Book Review: Unraveled

Autonomous. Independent. Dangerous. They tried to control her. Now she’ll destroy them.Things have changed behind the walls of the Coventry and new threats lurk in its twisted corridors. When Adelice returns to Arras, she quickly learns that something rotten has taken hold of the world and Cormac Patton needs her to help him reestablish order. However, peace comes at a terrible price. As the Guild manipulates the citizens of Arras, Adelice discovers that she’s not alone, and she must let go of her past to fight for mankind’s future. She will have to choose between an unimaginable alliance and a deadly war that could destroy everyone she loves.  Quoted from Goodreads

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So many mixed emotions about this ending, I hardly know where to start.  Plus, I have to be vague because I don't want to give things away.  Still, some things really need to be discussed.

Let's start with the end.  I have so many, many feelings about it. Part of me think it's actually perfect.  It's the sort of thing you need to read carefully (I cannot emphasize this enough), but there's a sort of movie-esque quality to the whole thing that I loved.  That being said, part of me hated it. I wanted more---as in some sort of explanation as to why certain people did what they did without telling another key person, this other key person's reaction, what happened next, and that sort of thing.  It also glossed over someone's death, which was sad because they didn't get the send-off they deserved. Basically I wanted more, more, more.   

I was also a little disappointed I didn't get to see the final show-down with a few key characters.  I get that it's from Adelice's POV and we couldn't really change that, but there were some people I really wanted to see taken down.  In fact, more than any other book, I felt restricted by sticking to the one POV. It's not that Adelice isn't in the center of the conflict, because she is, but there's a lot more stuff going on that she doesn't know about or get to see that would have added to the story.  Still, excellent book with tons of excitement.

This book was a little heavy on Cormac (granted he's our big bad, but I would have been happy with a little less his evil and a little more what the rebellion is doing to counteract the horrible thing's he's doing).  It was also a little light on Erik, Jost, and Dante. Minor spoiler here, but we don't even get to see them until the second half of the book.  The first half was still interesting, don't get me wrong, but I was missing some of my favorite characters and I kept waiting for them to show up. Now, to counter all this, we do get to see a bunch of people from the first book again, which really brings the story around full circle.

I really don't know what else to say without giving away spoilers.  The characters were great, and everything you've come to expect and love in the series is here. All in all, this is an excellent conclusion to a wonderful trilogy.  It's such a unique world, with such an interesting concept, you really should check it out. It's definitely got its sad moments (which all good books like this should have, especially ending a series) but there's hope, which is absolutely essential.  I'm giving it a strong 4 stars.  If you're looking for a unique dystopia read, you really should check this out.

Book Review: Rebel

After coming back from death as Reboots and being trained by HARC as soldiers, Wren and Callum have finally escaped north, where they hope to find a life of freedom. But when they arrive at the Reboot Reservation, it isn't what they expected. Under the rule of a bloodthirsty leader, Micah, the Reboots are about to wage an all-out war on the humans. Although Wren's instincts are telling her to set off into the wilderness on their own and leave the battle far behind, Callum is unwilling to let his human family be murdered. When Micah commits the ultimate betrayal, the choice is made for them. But Micah has also made a fatal mistake . . . he's underestimated Wren and Callum.  Quoted from Goodreads

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I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but the second one was even better!  Plus, it's only a duology, which means the story is over for any of you who don't want to start an unfinished series. 

Biggest change between books one and two, single to dual POV, and it was perfect. Reboot was told completely from Wren's POV, but in Rebel we get both her and Callum.  I had mixed feelings about this. I didn't care for it at all in Allegiant because of what I felt it did for Four's character.  That's not the case here.  It actually made Callum a much stronger character in this case.  We get to see him grow into a real leader and someone who can make tough decisions instead of just being the guy who reminded Wren of her humanity.  It's also fun to see Wren from his POV because it shows how close they've grown and how well they know each other.

If you read the first book you know there's going to be action and romance, and Rebel continued that perfectly.  The romance is sweet but it never overtakes the plot.  It simply helps move things on a bit, not that the action really needs any help.  It's tense right from the beginning, with multiple villains and shades of gray. If it isn't one problem, it's something else.  I've said it before, but I love when no group is perfect.  I won't give too much away, but I really like the way the different groups Wren and Callum are portrayed.  A lot of them have great people, but there are always the corrupt or fanatical that keep our main characters on their toes and no place is safe. 

What's best about Amy Tintera's series is (maybe) that there are only two books.  Part of me really wanted more, and I'm excited to see what she does next, but there's a part of me that is relieved.  A lot of dystopia books have sort of meh endings (I'm looking at you Mockingjay and Allegiant). This one goes out with a bang, and while I love how it ends, full of realistic hope and change, I'm sort of glad there was no bad middle book or frustrating ending to taint the series for me.

So should you read this series?  Absolutely.  It's a fun, unique dystopia/zombie (sort of) idea, where everything begins horribly but ends with a sort of hope, which is just the way I like my dystopias.  I'm giving it a very strong 4 stars and would recommend it to anyone who wants an action-packed read with just the right amount of romance thrown in.

Book Review: The One

The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.

America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.From the very first page of The Selection, this #1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers' hearts and swept them away on a captivating journey... Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned.  Quoted from Goodreads

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This was such a pleasant surprise! To be honest, the second book didn't up the stakes enough for me, so I was a little bit worried about this one.  There could have been too much drama, too much stupidity, and one of the most pathetic love triangles ever written.  While this book did have it's stupid moments, it was so much better than it's predecessors, fixing most of the things that drove me nuts and explaining elements we've wondered about through the first two books.

Things I loved.  First, I love that we get more interaction with the rebels. I realize this is the subplot, but since you basically know where the book was heading from about page 50 of The Selection (I mean, you read if for the journey, not the end result)---and note, I'm trying not to include spoilers---this is where most of the mystery and world building comes in, and I love how we got all our questions answered and the world fleshed out a bit more.

Second, I love the friendships America makes.  Even characters that annoyed me are fleshed out and I ended up liking some that drove me absolutely crazy before.  This book could have been girl vs. girl (and of course it is at times), but I love that she actually befriends her competitors and not just her maids.  Sure, there's still conflict, but I thought the whole issue was actually handled really well.

What bothered me?  I'd love to say the book is flawless, but there were still some really stupid moments, but they weren't unrealistically stupid . . . mostly. Plus---and again, I'm not really giving anything big away here---I don't like when the other person in a love triangle finds a different love by the end of the book. Hope? Sure, but not the love of their life after loosing the former love of their life.  It's too easy an ending.

As for the romance, because honestly why else would you read this, I thought it was really cute. There were a lot of insecure moments but a lot of really sweet ones thrown into the mix.  The epilogue was perfect.

All in all, this book is a wonderful conclusion to the series.  Will it win you over if you didn't like the first two? Probably not. However, if you're a fan of the first two, this is an absolutely delightful ending full of everything you've come to love in the first two books and with a lot less of the stuff I personally didn't much care for.  There are some sad moments and some shocking deaths that really didn't get enough page time, but it lends a much needed weight to the series and I actually appreciated that the author went there.

I'm going to give this book a high 3.5 stars.  I honestly was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Lately I've read a bunch of really disappointing endings to series---either they kill of the main character or fix the big problem in an artificial way or randomly have the main love interest find the love of her life and leave our protagonist after 13 books!---and I'm happy this one worked out so perfectly.  So if you're like me (and really you should all be team *****) than you need to pick this up now.

Book Review: Crewel and Altered

I read these books, one after another, so while I could probably do a review of each of them separately, I thought I'd stick them both together.

Incapable. Awkward. Artless. 

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail. 

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her dad’s jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.
Because tonight, they’ll come for her.   Quoted from Goodreads

*********************

I absolutely adore this series. This is another one of those I knew it would be good, but I was waiting for the second book to come out sort of reads, and I wasn't disappointed. Plus, do these covers remind anyone of Matched?  Maybe it's the color scheme, maybe the girl in glass thing, but that's totally what I think of when I see them.

This is one of those series you can't put down.  It's such a unique world and concept, mashing dystopia and science fiction together in a unique, mind-bending sort of way.  I love the idea of women being able to weave time and matter.  At the same time, it's a horrifying idea.  The amount of control  it gives a group or organization is terrifying, which is what the whole book is about.

It's hard to review both books at the same time.  I love the world building in each.  This may give something away, but while they both take place in very different locations, the tension and plot twists are similar. Adelice is an excellent main character---the perfect blend of powerful and controlled, clueless and smart, so there's plenty of room for growth but we can see her potential and the sort of person she could become. Plus, the different locations really add depth to the world building and flesh out a lot of the history.  It also helps keep the books separate and gives Adelice new, interesting challenges to overcome.

The villains in this are absolutely excellent. They're a mixture of evil people (Cormack honestly makes me shudder, he's so creepy), and even tougher situations.  I really liked how the author balanced the levels of antagonists, from mildly annoying to shudderingly bad, so we get annoyed with some people, angry at others, and horrified by a few.  There are different levels and extents of evil Adelice has to overcome, and each aspect brings out a different strength in her.

As for the romantic sub-plot, I kind of adore it.  It definitely stays a sub-plot for which I'm grateful,  but I really like the direction it's taking.  While it does take on triangle-like aspects from time to time, Adelice never becomes wishy-whashy about what/who she wants.  Each boy is a full fleshed character, and each one offers, and needs from Adelice, different things.

Basically, these books are amazing. The concept is unique, the characters fantastic, and the tension builds sky high.   I absolutely recommend this series, especially if you want a fresh twist on a dystopiaesque tale.  I'm giving this series a bold 4 stars, with a good chance of achieving 5 stars depending on the last book. I'll admit, part of me wishes I had waited, because there's a horrible cliff-hanger at the end, but there's something wonderful about looking forward to the next great book in a series.

Book Review: Across the Star-Swept Sea

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.
Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.  Quoted from Goodreads

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Love, love, love this book.  It's sort of the perfect storm of perfectness for me.  First, I adored Diana Peterfreund's For Darkness Shows the Stars (a dystopia retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion), so this sequel/companion book would have been on my list regardless.  Then I found out it was a retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and I was completely hooked.

Let's start with characters.  I loved them all.  Seriously, this book is full of well developed, interesting characters.  Not everyone is perfect; some have some pretty huge skeletons in their closets, but it just makes everything more interesting. The relationships are well developed, and there are a lot of relationships.  It's not just dealing with the boy meets girl romance angle, but we have relationships between siblings, parents, cousins, best friends, enemies, and the list goes on.  It makes the world seem real despite how different it is from our own. Plus while Persis and Justin are the main POVs, we also get perspectives from Justin's sister and cousin, who give us different viewpoints on the revolution.  Everyone's voice is distinct and rather essential to the story.

As for world-building, it's excellent. It's created on the same foundation as For Darkness Shows the Stars, but how New Pacifica handles everything is vastly different from it's predecessor.  We get a lot of fun, new technology and cures that come with their own sets of problems.

As for the action, it's paced similarly to it's source material.  It isn't all daring rescues, though we have several of those thrown in there.  But there are a lot of other issues going on that the author explores, like political conflict, social inequality, disease, hatred, etc. There's as much internal conflict as their is external, which kept me basically glued to the book while I was reading it.

As for the romance, I thought it was well developed.  It was fun seeing it from both Persis and Justin's POVs. You see why Justin would fall for the shallow girl Persis is pretending to be and why Persis likes Justin despite the serious reservations she has about his character. You know how the story goes, but I loved watching it develop and deepen despite all the lies they told each other.  I also enjoyed the story of Persis's parents and her best friend Isla's forbidden romance.

Really, this is a delightful book everyone needs to pick up.  It's a stand alone, though you would probably enjoy it more if you've read the first one simply because some of those characters show up half way through. It's got lies, secret identities, revolutions, intrigue, action, romance, brilliant characters . . . what more could you possibly want. I'm rating it a delightful 4.5 stars, and I hope Diana Peterfreund keeps writing more in this series.  It's exactly what I was looking for.

Oh, and you should check out her short prequel novella, The First Star to Fall.  It's free on Amazon and a great introduction to this world.

Saturday Shorts: The Transfer

More Four! Fans of the Divergent series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth will be thrilled by "The Transfer," the first of four new short stories told from Four’s perspective. Each brief story explores the world of the Divergent series through the eyes of the mysterious but charismatic Tobias Eaton, revealing previously unknown facets of his personality, backstory, and relationships.  Quoted from Goodreads

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I've thoroughly enjoyed the Divergent trilogy so far, so of course I have to pick this up.  Here's the thing.  I like Four.  I love Four.  He's a great character and the perfect compliment to Tris, so of course I'm thrilled to hear more about his story.  Plus, with Allegiant coming out and being told from Tris and Four's POV, it's nice for the novellas to balance things out.

Since, the summary doesn't really give us a lot of details, this is basically Four's choosing ceremony and first day in his new life.  It shows where his name comes from (yeah, if you've read the other books in the series, this really isn't a spoiler), and him figuring out the person he wants to be.

I did really like the material covered in this book.  Honestly, we don't really learn anything new, but we do see scenes we haven't seen before, we get a lot more details on things that were previously glossed over (Four's relationship with Marcus---Ugg---and some interesting things about his mother.)

My one complaint is it's length.  I realize it's a series of 4 novellas, which will make for a great "book," but when I compare it with Rae Carson's The King's Guard or Jodi Meadow's Phoenix Overture, it seems short and incomplete by itself.  And, well, you're paying the same price for a lot less book. It's a bit like my complaint with Free Four.  That was so short I felt sort of cheated.  Still, this is much, much better than Free Four, so don't let that discourage you.  The material is good, it's just (at least by itself) not as good as a lot of the other novellas out there.

Still, like I said again, I love seeing the early version of Four---pre-Tris---when he's still figuring out who he wants to be and where he fits in the world. This novella's a fun read.  I can't wait to see what the other three will be about (besides Four, of course).  All in all, this is a great 3.5 stars for me. Maybe once I've read all four (ha, ha, you see what Veronica Roth did there?) I'll bump them up to 4 stars. Still, it's a great little something to tide everyone over until Allegiant comes out.  Then after, we'll have more to hold us over until the movie!

Book Review: The 100

In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.   Quoted from Goodreads

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I have mixed feelings about The 100.  Don't get me wrong.  I totally get why the CW decided to adapt this for television. We have four main characters, everyone has a secret, there's survival, life in space vs. returning to earth, lies, romance, a lot of teenagers running around without adult supervision, dystopia meets science fiction, etc. Something is always happening.  There are cliffhangers and flashbacks galore.  It's really perfect for television with seasons and seasons of episodes and plenty of material to play with, I can see this going far.

That's really part of the reason I decided to read it now.  I wanted to form my own opinions, get to know the characters for myself before the CW takes over my imagination.

Like I said before, there's lots of action, secrets, lies, etc.  All our main characters have been convicted, everyone is hiding something horrible, and it takes most of the book to find out what it is. Which was half my problem.  I loved the mystery aspect, but I had a hard time connecting with our main characters.  It doesn't help that we only get each one's POV ever four chapters.  The book's a fast read, but it wasn't a long time to make a real connection.  Then there are all the secrets.  Everyone's a bit shady, even if they did bad things for good reasons.  Everyone is broken.  It makes for great storytelling and intriguing characters, but at least for me, it made them hard to connect to.  

The ending was absolutely horrible. I'm all for cliff-hangers, but leaving each of our four main characters on a different sort of problem is just mean.  It's so exhausting that it's hard to really feel for them individually.  You just get a nice lump of dread in the pit of your stomach as the book ends.

I also wanted a little more world building.  The book was so short---okay 277 pages, but with two very different locations, multiple story lines, flashbacks,  and four POVs, it's hard to cram much in. We have forbidden love, a love triangle (note: these are two very different plots with different characters), survival on a "new" world, establishing a good group dynamic/organized labor/power play, medical emergencies, everyone's backstory to establish, etc. While it's all interesting (and again perfect for TV) this first book seemed a little rushed and everything was a tad underdeveloped for me.

Still, this is the sort of read that's hard to put down.  Something is always happening, secrets are spilled, discoveries made, and you have to keep turning pages.  Honestly, I'm intrigued to see where the author will take the rest of the series.  This book throws the reader into a much larger story, and I can see the next few books getting better and better.  For me, it's a nice, 3 stars. Really, it's got everything you look for in a book, I just wished it would have focused a little bit more, maybe concentrated on one or two story plots and really developed them.  But it's only the first book, like I said, and I'm excited to see what happens next. 

Saturday Shorts: Phoenix Overture

This breathtaking and lyrical novella captures a thrilling and momentous decision for a young man and the people he loves. Told from the perspective of Sam, the sensitive musician from Jodi Meadows’s Incarnate series, lifetimes before he meets Ana, Phoenix Overture is a story of love and loss, strength and courage, and facing the consequences of the hardest of decisions.

Phoenix Overture offers existing fans a deeper insight into a favorite character and the intriguing history of Heart, while new readers will find a stunning introduction to this rich world and the romantic, captivating fantasy of the Incarnate series.

In the wilds around the Community where Sam and his family have taken shelter, life is dangerous. Dragons, trolls, centaurs, and other monsters fill the world. The word comes from the council that everyone must leave and journey to rescue their leader, Janan, who has been abducted by a mysterious new enemy in the north. Faced with overwhelming threats that bring death and destruction, Sam and the others reach the northern Range and, reunited with Janan, are given an unimaginable opportunity. Although it would give them the privilege to live and learn and love without fear, the choice is not without its own dire consequences. And lives—though not theirs—are sure to be lost. Just how much are they willing to give up to save themselves?  Quoted from Goodreads

*********************

Excellent.  Perfect. Exactly what it should be.

I could just quit there.  Really.  Much like Rae Carson's  The King's Guard, this is everything I look for in a novella.  First off, it's 138 pages, so you honestly do get a decent story with this one.  There's enough time to really explore Sam's character and origins. Second, we see a lot of things that we don't get in Incarnate and Asunder.  There is very little retelling of stuff we've already learned.  Sure, we know where the book is headed.  We know who Janan is and what he will become.  We know Sam and Stef.  But the rest of it.  It's all new---so knew, in fact, that even Sam doesn't remember what happened in this book. 

As for the actual plot of the book, it's it's own, heartbreaking adventure. I love seeing where Sam comes from.  Sure he has thousands of lives, but the core his personality and the things that shape him are the same.  We also get some of those perfect moments: the first time Sam plays the piano, the first time he shares his flute music with others, his first meeting with Stef. They're all here for us to enjoy. We also get to learn about Sam's original family. Yes, I know that's a weird sentence, but I found it fascinating.  

Of course there are still unanswered questions I'm guessing Infinite will address, but the story is a perfect prequel.

So, should you read this book?  Absolutely. This is an amazing series, so anything that leads you to it is worth it.  Plus, if you've read the other books, it's an excellent addition to the world-building and background of the story.  I'd actually read it after reading Asunder because it does  have some spoilers for that book, though, because it's a prequel, I can see why you might want to read it first.  And you probably could.  You'd just know a few things before Ana figures them out.

This gets a strong 4 stars from me. Like I said above, Jodi Meadows writes the perfect novella. Now I have to suffer until January for Infinite to come out.  At least September is an excellent month for books . . .

Flashback Friday: The Elite

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending. Quoted from Goodreads

*******************

Okay, so I read this book a month or two ago (long enough for me to call this Flashback Friday at this point) but for various reasons never got around to reviewing it.  This does not mean it was a bad book, just that my life got a little crazy and there may have been a small communication error. But I liked it. I really did. More than I actually thought I would. I'm always a little scared to read the second book in a series.  It can be amazing, but for so many series, it can be the slump between the beginning and the end.  Luckily, The Elite kept the same pace as the first book, and now I can't wait for the third book to come out.

What this book probably did the most was give us a real, concrete villain.  I admit, it only really happens at the end, but instead of just a girl's love story and some strange people who attack the palace for some unknown reason, we get someone in this book who we can actually hate (and hopefully defeat in the third one).  While I realize that a lot of times evil doesn't have a face or a concrete villain, I'm glad they created one in this book. 

Other things I loved . . . Maxon. He's not perfect, just like America isn't, and while sometimes they grew closer together, other things pushed them apart.  I like that he isn't 100% devoted to her at this point.  I know it sounds funny, but with her running around with Aspen, he deserves to explore other relationships. Plus, before the Selection, he didn't really know many girls and hadn't had any relationships before. With him caring for other girls, it makes it better when he and America finally do get together in the third book.  (Yes, I'm pretty sure that's where this is headed. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'll be really disappointed if I am.  I am absolutely done with Aspen. He feels like he's thrown in there to add a bit more conflict, give America a choice, etc. but he doesn't really come across as a serious contender.  Just another reason for America to be confused about what she really wants. Sorry, but that's just my opinion.)

This book we do get a bit more sorely needed world building.  We learn a bit more about who created the caste system and why, plus what (maybe) the rebels are after.  Okay so the rebels still need work, but I'm hoping we learn a lot more in the third book.  Plus, we get a few ---well, I hesitate to say fun because they aren't necessarily pleasant, more interesting than fun side stories with other characters (like Marlee).  I really liked Marlee's story in this book. The one character I'm most disappointed in, though, is Celeste.  She wasn't half as mean or vindictive in this book---besides one specific scene I won't spoil for you.  

Anyway, this book is a nice 3.5 stars for me.  There were things that bugged me, but other things I enjoyed.  All in all, it's a nice, standard second book.  It doesn't really slump, but it doesn't bring the story to the next level.  It mostly just kept going right where The Selection ended.  Still, it made me excited for the final book. Honestly, there's probably not a lot of mystery about how this will play out, but I'm excited to get there.

Book Review: Reboot

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.
The perfect soldier is done taking orders. Quoted from Goodreads

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Yes, I realize this book came out over a month ago, and I'll admit, with all the hype, I probably should have read it right off.  But the 5th Wave that came out that same week, as well as If I Should Die, so it got pushed back.  And then back a little more.  Now, I'm kind of glad I did, because this was just the type of book I was in the mood for.  Action? Check.  Interesting world-building? Check. Romance? Check.  Kick-butt heroine?  Check.  Excellent villains? Check.

Basically, there are a bunch of compelling reasons you should read this book. First, I'll start with Wren 178.  She's strong. It's interesting watching her character turn from a hollow, bloody killer to someone who makes her own decisions and moral code instead of just following the orders of others.  And by the end, she's still not perfect, so plenty of room for grown in upcoming books.

Then there's the world-building.  I love this concept. People coming back as something between living zombies and human robots, who actually can find their humanity but have to work for it? It's bizarre, but absolutely works in the story.  It also makes me excited for book two.  I can't wait to see how a community composed of reboots would work.  By the end, Wren was showing a lot of very human tendencies, and I'm curious how their community with contrast with the book's human ones.

Now for the action.  Honestly, it's a lovely blend of physical violence (like I said, half zombie, half robot, with only a smidgen of humanity left), especially in the beginning. Maybe even too much violence, depending.  The best part of it is, as Wren becomes more human, her choosing violence as the answer to everything goes down.  She kills less people (so, yes, warning, there is a bit of killing in this book), and finds different ways to incapacitate them.  Not to worry, though.  Just because the flat out violence goes down, doesn't mean the action does. It just gets better.  There's suspense, prison breaks, impossible situations, and encroaching madness just to keep things fun.

Then there's Callum, the boy who started it all.  Part of me loved him. He's sweet, cute (without being the most beautiful creature ever---yep, that about sums up half of the YA love interest's descriptions), and the reason Wren 178 changes. Here's also where my one problem with the book sort of came in. Don't get me wrong, I fully support one person helping another to change, but this one was a little fast for me. This is nothing against Callum's character. I like him a lot, and he's perfect for Wren. I just wanted a few more scenes between Wren and Callum where she questions her whole lack of humanity.  Instead, the romance was a little bit rushed.  First he's weak, then suddenly she'll challenge her whole world for him?  It just happened too fast.  I wanted one or two more scenes, one or two more weeks of working together before they became that committed.  

Still, if you're looking for a good half dystopian/half scifi adventure with a liberal dose of romance and tons of action, look no further.  This is an exciting 4 stars for me, and I can't wait to read the next book. This book really did have an excellent first book ending.  It wraps up the immediate, small problems, and promises a respite from everything that plagued them in the first book, while still promising action, adventure, and mystery in the books to come. 

Book Review: The 5th Wave

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. 

After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. 

And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. 

After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up. Quoted from Goodreads

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There's so much hype for this book, it's almost crazy.  It's been called the next Hunger Games or Ender's Game (yeah, at least it avoided the word game it it's title, or it would come off as too cliche).  I'll be honest, though, that's the real reason I picked it up. After the Ender's Game and Catching Fire previews, plus the trailers for the book itself, I was in the mood for a great Scifi story, and The 5th Wave did not disappoint.

One of the biggest selling points of the story, one that gives it an added urgency, is Cassie has to get to her little brother.  It's like talking about Hunger Games without including Rue.  Cassie can't just hide or survive.  She has to keep her promise to her brother.  In the beginning she doesn't know where he is or what's been done with him, but he's the only person she has left, and going after him is worth risking everything for.

 Plus, action, action action.  But also relationships in case you're scared, but mostly action.  I mean, when the enemy looks just like your friends, who can you trust? Most of the population has been wiped out.  Basically everyone you've ever known is gone, but how can you believe anyone enough to be their friend, when at any moment they could turn on you?  The first three Waves were bad enough, ripping apart the world and killing almost all of it's inhabitants. The 4th (and titular  5th) are a different level of mean. 

 It starts off with Cassie.  Alone.  Who, by luck, bravery, and an unwillingness not to give up, has survived the first 4 waves. The first part has a lot of flashbacks leading up to where she is now.  It explores each of the waves, how they affected Cassie and her family, and what turned her into the person she has become.  Honestly, Cassie is one of those heroins you can't help but root for.  She's not perfect, but in some ways, she's perfect for the world that has fallen apart around her. 

But it's not just Cassie's POV we get.  We also get a good portion from Ben Parish, her little brother Sammie, and even the mysterious Silencer. I liked the back and forth POV.  It let us see more of the world, and leveled up the conflict, exposing us to so much more than one person alone could have experienced.

As for twist, wel, most of them you can see coming, but honestly that didn't really bother me.  maybe it's because there's still so much tension without it, or maybe it's just the way it was handled, but (like in Cinder) I was okay sort of guessing what was really going on.  Sometimes it almost makes the suspense worse. For example, you know someone is bad, but because the character doesn't yet, you're afraid of what they will do while buying into the villain's twisted machinations.  Sometimes that's even worse.

All in all, this is a edge-of-your-seat, keep-you-up-past-midnight sort of read.  It's a strong 4.5 stars for me, with a good chance it will migrate up to 5 with time.  Now it is the first in a trilogy, so there are two more installments, and while it wraps up a lot of stuff, there are a lot of cliffhangers left to keep you chomping on the bit waiting for the next book.  So if you're stuck waiting for some amazing November movie releases, you need to pick this up. Just a quick warning, there' some language and a couple of pretty violent moments, so not really for the younger young adult readers.  Still, for everyone else, it's fast-paced, exciting, and a great take on alien invasions. 

Book Review: Renegade

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie. 

Her memories have been altered. 

Her mind and body aren’t under her own control. 

And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all. Quoted from Goodreads

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Well, this is a delightfully creepy book on so many different levels. First we have the memory altering. When you can't even trust yourself, how are you supposed to know who or what is real?  Then, well, let's just say when everyone else can also be altered, how do you know how far you can trust anyone.  And that's the whole book, really.  It's a delightfully creepy adventure set in a unique dystopia setting.

First, we have a delightful villain--and by delightful, I mean creepy, evil, vindictive, ruthless, and manipulative.  She goes by Mother, which is creep right there.  She's one of those villains who starts out as a slight threat and escalates with each chapter as you uncover more and more about her, until she emerges as someone utterly depraved and deeply disturbing.

Evelyn is an interesting protagonist. Her memory is being constantly manipulated, as is her very behavior, so while we trust her, at the same time, you sort of can't.  It makes her whole journey to escape and self discovery intriguing  because it isn't just outside forces she's fighting, but what's been done to her mind as well.   

The romance is quick, not insta-love so much as mutual bonding over a horrible situation.  Gavin is a good character whose newness to Evelyn's world gives perspective to how horrible everything is.  He's ordinary but smart, cute, but not that heart-stoppingly gorgeous that makes you question if the main character actually loves him or just his pretty face. 

This is one of those books that starts of with a twist, and then just keeps building and building, upping the danger and lengths the villain will go until you almost have to put the book down just to give yourself a break, while at the same time, you have to keep reading to see if they actually escape.  It's an action packed,  twisting, psychological thriller, you need to check out.  It's a strong 4 stars for me, and I can't wait to read the next book.

Saturday Shorts: Among the Nameless Stars

Before Kai joined the Cloud Fleet, he wandered… AMONG THE NAMELESS STARS

Four years before the events of FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS, the servant Kai left the North Estate, the only home he’d ever known, and Elliot North, the only girl he ever loved, in search of a better life. But the journey was not an easy one.
Featuring narrow escapes, thrilling boat races and at least one deadly volcanic wasteland. Quoted from Goodreads

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Last Tuesday was a wonderful day for book releases, so last Monday I was a little bit at a loss as to what I should read.  I didn't really want to start something big because I wanted to be ready on Tuesday to read some of these new releases.  I was thinking of picking up and rereading pieces of books I love, when I discovered this prequel novella. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. I loved For Darkness Shows the Stars, and finding out there was a prequel and that it was free on Amazon was just icing on the cake.  

Plus, this book is well done.  It shows Kai's struggles after he left the North Estate, the hopelessness of what he face, and why he made the choices he did.  We also get to see his and Elliot's relationship from his perspective, sort of.  None of this takes place with her, so we just get his thoughts and feelings, but still it's a nice insight.  

The story is, in itself, a story.  It's not just glimpses or scenes from Kai's POV that we already saw from Elliot's. It expands the world beyond the North estate that we only hear about in FDStS.  Of course, it also made me spend most of the next day re-reading bits and and pieces of FDStS, since I wanted to see Kai and Elliot together.

Probably my favorite part of the story are the letters Kai composes to Elliot in his head.  It shows not only what he's thinking and feeling, but how much he and Elliot were connected to each other even when they were separated with no reunion (or even the want for one) in sight.

All in all, this is one of the better novellas out there.  If you liked For Darkness Shows the Stars, you absolutely have to read this.  If you're thinking about reading For Darkness Shows the Stars, this is a great introduction (again, it's free).  It was a lovely 4 star novella for me, and I can't wait to read Diana Peterfreund's sequel, Across the Star-Swept Sea.

Book Review: Stung

There is no cure for being stung.

Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right.

Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark.Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall. Quoted from Goodreads

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I have so many mixed feelings about this book.  If you don't think too hard about it, it's an absolutely fantastic, action filled adventure. But then there are a couple of things that kind of bugged me when I think about them. Still, it's a quick read that sucks you in right from the beginning and never lets up. 

Lets start with what I loved:  the world building.  I found the whole concept to be really intriguing, especially with the diminishing bee population.  Basically the bees were dying, so they genetically engineered a way for them to survive, but the modification resulted in a horrible flue (think 1918's Spanish Flu times ten).  To counter the flu, they developed a vaccine  that eventually resulted in madness and violence, destroying those it thought to protect.  That was four years ago. Governments are broken, resulting in sort of city states, and the only safe place is behind the wall. Most of all, Fiona doesn't really remember any of this.

 As the book progresses, some of her memories come back to fill in the gaps, but when Fiona wakes up, she doesn't know why her house has been abandoned, why she is immediately attacked by her much older looking twin brother, or what happened to the world she knew. I love this concept. It's half Sleeping Beauty (minus the prince) and half Maze Runner. It's bleak and horrible, but there's enough hope to keep it from ever spilling over into depressing.  The best part (besides the mystery of her 4 year coma) is Fiona is thrust into this world with the reader, forced to survive a society she doesn't understand.

After several adventures, she meets up with (read: captured by) Bowen.  Here's where I started running into problems.  First, Fiona, despite her 17 year old body, is mentally 13.  She's been asleep for 4 years and at times really acts like a 13 year old.  That part of the characterization is actually great, but it does make Bowen, who complains about the new marriage age (15), because it makes all the available girls (there's 1 girl to 7 guys here) 13 or 14, basically Fiona's age mentally.  Yet he never has a problem falling for her.

Plus this is one of the worst cases of insta-love ever.  Yes, they knew each other as children, but they were never really friends.  Plus, the book itself takes place over 3 or 4 days, so not a lot of time to establish a new relationship.  Here's the thing, I actually get why they would fall in "love."  He hasn't even seen a girl in over a year, then one from his past appears all helpless and needing him.  On her end, she's thrust into this horrible world, when someone she used to know appears and suddenly starts helping her, even if it's only so he had turn her over to the lab for money.  I get their instant connection, but it's not build on a foundation that I'm sure will last.  Maybe it will, but it went from "Oh, I remember you," to "I love you and will never leave you," way too fast.  It left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

So, all in all, I think Bethany Wiggins created a great world and wrote a story it's really hard to put down.  There's always some new peril, betrayal, etc. that keeps you turning pages.  She really is a good writer, and Fiona sort of reflects that.  She is very much a girl with little combat skills (she can shoot a gun, but that's about it) thrust into a harsh, brutal world, and she acted just like that.  My problem is, I really wish she would have stepped up just a bit. While her reactions may have been realistic, part of me wanted her to not be quite so helpless (and then there's one really stupid mistake I wanted to slap her upside the head for).

This was a good 3.5 stars for me.  It was a quick read I couldn't put down.  Plus, and I'm absolutely not sure here, but it looks like there could be a sequel  which may fix some of the problems I had with the first book.  Give Fiona a few months to grow up, adjust to the world, and get used to her new, older body, develop a real relationship with Bowen.  Anyway, if there is a sequel, I'll absolutely have to check it out.  If not, it's actually quite a satisfying end.