same time. The second thing I liked was the strength of the setting. A very good example of this is when Battery Boy, Stuff, and Jugger enter the darkness under the Block and need to move through that suffocating space until they find the labyrinth of wells, or when Mina observes those internal structures full of dark matter rising as if the Block were a living thing. These scenes convey very well the feeling of threat, and especially strangeness, so for me this was not just a different world: it is a world that seems hostile, with its own rules and images that stay in your head. I confess that many things caught my attention in this book, but in fact what surprised me the most was that I could not find anything negative to point out about it. I simply have nothing to say that could improve it, because if I say that there is, I will be dishonest with myself and will be lying, so for me this was a read that I can even say was perfect. The author knew very well what she was doing, so much so that even in the writing there were no errors, showing her attention even in this part, so it is no surprise that I give five out of five stars to a book as good as this one. In addition, I really like to see different opinions, and those who are interested in science fiction will probably also have a very positive opinion.

When I was young, building blocks were some of my favorite toys. Then, there was a period of time when I loved the tower-building game, Jenga, which found me playing with more blocks. Most recently, Blocks has been one of my favorite books. Sadly, the blocks in the tome were not fun to play with. Written by Tara Basi, Blocks tells the story of several people trying to solve the mystery of large monoliths that have been placed in various locations on the Earth's surface. The story starts off with two young boys just trying to survive in the wastelands surrounding Block Seven. Battery Boy is determined to find his friend who disappeared some time ago, while Stuff is more concerned with surviving and finding food. When some hunters spot and chase the lads, Battery Boy and Stuff decide to take a chance on finding out what is inside of Block Seven. Using a map and other tools that they find on a dead "old-boy" while en route, they make their way to what they think may be a better place, a place where all of the free people are. Meanwhile, a crew of voyagers are returning to Earth after having been in space for a century in Earth years (one decade on the ship), and they are in for a big surprise when they arrive. Blocks was the epitome of "unputdownable" for me, as it was full of suspense. From the first page, this story hit the ground running and rarely let up. Even though the action wasn't dialed up to high every moment, there was a steady flow of enthralling occurrences that kept me from growing bored. I found myself staying up late at night, obsessively reading page after glorious page because I just had to know what happened next. The author used the trick of changing viewpoints almost every chapter, resulting in 13 small cliffhangers as well. Ms. Basi's talent in building worlds was also second to none. I was in constant awe, astounded by her ability to create scenery. Every time I read about a new location, I felt as if I was really there, resulting in a very positive immersive experience. I could actually see the Blocks in the distance, the sun glistening off of their shiny surfaces. I could smell the deer roasting over the fire in the open field. I could hear the clicking of thousands, if not millions, of roaches as they walked around in the dirt. Everything was so realistic that I actually experienced a few jump scares as I read certain scenes while sitting on my living room couch late at night. Fortunately, the author also didn't shirk her duty in creating interesting and realistic characters. Even though no one had a complete backstory, I did know enough about each person to understand their goals and motives. My feelings about many of them also waxed and waned as I read. My favorite person was Mina, the systems specialist from the prototype research ship, the UN22 Small Business. Even though she tended to panic and try to quit, she was also kind and willing to help. I got big laughs from the ship's computer system, Trinity, too. The system "had been studying the crew's interactions with each other, evolving its own personality." Its personality was pretty obnoxious and funny. Mina's crewmates, Commander Cole, Grain, Sara, Doug, and Greg, were also written well, though I didn't particularly care for Sara because she was obsessively jealous and brusque. Of the runaways, my favorite was Stuff. I imagined that I'd act most like him - tearful and fearful - if I found myself in similar circumstances. Meanwhile, I could have done without Jugger, a hunter that the boys befriended, and Pinkie, a girl that they rescued from some wild free people. The two characters were a little too aggressive and unwilling to listen for my liking. The book also had a number of antagonists, none of them likable, though I did pity Block Boss Tracy for a while. Tara's writing was nearly flawless as well. The story was written in a factual tone that was perfect for the tale, and I found very few grammatical errors, leading me to believe that the book was professionally edited. It is with pleasure that I bestow a rating of 5 out of 5 stars on Blocks, and I wish that I could rate it even higher. I highly recommend this book for fans of science fiction and post-apocalyptic stories. I must also add a warning that even though many questions are answered by the end of the book, there is a wide opening for the next part in the series, so there are still quite a few loose ends and unanswered questions. I'd also like to reiterate that nearly every chapter begins with a change of focus from the previous chapter, so readers who dislike frequently changing viewpoints may not like this tome. In summation, I felt that Ms. Basi did an excellent job creating the building blocks for what's sure to be a great series, a series that I intend to finish. *****