Book Review of "Rebel Heart" by Moira Young

Title: Rebel Heart (Dust Lands #2) 
Author: Moira Young
Classification: YA Fiction, Dystopian
Source: Bought from Amazon

Overall Grade:

A-

I thought...

This book cured my sequel fatigue.

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Summary (from Goodreads): 

It seemed so simple: Defeat the Tonton, rescue her kidnapped brother, Lugh, and then order would be restored to Saba’s world. Simplicity, however, has proved to be elusive. Now, Saba and her family travel west, headed for a better life and a longed-for reunion with Jack. But the fight for Lugh’s freedom has unleashed a new power in the dust lands, and a formidable new enemy is on the rise. 

What is the truth about Jack? And how far will Saba go to get what she wants? In this much-anticipated follow-up to the riveting Blood Red Road, a fierce heroine finds herself at the crossroads of danger and destiny, betrayal and passion.

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My Thoughts:

It took me a little time to get into Rebel Heart. I'll admit that lately, I've had pretty severe sequel fatigue. I'll take one look at the opening page, see the annoying rehash of events in the first book (I'm looking at you, Insurgent,) and will immediately abandon the book right there.

So basically, I'm tired of sequels.

But Rebel Heart seduced me.

Saba's narrative lured me in and even when the plot wasn't strong, even when I was itching for a certain someone to finally show up, she still kept me turning page after page.

From the cataclysmic events of Blood Red Road, it's pretty clear to see that any follow up would need to have some downtime, where the characters address the needs that were ignored during the tumult. Normally, I cringe for these moments, because they are almost always boring and done poorly.

However, I think the author tackled this well in Rebel Heart. Saba's journey throughout the novel was very different from that of Blood Red Road, but it was still compelling.

I especially enjoyed the development of one of the minor characters from Blood Red Road and can't wait to see more of that person in the last book! Saba's story in Rebel Heart was more emotional, more personal, and just as twisty and surprising as the first book in the series.

Seriously, once you get a hundred pages in, you won't be able to stop.

So for all of you guys who might have sequel fatigue like I do, don't let that stop you from starting this book!

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Overall Grade:

A-

I thought...

This book cured my sequel fatigue.

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Book Review of "Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Classification: YA Fiction, Dystopian, Paranormal
Source: Bought

Overall Grade:

A+

Would I recommend it?

Read it or die. Read this book now!!

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Summary (from Goodreads):

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

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

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My Thoughts:

I've waited a pretty long time to write this review. After my first read of the book, (I've read it twice now,) I'll admit, I was pretty... entranced.

Okay, obsessed.

Addicted.

This story really ensnared me. Juliette's story is so compelling, I couldn't help it. After my first read, I was convinced that it was the best book of the year (2011 at the time).

Now that I've had some time to think about it, and some time to re-read it, I think I'm now able to write a more critical review.

Seriously, if I had reviewed this book right after I read it back in 2011, it probably would have looked something like this:

HOLY HOLY HOLY HOLY CRAP THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! READ THIS BOOK. RIGHT NOW. GO BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT RIGHT THIS SECOND!!!!!!!!!! OMG JULIETTE!! OMG--ADAM! KENJI!! WARNERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Because really, this book has seriously fangirl-making powers.

While the story of Shatter Me is probably the strongest aspect of the book, the writing is what really sets it apart. The style is almost lyrical to a fault. In Juliette's voice, almost everything is made lyrical. Everything is given significance.

And when you read the story with one eye closed, your critical eye, let's say, the style works. Considering Juliette's hardships, the things she's had to go through, the writing style fits.

But with this type of narrative, when you see the seams in the story, they are incredibly obvious. The hints of foreshadowing, the planting of a recurring or overarching theme, the clumsy inclusion of backstory. These bits seem glaringly obtrusive in a narrative as overtly lyrical as Juliette's.

However. While I have overcome a good deal of my fangirl obsession with this book, there is still no way that I will miss the remaining books in this series. I pre-ordered Unravel Me almost a year ago!

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Overall Grade:

A+

Would I recommend it?

Read it or die. Read this book now!!

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Book Review of "This is Shyness" by Leanne Hall

Title: This is Shyness
Author: Leanne Hall
Classification: YA Fiction, Dystopian, Fantasy
Source: Bought

Overall Grade:

A-

I thought...
An endearing little oddity.


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Summary (from Goodreads): 

A guy who howls. A girl on a mission to forget.

In the suburb of Shyness, where the sun doesn’t rise and the border crackles with a strange energy, Wolfboy meets a stranger at the Diabetic Hotel. She tells him her name is Wildgirl, and she dares him to be her guide through the endless night.

But then they are mugged by the sugar-crazed Kidds. And what plays out is moving, reckless...dangerous. There are things that can only be said in the dark. And one long night is time enough to change your life.

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My Thoughts:

Perhaps the only appropriate word for This is Shyness, Leanne Hall's 24 hour dystopian/fantasy, is surreal.

What starts out as a straight-forward girl-meets-boy tale soon turns into a fantastic one-night romp through a city that felt as much of a character as Wildgirl and Wolfboy.

However, the two-part narrative form, where Wildgirl and Wolfboy take turns narrating one chapter each, feels familiar and comfortable, juxtaposing against the strange story and the characters that are never what you expect them to be.

Although the world is strange and the characters are weird and the whole novel feels like walking down a dark alleyway dressed as Edgar Allen Poe, i.e. fitting, but strange all the same, the moments of lyricism seem to vanish as quickly as they come.

In the face of total oddity and suspense, there seems to be a slight lack of depth to some elements of the story: world-building, questions about overarching world plots, etc. Granted, this might be expected of a book that takes place over one crazy night, but This is Shyness could have used a few more moments of enlightenment, in my opinion.

By the end of the story, even the most critical reader is bound to feel a certain sadness at leaving Wildgirl and Wolfboy. These characters are endearing and brave and complicated, without taking themselves too seriously.

Thankfully, a sequel has now been published, Queen of the Night for readers who loved this crazy dark world as much as I did.

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Overall Grade:

A-

Recommended to...
An endearing little oddity.



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Book Review of "Dark Inside" by Jeyn Roberts

Title: Dark Inside (Dark Inside #1)
Author: Jeyn Roberts
Classification: YA Fiction, Dystopian
Source: Borrowed from the library

Overall Grade:

D

I thought...

Its awkwardness mirrors its emptiness.

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Summary (from Goodreads):

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

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

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

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My Thoughts:



This book is a grim, violent, but mostly empty post-apocalyptic novel that disappoints throughout.

Because the narrative is split between 4 different points of view, the reader is forced to read the beginning of the novel 4 separate times. Each narrative shows a different story with different characters, but each is equally grim and disturbing.

However, what Dark Inside fails to do is to make its grim and disturbing content actually matter. There is little significance to be found when characters that are thin and vapid are subject to cataclysmic events in rapid fire and consequently feel numb and empty. In fact, the protagonists feel so numb that one wonders if they are even worth reading about at all.

The narrative itself is filled with awkward language and predictable plot situations. Reading Dark Inside felt a bit like watching every post-apocalyptic or disaster movie ever made in alternating clips.

While many of the plot turns were predictable or at least unsurprising, the writing itself was stilted, awkward, and frustrating. For example, from page 118 of the US hardback edition: "They both made fists with their hands and lightly punched each other."

... Do you mean they fist-bumped?

Again from page 125:
"'I'm looking forward to it. After living with you for three weeks, I can honestly say you need it.'
'This coming from the guy who farts and snores.'
'You've got to stop using that hair gel, kid. It's starting to rot your brain.'
They grinned at each other."

There are several problems with this exchange, but the primary concern is that it is so easy to pick apart. What teenage guy complains about an older guy's farting and snoring? How does snoring make someone gross? If they hadn't bathed in over 3 weeks, why would someone make a joke about using hair gel? How is the hair gel comment an appropriate response to the farting and snoring comment?

With poorly written exchanges such as this, Dark Inside's grim action sequences and divided narrative are made the strongest part of the novel. But they are not strong enough.

Perhaps Dark Inside would have been more successful being told from only one point of view with one really great protagonist. With the 4 narratives, it's too easy for a reader to say, "who cares?" If their situations are in no way significant from others in this world, then why read about them at all?


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Overall Grade:

D

I thought...

Its awkwardness mirrors its emptiness.


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Book Review of "Pure" by Julianna Baggott

Title: Pure (Pure #1)
Author: Julianna Baggott
Classification: YA Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Source: eARC from the publisher

To be published on February 8th, 2012

Overall Grade:

A-

Recommended to...
Those in need of a chilling, yet beautiful dystopian.


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Summary (from Goodreads):

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .

There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

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My Thoughts:

Haunting. This is the first word that comes to mind after reading Pure.

While this dystopian can be considered an almost political message on the atrocity of nuclear warfare, the narrative is really about the effects that nuclear warfare has had on each individual in society. Each individual in Pure, whether they were protected by the Dome or not, has had a sometimes literal and physical burden placed on their backs by the catastrophe that disfigured society inside and out.

Because of the serious and devastating effects of the Detonations, the tone of Pure is often bleak and even horrifying at times. However, there are several bright moments of extreme, haunting beauty, mostly coming from the relationships between the truly remarkable characters in this story.

The narrative in Pure is not just about the two protagonists, Partridge and Pressia. Rather, because the story is told in the 3rd person, the author was able to include two other narrators as well: El Capitan and Lyda. The minor characters in this novel were almost more interesting to me than the two protagonists, especially Bradwell and El Capitan.

The most surprising aspect of this dystopian is probably the depth of characterization that we see amidst a thrilling and violent plot. The grotesque nature of many of the characters added to this deep characterization, I feel. The individuals who were outside of the Dome when the Detonations took place were fused to whatever creatures, people, or objects that were near them at the time and are now referred to as wretches by the Pures who live inside the Dome.

For instance, El Capitan was with his younger brother Helmud at the time of detonation and is now forced to carry his younger brother on his back for the rest of his life. This bizarre character trait only adds to El Capitan's character, who ended up being one of my favorites from the novel.

Rather than take away from the rest of the narrative and the personality traits of each person, these bizarre character traits only help to maintain the deep effects of the Detonations and how they have shaped each individual character in the story.

This story contained more layers than the average dystopian novel today. While the plot was thrilling and the world fascinatingly bizarre, how these characters relate to one another in an incredibly bleak social setting is profound and moving.

I could not tear myself away from this book.

Read this book if you wish to encounter a story of rare emotion and thrill that sets itself apart from other novels in this often-saturated genre!
 
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Overall Grade:

A-

Recommended to...
Those in need of a chilling, yet beautiful dystopian.


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Book Review of "Under the Never Sky" by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky(Under the Never Sky #1)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Classification: YA Fiction, Dystopian, Paranormal

Source: ARC copy from HarperCollins

Published: January 3rd, 2012

Overall Grade:

A+

Recommendation:

Pre-order it: A unique and thrilling dystopian with an amazing romance!


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Summary (from Goodreads):

Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers abarbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY

The first book in a captivating trilogy, Veronica Rossi’s enthralling debut sweeps you into an unforgettable adventure.

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My Thoughts:

Veronica Rossi's new paranormal dystopian series is surprising, well-crafted, and romantic as heck! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I grew to love the two protagonists of the novel, Aria and Perry, and the skill with which Rossi's 3rd person narrative told the story with emotion and tension.

The novel's opening, showing Aria and several others in Reverie, is probably the weakest point of the novel. It was difficult to understand the technology that Dwellers like Aria use on a daily basis, mainly the Smarteye devices, and the way that they function in everyday life. However, despite the fact that readers may feel confused by the lack of world-building at the beginning of the novel, the action picks right up, forcing them to turn pages despite their lack of information.

Perry and Aria are great protagonists, each with their own set of strengths and weaknesses. I felt that Rossi allowed each character to overcome their own separate prejudices against the other slowly, but surely. Their relationship is believable, as is each character's growth throughout the novel.

Each section of Under the Never Sky is told from either Perry or Aria's perspective. This is a great way for the reader to get to know each of these characters very well! I felt that Perry's world was very well-developed. He was a character I instantly loved... his personality and story managing to be both heart-warming and heart-breaking, even if his painful secret, that we learn towards the end of the novel, is a bit melodramatic and predictable.

Aria is another great protagonist: she is strong, even in her weakness and ignorance of the world outside of Reverie, and she shows herself capable of change. The romance between Perry and Aria can be compared to Romeo and Juliet, in that each comes from a separate background that is at odds with the other. This drives up the sexual tension to the max! If I had Perry and Aria dolls, I'd smush 'em together and make kissy noises.

Although the characterization and romance were both spectacular, Under the Never Sky also delivers as a thrilling dystopian and paranormal tale. The plot was fast-paced and varied, keeping the reader on their toes at all times! When you weren't worried about Perry getting caught up in an Aether storm, cannibalistic tribes bent on munching on Aria, or Dweller hovercrafts snatching people, you were wondering when they were going to shut up and make out already!

Overall, Under the Never Sky is not only one of my favorite new dystopian books, but one of my favorite reads of 2011. Pre-order your copy before it's released on January 3rd, 2012!

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Overall Grade:

A+

Recommendation:

Pre-order it: A unique and thrilling dystopian with an amazing romance!

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Book Review of "Wither" by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Wither (Chemical Garden Trilogy #1)
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Classification: YA Fiction, Dystopian
Source: Bought!

Overall Grade: 

A
Would I recommend it? 
Yes, a very entertaining & chilling dystopian!

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Summary (from Goodreads): 

Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings. Editor's recommendation.

 

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My Thoughts:

Wither is a book that works on so many levels! 

Firstly, the concept. While being forced to marry against one's will is not exactly a unique trope in the YA genre, the polygamous marriage in Wither make for an immediate and exciting threat to our main character, Rhine. 

However, because Rhine is immediately shipped off to live in a mansion with two other wives and a husband she's never even met, we don't really receive much information about the outside world. How were Rhine's parents involved in the crisis leading to the demise of society? What is being done now to fix the problem? How is society being led today? 

All of these questions remain vastly unanswered in this book. On the other hand, with the close society that Rhine is thrown into, we become closely acquainted with the other wives, Jenna and Cecily, their husband Linden, Gabriel, and Rhine herself. 

The characters in this book were fantastic! I absolutely loved the secondary characters in this book, particularly the other wives. It was cruel how these girls were forced to share a husband, yet interacted as sisters... or step-sisters, yet the author did a great job at creating a bond between each of these girls. 

Another strong point of Wither was Rhine's relationships with Gabriel and Linden. Even though I did not by any means like Linden, it was interesting to watch how easily charmed he was by Rhine, and you certainly felt a small degree of sympathy for him. Her time with Gabriel, on the other hand, was filled with subtle contact, contraband candies and forbidden glances. I loved Gabriel's character and how both he and Rhine were forced to overcome their innate judgements of the other in order to connect. 

The ending? SERIOUSLY?! Lauren... you evil, evil wizard you. I am incredibly excited to read the next installment to this unique dystopian series, titled Fever and set to be published in February of 2012!

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Overall Grade: 

A
Would I recommend it? 
Yes, a very entertaining & chilling dystopian!

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Book Review of "Birthmarked" by Caragh O'Brien

Title: Birthmarked (Birthmarked #1)
Author: Caragh M. O'Brien
Classification: YA Fiction, Dystopian
Source: Bought from Amazon

 

Overall Grade:

C+ / B-

I Thought...

Compelling characters and a unique premise were slowed down by a sporadic plot.


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Summary (from Goodreads):

In the Enclave, your scars set you apart, and the newly born will change the future.

Sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone and her mother faithfully deliver their quota of three infants every month. But when Gaia's mother is brutally taken away by the very people she serves, Gaia must question whether the Enclave deserves such loyalty. A stunning adventure brought to life by a memorable heroine, this dystopian debut will have readers racing all the way to the dramatic finish.

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My Thoughts: 

Although Birthmarked definitely had a unique premise and refreshing characters, the story and plot were too convoluted to make for a fast-paced read. What resulted is a mixed novel filled with intermittent mystery, heartbreak, romance, and suspense that makes me constantly change my mind about it. 

On the surface, I was not thrilled with this book, because it made me try to too hard as a reader to fall in love with the story. We would be presented with Gaia, a noteworthy heroine who is faced with terrible difficulty, only to be led to a stale plot device that slowed the narrative to a halt. 

Again, a love interest was introduced, complications arose, and yet again, the plot slowed and I felt like putting the novel down again and doing some knitting. Seriously. 

However, I must say that the last 50 or so pages of this book were like BAM--in your FACE awesome. Those last pages will probably carry me on to the next book in the series, Prized. But, I really hope that O'Brien picks up the pace in the next installment. 

If you have the patience for a narrative that is constantly up and down, Birthmarked is definitely a dystopian that is worth your time! The refreshing characters and interesting world are cause enough to give it a try.

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Overall Grade:

C+ / B-

I Thought...

Compelling characters and a unique premise were slowed down by a sporadic plot.

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Book Review of "Eve" by Anna Carey

Title: Eve (Eve #1)
Author: Anna Carey

Classification: YA Fiction, Dystopian
Source: Library

Overall Grade:

C

Would I recommend it?

No. A mediocre addition to the genre.

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Summary (from Goodreads): 

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

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

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My Thoughts:

While Eve had a great premise, a stunning beginning, and the potential to be great, flat characters and poor plotting really doomed this Dystopian to a life on the shelf.

When we first meet Eve at the private girl's school she attends with her best friend Pip, we find that she is the smartest girl in her class, beautiful and talented. Then, when Eve learns that her and her other classmates will not be able to learn about Art or Economics after they graduate, but will be put to more sinister uses instead, she escapes without a moment's hesitation.

During this great beginning, I admired Eve's character, especially her strength of will to escape the school and figure out the truth for herself. However, my glee was short-lived, as we soon find that Eve's character is as malleable as play-dough.

While Eve encounters dangers, friends, and enemies after her escape, we find that she is extremely easily swayed by those she comes across. She easily pushes aside her fear and worry for Pip and her other friends that she left at school, despite the fact that she knows what true fate awaits them.

Eve's enemy-made-friend Arden would have made a much more interesting protagonist, in my opinion! She is strong, mean, and willing to do whatever it takes to survive.

Although the story in Eve allows the reader to be entertained, the main character's lack of resolve and weak nature, as well as serious plot-holes and clichéd events, make it impossible for most readers to fall completely in love with the novel. Readers can only suspend disbelief for a certain amount of time, people! Readers can only take so much of sweet, sappy love between an amazing hero and a super-dumb heroine!

All in all, while Eve will certainly entertain and bring many readers to wait anxiously for the sequel with its killer cliffhanger ending, there are other Dystopian adventures that are more worth their time.

For a more in-depth, thoroughly SPOILERY look at my take on Eve, check out my Goodreads review.

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Overall Grade:

C

Would I recommend it?

No. A mediocre addition to the genre.

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Book Review of "Blood Red Road" by Moira Young

Title: Blood Red Road (Dustlands #1)
Author: Moira Young
Classification: YA Fiction, Dystopian
Source: Bought

Overall Grade:

A-

Would I recommend it?

A thrilling and surprising dystopian read!

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Summary (from Goodreads):

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back. 

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

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My Thoughts:

Blood Red Road is one of the most surprising books that I have ever read. In a good way.

The novel is written in Saba's sparse, Southern-esque vernacular, which takes a little getting used to when you first start reading. However, once the story gets rolling, you hardly even notice the phonetic spelling and lack of quotation marks.

The story follows Saba, her sister Emmi, the dare-devil Jack, and other friends that they meet along the way as she hunts down her twin brother Lugh. While most dystopian novels these days are so concerned with one specific set of problems and their overall implications (The Society in Matched, for example), Blood Red Road deals with the stories of individuals within the society without spending as much time tackling the major issues.

While many readers may find this unsettling, it makes for a fantastic read, as we watch Saba become a tracker, a survivor, a warrior, and a fugitive in the course of 450 pages (that seem incredibly short, by the way.)

Just when you settle into one mode in the story, Moira Young sends you for a complete loop, guiding their characters into a new challenge. This keeps the story moving incredibly fast!

Saba as a main character is fierce, stubborn, clever, and ill-tempered most of the time. She is definitely a girl that can take care of herself, rather than the damsel-in-distress type heroines that seem to fill the pages of too many YA books today. While reading her story, you will be frustrated as her headstrong nature leads her to make rash decisions. You will cheer for her as she is thrown into surprising, terrible circumstances. You will laugh at her reactions to unexpected love and romance.

You will feel for Saba and the other characters in Blood Red Road, because they are especially well-crafted.

An unconventional, multi-faceted dystopian read that lovers of The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Hunger Games, and Under the Never Sky will enjoy immensely!

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Overall Grade:

A-

Would I recommend it?

A thrilling and surprising dystopian read!

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Book Review of "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness

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Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1) 
Author: Patrick Ness

Classification: YA Fiction, Sci-Fi, Dystopian
Source: Bought

Overall Grade:

A+

Would I recommend it?

Wow. A powerful, powerful book!

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Summary (from Goodreads): 

 

Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.

But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

 

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My Thoughts:

 

The summary for this book really does not do it justice.

 

The Knife of Never Letting Go is a book that grabs you and refuses to let go... whether you like it or not. Following the story of Todd Hewitt, his dog Manchee, and a mysterious girl he finds on his way, Ness tackles themes of war, bigotry, survival, and the definition of growing up.

 

The plot of this book is very fast paced, leaving you wanting more with each page. However, don't expect Todd to be delivered from every situation like most young adult novelists allow! In fact, you should probably expect to be frustrated, heart-broken, amused, happy, then frustrated all over again.

 

Written in Todd's dialect, which gives a similar experience to reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, (which I adore), this book has a stream-of-consciousness flow that makes every pain and joy resonate with the reader. The story itself forces the reader to cling obsessively to the main characters, but especially Todd, as one watches this young boy struggle in a land that has no place for weakness, kindness, or childhood.

 

A coming-of-age novel that is as suspenseful and entertaining as it is heart-breaking and poignant!
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Overall Grade:

A+

Would I recommend it?

Wow. A powerful, powerful book!

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Book Review of "Across the Universe" by Beth Revis

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Title: Across the Universe (Across the Universe #1) 

Author: Beth Revis

Classification: YA Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Source: Bought!

Overall Grade: 

A-

Would I read it again?

Yes.

Would I recommend it? 

Yes!

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Summary (from Goodreads):

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

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My Thoughts:

Across the Universe is one of those rare books that I know I will read again and savor every word. Beth Revis begins this book with serious, heart-pounding action, eases us into the life of Elder and others on the Godspeed, then races us to the ending with a murder-mystery, dystopian drama, science fiction, and romance.

Yes, apparently, Across the Universe has it all!

However, I must say that I saw right through the murder mystery from the beginning. I hate when I already know who the murderer is, and who that mysterious missing person is, without the author surprising me in some way.

Besides that small qualm, I highly recommend this book! Across the Universe is unlike any book I have ever read. I loved the social commentary brought about by the contained society of the Godspeed. I loved the way that history, ancestry, and the human condition were discussed. I loved how Revis portrayed love and sexual relations.  

I felt like the point-of-views from both Amy and Elder were very real. Their inner dialogue didn't ignore often tabooed topics. Their voices were different for each character, but both distinctly Revis. 

I don't know what else to say about this book, besides this: you will not be disappointed by Across the Universe! 

I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel in this set trilogy, A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2), set for publication in 2012!

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Overall Grade: 

A-

Would I read it again?

Yes.

Would I recommend it? 

Yes!

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Book Review of "Delirium" by Lauren Oliver

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Title: Delirium (Delirium #1)
Author: Lauren Oliver
Classification: YA Fiction, Dystopian
Source: Bought!

Overall Grade: 

B-

Would I read it again? 

I don't think so.

Would I recommend it? 

It's definitely worth a read!

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Summary (from Goodreads):

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

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.
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My Thoughts: 

In all dystopian novels, the characters lack the ability to control a certain important aspect of their own lives. In The Hunger Games, citizens of Panem have lost the ability to protect their children from the cruelty of the games. In Matched by Ally Condie, members of the Society have lost the freedom to choose their own spouse or create new literature or art. In Divergent, citizens are forced to choose between one of five factions and remain loyal to those groups, save you live a life of poverty and hardship as one of the factionless.

In Delirium, the government has outlawed love. Literally. Love has been declared a vicious disease, meant to be rooted out of every person's system at the age of 18... even sooner for those that have fallen victim to the disease before they can be cured.

Lena has always looked forward to the date of her cure, mostly because of her mother's troubled past. Her mother was one of the diseased, someone who remained infected with amor deliria nervosa even after being cured... several times. After her mother's suicide, Lena moved in with her Aunt Carol and changed her last name, attempting to blot out her murky ancestry. Deep down, she has always suspected that she might be infected with the disease, too, and she always carries her mother's last words with her: "I love you. Remember. They cannot take it."

However, despite her mother's last words and the memories of her dancing and singing and laughing; despite her connection to her best friend Hana; despite her loyalty to her mute cousin Grace, Lena believes in the cure. Lena actually believes that love is a curse, a disease. She is terrified of defying the laws against co-ed parties, staying out past curfew, and even listening to contraband music.

The fact that despite all the evidence against the so-called cure, Lena still believes in the government's lies, was extremely aggravating to me. I found her lack of disbelief in the common propaganda of her day to be, well, unbelievable. While I know that this needed to be a part of the main character's personality in order for a revolution to take place against the society in which they live, I felt like this revolution was slow moving, which ended up giving the entire novel a preachy-feel.

However, despite my problems with the general method of this story, I found Oliver's writing to be quite enjoyable. In fact, I have to say that her lyricism, along with my love for Lena and Hana as characters, was the only reason that I kept reading Delirium. For me, the plot and story (up until the last 100 pages of the book) was extremely weak.

I also did not feel invested in Alex as a character. I felt like Lena's extreme naiveté in relation to all things male made descriptions of Alex very shallow.

However, I will most likely continue on with the second novel in this series, because of the killer cliffhanger ending!

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Overall Grade: 

B-

Would I read it again? 

I don't think so.

Would I recommend it? 

It's definitely worth a read!

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Book Review of "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

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Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Classification: YA Fiction, Dystopian
Source: Bought!

Overall Grade: 

A+

Would I read it again? 

YES

Would I recommend it? 

I told someone to buy it the second I finished! 

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Summary (from Goodreads):

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

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My Thoughts:

 

Holy. Crap.

Divergent is not only the best dystopian book I've read since The Hunger Games series, it's also one of the most thrilling, touching, and captivating books I've read all year. In fact, it may even be close to knocking Suzanne Collins' epic trilogy off its pedestal if the next two books in the series are as amazing as the debut!

Beatrice, AKA Tris, is an amazing heroine. She is faced with the incredible task of deciding the rest of her life at the age of 16, with the pressure of her family and her faction's expectations on her shoulders. After she makes her choice, one of several difficult ones that she must make throughout the book, she launches into her new life.

I think what made Tris such a compelling main character is that even at the beginning of the novel, she is already at odds with her environment. As the books moves along, she continues to struggle with her surroundings, including the people that form them. Tris is the underdog of all underdogs and her struggles are at times difficult, and at times thrilling to behold!

Divergent is the kind of book that you cannot stop reading for hours on end. But when you finally do pause and glance up from the page, you are surprised to find that you are not Tris. That you are not right there fighting, learning, and scrapping to stay alive right along side her.

This book has an addictive quality to it, much like The Hunger Games. There is a constant sense of competition, survival, and violence that keeps the pace moving along at breakneck speeds.

However, the moral side of this story, as well as the romance, is just as palpable as the action. I loved the way that Roth explained Tris' world in relation to its governing factions. The principals that these groups represent create a great theme throughout the novel! Also, the romantic relationships in Divergent are very resonant for a book that sometimes borders on grizzly.

Read this book! The only reason you shouldn't get off the couch and run to your local bookstore... (or pick up your finger and click over to Amazon...) RIGHT THIS SECOND... is if you do not like to read amazing books. Well?! Do you?!

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Overall Grade: 

A+

Would I read it again? 

YES

Would I recommend it? 

I told someone to buy it the second I finished!

  

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Book Review of "Matched" by Ally Condie

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Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Classification: YA Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian
Source: Bought

Overall Grade: 

A-

Would I read it again? 

Quite possibly!

Would I recommend it to others? 

Yes!

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Summary (from Goodreads):

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

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My Thoughts:

Matched is a difficult book for me to review, because while I really really enjoyed the story and the writing talents of the author, I kept getting hung up on details of Cassia's world that aren't quite explained. I'll just try to outline what did and didn't work for me.

What Worked:

1. I loved the use of poetry in this book. In Cassia's world, all poetry has been destroyed save for the 100 Poems that a council decided should be kept. But when Cassia comes across a contraband poem ("Do not go gentle into that good night" by Dylan Thomas), she is haunted with its message. This poem later becomes a secret she shares with Ky, something I found incredibly romantic and wonderful.
2. I loved the writing. Condie's style is so clean that it allows you to read through the book quite fast, but then she delivers some cutting sentiments that make the reader ponder life the same way Cassia ponders her place in the Society.
3. I loved the love story. I don't think it's a huge spoiler for me to mention that there is a love triangle in this book (since it's basically mentioned in the blurb!). I loved the way Cassia and Ky grew to know each other and began to share secret moments and thoughts and places that only the two of them could understand. That is something I love most about love stories and it's done very well in Matched!

What Didn't Work:

1. Explanations about why the people in Cassia's world cannot create and cannot write longhand did not pan out to me. It doesn't make sense that they could draw in Art class at school, but not be able to create their own drawings at home. It also didn't make sense that they could type on a computer, but could not create their own poems or stories--(isn't typing a form of writing? If they couldn't create their own sentences or paragraphs or poems, then what were they typing for anyway?)
2. The love triangle. I know I mentioned above that I loved the love story, but I did not see how Xander provided a valid love interest for Cassia.

So, there is my sparse summary about what I thought of Matched! All in all, it's definitely a book to remember and I'm sure I'll be one of those crazy people in line at Barnes and Noble or Wal-Mart trying to buy the sequel, pushing my way past old ladies and 13 year old girls. The expected publication date for Crossed (Matched #2) is November 1st, 2011.
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Overall Grade: 

A-

Would I read it again? 

Quite possibly!

Would I recommend it to others? 

Yes!

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