Review: Prudence

Title: The Custard Protocol #1: Prudence

Author: Gail Carriger

Date of Publication: March 17, 2015

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon.com

Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger comes a new novel in the world of the Parasol Protectorate starring Prudence, the daughter of Alexia Tarabotti.

When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama (Rue to her friends) is given an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female would under similar circumstances - names it the Spotted Custard and floats to India in pursuit of the perfect cup of tea. But India has more than just tea on offer. Rue stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves. Faced with a dire crisis and an embarrassing lack of bloomers, what else is a young lady of good breeding to do but turn metanatural and find out everyone's secrets, even thousand-year-old fuzzy ones?

My Review:

Every author out there has a book that just didn't quite turn out. Some of them are horrendous failures, but some are just books that are obviously not the authors best work. Prudence is one of those books. While I wouldn't call this  book a failure, I wouldn't say it was Carriger's best work either. Though the writing was fantastic, as it always is, everything else from lack of plot to poor character development really brought this novel down. 

The number one problem in this novel was our heroine, Rue. Bratty, rude, and annoying, she was everything I hate in a main character and more. I kept waiting for her to show some shred of intelligence but instead I was subjected to her shallow inner dialogue making fun of everyone and their fashion choices. Prim, her best friend, wasn't any better but I wouldn't have minded a shallow best friend character if the main character had shown any amount of smarts, which she didn't. 

The other major thing wrong was that this novel had almost no plot at all. Things do start to pick up toward the very end, but other than that I was completely bored by the majority of the book. Most of the book was spent listening to Rue and Prim compare fashions and make fun of Prim's twin Percy, both of which were entertaining every once and awhile but honestly got old fast. Not only that but, I quickly grew tired of Rue bumbling around looking for "tea" when she had quite obviously embroiled herself in a different conflict and was too dumb to realize. Though the story had the potential for conflict every time I thought something was going to happen, it just didn't.

Though I couldn't stand any of the characters and the plot left much to be desired, there was one diamond in the rough and that was Quesnel. My favorite hero of Carriger's so far I fell absolutely in love with him and his rakish personality. The only bearable parts of the novel were the ones where he was around teasing Rue, dropping French endearments, and otherwise being completely swoon worthy. The only reason I kept plodding away at this one was so I could see more of Quesnel, and he didn't even play as big of a role as I would have liked.

Though I'm willing to read the next book (only because I'm so in love with Quesnel) I wasn't impressed by the first installment of The Custard Protocol series. Hopefully Rue grows up a little in the next one, but really, I'll just be reading for Quesnel.

3/5

Review: Across the Universe

Title: Across the Universe

Author: Beth Revis

Date of Publication: January 11, 2011

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: 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.

My Review:

Every bad thing I've heard about this book is 100% true: is the plot transparent? yes. Is the world building full of holes? yes. Are the characters whiny and stupid? yes. But did I like this novel? yes. Although I agree with every bad thing said about this novel I still enjoyed it. Something about it entertained me and kept turning pages even though I was rolling my eyes half the time.

I knew exactly where this novel was going. I knew who did it from the very beginning and figuring out why they were doing it wasn't hard either, but it was more about the ride to get there than the actual revelation itself. I think what entertained me most was the interactions between characters, even though none of them had a shred of intelligence it was fun watching them try to figure out what was going on and interact with each other. Likewise I was interested in the day to day running of the ship and, maybe I just wasn't paying too much attention, but some of the revelations about the ship and it's inhabitants did up surprising me.

Though this novel is portrayed as a romance it's anything but, and it didn't really bother me. Honestly, between Elder and Amy any sort of romance would have been painful to read anyway so I'm thankful nothing developed between them. Both Amy and Elder bumbled around the ship trying to solve a mystery but not really getting anywhere at all. Truth be told I really wish Amy and Harley would have ended up together; Harley was the most decent character in the story, though his intelligence was also a bit questionable.

Despite how much I enjoyed this novel overall there was one thing that bothered me, the season. While it didn't really effect me all that much at first, the more I started to think about it the more disgusted I felt. This is a novel for teens, there could be a thirteen year old out there reading this and there are basically orgies taking place on the streets. As an adult, reading about people having sex on the streets was a little weird, but not a deal breaker. However, this is not a book I would give to anyone under the age of seventeen so I had to knock a few points off for that.

Across the Universe was an entertaining read and even though there's so many reasons I shouldn't like it, I still do anyway. I'm interested to see where Revis goes with this series and eventually I plan to get my hands on the next two in the series. Even though it wasn't the best something about this series really captured me and I'm excited to see where it goes.

4/5

Review: The Here and Now

Title: The Here and Now

Author: Ann Brashares

Date of Publication: April 8, 2014

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: An unforgettable epic romantic thriller about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.

Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth.

But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves.

From Ann Brashares, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, The Here and Now is thrilling, exhilarating, haunting, and heartbreaking—and a must-read novel of the year.

My Review:

It's been a long time since I read anything by Brashares but I remember really liking the Traveling Pants series so I had high hopes for this novel. Unfortunately The Here and Now lived up to none of them. I was extremely disappointed by this book, it was full of holes and the more I read the less this story seemed to make any kind of sense at all. With two-dimensional characters and a faulty plot, I just wasn't impressed by this novel.

The thing that drove me most insane was how absolutely stupid Prenna was. Throughout the novel there was a little part of me screaming "no" every single time she made a decision. Ethan was no better, and the romance between them made me cringe. I didn't feel any sort of connection between them and whenever they had an awkward conversation about how they wanted to be together I just couldn't take them seriously at all.

Not only that but absolutely nothing makes sense, nothing. First of all we never find out how Prenna traveled to the past and how exactly time travel works. Are they going back? Can they go back? Will they know if anything they did changed the future? We just don't know. Then logic in this book was all over the place, Prenna and Ethan look at a bunch of newspapers from the future and somehow they magically know what they need to do to save the world. How they figured this out I will never know, since they seem to have taken a bunch of unrelated events and somehow figured out the pivotal moment that would end up destroying the future.

Then when Prenna finally figures out what she needs to do to save the world she spends her time playing cards at the beach with Ethan. All they do is play cards, talk about sex, play cards, talk about how they can't be together, play cards; it is so unbelievably boring that there was seriously a point where I fell asleep reading this novel. The only exciting part was the end of the novel, where Prenna and Ethan finally find themselves in the conflict that is going to make or break the future. However, everything leading up to that moment was just plain boring, there's no two ways about it.

Even though this novel did have one exciting moment it wasn't enough to outweigh all of its faults. I really wanted to like this novel but I just can't say that I did. I still believe that Brashares is a good author, but science fiction just isn't the genre for her, I'm hoping for a better novel by her in the future!

2/5

Review: Prototype

Title: Prototype (Archetype #2)

Author: M. D. Waters

Date of Publication: July 24, 2014

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: The stunning debut that began with Archetype— and has readers buzzing—concludes in Prototype, when a woman’s dual pasts lock onto a collision course, threatening her present and future.

Emma looks forward to the day when she can let go of her past—both of them. After more than a year on the run, with clues to her parents’ whereabouts within her grasp, she may finally find a place to settle down. Start a new life. Maybe even create new memories with a new family.

But the past rises to haunt her and to make sure there’s nowhere on the planet she can hide. Declan Burke wants his wife back, and with a little manipulation and a lot of reward money, he’s got the entire world on his side. Except for the one man she dreads confronting the most: Noah Tucker.

Emma returns to face what she’s done but finds that the past isn’t the problem. It’s the present—and the future it represents. Noah has moved on and another woman is raising their daughter.

In the shocking conclusion to M.D. Waters’s spectacular debut, Emma battles for her life and her freedom, tearing down walls and ripping off masks to reveal the truth. She’s decided to play their game and prove she isn’t the woman they thought she was. Even if it means she winds up dead. Or worse, reborn.

My Review:

After how much I enjoyed Archetype I was absolutely ecstatic to get my hands on a copy of Prototype. I had high hopes for this novel and I'm happy to say that it lived up to each and every one of them. The Archetype series is like nothing I've ever read before and I truly loved every minute reading about the world that Waters had created. Original and highly compelling I knew I wouldn't be able to rest until I found out exactly what was in store for Emma.

One of things that I really enjoyed was watching Emma come to terms with her identity. Even though part of her retained the memories of the old Emma she was still a completely new person with a different personality than the person she had been before. At first she tries to run from who she was but as the novel progresses she begins to accept that even though she is a different person people are beginning to accept her for who she is, rather than who she was. One of the most fascinating characters to watch go through the transformation was Noah, even though he believed that he could never accept Emma after what happened to her he slowly begins to see the person he fell in love with as more than just a copy.

The romance in this novel really blew me away. Even though it was subtle it suited the novel perfectly and I was happy to see the little love triangle start to disintegrate. Waters did a perfect job of slowly building the relationship between Emma and Noah and I loved watching them fall in love with each other all over again. From the very beginning it was obvious that Noah still loved Emma despite everything that happened but it took him time to come to terms with the fact that she was a different person than she had been before. I also loved the interactions between Emma and Adrienne, the way Waters handled their relationship worked perfectly and in the end it was really Adrienne that brought Emma and Noah back together.

Not only were the interactions between Emma and Noah great but I love her interactions with the entire cast of new characters Waters created. I especially loved Miles and Leigh, both of them were hilarious in their own way and Emma is such a serious character that the three of them played off each other perfectly. The characters also played a huge role in Emma discovering her identity, she learned a lot about who she had been from them but she also exerted some of her new personality by building relationships with people she hadn't liked before. There was a lot of room for growth when it came to character interaction and watching Emma transform throughout the novel was fascinating.

I highly recommend the Archetype series to fans of science fiction; with a dash of romance, plenty of action, and a unique plot this series had it all. I'm excited to see what Waters comes up with next and I know that I'll be first in line to get my hands on anything else written by her.

5/5

Review: Cress

Title: The Lunar Chronicles #3: Cress

Author: Marissa Meyer

Date of Publication: February 4, 2014

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book:  Amazon

Synopsis: In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. 

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. 

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

My Review:

As this series goes on I can't help but like the characters more and more with each book! Not only did all my old favorite characters make an appearance (I seriously love Thorne so much) but I adored Cress and loved having her introduced into the series. While this novel wasn't as exciting plot wise since most of it was set up for what can only be a big finish, I really enjoyed the character interactions and seeing how much old characters like Cinder and Kai have changed since the first book. 

Meyer always does an amazing job creating a cast of wonderful characters and Cress was absolutely no exception. She was so adorable and naive it was impossible not to love her. One of the best parts of this book was Thorne, I loved him in Scarlet and I was thrilled to see him playing a bigger role in this novel. He was the perfect counterpart to Cress and the two of them were so cute together I could hardly take it. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see much of Scarlet and Wolf in this novel, because their romance is no doubt one of the cutest in the series, but I'm hoping the next book will put them more in the spotlight! 

While Cress was an important book plot wise it wasn't my favorite in terms of the story line. There wasn't a whole lot of action and it's gotten to the point where there are almost too many characters to follow. Each book introduces a new character who is vital to the plot, but all of the switching between characters started to get a little overwhelming after awhile. We all know I'm a huge fan of changing perspectives but even I can only take so many different stories to follow. As the series goes on I keep finding myself less and less interested in Cinder and more interested in the supporting cast and their stories, though the conflict with Queen Levana is the main point of the series I'm just not as interested in it as I am other aspects of the plot. That's probably why I didn't like this book as much as the last one, this book makes huge progress in terms of that story line and while its interesting, it's just not my favorite.

Overall Cress was a wonderful addition to the series though it did suffer a little bit just from being the middle book in a series. The ending did make things interesting and I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see where the story goes from here, but to be honest I'm more excited about meeting another character in the next book than anything else. Meyer truly has a talent for creating characters with unique and fun personalities and even though each of them are so different their differences play off each other and make each character that much more fun to read about.  

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles will not be disappointed with this book! With an adorable new character as well as the old characters we've all come to love, this book (while not my favorite in the series) is still an amazing read and I highly recommend The Lunar Chronicles!

4/5

Review: Archetype

Title: Archetype

Author: M. D. Waters

Date of Publication: February 6, 2014

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: Emma wakes in a hospital, with no memory of what came before. Her husband, Declan, a powerful, seductive man, provides her with new memories, but her dreams contradict his stories, showing her a past life she can’t believe possible: memories of war, of a camp where girls are trained to be wives, of love for another man. Something inside her tells her not to speak of this, but she does not know why. She only knows she is at war with herself.

Suppressing those dreams during daylight hours, Emma lets Declan mold her into a happily married woman and begins to fall in love with him. But the day Noah stands before her, the line between her reality and dreams shatters.

In a future where women are a rare commodity, Emma fights for freedom but is held captive by the love of two men—one her husband, the other her worst enemy. If only she could remember which is which. . . .

The first novel in a two-part series, Archetype heralds the arrival of a truly memorable character—and the talented author who created her.   Look for Prototype, the second novel from M.D. Waters, coming July 2014.

My Review:

To be honest I wasn't particularly impressed by the first 50 pages of Archetype, it was a little slow and I wasn't quite sure what to think of Emma. However, as soon as I passed the first chapter or two I found myself becoming more and more engrossed in the story and by the end I was completely lost in the novel. Archetype was a mesmerizing and eerie read and I finished the novel desperate to get my hands on the sequel!

Waters did an absolutely fantastic job creating Emma's character. It's a challenge to create a character who has no sense of self, but at the same time has enough of a personality to keep readers interested, and Waters pulled it off beautifully. The internal struggle between the Emma of the past and the current Emma was fascinating to read, especially since both of them have completely different ideas on who they can trust. As Emma remembers more and more about her past she slowly begins to shift into the person she was in the past, however this shift was so gradual and integrated into the story that I didn't notice how much character development she underwent until I got to the end of the novel and realized what a different person she had become.

One of the most fascinating parts of this novel was the flashbacks of Emma's previous life. It was interesting to piece together Emma's past along with her and Waters had a talent for perfectly tying in each of the flashbacks to what was happening in the present. The fact that the past conflicted with what Emma was being told in the present gave the characters, especially the ones associated with Declan, an unnerving quality and kept me guessing about what as going to happen next and what was true and what wasn't. I was especially interested about the flashbacks involving the camp where girls are trained to become wives and part of me almost wants a whole novel about it.

Waters did a wonderful job creating an eerie and futuristic world without weighing down the novel with too much technical information. She gave just enough detail to have the story make sense but left enough of it out to make the world a little mysterious and almost creepy. From the unnatural feeling of the hospital to Declan's oddly secluded home something always felt a little off; but that's what made the story work as well as it did. Likewise, each of the characters had a front they were showing to Emma to disguise what the world she lived in was actually like, making each of them feel a little... wrong, for lack of a better word. It was impossible to distinguish the truth from a lie and every time I thought I knew something Waters would throw in a twist to make me question it.

The end of the novel was shocking and breathtaking, I didn't see that turn of events coming and it was so much better than I thought the ending was going to be. The revelations at the end turned everything in the novel upside down and made my desperate to get my hands on the sequel to find out what happens. Archetype was an absolutely amazing novel and I ended up loving it so much more than I thought I would. I highly recommend this novel to fans of thrillers and science fiction, just make sure to have the sequel handy, you're going to want it!

5/5

*I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Parasite

Title: Parasitology #1: Parasite

Author: Mira Grant

Date of Publication: October 29, 2013

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives...and will do anything to get them.

My Review:

When I saw that Seanan McGuire had written more books under a different name I was absolutely thrilled to read them. I've never read a book by McGuire that I didn't like and I had a feeling that Grant wouldn't be any different. Even though I don't generally like books with more of a focus on the science than the fiction, I had a feeling that Grant would turn this novel into something I would undoubtedly enjoy. Unfortunately, I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would, in fact I disliked it so much that I read about half of it before I couldn't go on anymore.

The hardest part of reading this book was the pacing. For the first 150 pages or so absolutely nothing happened; we're introduced to the main character, Sal, and then we're given a play by play of her entire routine with no variation or excitement what so ever. Normally this wouldn't bother me but as the book went on even the moments that were supposed to be exciting were weighed down by so much science and the bland characters that I couldn't get caught up in what was happening. Maybe as the book went on the plot more exciting but I just couldn't force myself to read another 200 pages or so after reading, and being bored to death by, the first 250 pages.

After reading the October Dayes books and being introduced to a cast of beautifully developed characters with unique and striking personalities I expected the same from this book. However, Sal had a dry personality and lacked the spark that would have made her a relatable character. She had an interesting story but her personality just  didn't do it for me. Likewise her boyfriend, Nathan, bored me to tears and I couldn't feel any chemistry between them at all. Maybe it was because the book started with them already knowing each other, so we never got to see the development of their relationship, but the lack of spark between them was driving me insane. The secondary characters, like Sal's family, barely stood out and I forgot about them almost immediately after being introduced to them. Characters are what make books worth reading and the characters in this novel just didn't have the personality needed to draw me into the story.

At the end of the day I'm sad to say that I can't recommend this novel. Bland characters and a slow moving plot made this novel impossible to get into and though Grant is a good writer this just wasn't one of her best. Fans of science and science fiction may enjoy this one but the technical descriptions, paired with the other issues, just didn't hold my interest.

2/5

Review: The Lunar Chronicles #2: Scarlet

Title: The Lunar Chronicles #2: Scarlet

Author: Melissa Meyer

Date of Publication: February 5, 2013

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

My Review: 

After the cliffhanger ending in Cinder, I was absolutely breathless for this novel to come out. What I hadn't expected was this novel to include a point of view from a completely new character. Initially I was pretty disappointed, I didn't want to read about a new character and I just didn't see how adding a new character into the story would make sense. However Meyer pulled it off beautifully and I ended up loving Scarlet even more than I loved Cinder!

Even though I didn't think I would, I absolutely loved Scarlet (the character), with her tough girl personality and her stunningly adorable romance with Wolf. I fell more and more in love with her the more I read and honestly started to prefer her parts of the story over Cinder's. Even though I ended up liking Scarlet more I loved watching how Cinder's story and Scarlet's story slowly converged and the ties between them started to grow more and more obvious. Scarlet provides a lot of back story to Cinder's life and reveals why she couldn't remember anything about being a child, so much information about Cinder's past was revealed in this novel I can't wait to see what she does with this information in the next novel!

By far my favorite new character was Thorne. Half the time I found myself laughing out loud at his arrogant comments and hilarious personality. Cinder was a perfect counterpart for him, her serious and no-nonsense attitude made Thorne the perfect comic relief to lighten the mood. I sincerely hope Thorne plays a bigger role in future novels and develops his own love interest because I just know that I would absolutely love a book with him in a leading role.

Unlike Cinder, Scarlet was told from multiple points of view. Switching from not only Cinder and Scarlet but from Kai to Queen Levana, there were a lot of characters to keep straight. Honestly I really liked the changing perspectives and being able to see the situation from so many points of view. Meyer does such an amazing job with her fairy tale re-tellings, I'm not usually one for re-tellings but she does such a fantastic job taking the original story and then putting her own unique twist on it.

After how wonderful Scarlet was I'm absolutely dying to get my hands on the next book! I can't wait to see more of the futuristic and dystopian landscape Meyer has created and watch the conflict with Queen Levana come to a head. A fantastic addition to the series fans of the first novel will absolutely not be disappointed.

5/5

Review: Requiem

Title: Requiem (Delirium #3)

Author: Lauren Oliver

Date of Publication: March 5, 2013

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

My Review:

After how much I disliked Pandemonium I wasn't expecting much from Requiem. However, despite it's pitfalls, I ended up liking Requiem much more than I expected to. This novel reminded my why I originally thought Oliver was such a fantastic writer and I quickly fell into the fast paced action of the story.

I liked Lena so much more this time around. I don't know what it was but this time she felt more real and like someone I could relate to. She changed a lot in Pandemonium and I feel like she finally settled into her new character in this novel and wasn't as all over the place as she was last time. Lena turned into a strong, but unsure, heroine, doing her best to be in the thick of the action but at the same time being unable to see what was right in front of her.

One of my favorite things about the novel were the changing perspectives between Lena and Hana. Hana's story was much more interesting than Lena's and watching events unfold from the eyes of  a "cured" was interesting. I was fascinated by Fred, Hana's fiancee, and his history with his first wife Cassandra. Requiem finished very open ended, which ultimately I think worked for the story, but at the same time I was disappointed not to know what happened to Hana and the crumbling remains of the society Oliver had created.

Julian played a much smaller role in this novel, which I really enjoyed, because I could just never accept him after the passionate relationship Lena and Alex had in Delirium. However, the entire novel felt like Lena trying to decide between Julian and Alex with the uprising of the Invalids in the background. There was never really a question as to who Lena would end up with so I didn't understand why Oliver had to make it so hard. Alex acts like a jerk the entire novel, telling Lena that he doesn't love her anymore for no apparent reason and Lena spends the entire novel being angry with Julian. It all just felt like a lot of unnecessary drama for a predictable conclusion.

Overall I thought Requiem was a great conclusion to the Delirium trilogy. Even though it wasn't perfect, or nearly as good as the first novel, it tied everything up nicely, left me wondering about the characters (in a good way!), and made me eager to read more by Oliver. A fun ride with plenty of twists and turns I ended up liking this trilogy more than I thought I would!

4/5

Review: Finishing School #1: Etiquette & Espionage

Title: Finishing School #1: Etiquette & Espionage

Author: Gail Carriger

Date of Publication: February 5, 2013

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners—and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage—in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

Set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate, this YA series debut is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail Carriger's legions of fans have come to adore.

My Review:

I wasn't sure what to think about Carriger's expedition into young adult fiction, I'm not usually a big fan of books with characters under the age of sixteen so I was especially nervous about starting this one. However, other than a few slow spots Etiquette & Espionage turned out to be a fast and highly enjoyable read. Set in the world of the Parasol Protectorate I really enjoyed chance to revisit the world learn more about some old characters.

Sophronia was an absolutely hilarious protagonist. I adored her character and Carriger's writing just highlighted all the best aspects of her personality. I have always loved Carriger's writing style and Etiquette & Espionage was no disappointment, witty but proper Carriger has the prefect style for London set steampunk. Even though I hadn't been sure if I would like Sophronia I found myself liking her more and more with every hilarious comment and improper escapade.

The biggest disappointment came in that there wasn't much of a plot. Other than the girls searching for "the prototype", which is some kind of mystery object, nothing much happens. My biggest issue was why Sophronia cared about the prototype in the first place, other than her carriage being attacked by flyway men searching for it. Even though it had a few slow spots, and a lack of substantial plot, I did end up liking the first Finishing School novel more than I thought I would. I loved being able to learn more about Sidheag and revisit the world of the Parasol Protectorate as well as discover some hilarious new characters.

From Dimity to Soap I loved every new character Carriger introduced in this series. I'm sensing a hint of some future romance between Sophronia and Soap, which excites me to no end. I absolutely loved Soap and not only is he a sootie, shoveling coal in the depths of the floating school, but he's colored as well. I'm super excited to see where Carriger takes their relationship! Dimity was another great character, constantly fainting and always armed with a proper response she was the perfect contrast to Sophronia.

I would highly recommend The Finishing School series to fans of Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series as well as young adult steampunk fans. Despite the weaker plot Carriger makes up for it with great character development and wonderful  writing!

4/5

Shatter Me #2: Unravel Me Review

Title: Shatter Me #2: Unravel Me

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Date of Publication: February 5, 2013

Formats Available: Hardcover, E-Book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: tick
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it's almost time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

My Review:

Unravel Me was everything I dreamed it would be and more. Haunting and lyrical I could hardly put this book down as I frantically read, desperate to find out what would happen next. With an amazing cast of characters and Mafi's fantastic writing this book was absolutely impossible to get out of my mind, there were parts I read over and over again just because they were so hauntingly beautiful.

I absolutely adore Mafi's writing. Haunting and desperate she perfectly portrays Juliette and the self-loathing she feels for herself. With crossed out words, broken sentences, and repeated words it was easy to get lost in the depths of Juliette's mind and truly understand what she's going through as she struggles to quell the monster she believes is inside of her. With short chapters full of passionate writing Unravel Me is choppy and beautiful at the same time, perfectly suiting the dystopian world Mafi has created.

Warner played a huge role in this novel and I was surprised to find myself liking him more and more as the novel moved along. Vulnerable yet cold-hearted it was easy to begin to feel sympathetic for him and the events that caused him to be so cruel. By the end even I was questioning whether I liked him or Adam better. Warner has something about him that makes me want to believe he can be different. It's obvious that he loves Juliette and in the end I was just as confused as she was over whether or not to love him.

Juliette is a perfect protagonist for the world Mafi has created. Broken but strong in her own way Juliette fits in perfectly with the cast of ostracized characters. I loved the development of her devastating powers in this novel. Her powers have always been one of my favorite parts of the story and Unravel Me really showcases the true extent of what her powers entail.

An all-around fantastic YA series full of wonderful writing and perfectly developed characters the Shatter Me series is not a series that you're going to want to miss! I highly recommend Shatter Me as well as Unravel Me to all fans of dystopian and paranormal fiction, young adult and adult alike!

5/5

The Chemical Garden Trilogy #3: Sever Review

Title: The Chemical Garden Trilogy #3: Sever

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Date of Publication: February 12, 2013

Formats Available: Hardcover, E-Book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: With the clock ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind refuse to stay in the past. While Gabriel haunts Rhine’s memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine’s side, even if Linden’s feelings are still caught between them.

Meanwhile, Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future—and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain.

In this breathtaking conclusion to Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden trilogy, everything Rhine knows to be true will be irrevocably shattered.

My Review:

Stunning and breathtaking Sever took me on an emotional roller coaster and refused to let me go. Full of solved mysteries, resolved story lines and answers to any possible question Sever was a perfect ending to the Chemical Garden Trilogy. Rhine continues to be a strong but broken character as she continues to search for her brother and dream of finding a way to stop the virus. Paired with a strong plot Sever was an absolutely fantastic conclusion.

I was saddened but satisfied with the ending of Sever. It pulled everything together and even though I was sad about some of the events that happened there was really no other way this trilogy could have ended. With one of the most interesting plots in the series so far we finally are able to learn more about Rhine's parents, Vaughn, and Rose. Despite the sad ending I wasn't disappointed and I think Sever is one of the strongest novels in the series.

This novel made me absolutely fall in love with Linden. Part of me has been rooting for him this whole time but he really steps up and becomes a stronger character throughout the novel. Vulnerable and sheltered Linden is sweet and strong at the same time and in the end it's obvious that he honestly cares about Rhine. Even though I can understand Rhine's unwillingness to be with Linden, merely one the principle of the thing, I still rooted for him over Gabriel.

The only thing that annoys me about this series is the relationship between Rhine and Gabriel. Their relationship just feels so fake and lifeless, not to mention Gabriel is quite possibly the most boring character in the entire series. For the entire first half of this novel his name is hardly mentioned, making me think Rhine doesn't care about him as much as she thinks she does, and then the moment hes reintroduced to the story Rhine is in love with him again.

Not for the weak of heart The Chemical Garden Trilogy is a compelling but dark read. The older end of YA will no doubt adore these novels and those looking for a stunning YA series should definitely check this one out!

4/5

The Eye-Dancers Review

Title: The Eye-Dancers

Author: Michael S. Fedison

Date of Publication: November 16, 2012

Formats Available: E-Book

Synopsis: A ghost girl with bright blue eyes haunts Mitchell Brant in his dreams, beckoning him to help her. One night, when he wakes up with a scraped knee after another dream about the girl he decides its time to call his friends. To his surprise his friends Joe and Ryan have been having the exact same dream. In search of answers the three boys call up the smartest guy at school, Marc Kuslanski. Despite numerous theories provided by Kuslanski they ultimately decide that Kulanski will observe them while they sleep, checking if this ghost girl is real or just a figment of the boy's overactive imaginations. That night the four boys find themselves pulled into an alternate universe, where things are completely different than at home, yet eerily similar. Once there they discover that the ghost girls name is Monica Tisdale, and she has been kidnapped. To get home the boys must rescue her or they will be stuck in this alternate reality forever.

My Review:

Despite not really being one for middlegrade novels I ended up really enjoying The Eye-Dancers. Fedison is a great author, capturing the mentality and language of four seventh grade boys perfectly. With awesome writing, an interesting plot, and unique characters this novel held my interest and made for a great read!

Each of the four boys had a distinct personality paired with a distinct flaw, which they learned to control through their time in the alternate reality. Mitchell struggled with his parents growing arguments, his speech impediment, and his need to tell lies to impress others. Joe was selfish and constantly resorted to violence whenever he felt angry or frustrated. Ryan could never make decisions and allowed himself to be led wherever the others went. Marc had a constant need to be right, never allowing anyone to offer other ideas or solutions.

During their time in Colbyville, the parallel version of their home Bedford, the four boys learn a lot about themselves and learn to control their flaws while the work together to search for Monica. With so many different personalities it was easy to relate to at least one of the characters and understand the trials they were going through. Each of them had their little quirks, such as Joe's overwhelming use of the word "bud" or Mitchell's tendency to lie to make himself sound more impressive.

While the kidnapping aspect of the plot had a lot of potential the conclusion fell a little flat. Most of the clues leading to Monica fell straight into the boy's laps and yet the struggled to see what was right in front of them. I really enjoyed the idea of the boys discovering how to improve their flaws and work together but I felt like the kidnapping was a weaker aspect of the novel.

The Eye-Dancers is a great first novel; fantastic writing paired with an interesting story this book definitely caught me off guard. Perfect for middle schoolers who enjoy a good science fiction story with a little mystery thrown in this novel will definitely encourage reluctant readers and entertain those who love to read!

4/5

*Note: I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.*

The End of the World As We Know It Review

Title: The End of the World As We Know It

Author: Iva-Marie Palmer

Date of Publication: August 7, 2012

Formats Available: E-Book

Synopsis: When gorgeous and popular Teena McAuley accidentally locks herself in what she calls the "Loser Dungeon" at her very own Annual Casimir Pulaski Weekend Bash, along with three of the most unpopular students at school, they find that they are the only survivors of a devastating alien invasion. Leo Starnick, the local pizza delivery boy and pot  smoker; Sarabeth Lewis, straight A-student and quiet introvert; and Evan Brighton the son of the local religious fanatic and star baseball player, along with Teena find themselves racing against time to find the living members of their town and keep the aliens at bay. As they discover more about the aliens, and about each other  they find that maybe if they work together they can save the world, maybe even becoming friends in the process.

  My Review:

When I saw that this book was about aliens I wasn't sure what to think, I'd never been a big fan of aliens and I wasn't so sure about reading a book about them. However after getting only a few pages into this novel I knew I was going to absolutely love it. Full of humor, action, romance, and friendship The End of the World As We Know It ended up being one absolutely amazing novel.

My favorite part of this novel was the humor, between the hilarious side comments and dialogue I found myself laughing out loud at some points. The humor made me fall in love with each of the characters unique personalities and root for them every step of the way; I even loved Teena by the end. I also loved the changing perspectives and the because I always adore the chance to see inside each of the characters heads.

Palmer did an excellent job on the characters. Each of them had their own stereotype but the way she put them together, paired with their hilarious personalities, made what would have been otherwise overused stereotypes fresh and fun to read about. My favorite characters definitely had to be Leo and Sarabeth, between their adorable romance and cute personalities I definitely related to them the most, even though I still loved all the characters!

Full of action and excitement there wasn't a moment where I was bored with this novel. From their discovery of how to destroy the aliens to their invasion of the alien's spaceship I was completely engrossed. The thing that made this novel so wonderful was that even while the characters were faced with death and destruction the novel was by no means depressing or serious; the characters even made a trip to Toys R Us and drove around the store in kids electric cars!

I would highly recommend this novel; between the action, the romance, and the wonderful writing The End of the World As We Know It is impossible not to love. Even if you don't enjoy books about aliens, trust me, this book will change your mind!

5/5

*Note: I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.*

Avenging Knights: Rebirth of Lost Honor Review

Title: Avenging Knights: Rebirth of Lost Honor

Author: K.G. Bethlehem

Date of Publication: November 19, 2009

Formats Available: Paperback, E-Book

Synopsis: In 4th Lebos the Doomonster, an evil being whose power lies in another dimension, has kidnapped the powerful sorceress Mela in exchange for all the gold in the land. Because of Mela's great power the Doomonster soon decides that he wants Mela's power for himself, and makes it his goal to steal her power for his own ends. When her friends, led by the brave warrior Sharpstar, discover that Mela is missing they strike out on a dangerous mission to not only rescue their lost friend but to also to discover the truth about the rules of 4th Lebos. As their journey continues they find danger around every corner especially in the greatest evil of them all, the Doomonster.

My Review:

Despite the abundance of typo's and the confusing organization Avenging Knights: Rebirth of Lost Honor holds a lot of potential. With an interesting setting along with different worlds and dimensions, as well as strong fantasy and science fiction references this novel just needs a little polish to get it on its feet.

One quirk I found really enjoyable in this novel was the hand-drawn pictures of all of the major characters. Along with the vivid descriptions provided by the author I found it really easy to visualize the characters. Despite being a bit flat and stereotypical I ended up thinking the characters were one of the authors stronger points, a little more personality and the characters would have been great!

My biggest complaint with the novel would have to be organization. While the plot itself was interesting, the way the novel was set up made it hard to navigate. It took me a long time to get all the character groups straight and I kept feeling like I had accidentally missed something important because I was constantly mixing up characters. I always love changing perspectives but the way they were set up in this novel ended up creating confusion.

Even though the plot has been done before I think Bethlehem tried a more original way of looking at it through the changing perspectives. However, there were many inconsistencies throughout the novel, such as the Doomonster first kidnapping Mela in exchange for gold then the plot quickly switching to him having kidnapped her for her power. Maybe I accidentally missed something in my initial confusion over characters but many situations in the novel ended up taking 180 degree turns.

With a little work this book definitely has the potential to appeal to fans of fantasy and political intrigue. A good first effort, with a little work Avenging Knights: Rebirth of Lost Honor has the potential to be an interesting novel.  Good luck to K.G. Bethlehem on future works!

3/5

*Note: I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.*

Above Review

Title: Above

Author: Leah Bobet

Date of Publication: April 1, 2012

Formats Available: Hardcover, E-Book

Synopsis: Hidden far away from the rest of civilization Safe is a place where those labeled Freaks by the whitecoats can live in peace. Whisper speaks to ghosts, Atticus has claws for hands, Jack can shoot lightning form his hands, and Ariel can transform into a bee. Ever since he found her hidden and broken deep in the tunnels Matthew has loved Ariel and tried his best to make Safe a place where she can be herself and can recover from her horrific experiences. When a former member of Safe invades their home with an army of shadows only Whisper, Jack, Matthew, and Ariel make it out alive; with no place else to go but Above, a place they have been taught to fear, they venture out of the familiarity of Safe into the shocking difference of the Above. Determined to save their home Whisper, Jack, Matthew, and Ariel discover things about themselves, and each other, which make it possible to save the home they have come to love.

My Review:

I started Above knowing absolutely nothing about the story; I didn't read any online descriptions, I didn't even read the dust cover flap inside the book. Shortly after I started I realized I was hopelessly confused, flipping back to the beginning I read the inside cover and instantly had a better grip on the story. Above could have been a great novel if the author had bothered to explain what was going on. Without the dust cover I don't think I ever would have understood the main idea of this novel.

I really did like Bobet's writing style, something about it just really worked with the story. It was a little hard to understand at times but overall I thought that Above was a beautifully written book, it just unfortunately didn't have any substance. Throughout most of the novel I didn't understand what was going on or why the characters did what they did, it just felt like there was no point to the majority of the novel.

I wasn't a huge fan of the characters but I didn't necessarily hate any of them. I will say that Matthew's devotion to Ariel was absolutely adorable and probably one of my favorite parts of the story. However, most of the characters had shallow personalities and I felt like it was really hard for me to get to know them. I didn't even find out the gender of some of the characters until half way through the novel, which really irked me.

Paired with the slow moving plot and lack of action Above just fell flat. I found myself skimming entire paragraphs that just didn't seem to add to the story. I didn't understand most of the plot, and while I really liked the writing style I think that it had a lot to do with why the novel was so confusing.

I think that with a little more action and a more engaging plot Above could have been an amazing book. I think that Bobet shows real potential and maybe with some experience under her belt she could write a really great novel. While this novel didn't really work out I feel that future novels may hold some potential.

2/5

Song of Scarabaeus Review

Title: Song of Scarabaeus

Author: Sara Creasy

Date of Publication: April 27, 2010

Formats Available: Mass Market Paperback, E-Book

Synopsis: After being kidnapped from her job with the Crib, the evil organization that rules over every planet and world imaginable, Edie's not sure being kidnapped is such a bad thing. However when her capturers electronically leash her to a body guard, Finn, and implant a bomb in his head that will explode the second he strays too far from her side, Edie makes it her goal to escape and disable the leash. Edie' abilities with the equipment used to keep worlds alive surpass even the most talented operators, making her extremely valuable. As the rebels that have kidnapped Edie use her to destroy the Crib and make planets a better place for their inhabitants its soon becomes clear that not everyone is what they seem and someone is determined to betray the team and destroy everything they have worked so hard to achieve.

My Review:

Originally I was really excited to read this book, the leash idea intrigued me and I was really looking forward to some sci-fi romance and an exciting plot line, however the farther I got into Song of Scarabaeus the more apparent it became that my dreams would not come true. Bogged down in overwhelming technical terms and a weak plot, finishing this novel proved to be a real struggle.

The first fifty pages or so of this novel were almost incomprehensible to read, filled with nothing but technical terms and detailed descriptions of made up devices, I understood probably every fifth word. It took me almost the whole book to figure out what the plot actually was because it was deeply hidden under unnecessary descriptions and made up words. I do like science fiction novels but I felt that Song of Scarabaeus went completely above and beyond what was necessary for the story.

Both Edie and Finn were poorly written characters, between their vapid personalities and dull interactions with each other I just couldn't make myself care about them. Their relationship is impossible to understand, one moment they had just met and the next moment Edie is refusing to do anything without him and fighting for his life, it would have been an "insta-love" if there had been any romance at all in the novel, but thankfully there wasn't. I found myself constantly forgetting about characters because of their lifeless personalities and no real role in the novel.

Besides being weak the plot also moved at an unbearably slow pace. The entire novel is spent with Edie examining and repairing equipment and searching for a way to free herself from Finn, with hardly any action at all. When there was action it was so bogged down with dialogue and Edie operating equipment that the little action there was wasn't even exciting.

Unfortunately I would have to say this is one of the few books I would not recommend. Between the impossibly slow pace, the incomprehensible writing, and the awful characters I just didn't enjoy this book. Fans of science fiction that enjoy complex gadgets may enjoy this one, but it definitely wasn't for me.

1/5

Glitch Review

Title: Glitch

Author: Heather Anastasiu

Date of Publication: August 7, 2012

Formats Available: Paperback, E-Book

Synopsis: In a world free of war and emotion Zoe is one of the few who still holds on to her human emotions. She's been glitching, the software in her brain occasionally allowing her to take over her thoughts and feelings. As she begins to develop her own thoughts and feelings she becomes more scared of be captured of the regulators, who will reprogram her, or even worse, deactivate her. When she meets Adrien she discovers that she's not the only one and a group of resisters have been struggling against the leaders to free the population of their computerized thoughts. Zoe meets other glitchers and with their help she is able to take on the very evil they live in fear of.

My Review:

While Glitch had an interesting premise and the potential to go far it just didn't quite work out. While not quite a bad book it had its fair share of dull spots and infuriating moments. The main idea was a great, I loved the idea of humans being controlled by computer chips in their brain, but that was probably the only thing I ended up liking.

The characters were all stereotypical; Zoe was the naive and boring main character, Adrien was the too perfect love interest, and Max was the one with ulterior motives. While I neither liked nor disliked any of them their stupid mistakes and predictable behavior started to really bug me. However the biggest annoyance of all was the use of made up swear words, every other word out of Adrien's mouth was a made up swear word and it made it impossible for me to take him seriously.

Glitch moved extremely slowly, I felt like the plot moved a bit in circles. Zoe learned the truth of her life, she went to the Surface with Adrien and learned that everything she knew was a lie, went back underground to her home, had her memory erased, and spent the rest of the novel relearning everything she learned in the first 100 pages.

Followed by an anti-climactic ending, I just couldn't get into this novel. Between the moments where I just wanted to shake the characters for their stupidity and the moments where I was so bored I could hardly read anymore I just couldn't make myself like this book even though I wanted to.

While younger readers will likely delight in the original story line and the slight romance between Zoe and Adrien older readers may want to skip this one.

2/5

The Forsaken Review

Title: The Forsaken

Author: Lisa M. Strasse

Date of Publication: July 10, 2012

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book

Synopsis: Alenna was ten years old when the UNA, the combined countries of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, arrested her parents and dragged her out of her home into a government run orphanage. When Alenna fails the government test to determine the likelihood of criminal activity later in life she is sent to the wheel, an island of teenagers who have also failed the test. With a life expectancy of 2 years Alenna is determined to find a way off the island before she is killed by rival tribes or illness. With the help of her new friend Gadya and Liam, who she feels a growing attraction toward, Alenna and a small band of teenagers travel to the most mysterious part of the island looking for answers. There they find out shocking truths about the government and the real reasons they were sent to the wheel.

My Review:

After I saw the awesome cover and read the summary online I was extremely excited to read this novel. I absolutely love dystopian novels and with the popularity of The Hunger Games there has been a huge influx into the genre lately. Unfortunately while The Forsaken was an interesting novel with an original plot, it was a little predictable and a tad forgettable.

The thing that annoyed me most about this novel was the immature romance. The interactions between Liam and Alenna reminded me of middle schoolers asking each other out for the first time, it just didn't fit with the tone of the novel. Even though Gadya and Alenna are struggling to survive they have time to fight over Liam, who is barely present in the first three fourths of the novel.

I really did like the plot though; exciting and original Stasse came up with a fascinating plot. The first half of the book was a little slow but as soon as Alenna and her friends went on their expedition to escape the island the story quickly picks up. The constant danger from rival tribes and the mechanical mechanisms, called feelers, that kidnap members of the island kept me on my toes and left me wondering who would be taken next.

Despite the childish romance, The Forsaken is an interesting dystopian novel that will definitely appeal to fans of the The Hunger Games. The shocking conclusion and exciting journey to get there will keep readers turning pages. A bit forgettable but still a great read high school fans of science fiction will love this book.

4/5

The Chemical Garden Trilogy #2: Fever Review

Title: The Chemical Garden Trilogy #2: Fever

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Date of Publication: February 21, 2012

Formats Available: Hardcover, E-Book

Synopsis: After escaping from the mansion where Rhine lived with her husband Linden, her sister wife Cecily, and Lindens evil father Vaughn she and Gabriel are on the run. To their horror they run into a worse trap than the one they were in before, forced to preform against their wills Rhine and Gabriel wait for the day they can make their escape. When Vaughn appears trying to buy back Rhine she and Gabriel make their escape and dreaming of finding their way to Manhattan. Tired and sick they finally make it, only to have Rhine on the verge of death. As they struggle to discover what's wrong with Rhine the more it becomes apparent that Vaughn still has a hold on both of them.

My Review:

I loved Wither so I was eager to start Fever; at first I was disappointed the plot was slow and I had a hard time focusing on the story, but after the halfway point I really started liking Fever. Full of action and suspense the second half of the novel made me love Fever just as much as I loved Wither. Rhine is a great character and I really love reading about her and her fellow sister wives.

My favorite character by far was Maddie, the young daughter of one of the girls Rhine meets on her journey. Maddie always made me laugh, weather she was biting someone's ankles or refusing to speak she lightened the mood of an otherwise dark novel. While I don't mind Gabriel I don't really like him either. A bit of a boring and flat character the romance between him and Rhine feels forced, he livens up a bit in the second half of the novel but I still can't help but have a piece of me that wants Rhine to end up with Linden.

I absolutely loved the second half of Fever, it undoubtedly made up for the boring beginning. From Rhine's devastating illness to the horror of Vaughn's underground lab I was completely riveted. When I was done I went back and re-read parts because I couldn't get them out of my mind. With such a fantastic finish I am thrilled for the final book, hopefully with more of Cecily and Linden!

Despite my early fears that Fever wouldn't live up to Wither it was a wonderful novel that leaves me eager for Sever. Definitely for the older end of YA, Fever is a book that will not disappoint; I would recommend The Chemical Garden Trilogy to young and old fans of science fiction.

4/5