LOCKDOWN Review

Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.

Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.
From Goodreads.com

Let me begin with how I got my hands on this book. I was at Borders and they had buy two paperbacks, get the third free sale. I'd picked up two paperbacks I'd been wanting to read for a while when I stumbled upon Lockdown. I love finding books I haven't heard about and reading them. New series books are even better. Lockdown was both and, after reading the little bit of information given on the back cover (I didn't have the summary that's listed above to go off of) I bought the book, figuring if I didn't like it, I could pass it on in a contest or something.

Sorry guys, but this is a book I fell head over heels for so there will be no contest. On the up side, I'm hoping I can encourage some of you to head out and purchase a copy of Lockdown for yourselves. Here are several reasons why.

If you haven't already been able to tell by the cover, this book is creepy. I mean, beyond creepy. It makes your skin crawl and your stomach twist in the best way possible. The details described of Furnace and the men in gas masks is enough to chill you so that you don't get a very easy night of sleep. I don't usually get this feeling from books, but Lockdown did it for me.

And here's another thing. The situation of Furnace, of children serving life sentences, though a bit far fetched, is terrifying in its own way. Thing you'd ever mess up knowing you could be sent there? Nuh-uh. No thanks. I will live a perfect life and not mess with the law again, thank you.

Though the idea of it seems a bit off, the rest of it is done wonderfully. Smith creates a world within Furnace that appears real as the ground beneath your feel. Every terrifying aspect from the layered floors to the red rock walls seems real. Through his descriptions, I myself felt claustrophobic while reading it as if I too were trapped within the recesses of the earth, serving a life sentence.

Want to know what shocked me, though? The book is written in first person, male perspective without any female characters in the book. I can only name one other series with a male main character that I enjoyed and that would have to be The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Lockdown was written perfectly and I didn't find myself rolling my eyes because the main character was a guy and I couldn't relate. The best thing about the book is that it plays on your emotions and emotions are the same regardless of gender.

And speaking of emotions, the entire book is one massive thriller wrapped with a sheet of horror and tied up with adventure. I found myself flipping through chapters faster and faster in order to find out what happened. In fact, I needed to pause in the middle of a chapter rather than at the end of one because all the ends left me wanting to read another chapter.

Buckle your seat belts and press your head against the back of your seat because Lockdown will give you whiplash before you can even think the word escape.

Rating: A+

SAPPHIQUE Review

WARNING: This review is the review of the sequel to the book Incarceron and should not be read unless the first book has been read or else it will contain spoilers for the first book.

Finn has escaped from the terrible living Prison of Incarceron, but its memory torments him, because his brother Keiro is still inside. Outside, Claudia insists he must be king, but Finn doubts even his own identity. Is he the lost prince Giles? Or are his memories no more than another construct of his imprisonment? And can you be free if your friends are still captive? Can you be free if your world is frozen in time? Can you be free if you don't even know who you are? Inside Incarceron, has the crazy sorcerer Rix really found the Glove of Sapphique, the only man the Prison ever loved. Sapphique, whose image fires Incarceron with the desire to escape its own nature. If Keiro steals the glove, will he bring destruction to the world? Inside. Outside. All seeking freedom. Like Sapphique.
From goodreads.com

Let me begin with a brief summary of what I liked about Incarceron. I'm a huge dystopian fan and this book was no exception. I loved the characters who seemed to come to life and the dark depths of Incarceron itself. I especially loved the parallels with the legends Sapphique to religion and society today. I'm not a person who enjoys religion in books because books should take you away from every day life, not preach religion to you, but Incarceron did it lightly in a way that didn't feel like religion, that felt more like legend and I loved it.

Another thing that I loved was carried over into the second book. I love the little quotes that open each chapter. Quotes from Sapphique's legends that tell his tale and quotes from the king that detail things that happened before. More in Sapphique than in Incarceron I noticed relations between the quotes and the events that happened in the chapters which was great to read.

As with the first book, the characters continued to seem life-like and I constantly felt compassion towards them. Even Keiro who I would rather kick between the legs than talk to held some degree of respect from me. What I truly enjoy about the set up of these books is that all characters are motivated by different things. Whereas Keiro is motivated by self preservation, Finn is more motivated by what's happening in the situation and that alters constantly. This is one of the most important things when having a character become life-like. They must be constant on some degree. They can't skip around and suddenly change their mind over things and I feel as if Catherine Fisher embodies this well.

One thing I notice that happens a lot with YA novels and sequels is that they tend to have a similar plot to the first book. Sapphique was far from that and held up a plot of its own that I marvelled at. Yes, some things were the same such as the search for an escape from Incarceron, but they were twisted. Rather than Finn on the inside searching for a way out while communicating with Claudia on the outside, Finn is on the outside now which proposes a huge amount of twists to the story.

And, as you may have guessed from the title, Sapphique and his legends play a huge role which is exciting to read as someone who enjoyed hearing of his tales from the first book.

Overall, I loved Sapphique though I'm confused as to if it's the final book in the series, which it could be, or if there's more. If you thought Incarceron was dark, watch out for Sapphique because the walls come tumbling quite literally in this book. Great action, great plot, and great characters, this is a book I highly recommend readers of Incarceron pick up.

Rating: A

DIVERGENT Review

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, 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 alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are-and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
From Andersons Bookshop Email

Before I begin, I want to say a quick thank you to Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville for providing me with the opportunity to read this book in preparation for an author event that will take place later this month. I'll post my wrap up about the event afterwards, but for now, the review!

To begin, I have to say that the summary read like a classic dystopian novel. If you read my blog, you know I'm a huge fan of dystopian, but when I read the summary, all I see is a checklist. Future world, check! Society divided, check! Girl with a secret that can bring society to its knees, check! Dangerous boy she falls in love with, check! All of these things fit and nothing in the summary gives way to anything more than the generic plot outline.

I have three words to say to that. Ignore. The. Summary. In fact, while reading the book, I was constantly shocked because the summary refused to give away any of the large plot points such as which faction Tris chooses or who she falls in love with. I often find myself, when reading YA, knowing the main basis of the book from the summary but this summary was far from that. Yes, the summary is simple, but the book reads so much more than the summary.

I truly enjoyed the way the future world was set up, and not only because it was set up in Chicago and I knew all the places talked about in the book like the Bean. Unlike most YA dystopian novels, the characters have a choice of which class they wish to belong in. No, that doesn't go to say that they're not pressured to choose one way or the other, but the simple fact that they have a choice when so many YA novels detail the angst the character feels over not having a choice was very important to the plot.

And, as far as plot goes, Divergent hit the jackpot. If you read the tweets I wrote while reading each chapter, you watched my predictions and reactions grow. I was truly and completely shocked by many of the revelations in this book. Yes, there were some that I saw coming and a feel that seemed slightly out of character, but the overpowering twists and turns kept me reading. I finished Divergent in a single weekend, and both my sister and my friend who are also attending Anderson's event did as well.

Though the book carries a majorly serious tone, Veronica Roth balances in multiple scenes of joy that alleviate some of the stress of the rest of the plot. This, as a reader, is important because I don't want to feel upset or angry or terrified the entire time. I want to laugh and cry. I need them both as a reader and believed Divergent offered that.

One thing I did notice was a parallel between something that happened in the middle of the novel and something that happened at the end of the novel. A scene from earlier in the book is replayed on a much larger scale at the end which blew me away. The author was teaching us the ending before the ending even happened without our knowing it and it's beautifully done. Whether this was intentional or not, I don't know, but it was done very well.

While I'm thinking about it, if I can skip around a bit and talk about the cover before I continue with my main points in my review, that would be great. I often times have a problem with covers in YA not correctly portraying the character (as in Andrea Cremer's Nightshade) or having a symbol or something on the cover that doesn't mean anything (such as Rebecca Maizel's Infinite Days), but Divergent, again, hit the jackpot. The bottom image of Chicago surrounded by marshland is a bit unsettling as well as beautiful and the logo on the top of the cover, taking up the most of it, actually means something and is done beautifully. I have to mention, though, that I'm disappointed the cover on the ARC isn't as vibrant as the covers will be when printed, but it gives me an excuse to purchase a real copy!

That being said, back to the rest of the review. Here is where it gets tricky. Characters. As a character, Tris frustrated me because she didn't continue her strong streak throughout the entire book. As an aside, I want to mention I'd just finished reading Lili St. Crow's Jealously when I began to read Divergent which details Dru's experiences against the supernatural in which she pretty much beats up anyone who steps in her way. This probably aided in my opinion of Tris, but, and this is a huge but, I was glad to watch her character grow throughout the novel. I have a feeling that, since Divergent is aimed to be a series, she will continue to grow in the following books, for which I'm glad. You can't begin with an extremely strong character in the first book and have her grow stronger when there's no room to grow and I understand that. In the end, I was glad Tris acted the way she did.

Another character I enjoyed were Four, one of the men who train Tris in her induction into the faction she chooses. He is expertly crafted, better crafted, may I say, than Tris. Every movement he makes speaks of something bigger, something within him that I can't divulge without giving away the book. Honestly, though, Four was my favorite character while reading.

On the other hand are several people who shall remain nameless for the sake of avoiding spoilers. Several people die throughout this novel and I must say that I didn't feel enough about them to make me upset at their deaths. I had a running bet with my sister that I could continue to like a character despite his constant bad choices and bullying and, ultimately, I liked him in the end because he remained true to form and I didn't feel enough for the characters he bullied in order to dislike him.

That aside, I believe Divergent is an incredible breakout novel and a must read for anyone who enjoys dystopian and the like. I cannot wait to meet Veronica Roth and discuss this book further with her. After the author event on the 22nd, I'll post more information.

Rating: A-

PROJECT 17 Review

High atop Hathorne Hill, near Boston, sits Danvers State Hospital. Built in 1878 and closed in 1992, this abandoned mental institution is rumored to be the birthplace of the lobotomy. On the eve of the hospital's demolition, six teens break in to spend the night and film a movie about their experiences. For Derik, it's an opportunity to win a filmmaking contest and save himself from a future of flipping burgers at his parents' diner. For the others, it's a chance to be on TV, or a night with no parents. But what starts as a dare quickly escalates into a nightmare. Behind the crumbling walls, down every dark passageway, and in each deserted room, they will unravel the mysteries of those who once lived there and the spirits who still might.
From Goodreads.com

I am a huge fan of creepy, but creepy must always have a purpose and that was why I loved Project 17. I know, I know, I'm getting ahead of myself, but I truly enjoyed every part of reading this book. It's like reading the Blair Witch Project, except more things happen. It's intense and it's in your face and the heart pounding doesn't stop until the end, yet even then you're left with trembling hands, unsure of how to take what happened.

So let's begin with the characters, shall we? Characters are always a big thing for me because I need to feel something for them in order to care about what happens. Project 17 is told in alternating viewpoints of the people who are in the asylum that night. Now, I have a big problem with alternating viewpoint in YA literature because books are so often written in this fashion when they don't need to be. Project 17 needs to be written in alternating viewpoints in order to understand the story. Plus, it adds a lot to the creep factor when you're able to get inside character's heads and see what they're seeing when they see it rather than being told what the character saw by another character.

And the setting. Wow. Danvers State Hospital is a real place. Creep factor increasing here, anyone? The book includes a map of the asylum. Here's where Project 17 breaks another rule I generally have about books. I don't like maps, but Project 17's map came in handy to see the size, the shape, the general layout of the asylum. I could never imagine being in there for a night. The place is literally huge. The map helps add to that, as well as provide some barrings in situations where the characters are moving from one place to another.

As for the plot, I felt as if it moved along a pretty steady pace, neither slowing or speeding up too quickly. Many times I wondered where the plot was going, but this was a good thing. I love wondering when I'm reading. If I don't have to think, the book isn't worth reading which is why I loved reading Project 17 so much. I needed to think in order to get through it even when it scared me past the point of thinking.

There's something about reading a creepy scene versus seeing a creepy scene that gets to me more. I'm not a person who scares easily. I sit at horror movies and don't scream or tremble or anything of the sort but Project 17's story got to me. When scary things happened, I felt the hair on my airs raise tall and proud as my heart beat faster. When reading a book, there's no chance to close your eyes when it gets scary and Project 17 has many moments in which you want to close your eyes until the horror goes away.

I think part of the horror of the book is the idea of the asylum. The hydrotherapy, for example, in which they locked a patient in a bathtub for hours, thinking it would somehow make them more sane. For some reason, I've always loved stories about asylums for the mere fact that nothing creepy needs to happen for the tale to be both creepy and sad. The story told within Project 17 of a young girl sent to the asylum grates on your nerves as the girl deteriorates before your eyes. I loved every moment of it.

It doesn't happen often that I finish a book and don't have anything negative to say about it. My only complaint about Project 17 is that it should have been longer, there should have been more to read, but this is only because I loved it so much. Overall, a great creepy read for late at night, Project 17 is something that will keep you thinking and wondering long after the book is put away, the story finished.

Rating: A+

AWAKENED Review

WARNING: This review is for a book in the House of Night Series and will contain spoilers for the House of Night series if you haven't read them yet though won't contain spoilers for this book specifically.

At the start of Awakened, the pulse-pounding eighth installment of the bestselling House of Night series, Zoey has returned, mostly whole, from the Otherworld to her rightful place as High Priestess at the House of Night. Her friends are just glad to have her back, but after losing her human consort, Heath, will Zoey—or her relationship with her super- hot Warrior, Stark—ever be the same? Stevie Rae is drawn even closer to Rephaim, the Raven Mocker with whom she shares a mysterious and powerful Imprint, but he is a dangerous secret that isolates her from her school, her red fledglings, and even her best friends. When the dark threat of Neferet—who is coming closer and closer to achieving her twisted goal of immortality—and Kalona returns, what will it take to keep the House of Night from being lost forever, and what will one desperate girl do to keep her heart from being irreparably broken?
From Goodreads.com

To be completely honest, this review is going to be short and to the point. House of Night books have never been completely mind blowing when it came to the writing style or shocking when it came to the plot. They've been my guilty pleasure, though, because of the soap opera style they invoke upon reading. For a couple years now, I've read each book after it's come out only to wait for the next one. I shouldn't have waited for Awakened.

The book Burned was probably the best in the entire series, and to have it followed by Awakened, what I believe to be the worst in the series, is hard. I know I'll read the next book, and the one after that, because I'm addicted to the characters and the plot, but the last book annoyed me. None of the characters seemed real. There were several jumping the shark incidents. The plot was one layer and that one layer was boring. Unfortunately, there was nothing in this book that can justify me reading it.

Rather than rant on about the book and how it wasn't anything worth reading, I will simply leave my review here with a rating of disapproval.

Rating: D

THE SPACE BETWEEN TREES Review

Not your everyday coming-of-age novel.

This story was supposed to be about Evie how she hasn't made a friend in years, how she tends to stretch the truth (especially about her so-called relationship with college drop-out Jonah Luks), and how she finally comes into her own once she learns to just be herself but it isn't. Because when her classmate Elizabeth "Zabet" McCabe's murdered body is found in the woods, everything changes and Evie's life is never the same again.
From Goodreads.com

I apologize for this review not being complete but I never finished the book and can only only give you my review of what I've read, but I'll get to my reasons as to why I stopped reading in a bit.

To begin, I liked Evie. She's awkward and a bit off the rails which is what makes her enjoyable to me. In all honesty, I love a character who it a bit crazy and that's what I caught from Evie. No, she's not insane, but she's not the brightest nor the most steady character I've ever met and I enjoyed that.

Another thing I enjoyed was the cover. The picture doesn't do it justice. The actual cover is just the black outline on the picture which is literally carved out from the cover, revealing the purple sheet beneath it. Very pretty.

But, to be honest, that was where my enjoyment stopped. The plot, teen girl dies in the woods and no one knows her killer, didn't interest me. I only made it halfway because I wanted to know who the killer was but I found myself losing interest. The plot doesn't move quickly and when it does, it moves in psychological passageways rather than through action. Though this may be something other people enjoy, it wasn't something I had fun reading.

And then there's the character of Zabet's dad. Yes, he caused me to grieve the loss of his daughter with him, but I couldn't connect with him. He seemed an odd single father with misguided intentions after his daughter died of wanting to resurrect her in her friends. Just weird. I simply couldn't get past the weird with this book.

Overall, I may pick The Space Between Trees back up in the future in order to solve the mystery, but that's about it. The character held little interest to me and I didn't feel a strong enough connection to Zabet before she died in order to mourn her. I can't give this book a fair rating because I didn't finish.

MATCHED Review

In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one . . . until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.

Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic.
From Goodreads.com

I wish I could review this book without all the hype that's surrounded it, but I can't. Doing so would be impossible and I can't accomplish the impossible. I always try to give books an appropriate review based upon what I've read and what I've thought, but, because of the hype surrounding Matched, that will be hard to do.

I picked up this book before it was even out, through an ARC from a Penguin Representative, picking it up simply because of all the Waiting on Wednesday posts surrounding it. Dystopian, totally my thing. Romance, yes, also my thing. So I decided, what the heck, might as well pick it up.

I mentioned it would be hard to avoid the hype because here it is. Because of the hype surrounding the book, I expected the book to be great and, well, it's wasn't. Don't get me wrong, Matched is a good book, but not a great one.

Let me begin with the plot. The set up starts all Romeo and Juliet where she can't be with him yet they pine endlessly for each other. Yes, flashbacks were a new twist I enjoyed, but there wasn't much more other than this. Some books are driven by their characters but, to me, Matched seemed driven by the need for romance which didn't appeal to me.

Another thing. The plot, revolving around the romance, though it starts strong and plunges the reader directly into the novel, a great thing, slows down. I found myself wondering where the breathless feeling accomplished in the beginning was going to show up again. It did, several times, but in order for a book to be great, that feeling needs to last throughout the entire book, not just during important scenes.

Second, the world. Okay, I have to admit, the world was really cool, resounding like Orwell's 1984 with the feeling of Big Brother watching your every move. Condie sets the place up nicely, hinting at deeper things, such as the mysterious red pill everyone carries around, but not fully explaining them until the time is needed, though the reader forms their own opinions and ideas about what these things mean. I can't point any bad fingers at the world Condie forms because, to put it simply, the world is different from others I've read and interesting to read.

But here's an important thing. Because Condie crafts her own world and drops the reader into it by slowly feeding them information, you really need to see and feel and taste the world around you, which I did. So many authors create their own worlds and don't divulge enough detail for these worlds to become fully formed, but Condie isn't one of them. Her world takes on a life of it's own that seems tangible.

On the other hand, the characters. To be honest, I read Matched a while ago and none of the characters stand out to me still. I wasn't left with a lasting impression of any of them. They remained on the page for me.

Overall, Matched was a fun read that probably would have been better enjoyed had it not been for the hype surrounding it. Expectations are a harmful thing. My expectations for Matched were high and they came folding around me as I read, despite the fact that the book was good.

Rating: B

LOW RED MOON Review

Avery Hood is reeling from the loss of her parents--and the fact that she can't remember what happened to them even though she was there.

She's struggling to adjust to life without them, and to living with her grandmother, when she meets Ben, who isn't like any guy she's ever met before.

It turns out there's a reason why, and Ben's secret may hold the key to Avery finding out what happened to her parents...

But what if that secret changes everything she knows about--and feels for--Ben?
From Goodreads.com

So I hate comparing one book to another, but have to in order to make this point. For all of those out there who've read Twilight, you started reading the book knowing that Edward was the immortal person and that Bella would fall in love with him, right? So that's how you begin Low Red Moon. You start out knowing that Ben is paranormal and knowing that Avery is going to fall in love with him.

To be honest, this took away a lot of the story. It was obvious from the beginning that something was up with Ben. And since the story is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, you can guess what he is. And besides, lots of the details surrounding him point a huge hairy finger at what he is, but in case you don't get that from knowing what it's about, I won't mention it any further in my review.

Before straying too far away from the topic of Twilight (and I promise this will be my final mention of it in the review), the book has some hysterical parallels to Twilight, whether Devlin intended them or not. For example, there's a How old are you? Seventeen. How long have you been seventeen? scene in the book that made me laugh aloud. A+ for humor.

But that, unfortunately, is the only A+ I can give. The book's plot is sketchy throughout the entire novel, and events are predictable. And since it was released at about the same time another retelling of Little Red Riding Hood was released, I did have high expectations, and the book crashed them.

On the plus side, Low Red Moon has a great opening. If you haven't yet, pick up the book and read the first line. It will make you keep reading. The pace starts quickly, but then the rest of the novel falls short.

Even though I feel as though this review is jumping around everywhere, another thing I have to mention is the book's design. I love it. The foil cover is beautiful and, on the inside, the bottom of each page has a red image of a tree line and every time the word moon is referenced, it's written in red ink. Very creative.

Unfortunately, we can't judge books based upon their covers. The book's an alright read, but I wouldn't reread it. It's a one time through in order to review.

Rating: C

SPY GLASS Review

An undercover mission leads to danger, adventure and an impossible choice...

After siphoning her own blood magic in the showdown at Hubal, Opal Cowan has lost her powers. She can no longer create glass magic. More, she's immune to the effects of magic. Opal is an outsider looking in, spying through the glass on those with the powers she once had, powers that make a difference in the world.

Suddenly, the beautiful pieces she makes flash in the presence of magic. And then she discovers that someone has stolen some of her blood - and that finding it might let her regain her powers. Or know it could be they are lost forever...
From Goodreads.com

WARNING: If you haven't read the rest of the Glass series by Maria V. Snyder, this review will contain spoilers. I'll keep the review short because it is the final book in this series, but if you plan on reading the series but haven't yet, I wouldn't recommend reading this review.

I've loved Opal as a character from the beginning. She has great personality and a great power of creating her glass messengers. At the end of the second book, Sea Glass, when she lost her powers, I felt put out, lost as she was, unable to recognize her as the character I thought she was because she'd lost this great power that I'd always defined her with.

Though the beginning of this book starts out slow, it's to be expected because of the whole losing-her-powers thing. Opal isn't who she thought she was. She's a changed person. She's not only lost her sister, but now she's lost the powers she loved. Things have changed drastically, and her family, through this book, plays a huge role in getting her back on track.

To all those love triangle fans, lovers of Kade or Devlin, prepare yourselves. The love triangle hinted at in the first two books takes full bloom in this one and you'll find yourself struggling to keep up with who Opal's focused on and who you want her to be focused on. Honestly, I love a good love triangle and Mara V. Snyder gives a great one in Spy Glass.

Despite all this, I thought it took too long to get back to the magic readers of Snyder's works are used to, but when it gets there, it really, truly gets there. The story takes off with the signature strong female character and action packed story line without pointless action, one of the things I truly love about her books. Though at times the plot is rocky, taking too much time to get to one place, the book comes through strong with an ending to the series much like that of the Study series that will leave readers satisfied in a way only Snyder can perform.

Rating: A

THE SCORCH TRIALS Review

WARNING: Since The Scorch Trials is the sequel to The Maze Runner, this review will contain spoilers for The Maze Runner. If you have no read the first book, I don't know why you would be reading the review for the second book, but whatever. You've been warned.

The Maze was only the beginning...

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more Variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety... until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, much of the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated--and with it, order--and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim... and meal.

The Gladers are far from done running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder--does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?
From Goodreads.com

So, who read The Maze Runner and thought the ending of the book completely mind blowing? Show of hands. *raises hand* Yeah? Well, hold on tight because in The Scorch Trials, everything is a mind blower. You thought The Maze Runner was crazy? The Scorch Trials are even more so.

Now, I have to compare books to other books, but I need to in order to make my point here. Anyone read A Great and Terrible Beauty and the rest of the Gemma Doyle series by Libba Bray? Yes? Know how the books got more magical as they went on, and the balance between reality and magic became more and more skewed towards magic? The Scorch Trials does the same thing, but, working off The Maze Runner, WICKED gets more and more involved and things get way crazier.

You have to be able to read crazy in order to read this book, that's all I'm saying. There are points in the novel when you stop and think to yourself Self, is James Dashner really writing this? and then, you must reply to yourself Self, this man is a genius, let him keep writing and keep reading. All I can say.

Those little things you ignored in The Maze Runner? Like the woman at the end yelling about the Flare and the "test results from Group B being extraordinary?" Yep, all comes into play in this wonderfully crafted novel. Where The Maze Runner was suspense and mystery, trying to figure out what happened, The Scorch Trials is hard packed action, though the mystery doesn't diminish. In fact, I believe I have more questions now than after I read The Maze Runner.

Oh, and if I may pause here to compliment the cover. Once again, the artist has captured The Scorch as beautifully as they captured The Maze. The colors are enticing and the image makes sense with the book. I find this to be something missing in a lot of YA covers, so a congrats goes out there.

Now, back to the review. As in the first book, all the main characters are back. Thomas, Teresa, Minho, Newt. Everyone comes back. But here's the thing. Dashner adds a whole slew of characters into the mix yet doesn't miss a beat. No characters become neglected when he introduces these new characters. Everything flows without a hitch.

True to the first book, this one also ends with a gut-twisting moment that will leave you screaming for more. James Dashner, if you're reading this, I applaud you, sir, for frustrating me completely at the end of your novels. Well done. And, true to his word, the Maze was only the beginning, and I'm sure the Scorch is only an extension of that beginning. Can't wait for the final installment.

Rating: A

GRACE Review

A fable of a terrifying near future by critically acclaimed author Elizabeth Scott.

Grace was raised to be an Angel, a herald of death by suicide bomb. But she refuses to die for the cause, and now Grace is on the run, daring to dream of freedom. In search of a border she may never reach, she travels among malevolent soldiers on a decrepit train crawling through the desert. Accompanied by the mysterious Kerr, Grace struggles to be invisible, but the fear of discovery looms large as she recalls the history and events that delivered her uncertain fate.

Told in spare, powerful prose, this tale of a dystopian near future will haunt readers long after they've reached the final page.
From Goodreads.com

Before I begin my review, let me first mention that, before reading the book, I didn't like the cover at all. I thought it was odd, strangely done, but, after reading, the cover makes sense to me and I love it. Also, before I begin, let me mention that I am in love with Elizabeth Scott's chameleonesque quality in her writing. She writes chick-lit, she writes romance, she writes dark and gritty, and then she writes this. Amazing. Kudos to you, Elizabeth Scott.

After finishing this book, I really had no idea what to say. What could I say? The entire novel takes place on a train where only small events take place. The majority of the novel and action takes place through memories, thoughts, which I wasn't sure I liked. I do believe this sort of back and forth between present day and the past (non-linear) is called modernist writing, and I loved how Elizabeth Scott took on this new way of writing I have yet to see in YA before.

The intensity of the book is only further brought out by Elizabeth Scott's stark writing. Rather than give you a paragraph on how the train smells, she tells you in a single word that captures everything. Simply beautiful, is all I can say for the writing.

As for the characters, I feel as though they were developed more here than in her other books. Grace and Kerr grew as characters through the novel, though time didn't pass. How could this be, you ask. How can an author develop characters without passing much time? The simple answer: I don't know, but Elizabeth Scott does it wonderfully.

And that's the thing about Grace. I'm still mind blown as to how anything happened. They sat on a train for nearly the entire book yet so much happened! I can't describe this frustration (though perhaps that's not the right word for what I'm feeling because frustration carries a negative connotation and this is by far not negative) at not being able to figure out how she does what she does, but she does and that's what matters.

See, even here you can see how completely mind blown I am. I can't even write a regular review. I'm still tossing over the ideas in my head despite it being so long since I read the book. I can't fathom everything completely yet. I can't understand everything that happened, but this future world with character was developed and I fell in love, sucked into the book.

From page one, Elizabeth Scott sucks you in and refuses to let you go. She pounds words down your throat that you don't know the meaning of, and flashes various scenarios in front of your eyes that you don't understand but feel the gravity of, and you're trapped. Completely and utterly trapped. The only way out is to finish the book, and you will finish it breathless.

Rating: A

AWAKENING Review

Found: One girl, age 13. Unconscious. Unharmed. Unclaimed. Unidentified.

Lost: Everything.

JD may not know the truth about her past, but she knows she's in danger, and she can't shake the dark visions haunting her dreams. She won't be safe until she figures out who she is and where she came from. She can trust no one, not even herself--especially not herself. Because it turns out there's one thing even more terrible than forgetting her past: remembering.
From Goodreads.com

May I begin by stating that this is a middle grade novel, but is completely suitable for young adults so long as you're willing to sacrifice from descriptions and endure some eye rolling moments when you're screaming at JD, wishing she would be a bit brighter.

This novel is strange. That's the word for it. Strange, yet intense. I found myself reading the book in a couple of hours (though it's short) because I couldn't stop. The plot moved very quickly and I needed to keep reading. Yes, the book is middle grade, so there are some things in it that I found boring or out of place as a young adult, but, like I said, it's not meant for young adults. It's meant for middle graders.

One thing I didn't enjoy was that nearly nothing was resolved in the book. Many, many things happen, but nearly nothing is resolved. Sometimes in books, this is a good thing, but I felt as though, with this book, it wasn't a good thing, though this isn't to say I won't read the second book. I most definitely will. I just felt as though too many questions were raised and not enough were answered.

Besides that, I enjoyed the characters. JD was great to read about and had a life all her own. She leaps from the page with her flippant personality and trust-no-one attitude. I loved how she was a strong female (something becoming more and more predominant in young adult today) and thoroughly enjoyed reading the book about her.

Rating: B

FALLOUT Review

Hunter, Autumn, and Summer—three of Kristina Snow's five children—live in different homes, with different guardians and different last names. They share only a predisposition for addiction and a host of troubled feelings toward the mother who barely knows them, a mother who has been riding with the monster, crank, for twenty years.

Hunter is nineteen, angry, getting by in college with a job at a radio station, a girlfriend he loves in the only way he knows how, and the occasional party. He's struggling to understand why his mother left him, when he unexpectedly meets his rapist father, and things get even more complicated. Autumn lives with her single aunt and alcoholic grandfather. When her aunt gets married, and the only family she's ever known crumbles, Autumn's compulsive habits lead her to drink. And the consequences of her decisions suggest that there's more of Kristina in her than she'd like to believe. Summer doesn't know about Hunter, Autumn, or their two youngest brothers, Donald and David. To her, family is only abuse at the hands of her father's girlfriends and a slew of foster parents. Doubt and loneliness overwhelm her, and she, too, teeters on the edge of her mother's notorious legacy. As each searches for real love and true family, they find themselves pulled toward the one person who links them together—Kristina, Bree, mother, addict. But it is in each other, and in themselves, that they find the trust, the courage, the hope to break the cycle.

Told in three voices and punctuated by news articles chronicling the family's story, FALLOUT is the stunning conclusion to the trilogy begun by CRANK and GLASS, and a testament to the harsh reality that addiction is never just one person's problem.
From Goodreads.com

Let me begin with this. I was hesitant to read Fallout after having read both Crank and Glass because Kristina frustrated me so much in the last book. If you felt the same way, forget it and read Fallout regardless. This is not Kristina's story. This is the story of her children.

What I really loved was seeing how her choices not only impacted her life in the first two books, but her children's lives in this final one. After reading it, I feel as though, had Ellen Hopkins not written this final book, the series would have been incomplete, the message not as strong. Fallout was a shocking ending to the series that was well needed.

As with all of Ellen Hopkins' books, the verse was interesting, more interesting than in her other two books of the same series. Because the book is told in alternating viewpoints, Hunter, Summer, and Autumn all have different fonts which made the switching in point of views a lot easier to flow with.

I was very glad to discover that each of the children lived entirely different lives, and wouldn't have know they were all siblings if it hadn't been for knowing it before hand. If you haven't read the other books in the series, that's okay. Fallout is written in a matter so that, even if you haven't read the other books, it makes sense.

One thing that I did find confusing, though, was that, throughout the novel, there were random newspaper articles. Only a few related to the book. Perhaps this is something I need to reread in order to understand, but they struck me as odd and out of place.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Fallout. Unlike her other books, it was calmer, less filled with the dangers that lurk in Hopkins' other books, but I enjoyed it for that. The darkness was set in the background, in Kristina and how her decisions had forever changed her children's lives.

Last year, I was lucky enough to have Ellen Hopkins visit my school and do talks with several class periods. For planning the event, I attended lunch with Ellen Hopkins in which she talked about the truth behind Fallout and what was really going on with Kristina's children. Hearing her speak of these stories only made this book stronger.

Rating: A

CRESCENDO Review

Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described as anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away, and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch, or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?
From Goodreads.com

SPOILER ALERT If you have not yet read Hush, Hush, I would recommend not reading this review. Because it is a review of the book's sequel, it will include details from Hush, Hush that will spoil that book, but I will not spoil Crescendo.

I loved Hush, Hush. Honestly, I thought it was the perfect book, though it had many loose ends. This sequel is something I've been waiting on for a while. This being said, let me move on with my review.

It is extremely difficult for me to provide any more summary of the book than what's written up there from Goodreads.com because there is so much going on, and anything I say may spoil it, so I'm going to skip right past all that and simply move on to what I thought about the book.

I had high expectations. Very high expectations because Hush, Hush was wonderful. This book did not disappoint, though it is different from the first. Crescendo is to action as Hush, Hush is to romance. In the first book, the action remained in the background of Nora's love for Patch. In Crescendo, the romance takes the back burner as the novel is filled with heart pumping action that keeps you reading the book.

I will be honest. At first, I was disappointed with the lack of romance in the book, but here's the best part. Two words that come up in nearly every YA review. Love. Triangle.

About time! Anyone out there reading the books and thinking Patch was a bit too much, almost like the sparkly glitterpire in another hit YA series? Were you looking for the underdog, some tension in Nora's love life, something? Apparently, Becca Fitzpatrick isn't just an excellent author, but she's also a mind reader.

Though, like I said, the romance takes a back seat, it's still there, smoldering and festering, waiting for its turn on the stage, and when the romance jumps in, wow. That's simply all I can say. Wow. If you wished Patch was real while reading the first book, just wait for this one!

As always, Nora and Patch are strong characters, though, in this book, we get to know some of the more minor characters in a great way that enhances the plot. I can't say anything more on this topic without screaming out the conclusion of the book.

And while we're on the topic of conclusions, let me take this moment to warn every reader. Don't read the final page of Crescendo in public. The book should come with a stamp that reads.

WARNING: Final chapter may cause screaming, kicking, crying, looking around for "lost pages," turning of book into projectile and uncontrollable exclamations of WHY, BECCA FITZPATRICK, WHY? Read at your own risk.

That being said, I can't say anything more.

Rating: A

NIGHTSHADE - Review

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?
From goodreads.com

Alright, so I went into this book wondering what I was getting myself into. Another book about teen werewolves? I was worried, to say the least. The cover is beautiful, but, as I read the book, I realized it had nothing to do with the book. The purple and the glitter? Nothing to do with the book. But after I spoke with author Andrea Cremer at Anderson's Bookshop's Prepublishing Event, she explained the cover had a more artistic meaning, the makeup being the shadows and the purple being the light on Calla's face in a certain scene of the book I can't disclose without giving something away.

That out of the way, I was surprised by how deeply the bonds of the packs were tied. Take a step back in time when marriages were arranged and females were expected to stay on the side and you've got yourself the basic set up for Ren and Calla's impending marriage that will bond the two separate packs together. The groups act together in ways relatable to gangs, intimidating to humans around them. I found this aspect of the novel very new and very intriguing.

But it's here when things get complicated. Yes, we've all heard of werewolves before, right? We know the basics of what they are. Though Cremer reinvents them slightly, they're not anything new. But the Keepers who control the werewolves, also known as Guardians, and give them their power? Completely new. The wraiths who do the Keeper's bidding? Also new. Some of the story is lost in trying to understand these dynamics, but I enjoyed reading something that was different from all the other books on the shelf.

Here is where I must talk about Haldis, a forbidden site that the Guardians are sworn to protect, but for what reason? Calla doesn't know. I, after reading, don't know. There is a scene in the book in which Haldis is extremely important, though nothing about it is explained. I was confused, completely, but this lack of explanation. I can only hope there will be more about this in books to come.

Which leads me to the end of the book. While reading, I noticed that the book had the potential to become a series. A love triangle develops as Calla's torn between marrying Ren like she's supposed to or falling in love with Shay, a newcomer to town who the Keepers pay special attention to. Like I mentioned earlier, the relationships between all the mythical creatures is strong as well. So the book has strong potential to be a series and, after finishing the book, I know it must be.

Ever come across a book that leads up to a huge event only to have a few details explained and then leave you hanging, waiting for the next book that will, hopefully, grant you a complete explanation of everything in the first book? Yes? No? Don't know? Well, this is one of them.

In my opinion, the ending of this book, leaving you hanging, is either brilliant or a cop-out. It's either brilliant because it makes readers return for a second book or it's terrible because it hardly explained anything. After meeting with the author and talking about the book, she explained that the ending was something she never would have done if it was a single book. Thankfully, she's signed on to write two others in the series, which I look forward to reading.

I usually bring up characters in my reviews, so here's my thoughts on those in this book. To begin, I love Calla. She's strong and feisty, but also emotional which brought her to life. Other characters, though, such as Bryn and Shay didn't come through as strong. They remained on the paper, imitations of how people act in real life.

As for the plot, the beginning was slow, but I enjoyed the pack in school, acting more like a gang than anything. It is an interesting point to pose, these teenagers attending school while being so unlike anyone else attending the school. Once the action began, it was one of those on again off again things where there was a strong chapter and then a weak one. This, unfortunately, left me wondering when something would actually happen, but when something happened, it came through strong, which was great to read.

I will say one thing, though. Cremer knows how to turn up the heat on the romance. If this is something you enjoy, the love triangle that blooms between Calla, Ren, and Shay is bound to capture your heart.

Though it's not one of the best books I've read, Nightshade was great for a debut novel and it's something I would like to hear more about. Cremer has two more novels in the series planned for release which I plan upon reading in hopes to discover more about Calla and the secrets that surround her world.

Rating: A-/B+

THE DEMON KING Review

Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for himself, his mother, and his sister Mari. Ironically, the only thing of value he has is something he can't sell. For as long as Han can remember, he's worn thick silver cuffs engraved with runes. They're clearly magicked-as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off.

While out hunting one day, Han and his Clan friend, Dancer catch three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. After a confrontation, Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against them. Han soon learns that the amulet has an evil history-it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Raisa ana'Marianna, Princess Heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of relative freedom with her father's family at Demonai camp - riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Although Raisa will become eligible for marriage after her sixteenth name-day, she isn't looking forward to trading in her common sense and new skills for etiquette tutors and stuffy parties.

Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea-the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems like her mother has other plans for her--plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.

The Seven Realms will tremble when the lives of Han and Raisa collide in this stunning new page-turner from bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima.
From Goodreads.com

Alright, now, look at that massive summary. I mean, hello? It's huge. Then pick up the book. That too is huge. This has nothing to do on the impact of the book, but I simply wanted to point it out.

That being said, I picked up The Demon King because of all the hype surrounding the book. Book bloggers loved it, the reviews were great, and I happened to win an ARC of the second book, The Exiled Queen. This has been a book I've been meaning to read for some time now, and winning the ARC pushed me to reading it.

Let me say this one thing. I'm not a person who enjoys high fantasy, despite falling in love with Cashore's Graceling. The Demon King is by far high fantasy with a world filled with kings and queens and magic. Not usually my taste but I picked it up anyways.

Instantly, the characters captured my attention. Raisa, the soon to be queen, came off as snobby to me, though I may be the only one. She was sneaking about to be in love with a magician, yet, when her soldier friend returns, she decides it's alright to love them both. What? She suddenly turned into Zoey Redbird from PC Cast's House of Night series who is allowed to love any guy who comes within ten feet of her. Not a quality I like in a character.

Though I disliked Raisa, I instantly was attracted to Han. Coming from a hard life, he has so much more to him than Raisa did. The book alternates chapters between the two characters, but it left me disappointed when their lives only crossed for a short time halfway through the book and didn't reconnect.

Because the summary promises that Raisa and Han's lives collide, I would have hoped for more details, more plot, when the pair of them came together, but it was hardly anything.

Upon finishing the book, I closed it and was frustrated. What is all the hype about? I caught none of it. Nothing in the book was as interesting as claimed and it was far too long with not enough plot for me to enjoy.

Rating: D

THE GARDENER Review

Mason has never known his father, but longs to. All he has of him is a DVD of a man whose face is never seen, reading a children’s book. One day, on a whim, he plays the DVD for a group of comatose teens at the nursing home where his mother works. One of them, a beautiful girl, responds. Mason learns she is part of a horrible experiment intended to render teenagers into autotrophs—genetically engineered, self-sustaining life-forms who don’t need food or water to survive. And before he knows it, Mason is on the run with the girl, and wanted, dead or alive, by the mysterious mastermind of this gruesome plan, who is simply called the Gardener.

Will Mason be forced to destroy the thing he’s longed for most?
From goodreads.com

I will admit, the main reason I picked up this book was because I loved S.A. Bodeen's The Compound. You can read my review here if you wish. But yes, I picked up The Gardener already in love with S.A. Bodeen's writing style and the ultimate strength and speed of her novels.

So, once beginning, I found it hard to stop reading. Yes, the beginning of this book was a bit slower than the other, but, because I knew the pace at which Bodeen writes, I continued to read. And continuing was not in vain. Once the action began, it didn't let up.

The girl has to be my favorite character in this novel. Mason doesn't know her name, and neither does she, and neither of them know what exactly happened to her, but this mystery surrounds her and the story and quickly develops into something greater, the source of the action.

One thing that I loved in reading The Compound was the ethics issues it addressed. The same sort of things come up in The Gardener. Is it alright to experiment on children from birth if they will be capable of continuing the human race? Not only this, but it questions our own world. How long to we have until our food supply runs out and what are we willing to do about it?

These are the questions at the core of the novel, keeping me reading, making me want to finish the book quickly. One thing I have noticed between both of Bodeen's novel is the issue of family, or, rather, dysfunctional families. Both novels had families that didn't get along completely, or didn't function as a whole.

Again, the characters are real, with real fears and desires, faults and quirks. And the situation is believable, both of which are important to the structure of the story. If there is one thing I can complain about, it is the fast paced ending that happens too quickly to read, which isn't a complaint at all.

As with the first book I read from Bodeen, I loved the epilogue. The way the entire story was wrapped up so seamlessly can only be done by a master and I must agree that Bodeen is one. Great job and I look forward to more.

Rating: A

BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS ~ Review

Daelyn Rice is broken beyond repair, and after a string of botched suicide attempts, she's determined to get her death right. She starts visiting a website for "completers"- www.through-the-light.com.

While she's on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten. When she's not on the Web, Daelyn's at her private school, where she's known as the freak who doesn't talk.

Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she's waiting to for her parents to pick her up. Even though she's made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won't give up. And it's too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life. Isn't it?

National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters shines a light on how bullying can push young people to the very edge.
From Goodreads.com

Though I dislike comparing one book to another book simply because of the reason that all books are different because they're written by a different author, but I believe I must compare this book to another, very successful, one. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.

Here's the thing. Both books deal closely with suicide based upon bullying, but the approaches are different. In Thirteen Reasons Why, the girl's story is told in the past, a voice of the already dead, speaking to another person who could have saved her if they had had the chance. In By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead, the girl, the one who is bullied, tells the story from her point of view, looking forward to the day she plans upon killing herself. Two different things, as readers of both will notice as they read the book.

Through Peters' novel, each chapter opens with how many days are left until the day the Daelyn will kill herself. Having attempted before, she no longer plans to fail and is trying to plan how to make this her final attempt.

But a monkey wrench is tossed into her plans when she meets a boy who appears at the place where she waits for her mother every day. Something about him intrigues her, and, suddenly, Daelyn has a friend she shouldn't. It is this tension that makes the story so heart wrenching.

The mere thought that this young girl wants so badly to kill herself was something that kept me awake and, more importantly, kept me reading. I wanted to reach into the book and grab her and explain how much good there was in the world if she would give it a chance, despite thinking that Daelyn wasn't one to listen to things like that. Because her character was crafted so well, I hurt for Daelyn and cringed at her memories, wishing I was there to offer a comforting arm.

The book moves forward at a steady pace, despite the events being small. I can't pin down what it was that propelled this book forward, but something kept pushing me, pushing the story, prompting me to finish it in a matter of two days.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, despite the touchy topic, and look forward to reading more by this author. If you haven't noticed, this book is different from the science fiction, fantasy, dystopian I usually read, and I enjoyed it! A welcome change to the usual reading.

Rating: A

STORM THIEF Review

Orokos is a city of chaos, lashed by probability storms that re-order the world wherever they strike. It covers every inch of the rocky island that it dominates. It has stood for so long that history has forgotten it, and its citizens no longer question what exists beyond its walls. Then three of its denizens discover a map that holds the key to the secret at the heart of Orokos. But there are others, such as the Chief of the Protectorate Secret Police who would do anything to get their hands on that power...anything at all...
From goodreads.com

To be honest, that summary up there tells nothing about what the book is actually about. It doesn't tell you about Rail and Moa, two thieves, who come across and odd artifact from long ago science that allows them to pass through walls without a problem. It doesn't tell you that Rail and Moa, despite being told to give everything they have to the thief mistress, steal this item in hopes that no one will notice it. It doesn't tell you that the item is quickly missed and it sends Rail and Moa on a journey of a lifetime, fighting against the probability storms that literally shift anything in Orokos.

To be brief, I don't know what made me pick up this book. The cover is interesting enough. The summary is alright. The author has written other praised books. But something drew to me this book. More likely than not, it was the idea of a terrible society, a common theme I come back to again and again.

The story begins instantly, and kept me reading. Despite the lack of explanation, everything seemed to make enough sense so that I wasn't scrambling to understand. Some scenes were a bit confusing, especially ones describing the horrors that exist in Orokos because of the probability storms, but, in the end, everything formed together well and I was able to understand.

One thing that I constantly mention in my reviews is character and character development. When it comes to Chris Wooding's Storm Thief, these are done beautifully. Despite characters in many YA novels who have no flaws and live perfect lives, both Rail and Moa are conflicted in one way or the other and have struggled for years to make it by. To me, reading about a character who has faced troubles in their life is a lot more interesting than one who has had everything handed to them on a silver spoon.

Speaking of the rich, the rich, surprisingly, also play a role in this face-paced novel, a roll that I rather enjoyed because of how out of place these people seemed in a city that could take your breath away as easily as it could give breath to something inanimate. The rich were not exempt from this worry which made them all the more realistic in comparison to novels in which the rich have perfect lifestyles.

Another thing I love in books is when the book consists of multiple main characters, all of whom have an interesting role to play and ultimately come together in the resolution. Wooding did an excellent job at crafting these different personalities that all managed to work together without disrupting the flow of the book.

Overall, Storm Thief was a quick-paced novel that will appeal to both male and female readers because both male and female characters create the main roles. Wooding is an author I would love to read more from.

Rating: A

The MOCKINGJAY Wrap-up

NOTE: This post will not contain spoilers for the final book, but may contain spoilers from The Hunger Games and Catching Fire because it's hard to review this book without commenting on things that happened in the other books, so if you haven't read them, please don't read this post. Again, this is SPOILER FREE FOR MOCKINGJAY.




Unlike my usual reviews, I won't include a summary of the plot because, unlike me regular reviews, this isn't a review but simply a wrap-up in order to give you my views on the third and final book in The Hunger Games series. That being said, I am turning off reader comments on this post because I don't want anything being said that will lead to spoiling a person who comes on here to view the spoiler free review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mockingjay. Fans of the series, you know that in both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, Katniss was faced with similar events. Not so true for Mockingjay which is what I loved the most. Characters only mentioned in the other books had a chance to grow and develop into the roles Suzanne Collins determined for them, which was great to see.

This is not to say there won't be laughter, tears, gasps, and cries (there will), but that is to be expected from a book of this nature. Readers of the Harry Potter series will remember their reactions to the final book in that series and can relate it to their reactions to this simply because it is the final book and reading the words THE END on the final page of a series you enjoy is always bittersweet.

Shockingly, the twists in Mockingjay didn't surprise me as much as the twists in the other books, but perhaps this was because I have grown used to the writing style. It may also be that I was reading too quickly for anything to sink in, but I truly and completely enjoyed this.

Those little paragraphs are all I can say about the novel without spoiling it for anyone. After reading, I know how important it is that no one knows what happens until they read it for themselves. The power the novel has is decreased in learning what happens and I hope everyone else will respect other's choice not to be spoiled.

In other news, for those of you who don't know, I attended a midnight release for Mockingjay at Magic Tree bookstore in Oak Park, IL, which was a lot of fun. You can view their reports (also spoiler free) from the night or view my personal pictures from the event if you would like to see the man costumes and lots of fun we had. I walked away with quite a few prizes including a Mockingjay bookmark, a couple fake tattoos, and a very cool key chain featuring the mockingjay, a lump of coal, and Peeta's pearl.

In further news, Suzanne Collins will be attending a book event at this bookstore in October, which I will also be attending and will write a full post on after the event. Until then, I offer this simple phrase to those who have read Mockingjay.

Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be, if
we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.