"Incarceron" by Catherine Fisher

Walls have ears.
Doors have eyes.
Trees have voices.
Beasts tell lies.
Beware the rain.
Beweare the snow.
Beware the man
You think you know.
~Songs of Sapphique

Incarceron is a prison. Built to contain the undesirables of a world, it's huge. Vast enough to contain cities, mountains, oceans, valleys. Built to be a paradise, Incarceron has become a hell, and there is no escaping. Trapped until they die, most of the inmates have given up on leaving.
But not Finn.

In the Outside, time seems to have been stopped at the 17th century. Artificially preserved, Claudia's world is run by computers and protocal. She's doomed to an arranged marriage and tangled with an assassination plot she doesn't support but doesn't discourage either.

When the lives of Finn and Claudia collide, there's no telling what will happen.
Incarceron is everywhere.
Incarceron is everything.

They stared at the dark slit, waiting. She half expected a crowd of Prisoners to burst through.
But nothing happened, so she stepped forward, and opened the gate.
And looked Inside.

This book was rather rare for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's a YA book that I actually enjoyed. Second of all, there were several plot twists I didn't predict, and third of all, I only hated one of the characters.

The setting of this book is very interesting. It's a peculiar mix of Gregor the Underlander, 2001: A Space Oddyssey, Labyrinth, Alice in Wonderland, The Supernaturalist, Doctor Who, and a whole lot of imagination. It was fascinating if only for the setting, and I enjoyed it immensely. Incarceron was spooky, and reminded me a bit of HAL, which captured my interest immediately. If nothing, read for Incarceron!

The characters were interesting as well. It was difficult, but I decided that my three favorite characters were Keiro (Finn's oathbrother), Jared (Claudia's tutor), and The Warden (Claudia's father.). The single character that I truly did not like at all was Attia, who I found to be jealous, petty, stuck up, "holier than thou", and just annoying. But the others were pretty cool, I must say.

Also, the plot twists. I'm usually pretty good at predicting the way that books will go. In fact, some of the earlier twists I predicted immediately, but about three fourths of the book the author threw a twist at me that literally left me sitting and going "Wow. I did not see that coming. Wow. Wow. O.o". The plot is interesting, not very predictable, and has plenty of things going on that it moves quite quickly.

Overall, this was a really good book, and I'm definitely going to read the second one. :)

"Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi

"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. "-goodreads

I read “Shatter Me” in about 2 & ½ hours when I probably should’ve been doing schoolwork. I thought I’d start the book and read a chapter during a break in math homework and go back to what I was doing. That didn’t work out so well… I started Shatter Me and was immediately enraptured with the thoughtful, possibly crazy, progressively awesome heroine, Juliette, as well as the deceptively dark (or not as much as it seems? You‘ll see. Read it!) dystopian world she resides in. It was absolutely psychological, considering being locked up in a cell in contact with no other people for so long in desolate conditions, all while stewing over the fact that you do awful things to people by simply touching them-- whether she wants to or not.

The writing was another thing entirely. It was amazing. It kept me right inside the story until the end. It was also just really pretty. Then, there was the whole thing with Juliette’s thoughts and her confusion of a contradicting thought process with the whole words crossed out thing in thoughts…

I’ve seen Shatter Me referred to as a dystopian, a thriller, a paranormal, a romance combined with any of those things, and I’ll just say it’s all of those. Dystopian, for the world-- though I wouldn’t say that’s quite the main focus like in some other novels, there’s other things! Paranormal, because she can hurt people with only a touch ‘for no reason’. Romance, because there is another incredibly complex main character, Adam, and I think you can just guess that there’s going to be something between them (and their relationship, the lack there-of, and the general tension? Stunning.). Thriller, because I kept turning pages and found that I was literally gripping the edge of my seat at the climax and some other parts. Psychological, because inside Juliette’s head is a scary, twisted, traumatic place to be in a psychologically fascinating kind of way. And really? The other genre I’d put it in, and as number one: genre Awesome. Awesome in a real sense of the world. In an awe-inspiring writing, complex and likeable character filled, complicated and deceptive plot, dark and controlled world, sort-of-way.

Needless to say, (but I’ll say them anyway) two things: I cannot wait for the sequel, Tahereh Mafi is awesome. On that note, I’ll end this with the surprise third thing: the cover is epic sparkly.

"Crossed" (Matched, #2) by Ally Condie

*Note: I want to apologize for not personally being as active in book blogging as I usually try to be. (If anyone even noticed!) I know for a while there, I was posting reviews and such every day/2 days/even 3 days. I would like to get back to that but I'm also very busy at the moment (if it tells you anything, after I finish typing this, I'm going to go do a mountain of french homework). Additionally, I seem to have like a reviewing writer's block. But regardless, I hope to try to get back to 'business-as-usual'. Anyway, basically, just thank you people for visiting the blog and all that business even though it isn't quite as busy as usual, haha!*
("Crossed" is the sequel to "Matched". If you haven't read "Matched" you may want to check out that review instead so as to avoid any spoilers in this one! You are warned.)

"Crossed" was a good book. The writing, one of my favorite elements of "Matched" with its poetry and flow were impeccable, again. The poems at the beginning were good, too-- the actual poetry. They enriched the story. Problematically though-- it wasn't awesome. It was good. I was a little bit disappointed that I wasn't totally blown away after being so excited for it. While I didn't expect an incredibly adventurous book filled with violence and suspense or anything like that, I was expecting a little bit more adventure-- the ending of the first set up for some grand endeavor to the end of the Society, and I expected that to a be a little bit more exciting that it was. There was a journey, a long one, a hard one, throughout the Society and outside it. However, sometimes it seemed to drag.

Also, I really liked Cassia, the heroine, in the first book. But in "Crossed" I didn't like her nearly as much, because I felt she was so absorbed in thoughts of Xander and/or Ky rather than what was going on and the bigger picture or even her family. It was like in parts of "Catching Fire" or "Mockingjay" when I started to get (super) annoyed with Katniss for being caught up between Gale and Peeta rather than, you know, EVERYTHING ELSE. *slight exaggeration.* I did still like Xander and Ky, and am less convinced about being 'team Xander' like before. It's harder now. Ha! 

The bottom line: "Crossed" was good book and I liked it, just not as much as I expected.

"The Eleventh Plague" by Jeff Hirsch

“In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade for food and other items essential for survival. 
But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true, where there are real houses, barbecues, a school, and even baseball games. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing forever.”-goodreads

Hehehe. So, I had a misconception (I have no idea why I thought this, actually, look up there it even says influenza) that “The Eleventh Plague” was about zombies. As in, zombies being the eleventh plague. Yeah. It’s not, FYI. However, I went into the book expecting zombies and didn’t get them, but wasn’t disappointed. (Books don’t have to have zombies to be good for the record. It’s just a bonus.)  Instead of a zombie smashing book I found a book about life after “the Collapse” (which I assume is the collapse of humanity-- a culmination of wars with other countries and the plague, but that’s not explained specifically), a book about survival, and ultimately, for me: a book about hope and community, and its necessity even after a disaster. Even if the world is technically already ‘over’ if you will. Even though the book wasn’t overly emotional these were the impressions it gave me.

Stephen is a nomad at the beginning of the book; both in the moving around all the time literal sense of the word, and to me, emotionally. He’s only close to his grandfather (if you can call what we see of their relationship that) and his father, and he used to be close to his mother before she met her end. That’s the other thing: this book is kind of about loss. Overcoming loss and finding that hope and community. Throughout the book Stephen has to figure everything out. That’s probably why I liked him so much a main character-- he didn’t know everything, not even close. He had a ton of flaws. Sometimes flaws (kind of like I was talking about in my Anna and the French Kiss review) can make the book if they’re done right. This is one of those books, I think.

Additionally, there quite a bit of action and when necessary, creepiness. There was romance that I didn’t expect (I basically thought she was going to continue ignoring him completely) with a troubled girl who really identified with Stephen. The ending was great because it wasn’t completely picture perfect-- also, it left me wanting more without being a total cliffhanger and infuriating me. I believe there’s a sequel or companion novel coming though this novel could easily stand-alone, I look forward to more of the story!

"The Fox Inheritance" (Jenna Fox Chronicles, #2) by Mary E. Pearson

*As usual with sequel/companion novel reviews, this could include minor spoilers. You are warned.*

I didn’t know what to expect AT ALL when I picked up “The Fox Inheritance” especially since I thought “The Adoration of Jenna Fox” was a stand-alone (and, I’m not sure, but I think that might’ve been the original plan? It’s been a few years…), but I know I couldn’t have expected the perspective change or that Jenna wasn’t even personally in the beginning of the book! I’m not saying this as a bad thing, though. It was just really different. Immensely different.

The only thing I felt in common between “The Adoration of Jenna Fox” and “The Fox Inheritance” were the same sense, especially in the beginning, of not knowing. The seeking, the discovery of what you are and the journey between being reborn (if that’s the right word) and being who you are or returning to who you were, to a point.

I’m not saying I didn’t like it at all, I’m just saying it was really different. It was good! I did like the first one better, but it’s that way with a lot of sequels, and the first one was amazing, very hard to beat. I liked the characters, discovering more of who Kara and Locke were before the accident, and who they are in this book throughout the adventure. The ending and the events leading up to the ending are shocking, and I could hardly stop turning pages until the end (unless I absolutely HAD to.)! I’ll also be really interested to see if there’s a third Jenna Fox novel coming.

Also, I did NOT get this book for review, HOWEVER I would like to thank Tara from Fiction Folio for loaning me her ARC to read before the release-- I was really excited about this one!

"Plague" (Gone, #4) by Michael Grant

*As usual with sequel reviews, the description is spoiler-y, so I haven’t included it. The below review may reveal minor spoilers about the previous two books. YOU ARE WARNED.*

I love this series, I do.  I can’t wait for Fear (April 2012) and Light to come out so I can finally find out the fate of our beloved characters… but (sadly, there‘s a ‘but‘)… Plague. Oh dear. It still had action, it still had different perspectives, and there was still unexpected twists and turns with the punch of a broad cast of characters-- my favorite parts of the series so far, but Plague was a bit of a let down. It wasn’t *bad*. It just wasn’t what I expected, either. At some point in Plague, I’m not sure how far in I was, I started feeling like I was reading about a soap-opera or some other sometimes overly dramatic situation set in a dystopian/post-apocalyptic world (inside a dome!)… Too dramatic at times. And Sam’s self-pity and erratic behavior plus a very selfish attitude kept propping up all over the place and I can’t say I like Sam much anymore which is disappointing as I loved him in Gone and Hunger and somewhat in Lies (by the way, I don’t mean loved like, OMG SWOON IT’S EDWARD CULLEN, which I’m seriously not like, by the way, but I thought Sam was a fantastic character). It didn’t feel like a filler book for me or anything like that, there were still new developments and few things resolved, which is fortunate because I would have absolutely hated that.

ALSO, major warning: KILLER CLIFF-HANGER. Fear doesn’t come out until April. That kills me. I think I’m traumatized by the wait, because I was able to read the first four so close together as they’ve been released for a while. Seriously, the cliff-hanger has launched me into a (hopefully short) stand-alone/completed series only kind of mood so I don’t have to see one of those for a while. But the point of a cliffhanger is to make you want more and be excited for the next book, which I definitely am, so I guess it’s effective!

Bottom line: This book in the Gone series just didn‘t resonate with me, but I still can’t wait for the next one, which I hope I like more.

"Lies" (Gone, #3) by Michael Grant

*As usual with sequel reviews, the description is spoiler-y, so I haven’t included it. The below review may reveal minor spoilers about the previous two books. YOU ARE WARNED.*

Lies is my favorite book in the Gone series so far. Not only did it continue all of the good things from the other two books, but there was MORE (if that’s possible)! The slight problems I had with Hunger were even less in their severity. THERE WERE ANSWERS. Those capital letters were entirely necessary. Now, there weren’t big answers like how to magically get outside of the dome (there’s three more books, it doesn’t work that way, folks), but we found out… oh I’m itching to tell you guys, but I can’t. We found out something that’s kind of a big deal. No one is sure whether their relatives still exist or know they’re gone. You’ll find THAT out if you read Lies. Sam is still quite angst-y but I could deal with it. My favorite character in this one was probably Astrid just because of the end, and her progression throughout the books of getting stronger and all, although I admittedly wasn’t her biggest fan for parts of the book. Lies was shorter (only a bit) than Hunger but I felt it packed an even bigger punch. Another element that was present in all of the books, but I felt strongest in Lies is the multiple view points. The story switches view points all the time and that keeps everything going and fresh while helping you get the whole story; it’s not in first person, so it’s not in another person’s mind per say, but just not everything from the location of the main character.

As the third book in the Gone series, Lies continues the awesome. These books aren’t just good, they’re explosive. I was hooked (as usual) from the beginning and could hardly put it down. As much as Gone and more than Hunger, it’s one of those books that you’d rather read than sleep because you have to know what happens and you’ll probably bring it everywhere with you. Simply amazing.

"Hunger" (Gone, #2) by Michael Grant

(The summary for this book is spoiler-y for the first book in the series, "Gone". If you'd like to view it anyway and find out more information about the book, here's the goodreads page for it. As usual with sequel reviews, though I try to keep them spoiler free, it's possible there will be minor spoilers for the first book. YOU ARE WARNED.)

With the same gripping plot style and breakneck fast pace as "Gone", "Hunger" is a really great sequel. It met my expectations, which "Gone" set very high. A lot of the best aspects of the first book were continued in the second, besides the incredible plot and pacing. However, I didn't enjoy Hunger QUITE as much as its predecessor. For example, Sam's humility left me feeling conflicted. While I was glad that he was humble, he was feeling pressures, and he wasn't perfect, like I felt in the first book, too much is well... too much. His tendency throughout the book for self pity got kind of annoying after a while. Then, at the same time, it made sense-- he was grasping for solutions to really difficult problems and searching for answers where there seemed to be none, and that was frustrating for him. Then all these kids have adopted him as their leader and when he starts not being able to fix everything, obviously he felt a little lost. Another thing that left me feeling that way is that a lot of questions were asked, more sub-plots started, which is all fine but then nothing seemed to be getting answered and at times that was just really frustrating to deal with. HOWEVER, these two problems did not really damage my overall impression of the book.

The characters continue to be great for the most part. The setting is so developed, so clear I can imagine the whole FAYZ, and I love that about these books. The continuing developments and the worsening of the situation in the FAYZ were both fascinating and horrifying. Then the problem of 'Freaks' vs. 'Normals', as they started to conflict was obviously intense but also interesting because of the psychology of it all, for me.

Overall, a good sequel! Continued awesome pace, plot, and characters; even if a few elements left me feeling a tad conflicted at times.

"Gone" by Michael Grant

"In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.
Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.
It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else..."-goodreads

There are some books that just suck you into the pages, make you want to find the whole story, figure it out NOW, but at the same time, never have it end. They keep you turning the pages and the suspense can become almost unbearable. If you had a day where you didn't have to do anything else those are the type of books that you'd want to just tear through and not WANT to do anything else. "Gone" is most definitely one of those. I mean, just read the description. CAN YOU FLIPPING IMAGINE THAT? Everyone 15&over suddenly disappearing. *Something* cutting you off completely from the outside world?! Kids and teenagers running the town, trying to prevent chaos as all kinds of it presses in on them? (Has anyone read Lord of the Flies? Hello!? Yeah, I think we all know the whole situation is going to turn to heck eventually.) And each of the characters are still battling their own problems, too. Sometimes in post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, it seems like the characters are all perfectly content people living in their perfect little world until disaster strikes, but in "Gone", much more realistically, the characters were never living perfect lives and they deal with that as well.

Michael Grant's storytelling is amazing. There was never a dull moment and constantly questions were raised, and surprises thrown in. It's filled with action and suspense, and I could see everything vividly in my mind. The characters were great too, a grand cast of them ranging from likable, and hatred like the type everyone has toward Voldemort. I really liked Sam. While still seeming like how a teenager (albeit a natural born leader type of person) would deal with a crisis, he was complex, thoughtful, and dealt with the situation admirably. Astrid was very cool too, the brains of the situation, but not overly so. All of the characters were realistic in that none of them were able to stay strong ALL the time. They all had their emotional moments that they needed to make them seem human, and not magically immune to their surroundings and conditions.

An awesome book all-together. I see there are four more out in the series and a sixth due next year. I must say, these books are kind of long and I'm not quite sure how the story to span six books, but I could be wrong about that, it is pretty complicated. Looking forward to seeing how the story continues!

"Unwind" by Neal Shusterman

"The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and survive."-goodreads


A while ago, I read "Full Tilt" by Neal Shusterman. Less long ago, I read his Skinjacker's Trilogy ("Everlost", "Everwild", and "Everfound"). In all of those books, Mr. Shusterman created a chilling and suspenseful tale that tended to highlight choices, the lack thereof, and terrifying worlds that you could never imagine being reality. Unwind is those things as more.


Horrifying. That is a predominant word I would use to describe Unwind. The (what one would consider dystopian) world that Unwind is that way. There are situations that the characters get into that are just gut-wrenching. It's bad. There's also a scene involving a character that you thought you hated, and up until that moment, you did-- but it's just the most emotional thing and it's scary, and the confused way it's written just amplifies that. Also, the story is written mostly from Connor, Lev, Risa, and Ci-Fy (love that name, by the way) point of view; but there are lots of others mixed in sometimes for a few parts and sometimes for only one. Each of them seem to see each other, their situation, and the whole world very differently and that was impressive and very useful to widen your opinion of each other characters. 


Apparently, there's a sequel to Unwind coming out called Unwholly (about 5 years later! It's scheduled for September 2012) and I look forward to more of this chilling story. Also, thank you KT for forcing me suggesting that I read this book; it WAS very good, you were right (and so were all the schools/associations that gave the book all the awards and such). :P

"Blood Red Road" by Moira Young

"In a lawless future land, where life is cheap and survival is hard, Saba has been brought up in isolated Silverlake. She never sees the dangers of the destructive society outside. When her twin brother is snatched by mysterious black-robed riders, she sets outon an epic quest to rescue him. "-goodreads

If nothing else, Blood Red Road is incredibly unique and unlike anything that I can think of reading before. Fortunately, there's more to it. But, gosh, it's DIFFERENT. The inside of the jacket flap calls Moira Young's writing style 'poetic... minimal'. I whole-hearted-ly agree. It's poetic. It's unglorious in that it's simple, and very glorious in the way it flows. Which is like water. In a really smooth pipe? Wow. That was lame. Anyway, the point is, the pace is crazy fast and at times I wanted it to slow a bit so that I could soak it in and try to register what just happened-- but at the same time I was hungry for more and I didn't want it to slow down I just wanted to read it until it was over. At first, the writing style is startling. It's hard to get used to. There's no quotation words for talking, all of the speech and descriptions are crazy informal, it's improper, Sabba talks weird... but then all of a sudden that all falls away and you can see the story play out vividly and the writing begins to feel down home and informal but in the way that it's as if Sabba is sitting with you, recounting the story-- laying emphasize on parts that she felt important and glossing over some of the details, recounting like, 'and then he says', you know. That kind of feeling. 


Beyond the voice of the book, it was brilliant as well. It's post-apocalyptic. While most post-apocalyptic line up well with dystopias because the fact that it's post-apocalypse creates a world that IS a dystopia, I'd struggle to call Blood Red Road a dystopia, and if I did call it a dystopia, I'd envision all of the normal dystopias that seem like they're dystopias sitting in a room looking normal and Blood Red Road wearing striped pajamas and singing or doing something else to stand out. Anyway, the world that Moira Young creates is very interesting. It's clearly sometime in the future, the characters often point out things that are 'post-wrecker' and from what they describe we're left to assume they're talking about the current world, now. Yet, the world seems old. The horses, the lack of electronics, the deserts, and the wildnerness; they all yield the impression that you're reading something about the ancient times.


The characters were complex. I didn't like Sabba at first and for her, Blood Red Road is rather a coming of age novel, she grows so much. The other characters were very interesting as well, although we don't see much of most of them and sometimes I wished I could get to know them all more. 


So, overall, Moira Young is a creative genius. If you want a post-apocalyptic novel that wears striped pajamas and sings when it hangs out with the dystopian crowd; with complex characters, a brilliantly weaved world, and writing like nothing you've read, pick up Blood Red Road.
Thank you S&S for giving me the opportunity to review this book. Readers: As always, I promise receiving books for review in no way alters my opinion, and my reviews are honest (sometimes brutally). :)

"The Compound" by S.A. Bodeen

"Eli and his family have lived in the underground Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone, and they've become accustomed to their new life. Accustomed, but not happy.
For Eli, no amount of luxury can stifle the dull routine of living in the same place. with only his two sisters, only his father and mother, doing the same thing day after day after day.
As problems with their carefully planned existence threaten to destroy their sanctuary - and their sanity - Eli can't help but wonder if he's rather take his chances outside.
Eli's father built the Compound to keep them safe. But are they safe - or sorry?"-goodreads 

When I started this book, and until I was about half way through the book, I didn’t like it very much. I found the main character, Eli, rather complain-y. I had no connection with him. The whole story was going kind of slow for me. It wasn’t one of those ‘I have to keep reading this or else I will possibly die’ books. I questioned the writing, although it did seem to be specific to Eli, because it seemed like the way he would think, which is why it went back and forth some, I figured.

Once the story picked up, though, a bit past halfway through, IT PICKED UP. It got a lot more fast-paced for me, much more interesting, and I started to connect more with Eli. As it developed, The Compound turned less into some post-apocalyptic situation with an enclosing compound to an all out thriller of a sadistic story.

There were some horrifying things going on in the book, including the all-around-seeming psychological deterioration and the original mental state of the father, later revealed. Nothing was what you thought, and seeing it from Eli’s point of view helped that because you only knew what he knew with maybe some inklings of your own. The ending was satisfying, and especially the last bit before the end, you just couldn’t stop reading. The characters were interesting and they all had mysteries to uncover of their own, especially the completely psychotic dad.

Really, the book was kind of a dystopian bit of psychological thriller book. I can’t really say why without spoiling the thing. I’d really just go with psychological thriller with some real ‘woah’s of topics. I ended up real enjoying the book and it haunts me as I write this review because it’s another type of story where you go, what the heck would I do? Would I go to see them (can‘t say who ‘them‘ are)? Would I live there? Would I kill myself? What WOULD I DO? Anyway, if you’re into psychological thriller sorts of books or you’re a die-hard dystopian fan, you’ll probably enjoy The Compound!

"Ashes, Ashes" by Jo Treggiari

June 1st, 2011
"Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her."-goodreads

There is a difference between Post-Apocalyptic fiction and Dystopian fiction. While they run together frequently, dystopias often being the result of an apocalypse, and apocalypses normally creating at least slight dystopias in the way the world is run. Ashes, Ashes has elements of dystopia but is a post-apocalyptic book for the most part (to me, anyway!) and I liked that a lot. I also believe it's a stand-alone, although it could easily be a series, which is always refreshing (I can't stress that enough, can I?).


Ashes, Ashes is horrifyingly realistic seeming. All of the situations, the survival, the way the plague took over the world-- they're all very vivid, very real situations. The main character, Lucy, often reflects on how at first, when the plague originally started, the news would show happy people, nurses and doctors calmly working at the hospital. She then adds that when her parents died, they were nothing like that. Just dying people, failing medicine. The news reverted to pre-recorded footage. I think that's a really important part of the book, or any post-apocalyptic book for me, contrasting the difference between then and before. It really puts the book into perspective. 


I just mentioned Lucy. Lucy is very cool. She was a very strong and developed character, and she was also likeable. One of my favorite parts of the book is that Lucy is a strong female character. There is no Bella syndrome, and I think that's important. Even books like The Hunger Games, in which Katniss is also a strong female character, along the way, she tended to kind of lose herself in her feelings toward Peeta and Gale. Lucy does no such thing. The book has romance, but it's not like, hey I was really awesome before and defending myself and now there's a guy so he'll be my knight and shining armor. Ha! Oh, and no love triangle. Thank goodness.

Aiden and all of the other characters were great as well. The book was fabulously written, all vivid and detailed. It was really easy to picture the post-apocalyptic New York. It was interesting, filled with action, and just a good book. Also, I'd like to add that I liked the cover before I read the book, and after reading the book I think it's absolutely perfect, a great reflection of the book. (Feel free to judge this one by it's cover, I'd say.)


If you'd like a good book that's interesting, realistic seeming, vividly written, and filled with survival, try out Ashes, Ashes in two weeks when it comes out! Also, this is definitely on my list of 'things to recommend to people that liked the Hunger Games'. 
Thank you Scholastic for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

"Everfound" (Skinjackers, #3) by Neal Shusterman

The description for this book, and the summary I tried to write are very spoiler-ish if you haven't read Everlost or Everwild. For that reason, I decided not to include a description at all. If you miss it and aren't worried about some spoilers, here's the goodreads one.

Heart-breaking, spectacular, bizarre, edge-of-your-seat, unique, bedazzling, twisted, dark, broad, seamless. These are words that are coming to mind now that I've finished Everfound, the last of the Skinjacker trilogy. The ending was heart-breaking, but also spectacular-- it wrapped everything up so that it was good, although notably it wasn't overly happy, unrealistic, or rushed.

The world, Everlost, in the Skinjacker trilogy is bedazzling, broad, and also seamless. I think the world building and development is probably some of the best I've ever read, up there with or surpassing the wizarding world in Harry Potter; which is another 'alternate universe' co-existing with the modern world type of scenario.

While I enjoyed Everlost and Everwild, I think that Everfound was the best out of the series. It was the most complicated, the most twisted, the longest, and at times the most confusing book of the series, everything also seemed to make the most sense. How is that? I have no idea. Possibly because in the first books, a lot of world building was done, a lot of characters developed; but about a reader could pose about a million questions. You could say the same for Everfound-- but a lot of the questions were also answered.

The story admittedly moved a bit slow at times, as it did in the first two, but I think that was necessary. If it had moved at an incredibly fast pace for the whole time I think I would've missed more things and I'm not sure it would've ended up making any sense.

Before I write a review with a length equivalent to the Bible, I should really stop. All I can say is that the Skinjacker trilogy is without a doubt the weirdest thing I've ever read; but it's also one of the best overall series I can think of-- I didn't think any of the books had huge weak points, which I can even say about some of my favorite series like Maximum Ride, at times HP, and The Hunger Games... and one more thing I haven't mentioned before; the covers for this series? Perfect!
Thank you, S&S for giving me the opportunity to review this epic conclusion!

"Delirium" by Lauren Oliver

"Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love."-goodreads

I was in no rush to read Delirium. I thought, when looking at the summary and while hearing other's opinions, that it sounded too much like Matched. Not the concept, just the whole kind of dystopian where the girl rebels because of a relationship kind of thing. I didn't think I could like something like that as much as I loved Matched. I thought that was a one kind of deal. It's normally pretty easy for me to LIKE books just not LOVE them.
As usually happens when I have pre-reading opinions about a book, I was very, horribly, inconceivably WRONG. 

First things first. The writing. Oh my gosh the WRITING. Lauren Oliver is an evil GENIUS. It's lyrical, it's beautiful, it's descriptive. I could see what went on in the story with imperceptible clarity, surrounded by a wall of gorgeousness. It was POETIC. Also, the parts at the beginning of each chapter; excerpts from poems, lessons from the 'Book of Shhh' were great. It added to the world that she created. You can also really feel the story. You feel for the characters, you feel the situations, and it's the kind of book that makes you wonder... what would I do? Would I sacrifice a perfect life for love? Love; which can be painful but perfect? It was all so real... there are many scenes that had me on the edge of my seat, when I hoped for Lena or Alex to get out okay, and where my heart ached for them. ESPECIALLY THE ENDING. 


The story itself was also amazing, of course. The whole idea where it wasn't the kind of dystopia you expect, where only certain things are controlled, where they seem to have more freedom (although that starts to unravel..). Lena was a great character and so were Hana, Alex, and I really liked Gracie. I felt that Lena's battles with her inner self were what I would be thinking... The romance was powerful. All the emotions were vibrant. It was believable. 


The whole concept of the cure was really interesting too. To think about something like that is a great thought to ponder. What if there was ever something like that created? A cure to love (read: a cure to the pain of love). Would you want it?


Anyway. If you liked Matched. If you are enjoying the dystopian trend. If you like a good book that is written both brilliantly and beautifully, I highly suggest you pick up Delirium.

"Everlost" by Neal Shusterman

"Nick and Allie don't survive the car accident...but their souls don't exactly get where they're supposed to get either. Instead, they're caught halfway between life and death, in a sort of limbo known as Everlost: a shadow of the living world, filled with all the things and places that no longer exist. It's a magical yet dangerous place where bands of lost children run wild and anyone who stands in the same place too long sinks to the center of the Earth.

When they find Mary, the self-proclaimed queen of lost kids, Nick feels like he's found a home. But Allie isn't satisfied spending eternity between worlds. Against all warnings, Allie begins learning the "Criminal Art" of haunting and ventures into dangerous territory, where a monster called the McGill threatens all the souls of Everlost."-goodreads 

This book has been on my TBR list for a while. People told me it was good, but no one told me just how amazing it was and that if I liked 'different' kinds of Dystopias that almost didn't even seem like they were that I had to read this book. If I'd known that I would have read it sooner.

This is a dystopian novel published well before the Dystopian craze, so it hasn't been appreciated as much as it should have been. I love dystopian novels but I especially like it when the reason it's a dystopia, the controlling element that's creating the world so it runs as it does, so that everything is controlled, I like it when that's different. For example, in "The Dark and Hollow Places" there's no government creating such a terrible world, it's the fact that they're surrounded by ZOMBIES. In Everlost, the element is that the characters are Afterlifes. They are stuck in Everlost, a land that seems to be between the living and wherever the dead are supposed to go. The children are in the living world, but no one knows they are there. The only place where they are safe from sinking into the ground like the lost souls that they are is if they're on dead spots-- places where people have died-- and places that have a lot of love and memory still in them.


Which brings me to one of my favorite settings and elements of the story, The Twin Towers. There are many Afterlifes still living in the beautiful places that are the twin towers, because no one will forget them. It's safe for them and they still get to appreciate their beauty and live there in Everlost. There are other places like this as well, but they're the main ones of the story. 


The Afterlifes were fascinating on their own. The way they could forget themselves and what they looked like, and the way some of them acted. It was bizarre, and a concept (along with the rest of the world that is Everlost) that just seemed really brilliant to me. The world itself is probably my favorite part of the book.


The main characters were really great as well, they seemed very real. I tried to think about how I would react if I suddenly came to Everlost because of my untimely death and didn't know what was going on; and it was probably just how I would react. It's incredibly realistic.


The twists and turns. I really did not know where the story would end up while I was reading the last few chapters. I did not think about the coins at all or what they did, and I didn't think that Mary was doing what she was doing. I know it's a trilogy so I had thought that nothing much was going to happen at the end because that's how it was starting to turn out, but then the last few chapters. Wow. Lots happened. 


I really can't say anymore because I'm going to spoil everything, but Everlost was really good and if you enjoy an odd dystopian novel or more importantly a really excellent sci-fi novel that touches on so many different themes and ideas, you should definitely pick up Everlost. I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy!
Thank you very much Simon&Schuster for surprising me with a review copy in preparation for the third book, coming soon.
Reader's Note: Review copies in no way, shape, or form change how I'd review a book, and they never  will. UNBIASED.

"The Dark and Hollow Places" by Carrie Ryan

"There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face when she and Elias left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the horde as they found their way to the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters. Annah's world stopped that day and she's been waiting for him to come home ever since. Without him, her life doesn't feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Then she meets Catcher and everything feels alive again.
Except, Catcher has his own secrets—dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah's longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah—can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?" -author Carrie Ryan's website

"The Dark and Hollow Places" was probably the best book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy so far. What better way to end the series? As I've read the three books each one has gotten better, it almost makes me wish there were going to be more- and I would love for there to be more- but at the same time, I loved the ending. It was rather eloquent, it left questions but not the 'live or die because the character is about to fall off a cliff' questions, but more the 'where do they go from here? at least they're ALIVE!' type of questions.

I thought that Annah was the most likeable character to lead the story so far, and her relationship with Catcher was really sweet. I also kind of enjoyed that this time there was no love triangle sort of thing unless you count past feelings for Elias.

I also definitely thought that this was the most emotional driven one yet, the whole novel, all of the writing, it was just so real and emotional. I could feel what Annah was feeling because of the amazing way it was written; even though I have never experienced such fear or desolation or really strong feelings as Annah was.

Of course, there's one of my favorite elements throughout the whole series of the character's abilities to feel and strive for hope where there is none, and defeat all odds through hope. It's just inspiring. Also, an ongoing element that I adore is the fact that while the three books contain tons of zombies, they capture so much thoughts and speculations about said zombies, and also all of the characters manage to fight the zombies and think about the zombies and it's NEVER cheesy. How often can you say that about anything that involves zombies?

 All in all, an AMAZING, EMOTIONAL, INCREDIBLE end to the trilogy. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way!

If you would like to find out more about The Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy go to author Carrie Ryan's website. If you'd like to see my reviews for the first two books, The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves click those <--- book titles! Also, there's that post where I talked about the Dark and Hollow Places tour here.

"Divergent" by Veronica Roth

May 3rd, 2011
"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." -goodreads


Divergent was epic! Another thrilling dystopia (you must think I'm getting out of hand with this, but I promise, no more dystopia reviews for... a week or so!). It was exciting, surprising, suspenseful, filled with action and adventure and even romantic. Sounds cool, right? Not only was the story itself cool (and told EXTREMELY WELL), the characters were great. Triss (Beatrice) was awesome, a strong heroine to lead the story, kind of like Katniss in The Hunger Games (except I found Triss a lot more likable) or Max in Maximum Ride. Four was great too, quite the complex character. Divergent ended with a rather good cliffhanger. 


The part of the story I found most fascinating was probably the factions. Not only were they rather unique and thus interesting, they were also really cool because I kept wondering to myself, which one would I choose? I think that question comes up with most readers though. And then the whole Divergent thing... That was the best. This book was filled with twists and turns that will make you want to do nothing but read it until it ends. If you want an exciting YA read that helps you cope with your Hunger Games deficiency and get more great dystopias, Divergent is a must-read! Yay Divergent!


If you'd like to learn more about Divergent, check out author Veronica Roth's blog.


Note: Thank you HarperCollins/Katherine Tegan Books for sending me a copy to review. 
Reader's Notice: This does not in any way effect my review, it is unbiased! (As always!)

"Those That Wake" by Jesse Karp

March 21st, 2011
"New York City’s spirit has been crushed. People walk the streets with their heads down, withdrawing from one another and into the cold comfort of technology. Teenagers Mal and Laura have grown up in this reality. They’ve never met. Seemingly, they never will. But on the same day Mal learns his brother has disappeared, Laura discovers her parents have forgotten her. Both begin a search for their families that leads them to the same truth: someone or something has wiped the teens from the memories of every person they have ever known. Thrown together, Mal and Laura must find common ground as they attempt to reclaim their pasts." -goodreads

This book was another interesting dystopia (can you tell that Dystopias are definitely the next vampire craze? and also that I kind of love them?). This one, rather then being directly dictated what to do by a force like The Capitol in The Hunger Games or the society in Matched, the residents of New York are kind of letting themselves be controlled by their technology. That concept was a bit frightening, probably because people really can be like that- absorbed by their smartphones or the television when the people and interactions you should be involved with are right in front of you. I've experienced people doing things like that, just as I probably have before. So some of the elements in Those That Wake really weren't that far off.

What else? The book is rather dark and grim, the tone especially, all the way through (almost gothic!). I've read reviews from people that didn't like this and thought it took away from the book and while I agree that it was a bit of a tedious tone, the entire time, I also realize that's how the story was. It wasn't happy and exciting, it was suspenseful and grim. I liked the main characters (Mal and Laura). I enjoyed the story over all. 

ARC through program at my awesome library. Thank you!

"Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

"Set initially in a future shanty town in America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being dissembled for parts by a rag tag group of workers, we meet Nailer, a teenage boy working the light crew, searching for copper wiring to make quota and live another day. The harsh realities of this life, from his abusive father, to his hand to mouth existence, echo the worst poverty in the present day third world. When an accident leads Nailer to discover an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, and the lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl, Nailer finds himself at a crossroads. Should he strip the ship and live a life of relative wealth, or rescue the girl, Nita, at great risk to himself and hope she'll lead him to a better life. This is a novel that illuminates a world where oil has been replaced by necessity, and where the gap between the haves and have-nots is now an abyss. Yet amidst the shadows of degradation, hope lies ahead." -the goodreads summary

"Ship Breaker" was totally awesome. I've been meaning to read this for a while now, first when I stumbled across the summary a while ago, and then I found out it won the Printz award, which is rather prestigious and immensely impressive, they're usually awesome books (the Printz award winners and nominees), I mean, they win for a reason. "Ship Breaker" on first glance, looks like another book about pirates or something like that, and when you read the description, it seems like another story involving poverty and hard life for the lead character, set in an odd place. There's a lot more to this book than that though. I thought the characters were pretty deep and considered the setting really well developed. As the story unfolded I liked how we learned and figured out a bit more as to the story of how the world ended up that way- although I wish I'd known more. Nailer and Nita were awesome. I thought it was really interesting/terrible how the ship breakers were spending their lives. I also thought the book conveyed emotional things rather well. Also, there should really be a sequel! Both because I want to read more and the ending - while satisfying - was a bit of cliffhanger. 

I'm assuming this book would be considered kind of post-apocalyptic, because something big must have happened to the world, including the storms Nailer talked about. I liked that. It was kind of a Hunger Games type of scenario where some big stuff went down and then kind of how the world worked after those things. I give this book 4 stars! 


If you want to learn more about Ship Breaker go to Paolo Bacigalupi's website here.
Notes: Thanks, Little Brown, for the review copy. 
THIS REVIEW IS IN NO WAY BIASED.