Review - Dissonance (Dissonance #1) by Erica O'Rourke

Title: Dissonance

Author: Erica O'Rourke

Series: 1st

Pages: 496

Published:  July 22nd 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 

ISBN: 9781442460249

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

 

Description: Delancy Sullivan has always known there’s more to reality than what people see. Every time someone makes a choice, a new, parallel world branches off from the existing one. Eating breakfast or skipping it, turning left instead of right, sneaking out instead of staying in bed ~ all of these choices create an alternate universe in which an echo self takes the road not traveled and makes the opposite decision. As a Walker, someone who can navigate between these worlds, Del’s job is to keep all of the dimensions in harmony. Normally, Del can hear the dissonant frequency that each world emits as clear as a bell. But when a training session in an off-key world goes horribly wrong, she is forbidden from Walking by the Council. But Del’s not big on following the rules and she secretly starts to investigate these other worlds. Something strange is connecting them and it’s not just her random encounters with echo versions of the guy she likes, Simon Lane. But Del’s decisions have unimaginable consequences and, as she begins to fall for the Echo Simons in each world, she draws closer to a truth that the Council of Walkers is trying to hide ~ a secret that threatens the fate of the entire multiverse.  

I Give This ...

  Well this was fascinating and maddening all at the same time.  The idea of alternate universes created from each decision made by each person was interesting.  But, at the same I couldn't wrap my head around it.  The shear number of these universes has to more than even the Walkers can hope to control.

At first, I wasn't sure I understood what it was exactly that the Walkers did in relation to the other dimensions.  The full scope of their job isn't really explained up front, but more woven throughout the story.  Basically the are in charge of keeping the base dimension stable.  The other dimensions are ghosts of this one and really aren't even real, but tied to the base.  However, ripples from the outer dimensions can effect the base and cause chaos.  Choices made in other dimensions can actually bleed over into the base.

Delancy was interesting in the sense that she doesn't seem like your typical Walker.  You can tell she's brilliant and good at it.  But, she doesn't follow the rules set forth by the Council.  When she accidentally does something she's shouldn't be able to do, she's put on probation.  The Council follows her every move, but it's not so much to monitor her progress but to see exactly what she is capable of (and maybe to keep an eye on her family).   As with many books, The Council isn't exactly as it appears.  

 The more Delancy travels between the other dimensions, the more fascinated I became.  Some of these world's are permanent, while others exist for mere moments.  All depend on the person and the decision being made.  It so much to tend to, it's no wonder that the Council is trying to keep tight control of it.  Of course they are going about it the wrong way and a revolt has silently been brewing.

I enjoyed this for the most part.  I wasn't overly into the romance between Delancy and Simon, but it gradually grew on me.  I did find the plot and setting to be awesome.  I'm actually looking forward to more of this series!

 

Review - Inhuman (Fetch #1) by Kat Falls

Title: Inhuman

Author: Kat Falls

Series: 1st

Pages: 384

Published: September 24th 2013 by Scholastic 

ISBN: 9780545370998

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: 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.

I Give This ...

I knew I was going to read this one.  It sounded way to unique to ignore.  However, I will freely admit that I went into it a little wary.  I figured it how more potential to go either way than most books.  I was happy to find that I really enjoyed it.

Lane leaves a very sheltered life, even if she doesn't know it.  Her father leaves her for long stretches of time, but fails to tell her that he's a fetch.  When a higher up government official bring Lane in and tells her the truth, she's shocked to say the least.  But there's more...in order to keep her father from being imprisoned she must find him in the eastern part of the country and send him on a fetch.  A fetch that will send him deep into feral territory rumored to be ruled by mutant humans.    

I admired Lane because she never hesitates to help her father.  She sneaks in through that gate all alone.  She always seems to be just a few paces behind him though.  Soon it's evident that she's not going to catch him in time to complete the fetch.  So what's girl to do?  Well do it herself of course.  In this journey she learns far more about the current world she lives in than she ever thought possible.  These feral mutant humans aren't all she's been lead to be terrified of.  The government may be hiding the possibility of a cure (or at least a vaccine).  And sometimes, a true killer is more imbedded in our human nature no matter what we look like on the outside.

A thoroughly interesting tale.  I think this is one of those stories that different people latch on to different aspects of the story.  I found myself caught up in the animal mutations and what makes someone "human."   I found it fascinating to say the least.  I'll be eagerly awaiting the next one.  I want more of some of these characters!

Review - These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Title: These Broken Stars

Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Series: 1st

Pages: 374

Published: December 10th 2013 by Disney Hyperion

ISBN:  9781423171027

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever? Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it. 

I Give This ...

My initial thoughts when I saw this book made me think of Across the Universe.  I'm not big on space and sci-fi, so I wasn't sure I wanted to read this one.  So I kind of forgot about.  I took a second look after a few positive reviews came in and decided maybe it might be something I would like.  I'm glad I did because this turned out to be one of the better books I read in 2013!

Lilac and Tarver are about as different as can be.  I liked them both immensely.  I think that I might not have liked Lilac if we only had Tarver's point of view.  She comes across exactly how one might think the daughter of the richest man in the universe would.  But in all honesty she's behaving how society and the world expects her to behave.  Deep down she's smart and wants to be recognized for something other that her father.  Tarver is young and being recognized for a military feet that most soldiers never obtain.  But, he's still a little green when it comes to how to behave with upper society.  When you throw these two together on a deserted planet, you can bet sparks are going to fly.

I admired how Lilac tries to keep up with Tarver.  She doesn't want to be the rich girl in a gown and high heels traipsing through unfamiliar terrain.  She wants Traver to see her as she sees herself.  Throughout their journey to the wreckage of the Icarus and then to an abandoned outpost building, she proves herself over and over again.  She's more than just her daddy's girl.  Tarver was harder for me to pin down.  He's all business.  It's been trained into him and he doesn't seem to have time for the girly and snobbery that he believes radiate off of Lilac.

There's more than enough actions to go along with the romance in this story.  There's the voices only Lilac can hear.  Is she going crazy?  Or is there truly something on this seemingly deserted planet.  Tarver ends up in a delirious and semi-conscious state that Lilac has to figure out how to nurse him out of.  And what exactly is behind the locked door at the outpost building?  The biggest shocker of them all happens here.  I really could not believe that it did.  I was ready to put the book down at that point.

I ended up being completely impressed with this book.  With how the events unfolded, I have no idea were this story can go next.  I wonder how Lilac and Tarver proceed?

 

 

 

Review - Tandem (Many-Worlds Trilogy #1) by Anna Jarzab

Title: Tandem

Author: Anna Jarzab

Series: 1st

Pages: 428

Published: October 8th 2013 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers 

ISBN: 9780375990779

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description:  Everything repeats. You. Your best friend. Every person you know. Many worlds. Many lives--infinite possibilities. Welcome to the multiverse. Sixteen-year-old Sasha Lawson has only ever known one small, ordinary life. When she was young, she loved her grandfather's stories of parallel worlds inhabited by girls who looked like her but led totally different lives. Sasha never believed such worlds were real--until now, when she finds herself thrust into one against her will. To prevent imminent war, Sasha must slip into the life of an alternate version of herself, a princess who has vanished on the eve of her arranged marriage. If Sasha succeeds in fooling everyone, she will be returned home; if she fails, she'll be trapped in another girl's life forever. As time runs out, Sasha finds herself torn between two worlds, two lives, and two young men vying for her love--one who knows her secret, and one who thinks she's someone she's not. 

I Give This ...

The idea of alternate universes has always intrigued me.  So when this book popped up it didn't require much though to add it to the list.  I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this one.

Most of this story revolves around Shasha.  I think she was kind of lonely or else she might not have fallen for Grant the way she did.  In my mind that should have been all sorts of red flags..granted clone from another dimension wouldn't have been high on my suspect list.  I did love her spunk though.  She wasn't going to sit ideally by and play the perfect princess.  She ran the first chance she got.  She antagonized the general to the point that he had to truly threaten her.  And I loved the way she handled Julianna's stepmother.  

Honestly, I thought Sasha made a better princess that Julianna did.  Which really was the entire point.  Sasha puts on the brave face for a finance that she has no clue about.  Sasha figures out that the father in and out of consciousness might actually being trying to communicate.  Julianna took the cowards way out. Maybe in future books in the series we will get a better understanding of her character.  But, at the current moment, I don't think very highly of her.  And when she finally met Shasha, it never occurred to her step up to her duties.  I'm not sure if she was that unhappy to believe the resistance.

I really enjoyed the world building.  Those around Sasha really help understand how Aurora and Earth are different.  Thomas especially explains how the dimensions work and what being a Tandem means.  I found it fascinating and not over reaching in any way.  I never had any questions that weren't answered or left pondering an explanation.

I also enjoyed how this story is more than a kidnapped princess.  There's forces at work here that Sasha has no clue about.  And by fighting against what she's being forced to do, she's set the wheels in motion.  This is about more than peace between two countries and the resistance.  There are those who have their sights on the bigger picture.  And with the ability to jump dimensions, there's a chance that this count effect more than just Aurora and Earth!

I'm all over the next one in this series!  And now I need to make it a point to pick up the author's other book I have sitting on my self!

Review - Countdown by Michelle Rowen

Title: Countdown

Author: Michelle Rowen

Series: Stand Alone (although I think series)

Pages: 336

Published: October 1st 2013 by Harlequin Teen 

ISBN: 9780373210909

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

 

Description: 3 seconds left to live. Once the countdown starts, it cannot be stopped. 2 pawns thrown into a brutal underground reality game. Kira Jordan survived her family's murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis. 1 reason Kira will never, ever trust Rogan. Even though both their lives depend on it.  Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira's psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan's secrets prove evermore deadly, Kira's only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can't escape.  

I Give This ...

I so wanted to like this book, because it seemed to have a lot going for it.  Sadly, I felt like it was a little too similar to other books out there for me to really be able to grasp on to it.

I have to admit that I wasn't that intrigued by Kira.  She seemed so typical for this genre.  Her family was killed two years prior and she's survived by becoming a thief.  I honestly felt like every move she made was exactly what the audience (and me as the reader) expected her to do.  I would have liked some surprise, something that set her apart.  She even feel for Kira despite instance every few pages that she would not and could not do that.

I did like Rogan.  While his story did no surprise me at all, I found myself wrapped up in it.  I never quite knew how to read him.  I never truly thought he was this big bad guy, but he made me uneasy.   I also enjoyed the connections he had to Kira and the game itself.

The game felt a little too much like The Hunger Games, with some slight changes.  It's not done to exhibit control over the people per say, but to give those who have the power and money a way to enjoy something gruesome anonymously.  However, the person controlling the games, is slowly gaining power that he hopes will one day spread far and wide.

I'm not sure that the story is completely finished.  I think this society has more to tell.  With the game now over, I might be interested enough to see this through to the next one.   

Review - Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts

Title: Tumble & Fall

Author: Alexandra Coutss

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 384

Published: September 17th 2013 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

ISBN: 9780374378615

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: A novel about the end of days full of surprising beginnings.   The world is living in the shadow of oncoming disaster. An asteroid is set to strike the earth in just one week’s time; catastrophe is unavoidable. The question isn’t how to save the world—the question is, what to do with the time that's left? Against this stark backdrop, three island teens wrestle with intertwining stories of love, friendship and family—all with the ultimate stakes at hand.  

 I Give This ...

 

 Oh how I wanted to like this book.  With such an interesting title and description that reels you in, it had me really wanting to read it.  However, it was not meant to be.

First off, it's told in multiple points of view.  I occasionally don't mind dual points, especially when the characters are connected giving different points to the same story.  This is not the case here.  We get 3 different view points with the only connections being the end up at the same place at the end of the book.  The story is jarring and not very fluid.  I felt I never got to know these characters because the story was always changing points of view.  

The one story I did like was Zan's point of view.  She's still mourning the death of her boyfriend from the year before.  A death she never understood because he wasn't were he should have been.  As the end of days draws near, Zan feel she must flesh out the truth of his final days.  And what she discovers set her through a roller coaster of emotions.  I actually wanted to read this part of the story.  The rest I could take it or leave it.

I seriously thought about putting it down.  But honestly, I wanted to see through to the end when the damn asteroid hit.   Of course I was disappointed in that as well.  In my opinion, no one acted the way I thought they should when faced with the knowledge that the world likely will end as we know it.  

A frustrating first book that I was excited about initially.  I"m not sure if I will seek out the next one the author writes.  

Review - Linked (Linked #1) by Imogen Howson

Title: Linked

Author: Imogen Howson

Series: 1st

Pages: 368

Published:  June 11th 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers 

ISBN: 9781442446564

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

Description: Elissa used to have it all: looks, popularity, and a bright future. But for the last three years, she’s been struggling with terrifying visions, phantom pains, and mysterious bruises that appear out of nowhere. Finally, she’s promised a cure: minor surgery to burn out the overactive area of her brain. But on the eve of the procedure, she discovers the shocking truth behind her hallucinations: she’s been seeing the world through another girl’s eyes. Elissa follows her visions, and finds a battered, broken girl on the run. A girl—Lin—who looks exactly like Elissa, down to the matching bruises. The twin sister she never knew existed. Now, Elissa and Lin are on the run from a government who will stop at nothing to reclaim Lin and protect the dangerous secrets she could expose—secrets that would shake the very foundation of their world.  

 I Give This ...

I really had high hopes for this book.  I liked the idea of mixing dystopian with the interesting connection between twins.   Sadly for me the book didn't live up to my expectations.

I enjoyed the beginning.  At first we don't know what's wrong with Elissa.  We get a run down of her symptoms and what the doctors have tried to help her.  We also get a glimpse into what life has been like for Elissa, both socially and physically.  She's been trough a lot.  To endure all the pain and suffering plus be abandoned by your friends is a lot for anybody to endure.   When she realizes her "dreams" are actual events that have happened to someone else, she decides to she must track down the person she is so connected to.  Even more so when she discovers that person is her twin.

I think my problem lied with Lin.  I just didn't really like her character.  I don't think she really understood the sacrifices that Elissa made for her.  I think she manipulated Elissa a lot.  She played on her emotions and made her doubt everybody.  I'm not saying she wasn't right to do so, I just didn't like the way she did it.    I often felt like if the situation had been different, that Lin might have tried to take Elissa's place.  She seemed to place far more value on their connection than Elissa did.

I was intrigued by the government involvement in this and how far they would go to get them back.  Their actions lead to a lot of change far reaching than just them.  I'm curious to see how others might react to that.  But, I'm not sure I'm curious enough to want to read the next one.   

Review - The Rules (Project Paper Doll #1) by Stacey Kade

Title: The Rules

Author: Stacey Kade

Series: 1st

Pages: 416

Published: April 23rd 2013 by Disney-Hyperion 

ISBN: 9781423153283

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: 1. Never trust anyone.  2. Remember they are always searching.  3. Don’t get involved.  4. Keep your head down.  5. Don’t fall in love.   Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”    But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules… 

I Give This ...   

 

I really don't tend to gravitate towards books concerning aliens.  It's just a subject matter that doesn't interest me very much.  But I like Stacey Kade's previous series, and the idea of an alien that is more human than anything kind of intrigued me.  So, I thought I would give this one a try.

It didn't take me long to like Ariane.  She's trying so hard to go unnoticed that you can tell its starting to get to her.   I don't think its because she wants to stand out really, but more she feels the rules are starting to attract more attention to her than they have ever done before.  But, in her desire to prove that she can be there for her one and only friend, she attracts the kind of attention that she's been trying to avoid since she escaped the lab.  It's hard not to when that person is the Queen Bee at school and use to getting exactly what she wants.  The even bigger problem is that her grandfather ruins the very lab Ariane escaped from.

I like Zane too.  I think everyone (especially teens) love the idea that that those "it" kids at school may one day descend from their cloud and realize being on top isn't all its cracked up to be.  That they might notice the girl next door and maybe help her bring down said Queen Bee.   The budding romance between the two is really just icing on the cake.


The story ironically has a very "Carrie" feel to it.  So far that the iconic book (or movie if you will) even mentions the story.   I kept hoping that Zane wouldn't turn out to be the bad guy in the book.   But, it turns out to be the person I least expected.  It wasn't really a big surprise though when I sat and thought about it.   

I was pleased by this book so I will definitely be reading the next one!  

Review - Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) by Kasie West

Review: Pivot Point

Author: Kasie West

Pages: 352

Series: 1st 

Published: February 12th 2013 by HarperTeen 

ISBN: 9780062117373

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

Description: Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.  In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.
I Give This ...

  

Every once in awhile a book comes on the radar that has an idea that seems so fresh and new that I can't help but be excited about it.  That's what this one was for me.  And, I am so happy to report that this lived up to my expectations.  

At first I was a little confused about this special town and the powers the people possessed.  The different terms used to describe the people are specific to their powers and aren't very well explained.  Some of the terms make perfect sense, but others don't.  It took awhile to get use to it.  But once I understood how it all worked, I found that I really enjoyed the idea behind it all.

I found Addie to be particularly fascinating.  Her power is an anomaly.  She can search into the future how specific decisions will play out.  I can't imagine knowing how each decision could be influenced in that manner.  Each potential future is told through alternating chapters.  I thought it might be a little hard to follow, but I found that I had no trouble.  What was amazing to me was how each future had the potential to overlap.    It's one of the instances that it clearly shows how much thought the author put into her story.  Each little detail coincides with another event in the other future.  It was absolutely amazing to me.

I also found it extremely interesting to watch how each future played out.  The idea that know matter what choices you make, you might be predestined to be in specific places and specific times.  The people and events might change slightly, but you will end up exactly were you are meant to be.  I also really enjoyed the ending, although it felt a little rushed after Addie makes her decision which future to live out.  But, I've found it's a hard gap to write about (that moment between the future she's seen and when that actual moment arrives).  

Overall an awesome book!  I'm really excited to see where the story goes.  I have no idea how this will play out into a series.  

Review - Shades of Earth (Across the Universe, #3) by Beth Revis

Title: Shades of Earth

Author: Beth Revis

Series: 3rd (Across the Universe, A Million Suns)
Pages: 369

Published: January 15th 2013 by Razorbill 

ISBN: 9781595143990

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

Description: Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.  But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.  Amy and Elder must race to discover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been for nothing. 

I Give This ...

 

Wow, this book had a lot riding on it.  Up to this point I really felt that the author did a fantastic job of describing what life might be like on this ship that was destined for a far off planet.  I was hoping that realistic feel would spill over into life on the new planet.

I know that when they left the ship, life on the new planet might not be all the people had dreamed of.  But part of me wondered if there was a deeper conspiracy in place and the surface of the planet might not be as bad as everybody had feared.  But, where's the story in that?    Honestly, I think it might have been worse.  They have to crash land on the way day.  Elder is convinced it was actually an attack on the shuttle.  The pterodactyl birds are terrifying.  And there's something much darker and sinister lurking in the shadows.  Whatever it is begins picking them off one by one.

I was a little frustrated with Amy at first.  I understood her desire to unfreeze her parents, and her unshakeable belief that all the frozens would be helpful.  She never stops to think how they might react to the shipborns, or how the shipborns might react to them.  In a do or die situation, tensions are always higher.  It takes some tragic events for both sides to realize that neither side holds the answer and the best way to solve anything is to work together.   

I really loved the idea of what was really going on in the planet.  Once the pieces started to fall into places, it completely made sense to me.  I was amazed at how deep the conspiracy went and how far everyone was willing to go to protect it.  I was also intrigued with how much it connected back to Phydus.

As satisfying end to a series that I am so glad I read.  It was so much better than I expected!

Review - Gravity (The Taking #1) by Melissa West

Title: Gravity

Author: Melissa West

Series: 1st

Pages: 284

Published:  December 18th 2012 by Entangled Teen 

ISBN: 9781620610916

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description:    In the future, only one rule will matter: Don’t. Ever. Peek.  Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.  Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.  

I Give This ...

  

I saw this cover and was reminded of Across the Universe, and immediately felt the need to read this.  Sometimes, I need to remind myself that there are certain subjects that just don't really click with me.  In this case, I really think it's aliens.

I never could get a firm grip on Ari's character.  She's the daughter of the military commander and has basically been raised to take his place.   She's no nonsense, knows her place, and does what is expected of her.  At times it was like she was going through the motions.  Perhaps that is why she falls for Jackson so easily.  He's the kink in her tightly woven plans.  He makes her questions everything with just the slightest little bit of information.  He never reveals too much.  Which I think its all part of his plan.  He wants her to think about the way things are done.  He doesn't like his side as much as she beings to question hers.    I honestly think I liked Lawrence the best out of our 3 main characters.  I never thought he had a hidden agenda and he's the most straight forward.

I didn't understand a lot of things about the world this book is set it.  The aliens can't live on the planet for any length of time, but its ok to visit every night for the taking?  What exactly are they taking for the humans, their spirit or life line (I'm picturing the witches from Hocus Pocus here for some reason)?  And the idea of the taking just was just  disturbing.  Both sides seem to have an agenda that I just don't seem to understand.  And both sides seem to be set on total annihilation of the other species.  I think there's a better solution. 

I think aliens might not be for me.  I think there are definitely those who will love this book though. 

Crewel (Crewel World #1) by Gennifer Albin

Title: Crewel

Author: Gennifer Albin

Series: 1st

Pages: 368

Published: October 16th 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

ISBN: 9780374316419

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: Enter a tangled world of secrets and intrigue where a girl is in charge of other’s destinies, but not her own.   Sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has always been special. When her parents discover her gift—the ability to weave the very fabric of reality—they train her to hide it. For good reason, they don’t want her to become a Spinster — one of the elite, beautiful, and deadly women who determine what people eat, where they live, how many children they have, and even when they die.   Thrust into the opulent Western Coventry, Adelice will be tried, tested and tempted as she navigates the deadly politics at play behind its walls.  Now caught in a web of lies and forbidden romance, she must unravel the sinister truth behind her own unspeakable power.  Her world is hanging by a thread, and Adelice, alone, can decide to save it — or destroy it.
I Give This ...

 

I admit, I was really curious about this book.  It sounded like it might be different.  In the end I was extremely glad I read it because it was exactly what I hoped for.

We first meet Adelice after she knows she has failed her Spinster testing.  Something that the entire "country" requires every girl who comes of age to go through.  Adelice's parents have been working with her from the moment she first displayed the talent to work on hiding it.  Or course Adelice is special, and a moment comes that she just can't help herself.  When she's trust into her new world she realizes that not everyone has the same abilities that she does.  It turns out that what she can do it pretty rare and everybody wants control of her.  But what makes the story interesting is that Adelice doesn't fully understand what she's capable of.  And she definitely doesn't understand the world of the Spinsters.  She doesn't know who to trust and what to believe.  

I found this world completely fascinating.  At first the book had a alternate universe feel to it.  And why it may fit into that category, its also dystopian in a way.  I was surprised and how that distinction came about because I completely was not expecting it.  I enjoyed the hierarchy withing the Coventry.  It seems the more capable Spinster you are, the more you are rewarded.  It's not a talent you can learn per say, but it can be fine tuned.  The only real issue I had was the act of spinning itself.  It was a little confusing for me at first.  I was just having a hard time wrapping my mind how this worked.  Eventually it became a little clearer, and I realized that it really wasn't an important part of the story.

We are also gifted with the ever present love triangle.  It was almost a given for the moment they were both introduced that it would happen.  But I held out hope because the story focused way more on one than the other.  Plus, I just wasn't sure that one of them could be trusted.  There's a really interesting twist there too.  Could make for an interesting problem later.   Of course depending on if Adelice can stick to your choice....any bets?

The ending pulled me in to the point that I will be reading the next one.  Good thing I enjoyed the rest of the book as well!

 

Review - Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Title: Eve and Adam 

Author: Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 291

Published: October 2nd 2012 by Feiwel & Friends 

ISBN: 9780312583514

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

 

Description:   And girl created boy… In the beginning, there was an apple— And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.  Just when Eve thinks she will die—not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy.  Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect... won’t he?

I Give This ...

I wavered back and forth when it came to reading this one.  There was something that both intrigued me and repelled me when it came to concept behind this book.  I decided to go for and was pleasantly surprised.

Eve was an interesting character.  She had very little relationship with her mother.   And with the little dealing we see of them together in the beginning, it's not hard to understand why.  Her mother seems cold and calculating and Eve seems just the opposite.  When the accident puts them in close proximity to one another for an extended amount of time, it no wonder that they start to but heads.   In hindsight, I wonder what the true purpose was behind having Eve create Adam?  

It was interesting to watch Eve create Adam.  I can't imagine that it would be easy to create a "perfect" person.  Everyone's idea are different when it comes to those attributes.  And Eve can't know exactly what she wants.  She may think she does, but the reality of the matter is that she can't.  That was my major problem with this story even before I read it, which I flowed over into my actual enjoyment of the book.   It dealt with a matter I have a hard time thinking about, the idea that our advancement in science may lead to the very act of "playing god." 

The good news is that Eve quickly discovers that her Adam isn't quite as perfect as she had imagined.  Turns out a flesh and blood person with flaws in way more interesting.   I"m extremely happy that the story played out that way.  I would have been highly disappointed and frustrated if it had gone any other way.

Overall an average book.   It had its up and downs.  If you don't mind that idea of created humans, you might enjoy this more that I did.

 

Early ARC Review - Level 2 (The Memory Chronicles, #1) by Lenore Appelhans

Title: Level 2

Author: Lenore Appelhans

Series: 1st

Pages: 288

Published:  January 15th 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 9781442441859

Source: Around The World Tours

Description: Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow prisoners, Felicia passes the endless hours downloading memories and mourning what she’s lost—family, friends, and the boy she loved, Neil.  Then a girl in a neighboring chamber disappears, and nobody but Felicia seems to recall she existed in the first place. Something is obviously very wrong. When Julian—a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life—comes to offer Felicia a way out, she learns the truth: a rebellion is brewing to overthrow the Morati, the guardians of Level 2.  Felicia is reluctant to trust Julian, but then he promises what she wants the most—to be with Neil again—if only she’ll join the rebels. Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself in the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind.

I Give This ...

I think I had this built up in my head as what might be the perfect book.  It's written by a fellow blogger who knows what the constant complaints are in young adult books.  My expectations were high, but I forgot the most important rule.  Not everyone can like it.  I struggled with my thoughts while reading it, for a few days after, and now while writing this review.  It's still a good book.  I just wasn't blow away by it.  And I really wanted to be.

I think what I liked most about this book is our lead character Felicia.  She's lead a very interesting life as the daughter of a US diplomat.  She's smart, friendly, and has traveled the world over. When we meet her she's already dead and we learn about her life through the memories she accesses in the pods of Level 2.  It was intense watching her life spiral out of control.  As we learn what really happened before she died, it's not wonder why she doesn't trust Julian when he shows up to rescue her from her mundane afterlife on Level 2.

I really enjoyed the flashbacks (or memories I guess) in this story.  But, I just did not get into the storyline that revolved around Level 2.  I came to concluded it was a sort of purgatory level.   People are forced to relieve their lives over and over, but nobody moves on.  I just didn't get this world of whitewashed room after room with nobody understanding what was really going on.  What the purpose was of having the people trapped in this level on how it got back at God.  Was Felicia the only one with the power to overthrow what the Morati was doing?  What made her so special, because she could remember and function longer before she had to plug in?

It was a fascinating concept that I really wanted to like.  I felt like I should like it.  But in the end, the book just didn't do it for me.  I think many will enjoy this though!  I might give the squeal a try. 

 

 

Review - Tempest (Tempest #1) by Julie Cross

Title: Tempest

Author: Julie Cross

Series: 1st

Pages: 339

Published: January 17th 2012 by St. Martin's Griffin

ISBN: 9780312568894

Source: Publisher via Netgalley 

 

Description: The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.  That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.  Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.  But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.  Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world. 

I Give This ...

 

This book was definitely an interesting read for me.  It's always a change of pace when there are elements of the story that work, and then others that don't.  In the end, I decided to let it go and just enjoy it.

I think what kept this story going for me was the simple fact that I liked Jackson.  He enjoyed the fact that he's a rich kid, but does everything to contradict that stereotype.  I found it interesting that hid his ability to time travel from his father.  I wondered if the events hadn't unfolded the way they did if he would have every told him.  I loved that he is so loyal to his friends that when he's transported back to 2007, he purposely seeks them out.  He knows that he's going to need them now more than ever.

 For the most part, I enjoyed the time travel storyline.  I thought it was interesting that he could only do little jumps at first.  I also found it intriguing that he couldn't change an events and that any people he had contact with would not remember it in the future.  I was also intrigued when he seemed to change "permanent" time periods.  But, honestly the story lost me when they tried to explain what all that meant.  I couldn't determine if it was a parallel universe or timeline or what.   I didn't understand what the government really wanted with Jackson or what the "bad" guys wanted.  But, I found that I could just overlook all that.  I think I was over thinking it and the more I did, the more holes I could poke in the idea.  

I ended up just letting my misgivings go.  In the end, I really just enjoyed the story and the idea of time travel.  I liked the idea of being stuck in a time you've already lived.  I'm sure I will read the next one!

Review - A Million Suns (Across the Universe, #2) by Beth Revis

Title: A Million Suns

Author: Beth Revis

Series: 2nd (Across the Universe)

Pages: 386

Published: January 10th 2012 by Razorbill 

ISBN: 9781595143983

Source: Around The World Tours

Description: It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies. But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart. Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. 

I Give This ...

 

I've been highly anticipating this second novel.  I'm not one for sci-fi type books, but something about this series has grabbed, and I'm not going to let it go.  This latest installment was everything that I hoped for.

I really felt for Elder this entirety of this book.  He's trying hard to keep the peace and do everything within his power to get them to their final goal.  But, when uprising start to happen aboard the ship, I wasn't surprised.  We needed a little more discord.  I do think those who were trying to lead the uprising had valid points, even if they were off base.  Elder really is the best leader for the ship I think.  He's just not very good with words, and no one could really see what he was doing behind the scenes to make sure everything was running smoothly.  I also think he has a huge issue with the idea of absolute power.  He doesn't really want it, but doesn't know what else can be done about it.

My thoughts on Amy went back and forth throughout the book.  I thought she kept a level head while she's witnessing the uprising around her.  Since we get part of the story for her point of view, we know she's scared at times.  But, I think she does an amazing job of not showing it to those around her.  I enjoyed her scavenger hunt to discover what the leaders' aboard the ship have been keeping secret for years.  I didn't think she was a little unyeilding when it came to the records hall keeper (I can not remember his name for the life of me).  She refused to see anybody's view point but her own when it came to him.  

There are some definite twists in the story.   Or they should be twists.  For some reason, they just seemed like the logical direction that story should go.  None of it really surprised me, but I wasn't disappointed in the slightest either.  In fact, I loved the storylines in general.