Waiting on Wednesday: Black City

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: Black City by Elizabeth Richards
Publisher: G.P. Putnam
Publish Date: Nov. 13, 2012
Genre: Dystopia, Paranormal

Goodreads Summary: A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love.

Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

Why am I waiting on Black City? 2012 seems to be the year for the dystopian/post apocalyptic vampire novel and I am loving it! Plus, the boy’s name is Ash and I cannot resist a YA novel with a boy named Ash :-). What books are you waiting on?

Audiobook Review: The Selection

Title: The Selection by Kiera Cass
Publisher: Harper Audio
Narrator: Amy Rubinate
Duration: 8 hours, 7 mins
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Genre: Dystopian, Fantasy

Goodreads Summary: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

I know there has been crazy drama on Goodreads about this book/the author/her agent BUT I was intrigued by the summary and still wanted to read it. It reminded me of a cross between The Bachelor (a TV show I dislike) and the biblical story of Esther (a story I absolutely adore) so I figured I would either love it or hate it. Turns out my feelings are in the middle: this is an OK book for me.  

Even though The Selection is billed as dystopia, I would consider it more of fantasy novel. It’s set in a future where the US has been through several wars, has been renamed Illea and the people are subjected to a caste system. America Singer (ridiculous name, by the way), our main character, is in love with Aspen but his lower caste prevents them from being together.  

As far as characters go, America really annoyed me. She was whiny, selfish and complained her way through the book. I was never very invested in the relationship between her and Aspen (which was already established when the story started) so it didn’t bother me when he broke up with her. If he had manned up and joined the resistance to fight the repulsive caste system that kept him and his family down for generations, maybe then I could get on board with him as a swoony love interest but The Selection is not that kind of story.

On the other hand, I loved Prince Maxon and all the effort he made to really build a relationship with America. Maxon was sweet and such a gentleman. The choice between Maxon and Aspen seems obvious but America annoyingly vacillates between them both. I’m not always a fan of love triangles and did not like this one at all.

The plot of the story is all fluff, which is not a bad thing because sometimes you need fluff books in your life. There is a secondary plot involving rebels trying to overthrow the government and I found myself very interested in it but it was not extensively explored but hopefully it will be in the next book.

Cass’s writing is just OK, she does a lot of telling rather than showing and reuses certain phases a bit too much. I didn’t need to hear about Aspen smelling like his mom’s homemade soap over and over again. 

Since I listened to The Selection as an audiobook, I will take a minute to talk about that aspect of it. Amy Rubinate’s narration was decent but since the last audio I listened to was Clockwork Prince (which was EPIC!), her reading had a lot to live up to. I thought the narration started out a bit monotone but got better as the story went on.

I heard that The Selection was being made into a TV series on the CW and I think this story would make a really cool TV show. I think America would make a better TV character than book character. Like I said before, it’s fluff so if you want something more profound, this may not be the book for you. Personally, I’m OK with a book about princes and pretty dresses every once in a while.

Content: Kissing and teenage girls drinking wine.

My Rating: Just Fine

Waiting on Wednesday: Solstice

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: Solstice by P.J. Hoover
Publisher: Tor Teen/MacMillan
Publish Date: June 21, 2013
Genre: Mythology, Dystopia

Goodreads Summary: Piper's world is dying. Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom.

Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth.

An imaginative melding of mythology and dystopia, Solstice is the first YA novel by talented newcomer P. J. Hoover.

Why am I waiting on Solstice? It combines two of my favorite genres: Greek mythology and dystopia, plus I love the cover! I believe this book was self published last year and is now being traditionally published by Tor Teen. Current reviews for it are very good and I can’t wait to read it. What books are you waiting on?

Dystopia on TV

If you happen to watch NBC during prime time over the last few weeks, you undoubtedly noticed the previews for a new show show Revolution. I am super excited about this for several reasons. First it’s dystopian/post apocalyptic (one of my favorite genres of literature) and it’s from J.J. Abram’s production company!

In case you are not a rabid fan like myself, J.J. Abrams co-created Lost, one of the best shows ever and one that I was totally addicted to a few years ago when it was on. See the promo poster on the left? Yep, that’s Billy Burke (from the Twilight movies) on the left, Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost alum), Giancarlo Esposito (fresh from one of my husband’s favorite shows, Breaking Bad) and Tracy Spiridakos (Being Human).

Here is how NBC describes Revolution:

What would you do without it all? In this epic adventure from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions and "Supernatural's" Eric Kripke, a family struggles to reunite in an American landscape where every single piece of technology - computers, planes, cars, phones, even lights - has mysteriously blacked out forever. A drama with sweeping scope and intimate focus, "Revolution" is also about family - both the family you're born into and the family you choose. This is a swashbuckling journey of hope and rebirth seen through the eyes of one strong-willed young woman, Charlie Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos, "Being Human"), and her brother Danny (Graham Rogers, "Memphis Beat"). When Danny is kidnapped by militia leaders for a darker purpose, Charlie must reconnect with her estranged uncle Miles (Billy Burke, "The Twilight Saga"), a former U.S. Marine living a reclusive life. Together, with a rogue band of survivors, they set out to rescue Danny, overthrow the militia and ultimately re-establish the United States of America. All the while, they explore the enduring mystery of why the power failed, and if - or how - it will ever return.

While I don’t have time to watch a lot of TV, I will be watching this. It totally sounds like the plot to a book that I would read!  Revolution premiers on Monday, Sept. 17 on NBC. Will you be watching Revolution? What other shows are you looking forward to this fall? Let me know in the comments!

Waiting on Wednesday: Inhuman

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: Inhuman by Kat Falls
Publisher: Scholastic
Publish Date: March 2013
Genre: Science Fiction, Post Apocolyptic

Goodreads Summary: In a world ravaged by mutation, a teenage girl must travel into the forbidden Savage Zone to recover lost artifacts or her father’s life is forfeit.

America has been ravaged by a war that has left the eastern half of the country riddled with mutation. Many of the people there exhibit varying degrees of animal traits. Even the plantlife has gone feral.

Crossing from west to east is supposed to be forbidden, but sometimes it’s necessary. Some enter the Savage Zone to provide humanitarian relief. Sixteen-year-old Lane’s father goes there to retrieve lost artifacts—he is a Fetch. It’s a dangerous life, but rewarding—until he’s caught.

Desperate to save her father, Lane agrees to complete his latest job. That means leaving behind her life of comfort and risking life and limb—and her very DNA—in the Savage Zone. But she’s not alone. In order to complete her objective, Lane strikes a deal with handsome, roguish Rafe. In exchange for his help as a guide, Lane is supposed to sneak him back west. But though Rafe doesn’t exhibit any signs of “manimal” mutation, he’s hardly civilized . . . and he may not be trustworthy.

Why am I waiting on Inhuman? There are a ton of dystopian/post apocalyptic books out there vying for our attention but something about Inhuman intrigues me, possibly the mention of feral plant life? I’m definitely looking forward to reading this and I love the cover! What books are you waiting on?

Audiobook Review: Pandemonium

Title: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Narrator: Sarah Drew
Release Date: Feb. 28, 2012
Publisher: Harper Audio
Duration: 10 hours, 34 mins
Genre: Dystopia

Goodreads Summary:
I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

I have yet to read a book by Lauren Oliver that I did not like. Oliver’s writing is gorgeous and the only thing more beautiful than her prose in the Pandemonium audiobook is Sarah Drew’s narration. I loved Delirium (read my review here) and Pandemonium is a solid follow-up and a really good book. Pandemonium has is all: action, suspense, lots of emotion and of course, romance.

When we met the main character, Lena, in Delirium, we found a timid girl leading a lackluster life, believing in the government’s propaganda and waiting on the ‘cure’ to set her free. The Lena in Pandemonium is anything but timid. She is adapting to a hard life in the wilds, fiercely working with the resistance and most of all, she is very angry and with good cause. The Lenas in both books are vastly different and I love how Oliver shows the character’s growth in such a measured but brilliant way.

The plot in Pandemonium is very well executed and while a love triangle of sorts does develop, it’s well done. I am really excited about Requiem, the last book in the series, because I know Oliver will up the stakes, the action and the emotion to a whole new level. Be aware that like Delirium, Pandemonium ends with a heck of a cliffhanger.

Even if you are not a fan of dystopias, this series is really good and I highly recommend it. It is also a fantastic audiobook! I hope that Sarah Drew will narrate Requiem AND that I be able to listen to the third book instead of reading it. While I’m relatively new to audiobooks, its books like Pandemonium that make me so excited to listen to more. I’m definitely an audio fan for good!

Content: Kissing, profanity and violence.

My Rating: Really Good!

Book Review: The Hunt

Title: The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Release Date: May 8, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Pages: 293 pages
Genre: Dystopia, Horror
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary: Don’t Sweat. Don’t Laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood. Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

While I know that unputdownable is not a real word, it pretty much describes The Hunt. This book is compulsively readable from the very first page and never slows down. There are so many things to love about The Hunt, I will mention a few of them here:

World building: In this dystopian future, vampires rule the world and consider themselves people. Humans, or hepers, are a vampire delicacy and are thought to be extinct except for a few that the government keeps in a facility to study. While some of the vampires mannerisms and lifestyle are familiar (sleeping during the day and awake at night, super fast and strong), Fukuda introduces some charcteristics that are completely different from what readers are familiar with and takes the time to really highlight their behavior (drooling and salivating excessively, scratching their wrists instead of laughing, making out by rubbing their elbows into each other’s armpits). These strange behaviors are one of the reasons that this book is so unique.

Well developed characters: Gene is smart and strong but in his need to stay under the radar and blend in with the vamps, he under achieves in school. His real genius is living among the predators without being detected and it is really interesting to see the lengths he goes through to stay safe. While I liked Gene a lot, the most intriguing character is Ashley June, the gorgeous and popular vampire girl at Gene’s school that he has always been attracted to but smart enough to know to stay away from.

The vampires: These vampires are the most vicious I have ever seen, working themselves into a slobbering frenzy at the mere mention of human flesh and blood. Yes guys, they eat flesh too and they attack like crazed animals in the wild. These are the scariest vamps I have ever read about.

The suspense!: I cannot emphasize how much of a nail biting, edge of your seat read this is. I’m a squeamish reader and honestly, I was creeped out, grossed out and yet I could not put The Hunt down because I HAD to know what happened next. Despite my squeamishness, I raced through the book and am so ready for more!

If you like horror, adventure, suspense, tons of action or just highly original and entertaining books, The Hunt is for you. There are some fantastic plot twists and a killer of a cliffhanger ending. I highly recommend it and cannot wait to read the sequel. Tomorrow, I will feature an interview with Andrew Fukuda and host a giveaway of The Hunt!

Content: Kissing and violence.

My Rating: Really Good!

Joint Review: Harbinger

Lisa from Read. Breathe. Relax and I did our first joint review last year and are very excited to do another on the dark thriller, Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne. Below are some of Lisa’s thoughts on Harbinger and please check out Lisa’s blog for more of my thoughts on the book.

Title: Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne

Release Date: Feb 2, 2012
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons BYR
Pages: 309 pages
Genre: Dystopia, Paranormal

Goodreads Summary: Girl, Interrupted meets Beautiful Creatures in this fast-paced thriller

When sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn't expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she's going crazy. Fast.

But her first night at Holbrook, she feels strangely connected to the school and the island it sits on, like she's come home. She's even made her first real friends, but odd things keep happening to them. Every morning they wake on the floors of their dorm rooms with their hands stained red.

Faye knows she's the reason, but what does it all mean? The handsome Kel tries to help her unravel the mystery, but Faye is certain she can't trust him; in fact, he may be trying to kill her - and the rest of the world too.

Q1. Is Harbinger what you expected? What surprised you the most about the book (without giving away too many spoilers)?

Lisa: Yes and no. I only read one review of Harbinger, but I think I was pretty well prepared for how dark it was. On the other hand, it did have a ton of twists that took me completely off-guard. The ending is what surprised me the most. I thought the author was taking it one way, but she took it a whole different way I couldn't have guessed in a million years.

Me: I had no idea this book was dystopian before I started reading it. The summary does not even hint at anything like that so it was easily my biggest surprise.

Q2. What did you think of the book’s dark setting (the school, surrounding areas and the world itself)?

Lisa: Although I'm a serious wimp when it comes to super dark/scary books, I actually thought the dark setting was appropriate and interesting. It gave the story an aura of mystery and suspense. Holbrook was creepy and awful, and I admired how consistently horrible Etienne made it. 

Me: I agree! This school was a prison masquerading as a reform school and it was awful! She did a fantastic job writing the setting.

Q3. Faye is an interesting main character? What did you like and not like about her?

Lisa: I liked that Faye was an outcast and that she fashioned a misfit family out of her fellow students at Holbrook. She's rebellious and curious, and I thought she was a well-rounded character.

The only thing I didn't really like about Faye was that at the end of the book, she seemed to change too rapidly. Although it fit with the plot, Faye was acting completely differently than she had the entire book. It just didn't make sense to me.

Me: I have to agree with you on this as well.

Q4. What did you think of the relationship between Faye and Kel?

Lisa: Following the rest of my responses, I really loved Faye and Kel 80 percent of the book. Their relationship was fraught with delicious tension and attraction. Then at the end...it just got weird.

Me: LOL! I thought there was a lot of weirdness about their relationship throughout the book. It was this sort of insta-attraction/weird connection that they shared that was, well, different. Not bad, but different.

Q5. What did you think of the secondary characters, especially the family?

Lisa: I seriously loved them!! They're all so quirky and funny. I loved their back stories and how they formed a real bond over their shared misery. (Bummer). 

Q6. Harbinger has an environmental theme running through it that I find unique in paranormal YA books but more common in dystopia. What did you think of this theme? Would you like to see more or less of it in YA?

Lisa: In general, I think the theme of environmentalism can seem a bit forced and a little political. But, in Harbinger, it fit in with the overall ideas presented in the book: the world ran out of resources and struggled to keep going. It only makes sense that there were activists who wanted to cut down on wasteful consumption.

I think this theme also feels less pushy in paranormal and dystopian books because it's set in a fictional world and doesn't seem to read like a commentary on the current state of affairs in our country.

Q7. What were you overall thoughts on the book? Who would you recommend it to?

Lisa: This book was unputdownable for me. I read it in 2 days, which is pretty fast for this 9-to-5er. I was riveted the entire time!! The combination of intense mystery and action with a side of romance made this a well-balanced book.

However, the end of the book felt rushed and incomplete. In the last fourth of the book, the reader is hit with a tidal wave of new information. It's so much to process that I found myself drowning in the details. The final twist at the end just left me confused and a little let down. It wasn't the shocking reveal I was hoping for.

Harbinger passed the class but failed the final. The whole build-up of the story was enough to carry me through the patchy ending.

I would recommend this to fans of dark fantasy, paranormal YA and people who just love a good mystery (and staying up late nights).

Me: I read this very much wanting to find out what was behind the mysteries and Faye’s visions but the rushed ending left me confused and I still have questions that went unanswered. If you like dark and original YA books, I think this may be one for you, but it can be confusing. Harbinger does appear to be a standalone book which is a good thing for those tired of waiting a whole year to find out how the story ends.

Thank you for doing another joint review with me, Lisa! Don't forget to stop by Read. Breathe. Relax. to see Lisa's questions for me on Harbinger.

Book Review & Giveaway: Partials

Title: Partials by Dan Wells

Release Date: Feb. 28, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 472 pages
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Source: Publisher

Goodreads Summary: Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out.

When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask.

Combining the fast-paced action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Battlestar Galactica, Partials is a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question—one where our sense of humanity is both our greatest liability, and our only hope for survival.

I love dystopian and post apocalyptic stories, especially the ones with solid science fiction elements included. Partials is heavier on the science than most YA sci-fi books I’ve read recently but don’t let that daunt you. Dan Wells expertly weaves the science elements with action and romance that creates a fascinating book that had me glued to the pages.

Partials is set in 2076 in the aftermath of a war, a rebellion and a virus that wiped out most of the population. The humans who survived have made a stand on Long Island, barricading themselves against the partials, genetically engineered humanoid soldiers, and against human rebels who oppose the government. Instead of a big, faceless, evil government in most dystopias, this survivor community is run by a small but devious and power hungry group of senators.

Before I start talking about the individual characters, I have to give Dan Wells massive kudos for including a racially diverse group of people in his novel. As a reader who loves to see multi-culturalism in fiction, I am thrilled to tell you that the population of survivors looks a lot like the world’s current population and the story is richer because of it.

Kira is a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training who is super smart and determined. Weary of seeing newborn babies die from the virus and knowing that the government is not close to finding a cure, Kira comes up with a crazy, desperate plan to find a solution before her best friend’s baby is born. Kira is not the kick-butt character you typically see in dystopia but she is brilliant, brave, a quick thinker and has devoted herself completely to finding a cure. It’s her all-in attitude that makes her so awesome.

Kira’s boyfriend, Marcus, is sweet and loves her but they have different priorities. Marcus wants to live a happy, safe life with Kira and let others worry about humanity’s future. Samm is the partial that Kira helps to kidnap and study and while there is no love triangle in this first book, I can see the possibility of some romantic tension in the sequel. Normally I don’t like love triangles but I may be in favor of one in this case.

In the sea of dystopian/post apocalyptic YA novels, Partials stands out from the rest. Awesome world building, exciting action scenes along with betrayals and fantastic plot twists make Partials a great read. I cannot wait for Fragments, the next book in the series, to be released.

I was fortunate enough to meet Dan Wells when he visited South Florida as a part of the Pitch Dark Days of Winter tour. He was kind enough to sign my ARC of Partials which I am very excited to give away. Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions below and good luck!

Content: Kissing and violence.

My Rating: Really Good!

Book Review: Article 5

Title: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Release Date: Jan. 31, 2012
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 374 pages
Genre: Dystopia/Post Apocalyptic
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary: New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned. The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It’s hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

A love story set in a harsh, post-apocalyptic world is right up my alley and while some of the plotting in Article 5 was unexpected, I enjoyed the book overall.

Article 5 is set in a war ravaged United States. We are not given much information about the war and at the very least, I would have loved to know who we fought against, what we were fighting over and how the country became so extremist so quickly. As a result of this war, the US has abandoned the Bill of Rights and become an extremist religious country. In short, America has become the ‘Christian’ version of Afghanistan as it was under Taliban rule. I’m guessing the book describes a Christian government is the military insignia consists of a US flag flying over a cross and there are references to people reading the Bible. However, there is absolutely nothing Christ-like in the way the country treats its citizens.

The government harasses, arrests and executes people (without trials) over what they consider moral shortcomings while thousands of others have nothing so they starve and freeze to death. Did this characterization bother me? A little. It felt a bit political especially in this election year and I do not like politics in my YA books. I have no idea if this was the author’s intent and thankfully, the government is not the novel’s focus and only really discussed in the first potion of the book.

The book does focus on Ember, a girl who struggles to keep her and her mom under the government’s radar. Ember is responsible and takes on the parent role in the relationship, so when her mom is arrested, Ember reacts in the way that a mother would react if their child was taken. She becomes desperate to find and free her mom, even at the expense and safety of others. I thought Ember was self absorbed and annoyingly inconsistent at the beginning of the book but she does experience a lot of character growth throughout the novel.

One of the great things about the book is there is no love triangle! Ember and Chase have a very complicated relationship. The reader sees the Chase that Ember fell in love with through her flashbacks and we see Chase as he is now, broken, brooding and tormented. I love Chase. It quickly becomes obvious (to everyone but Ember) how much he cares for her. On Ember’s part, she feel extremely betrayed by him. I usually don’t like a lot of angst, but in this case, it works.

While there are the few things that I mentioned that I didn’t care for in Article 5, there is a whole lot more that I loved! This book is a nail biter! The action starts right away and continues at a quick and steady pace. The characters get themselves in situations that had me on the edge of my seat. The writing is solid and the romance, especially the flashbacks of Ember and Chase, is sweet and intense.

Article 5 is an awesome addition to the dystopian/post apocalyptic genre and I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.

Content: Kissing and heavy violence.

My Rating: Really Good!

Book Review: The Pledge

Title: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Release Date: Oct. 15, 2011
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 320 pages
Genre: Dystopia, Fantasy
Source: Publisher through GalleyGrab

Goodreads Summary: In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

The Pledge combines two of my favorite genres, dystopia and paranormal, and actually reads more like a fantasy novel. For me, this is a good thing as I loved reading about the world where an evil queen uses magic and cunning to rule and the special girl who can stop her.

Kimberly Derting has created a fascinating world were language is used to separate the people into an oppressive caste system. The caste you were born into determines your education, vocation, friends and pretty much the rest of your life. Charlaina, or Charlie, is born into the vendor class of people. Her family owns a small restaurant and Charlie is fiercely loyal to her parents and four-year-old sister.

While Charlie is passionate about her family, friends and then about Max after they meet, that seems to be the extent of her character development. I don’t really feel that I got to really know her or the other characters. You know that moment in the novel where the main character, even if they have been cruising through the story, makes a determined decision that’s do or die? When they get it together and commit to a course of action that may even cost them their life? In The Pledge, it was such a small thing, such fast event that you almost miss it. I waited for this moment because I thought it would be a huge turning point for the flatness of Charlie’s character and I was let down. There is some insta-love between Charlie and Max and I wish their romance was more developed. Also, there are some plot twists in the story that are very predictable.

While I’m being critical of The Pledge, I did enjoy it, I just wanted more from the story. The fantasy elements are awesome but the book feels like it needs to be longer and much more detailed. I do think this is a good start to a new series and I am very much looking forward to the sequel to see where Derting takes the story.

Content: Kissing, violence, drug use, underage drinking.

My Rating: Just Fine.

Waiting on Wednesday – For Darkness Shows the Stars

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publish Date: June 12, 2012
Genre: Dystopia

Summary: Generations ago, a genetic experiment gone wrong—the Reduction—decimated humanity, giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Eighteen-year-old Luddite Elliot North has always known her place in this caste system. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family’s estate over love. But now the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress and threatening Luddite control; Elliot’s estate is floundering; and she’s forced to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliott wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she abandoned him.

But Elliot soon discovers her childhood friend carries a secret—-one that could change the society in which they live…or bring it to its knees. And again, she’s faced with a choice: cling to what she’s been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she’s ever loved, even if she has lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen’s PERSUASION, FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

This book sounds and looks amazing and the cover is beautiful! While I like dystopian covers with the girl in the high fashion dress, I love artsy covers even more and this combines the two wonderfully. What books are you waiting on?

Book Review: Dark Inside

Title: Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Release Date: Nov. 1, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Pages: 336 pages
Genre: Horror, Apocalyptic
Source: Publisher through GalleyGrab

Goodreads Summary: Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…Now it’s our turn. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, turning everyday people into hunters, killers, crazies. 

Mason's mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground, and everyone he knows is killed. Aries survives an earthquake aftershock on a bus, and thinks the worst is over when a mysterious stranger pulls her out of the wreckage, but she’s about to discover a world changed forever. Clementine, the only survivor of an emergency town hall meeting that descends into murderous chaos, is on the run from savage strangers who used to be her friends and neighbors. And Michael witnesses a brutal road rage incident that is made much worse by the arrival of the police--who gun down the guilty party and then turn on the bystanding crowd.

Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad? These four teens are on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found, this is a journey into the heart of darkness – but also a journey to find each other and a place of safety.

I have seen Dark Inside described as a combination of 28 Days Later and The Road. I would agree with this description plus a bit of The Stand thrown in. While Dark Inside is a more appropriate read for a YA audience (or squeamish people like me), it does maintain the horror of those other stories but without the excessive gore. If you like your horror/zombie novel bloody, don’t worry, while this book may not be extremely gory, the body count is still very high. Personally, 28 Days Later gave me the worst nightmares and I have avoided zombie books and movies since then but Dark Inside may just bring me back. 

The story follows four teenagers who try to survive after the world is rocked by several extremely destructive earthquakes. The death toll after the disaster is high, but nothing compared to what happens to people afterwards. The quakes unleash an evil that posseses some people but does not affect others. The affected become zombielike, filled with rage and bent on brutally killing anyone in their path, especially those who are not infected. While the four teens, Mason, Aries, Clementine and Michael, don’t know each other initially, we read as they struggle to stay alive and see how their paths intersect.

The teens are all very different and struggle with different issues. The characters are very well written, some are filled with guilt and regret, some more streetwise that others and almost all finding it hard to come to terms with family and friends they have lost due to the disaster. The idea that anyone, friends and family, could be a monster waiting to strike makes Dark Inside even more suspenseful.

The horror element, however, may be the best thing about this book. The Baggers, people who are infected with the evil, are absolutely terrifying. The way they hunt the normal people and the traps they set really scared me. The way the teens have to hide and travel by night to avoid viscous hordes of Baggers had me on the edge of my seat.

Dark Inside is a fast paced, action packed nail biter all the way to the end and it does end with a cliffhanger. This is a really good horror novel and I am looking forward to the sequel.

Content: Kissing, heavy violence, mild profanity.

My Rating: Really Good!

Book Review: Eve

Title: Eve by Anna Carey

Release Date: Oct. 4, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 336 pages
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction
Rating: 3.5 stars
Source: Publisher

Goodreads Summary: The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

I love dystopian/apocalyptic novels and Eve is a good addition to the genre. After a virus destroys most of the population, the US has reverted to a monarchy form of government and is slowly working to rebuild the population and civilization.

Eve, an orphan, attends an isolated girls’ school where the students are well educated and taken care of. She is pretty, smart, the head of her class and looking forward to attending university to learn a trade and move to the wonderful City of Sand, a utopia-like place she has only heard about. Eve and her classmates are indoctrinated to believe that men and love are bad and can only hurt you. As a result of spending the majority of her life in this school, she is extremely sheltered and naïve.

Much of the story takes place in the wild and I enjoyed the world that Anna Carey built. It’s always interesting to wonder what the world would look like if civilization fell apart and the author did a great job creating that apocalyptic desolation and decay. I adored Caleb’s character and how Eve grows to trust and love him. I did, however, spent much of the novel wanting Eve to take more control of her own situation but I realize that her going from street dumb to a street smart, kick-butt kind of girl in a matter of a few weeks would be unrealistic. There is room for her character to grow and become stronger and I look forward to it.

The book does end with a cliffhanger and I will definitely be reading the sequel. This is a good start to what I hope will be an exciting new series!

Content: Kissing and violence.

Waiting on Wednesday – Insurgent

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: May 28, 2012
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction

Summary: One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

I’m sure Insurgent will be a popular Waiting on Wednesday pick this week and it should be. Divergent is one of the best books I have read this year and one of my all time favorites, you can read my review here. Insurgent is one of my most anticipated books for 2012. The cover is amazing (I love gritty/artistic dystopian covers), it complements the Divergent cover and the summary has me dying to get my hands on this book. What books are you guys waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Publish Date: May 1, 2012
Genre: Dystopia

Goodreads Summary: Sherry and her family have lived sealed in a bunker in the garden since things went wrong up above. Her grandfather has been in the freezer for the last three months, her parents are at each other’s throats and two minutes ago they ran out of food.

Sherry and her father leave the safety of the bunker and find a devastated and empty LA, smashed to pieces by bombs and haunted by ‘Weepers’ - rabid humans infected with a weaponized rabies virus.

While searching for food in a supermarket, Sherry’s father disappears and Sherry is saved by Joshua, a boy-hunter. He takes her to Safe-haven, a tumble-down vineyard in the hills outside LA, where a handful of other survivors are picking up the pieces of their ‘other lives’. As she falls in love for the first time, Sherry must save her father, stay alive and keep Joshua safe when his desire for vengeance threatens them all.

I love the cover of The Other Life. There are a lot of current and upcoming dystopian novels that have glamorous models in high fashion dresses on the cover and while I like those covers, there is something so intriguing about the eerie cityscape that feels, well, dystopian. It just draws me in and makes the book a must read for me! The cover of The Other Life sets the mood and the summary is exciting too. I am really looking forward to this one. What books are you waiting on?

Cover Reveal: Shatter Me

Title: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Release Date: Nov. 15, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Dystopia, Paranormal

Goodread Summary: Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old-girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now. Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

With this beautiful cover and exciting description, Shatter Me is one of my most anticipated reads of the fall! It combines my two favorite genres, dystopia and paranormal, and I have heard so many great things about this book. Are you looking forward to Shatter Me?

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choices are:

Title: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: Feb. 7, 2012
Genre: Dystopia

Goodreads Summary: Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—nicknamed The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms eventually will. In this dystopia, even the very air she breathes could kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild, dangerous—a savage. He’s also her only hope. Perry needs Aria, too. She alone holds the key to his redemption. And their unlikely alliance will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Title: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: Jan. 24, 2012
Genre: Paranormal

Goodreads Summary: For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Title: Slide by Jill Hathaway
Publisher: Blazer + Bray for HarperCollins
Publish Date: March 27, 2012
Genre: Thriller, Paranormal

Goodreads Summary: Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered. Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body. Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane. Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

HarperCollins released their Winter 2012 children’s catalog with some amazing books, these are just a few of them. Hallowed is the sequel to Unearthly, the only angel book that I have absolutely loved. Under the Never Sky and Slide sound and look awesome, can’t wait to read them. What books are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday – Article 5

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publish Date: Feb. 14, 2012
Genre: Dystopia

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC have been abandoned. The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes. There are no more police — instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior — instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested don’t usually come back. 17-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. That life in the United States used to be different. In the three years since the war ended, Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the Federal Bureau of Reformation. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow. That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And what’s worse, one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

I love dystopian books and get so excited to see more waiting to be released. Article 5 looks like it’s going to be really good. Not only does it have a great cover, the summary sounds awesome! Can’t wait to read it!

What books are you waiting on?

Book Review: Divergent

Title and Author: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Release Date: May 3, 2011
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 487 pages
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Source: Purchased

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Divergent is a fast paced, gritty, exciting, awesome thrill ride of a novel. It is the best debut novel I have ever read and one of my favorites this year.

Beatrice/Tris is an amazingly well written character. I love her tenacity and resourcefulness. She knows she has limitations but does not dwell on them, choosing instead to use her assets to their full potential. Her personal fears, hang-ups and her competitiveness with other initiates really humanize her. I love Tris’ internal battles with bravery versus selflessness and the true meanings of those values. I feel this novel goes deeper than the average YA read and speaks volumes about human nature.

Divergent is told from Tris' perspective so we only see Four through her eyes. This first person perspective often leaves other characters under developed, but not here. We really get to know Four and I really like him. He is the perfect combination of quiet strength, power and vulnerability.  

The romance between Tris and Four is done just right. It does not overpower the story because it is not the primary focus. I love how slowly and wonderfully it develops, but I wanted to shake Tris a few times for not realizing that he likes her sooner.

While the action throughout the novel is constant, the end hits hard and fast. It left me feeling like I got off a roller coaster ride, in a good way! This is a must read, dystopia at its very best. Veronica Roth is an amazing author and I am looking forward to reading anything she writes.

Content: Kissing, heavy violence