Can we all just agree right now that "young adult" books are not actually for young adults, but instead are for mature adults who just happen to have young hearts? I always feel a little bit judged when I am skulking around in the YA section of my library. And the fact that my little sister and I read the same books...simply means that she has good taste. Now that we have that cleared up, let me tell you about "The Selection Series" by Kiera Cass.
In a dystopian America, everyone is split into numbered castes. The lower your number, the better your state of living is, with a royal family that leads them all. When the eldest child of the royal family is ready to wed, the country holds a Selection to help him find a suitor out of any of the ladies in any of the castes. For most girls, being picked to participate in the Selection would be a dream come true, but America Singer is content with her lot in life and doesn't want to move up in the caste system. However when she moves into the castle and meets Prince Maxon, she has to decide between her life of contentment, or a fairy tale that she never dreamed would be possible.
"The Selection Series" spans five books and is packed with twists and turns, big decisions and betrayals, and above all, love. It's like the Hunger Games, but replace the weapons and killing for words and backstabbing. 35 girls are selected to try to win the Prince and only one will win. During the selection process the country is under siege by two groups that want to be rid of the caste systems. Prince Maxon and America Singer's loyalties will be tested and each has to fight for what they want. The first 3 books are about the two main characters, the last two books contain the same characters as the first 3, but the focus is on the new princess and her selection process. So throughout the entire series the reader gets to go through two selection processes, one with a soft-hearted prince and 35 female suitors and one with a no-nonsense princess and 35 male suitors.
I will forever be grateful that I had the forethought to buy the entire series together, because I gobbled these books up. The reader is swept up into a world where a poor girl is thrown into a castle where she is expected to dress and act a certain way. Through it all she is able to hold on to herself and come out of the trials better than she was before. It really did remind me of the Hunger Games, only I think I enjoyed these more because there is way less violence and nearly everyone gets their happy ending. These books will hold your attention from the beginning to the end. The characters are charming and will resonate with the reader, the story is fast-paced while remaining clear, and the writing is clean. There are a few minor swear words dotted throughout the text, but nothing too serious and no hot and heavy scenes. I still wouldn't recommend this to anyone younger than high-school, but overall I think that readers of all ages will enjoy this series. For their genre, I give them a 5 out of 5 stars. Check it out and let me know what you think!
Hello! Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I am finding out that being a mother of two is twice as hard as being a mother of one. (And twice as time consuming).I have the baby sleeping and my toddler distracted, so now I can tell you about "The Wolf Road" by Beth Lewis.
This is one of the most realistic post-apocalypse books that I have ever read. Civilization is nearly destroyed and the setting of this book is almost like an old western. The characters have to hunt and forage for their food, travel is done mostly on foot, and the cities that were salvaged consist of wood buildings and dirt roads. Elka, the heroine in this story, is an incredibly talented hunter. She learned all of her tricks and skills from her childhood caregiver, Trapper. Elka was content with the simple life that she and Trapper had carved out for themselves in the mountains. That is, until she learns what Trapper really does when he goes off on his own to hunt "wolves".
Her world is shredded apart as she learns that the man she secretly calls father is actually a monster of the worst kind. She flees into the mountains with nothing more than her knowledge and a knife. Elka's survival skills will be tested as she tries to outrun Trapper, the law, and the horrors of her past.
"The Wolf Road" is a thriller that will keep your heart pounding from the first page to the last. Elka is a heroine that you will love one moment and hate the next. You won't know whether to root for her or be afraid of her. The story itself is a bit dark and demented with a plot twist that might make you sick. If you like books that are about survival and have an every-man-for-himself mentality, then you might just love this one. However, I feel like this book needs to come with a disclaimer. The language is unsuitable for youth and if I had known the turn the storyline was going to take, then I never would have picked this one up. However, that is my personal opinion. The author is talented and the book is written very well.
I received a copy of "The Wolf Road" from Blogging for Books for this review.
The title is what initially caught my attention for this book. "J". Such a simple unassuming letter. I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I picked up "J", by Howard Jacobson. I don't even know where to begin to tell you about it. Imagine living in a world where history doesn't really exist. You don't know who your ancestors are, you don't know much about the past, most people don't even know their real last names. There are a bunch of 'unwritten laws' that everyone follows - don't ask too many questions, don't read the wrong kind of books, don't keep any heirlooms, etc. You are expected to live every day as if everything is normal, and you have to say sorry to everyone.
This is what life is like for Kevern and Ailinn. They both try to live their lives unnoticed, without realizing that they have actually been watched for quiet a while. Forces seemingly beyond their own thrust them together and they find peace and comfort in each others quirks and superstitions. Towards the end they receive some information that turns their world upside down and forces them to make some tough decisions.
This book was confusing from beginning to end. After reading the whole thing and looking at it in retrospect, it makes a lot more sense. While reading it, however, I felt lost most of the time. The characters blurred together throughout the story and I had to keep rereading to make sure that I was thinking of the right person. I wonder if the author meant to be vague, thinking that the confusion would add to the story in a way. I suppose it does, the characters lives are filled with so much confusion and uncertainty and the reader really gets pulled in to that. It's really genius in it's own way. Genius or not, I did not enjoy this book. I fell in love with the main characters, but I didn't like the setting that the author wrote them in. This book will make the gears in your head turn and you will probably get confused and lost while reading it, but you just might enjoy it regardless. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you are in for some deep reading that will require your full attention. 3 out of 5 stars.
I received my copy of this book from Blogging for Books for this review. If you want to read "J" for yourself, you can get it here. Let me know what you think!
I don't know why it took me so long to read this book. I loved the Divergent Series, and should have known that this book was going to be amazing as well. "Four", by Veronica Roth, gives us some of the history and insight to the beloved character "Four/Tobias Eaton" from Divergent.
If you have read the Divergent Series then you should already know the story. "Four", however, gives us more to the story because it starts when Tobias was still living at home. It describes, from his perspective, what it was like to live with Marcus and what it took for him to be able to choose switching factions. It then describes what the training experience, and Dauntless initiation, was like for him. This book gives background and depth to the characters and relationships that we already know and love. The best is when Tris enters the story, and you get to reread their beginnings, only from Tobias' perspective this time. It is almost like reading someone's journal, because you get to live inside Tobias' mind in this book. See things the way he does and learn why he acts the way he does in certain situations. It's very revealing.
This book will make you feel like you really understand Tobias' character, and it explains why he is the way he is. You also get to learn about his friendships and add depth to some of the characters from "Divergent" that don't really stand out when reading that book. I enjoyed every minute of it and fell in love with Four all over again. He is just about the perfect male character. At least to me. :) This book will suck you back into the story that you know and love and will make you want to reread the Divergent Series all over again. 5 stars hands down. My only regret is that the book ended too soon. I almost wish that Roth had rewritten the entire Divergent Series, only this time do the whole thing from Tobias' perspective. That's just wishful thinking though. This book is for young adults and up, so enjoy! And, of course, let me know what you think!
The prequel to the Maze Runner series, "The Kill Order", by James Dashner, reveals how it all started. I thought that this book would be about the beginning of the Maze and how all of the "subjects" were picked, but it is before all of that happens. It is the story of the Scorch and how the Flare started.
Mark has had a crush on Tina forever, he just can't seem to get her to think of him as more than a friend. He never thought that sun flares destroying the earth would be the thing to open her eyes and bring them together. They have to escape New York City to get away from the scorching heat and smell of death. Groups of survivors have fled to the mountains to try to rebuild their lives and are doing a pretty good job of it. Mark and Trina have joined up with Alec and Lana (both former military), as well as other survivors, to start their own little community. They all think that the worst is over, until one day a Berg shows up and starts raining their little community with small darts.
The darts seem harmless enough, only killing if they hit someone fatally. The people that were just knicked by the darts, however, become sick and pass away within a couple of days. Mark and Alec realize that there is a disease spreading that started with the darts and it is mutating so that each person that gets it will manifest differently and will show symptoms at different times. Now no one knows if they are really sick or not and the only hope is to get to the nearby headquarters of their attackers and find a cure.
They encounter other people on their journey and start to see exactly what this disease is doing to people. They are full blown crazy and are saying nonsense and hurting eachother. They find a light in all the darkness though when they meet a 5-year-old girl who was hit by a dart but didn't become sick. Deedee is special because she is immune, and Mark makes it his lifes mission to get her to people who can use her to help others. They have to fight for their lives through a city full of Cranks to save Deedee and get her to safety.
This book will blow your mind. It is one of those books where it seems like there just isn't a way for the characters to win. The whole world is against them and they have to fight for their lives against Cranks and against themselves. This is the prequel to the Maze Runner series and I think you would be just fine reading it before the other books, or at the end like I did. If you do choose to read this before the other three, you will probably come back and read this one again becuase the author drops hints about the characters in the Maze Runner that you might not pick up on until you have read the series. There is a lot of sadness and death and crazy people in this book. I would not suggest it to anyone younger than high school. James Dasner's imagination continues to amaze me and I am sure that you will be amazed at what he comes up with when you read this book. 5 stars! Check it out and let me know what you think!
Just like the first two books in the series, "The Death Cure", by James Dashner, ties seamlessly to the book before it - "The Scorch Trials." Thomas and his friends are saved from The Scorch and are being taken back to WICKED headquarters. They are told that all of the trials are over, but are they really? They know that anything said to them by WICKED could just be another way for them to collect data on how the 'subjects' react. So they know to take everything they are being told with a distrusting ear. Everyone is given the chance to get their memories back and all but Thomas, Newt, and Minho agree to do it. Even though they were told they had the choice to do it, and they chose not to, the Rat Man decides to force them to do the procedure anyways. In an act of defiance the three boys (with the help of Brenda) fight off the guards and make their escape. In the process of leaving they look for the other gladers but can't find them anywhere, so they have to leave alone.
With their successful escape they find that the outside world is in turmoil and the small group has to find a safe place to hide. Denver is the city they pick and it is nothing like they expected. People are trying to live a normal life but are in constant fear of getting the Flare. No one touches each other, most people where masks, and everyone is afraid of everyone else. Despite all of the government's testing, people with the Flare are still in the city and it is spreading. When Thomas and his friends get kidnapped by bounty hunters for being immune, they are reunited with Theresa and the other gladers who were also kidnapped.That is when they find out that WICKED is collecting more immunes to run another set of trials on and the group that kidnapped them, the Right Arm, are formulating a plan to take WICKED down. This plan starts by Thomas voluntarily going back to WICKED to finish part 3 of the trials. He is the final candidate. He can easily infiltrate WICKED to plant a device to help the Right Arm take over the building.
What no one anticipated, however, was that part 3 of the trials meant performing a brain surgery on Thomas that would ultimately claim his life. Now they are on a race against time to take down WICKED while saving all of the immunes inside. Their journey takes them on battles through the headquarters, back to the maze to fight the grievers one last time, and through a flat trans that will hopefully lead to safety. Everyone has to fight for their life, and not all of them win, in this epic ending to the Maze Runner series.
Gah! There is so much more that I want to tell you about this book, but I don't want to give anything away! You will enjoy it so much more when you really don't know what's coming or what to expect. I kept writing things and then going back and deleting them because it was a key part to the story. If you want a more detailed summary then click here. This really is the perfect ending to this series. The characters are finally taking their lives into their own hands while finding a way to payback WICKED for all of the "kindness" that they received. This book is a nail-bitter and will keep you up at night worrying about what will happen next. I actually cried at one point. Just like the other two, I would suggest this book to high school age or older. This one is a 5 out of 5 on my scale. Believe me, you want to read this book. Especially after reading "The Maze Runner" and "The Scorch Trials". Then you can pick up "The Kill Order", which is the prequel to this series and will be posted on here soon. And of course, let me know what you think!
Can't get enough of James Dashner? Then check out his books "The Eye of Minds" and "The Rule of Thoughts".
The second book in "The Maze Runner" series - "The Scorch Trials", by James Dashner - picks up right where the first one left off. I actually started reading the second book within minutes of finishing the first one and they tie together so seamlessly that I had to go back and check to see where the first one actually ended and the second began.
Thomas and the other gladers have finally reached safety. They have been put in a safe bunkhouse and have been told that answers will be theirs in the morning. Morning comes, but instead of bringing answers it only brings more questions. Crazy people are trying to break into their room, all of the guards that rescued them are dead, and Theresa has been replaced by a boy who claims to have gone through the same maze experience as them. The safety they thought they had reached is jerked out from under them and replaced by another set of trials. More tests to go through and more people to get hurt or killed. The boys have no choice but to go on another race for their lives through a place called "The Scorch" and hope to make it to the other side alive.
This book is definitely just as heart-pounding as the first one - "The Maze Runner". James Dashner has an incredible imagination and he brings that imagination to life through his writing. You will be right there fighting for your life and getting chased by cranks along with the characters. Without the actual danger of course, which is why books are so magical. I would suggest reading the first book before picking this one up, but you should probably have this one on hand because you will want to start it right away. I would say high school age and older, it might scare younger kids. I rate this book as a 5 out of 5. Definitely worth your time and is coming out as a movie this fall! Let me know what you think!
I cannot believe that it took me so long to read these books. It only took me a week and a half to read through the entire series because I could not put it down. I will put them on here one at a time starting with the first one: "The Maze Runner", by James Dashner.
"The Maze Runner" is about, well, a kid (Thomas) that runs through a maze. But first he wakes up in a box in the middle of the maze without any memory. There are a bunch of other kids in the maze, all boys, and none of them know why they are there or who put them there. Thomas, the last boy to arrive, is special because even though he doesn't remember anything he gets feelings about what seems right or familiar, and that helps guide him. The day after Thomas arrives the most unusual thing happens - a girl shows up in the maze. Her arrival changes everything and is the beginning of the end for the boys in the maze. The grievers (horrible man-made monsters that live in the maze) start acting differently, the sun disappears, and then the doors stop closing at night which gives the grievers full access to attack the kids. After two years of unsuccessfully trying to get out of the maze, the rules have changed and one boy will die every night until they find a way to escape.
This book got my heart racing and it didn't slow down until the last page. My heart didn't get much of a break though because I started the second book, "The Scorch Trials", right away. This is the type of series that will leave you feeling empty when your done. It took me a couple of days before I could start another book because I was still living in this story. This is a whole other level of "dystopian". The world has crumbled and the "good" guys are only making things worse. This book is definitely a 4 out of 5. It's an amazing book, but there are some pieces of the story that don't have enough detail for the reader to really visualize. Which leaves some holes in the story. I'd say age appropriate for high school and older. Let me know what you think!
If you have seen the movie "Warm Bodies", then you don't really need to read the book. I was surprised by how close the two are. "Warm Bodies", by Isaac Marion, is a most unusual love story. Zombies are usually the monsters in books, not the leading male role. However, Marion takes a normally gross and terrifying character and personalizes him. Now all of a sudden the reader is relating to this zombie and wondering what it would really be like to be in his shoes.
'R' is all that the (the zombie) can remember of his name, so that's what he goes by. He is living in an abandoned airport with a bunch of other zombies, but R is different from the rest because he is not content with being a zombie. On a run into the city to get some food, R sees Julie and he has the sudden urge to protect her instead of eat her. He sneaks her back to his home and tries to keep her like a pet. Being around a human starts to bring out some human qualities in himself that have been suppressed for a long time. Julie is slowly making him human again. The rest of the zombies can see the change and it sparks something in them too. Julie and R break the bounds set by society (what's left of it anyways) and start an uprising while almost getting themselves killed in the process.
Like I said, this book is almost exactly like the movie. The two biggest differences are that the book definitely gives the reader a closer look at R and what is really going through his head, and the book has way more swear words than the movie. If I had to choose, this is one of the rare instances where I would pick the movie over the book. I didn't feel like the language really added anything to the story, so the movie gives you everything that you really need. I LOVE this story though because it is one of the most unusual love stories that I have come across. I love unlikely love stories. If you want to read this love story though, I would suggest renting the movie. :)
I read these books for the first (and only) time a couple of years ago when a friend of mine suggested them to me. I hadn't met anyone else who had heard about it, but it seems like recently I have seen these books being carried around everywhere. Which is what made me decide to put them on here. For those of you who haven't read them yet, this is the Matched Trilogy, by Ally Condie. This is a story similar to "The Hunger Games" and "The Divergent Series". Cassia, the leading lady, is happy with the life she has. The Officials make all the rules and choices and she is about to be assigned her mate. When Xander's face appears, her best friend, she knows that her life couldn't be more perfect. Right before the screen turns off though, the face changes to Ky, a boy that she has grown up with but doesn't know very well.
Now she wonders which one is her true match. The Officials want her to be with Xander, which would make her very happy. Yet there is something about Ky that she can't shake, and she feels like maybe The Officials made a mistake. When she finds out why she wasn't matched to Ky it only adds to her confusion and she can't help wondering if The Officials really know what's best. As Cassia finds more and more unsettling information about her Society, she is put in a position between choosing the predictable and safe, or choosing the dangerous and unknown.
The series follows Cassia in her journey to rebel against The Officials as she searches for Ky. She leaves her community to venture to the outskirts of society in an attempt to save Ky's life. She goes on a life altering journey and eventually reunites with Ky, only to be separated again once they decide to join the Rising. Cassia is assigned to work inside the Society, where she realizes that Xander still has claim on a large portion of her heart. Meanwhile, Ky is stuck on the outside of the borders, unable to make any contact with her. In the end all three of them are brought back together and Cassia has to make her final decision.
This trilogy is written very well, with characters that come to life. The first book was a page-turner and the romance was exciting and gripping. The next two books seemed to drag on. Yes, they continued the story. Yes, they had some suspense, action, and romance. I just couldn't really get in to them. Out of all the dystopian books that I've read, these ones are on the lower end of my favorites list. I wouldn't go so far as to not recommend it, because they are good books. They just aren't they type of books that I will read again and again. They are appropriate for readers of all ages and are written in a way that makes them easy to get through. If you have any other dystopian novels that you have enjoyed, I'd love to hear about them!
This is the exciting finale of "The Giver" quartet. "Son", by Lois Lowry, takes us back to the first community where Jonas is training to be the Receiver. Only this time we learn the story of Clair, the young woman who gave birth to Gabe. Clair is unique because she feels. In a community where feelings do not exist no one is there to help her through the loss she feels after her son is taken from her, or the unexplainable love she feels when she holds him for the first time. When Jonas takes Gabe and escapes, Clair is left with only one option - leave with the strange people from elsewhere on their boat. That is her best chance of finding her son. Things don't go as planned though and Clair ends up washed up on a beach in a remote village where the only exit is to climb an impossibly high cliff. She is not about to let that stop her though and her determination to find her son is stronger than ever. She will do whatever it takes to make it back to Gabe.
This book shows what true love is and will definitely pull on your heartstrings. It brings all of the characters from the previous three books back together for one last hoorah, and is the perfect ending to the story. I've said this before, but Lowry ends her books without really ending the story. All four books in this quartet are like that. She leaves a lot for the readers imagination to fill in. It's something that I don't really enjoy, but if you have read her other books then you will know what to expect with this one. However that is not enough to deter me from recommending this book. It will probably take a week or so to get through, but it's definitely worth reading. Be sure to read "The Giver", "Gathering Blue", and "Messenger" before starting this one though. Then get back on here and let me know what you think!
"Messenger", by Lois Lowry, is the third book in "The Giver" quartet. This book is where the content from the first two books finally comes together and you start to see the ties between the stories. Instead of focusing on either one of the main characters from the first two books, the author chooses to share Matt's story - the little boy from "Gathering Blue". He is now living with Kira's father, Seer, in a place called Village. Matty's role in Village is to deliver messages to the people that live there, as well as to the people in other communities. He is the only one who can travel through Forest safely and he hopes that when he receives his true name it will be Messenger. He's not sure if he will ever get it though because Village is in turmoil and Forest has been acting strange and attacking people. Matty is tasked with traveling to the other communities and telling them that Village will no longer be open to new comers. Seer asks him to visit Kira during his travels and bring her back to Village with him. As soon as Matty enters Forest he feels a change in the air. What was once warm and inviting is now sinister and cold. Matty knows that this will be the last time Forest allows him to travel through, if it lets him live that long.
Lowry does it again with "Messenger", and shows us just how creative she can be. This book is the shortest one out of the four, it will only take a couple of days to get through, but that's not the reason I read this one so fast. It was because of how good the book is! I definitely recommend "Messenger" to all readers. I've heard people say that these books in "The Giver" series can be read separately or together...I would say that only applies to the first two books. The last two have content and characters that you won't understand unless you have read the first two. So if you are thinking about reading "Messenger", be sure to read "The Giver" and "Gathering Blue" first. Then get back on here and let me know what you think!
The book "Gathering Blue", by Lois Lowry, is a sister book to her book "The Giver". There are actually four books that comprise The Giver story, and while the stories don't actually intertwine until the third book I think it's important to read both of these first so that you fully understand what is going on later in the tale. "Gathering Blue", the second book, is about a young physically handicapped girl who, after losing her mother and finding herself alone in the world, has to figure out how to survive on her own. The village she lives in is not a friendly one. If women die then their children are given away because the dads don't want the responsibility, if babies seem weak then they are left in a field to die, if a person doesn't have a way to contribute then they are left out in the field to die. It's basically every man for himself. Fortunately our leading lady, Kira, has a way to contribute to the community after her mom dies. She has an incredible talent with weaving, and is chosen to make repairs on a special robe that is sacred to the community. Once she moves into the Council Edifice she slowly picks up hints that her community is not what it seems. She is determined to find the truth and make it a better place, with the help of her young companion, Matt, who acts as her protector in his own little way.
This book adds to The Giver story, but it is also really good all on it's own. My only qualm with it is that the author doesn't finish the story. The book ends as if there will be a sequel, but the next book in the series picks up in a different place and you never really learn about what happens to this community. I almost wish she would have made this story it's own series instead of tying it into "The Giver". However, I still think it is worth reading. This book will probably take a couple of days to get through, and is definitely appropriate for readers of all ages. (I read it for the first time when I was in fifth grade). Let me know what you think!
Apparently this is a book that some high school students were forced to read in their English classes. It was not on my syllabus for English, which is unfortunate because I would have liked to have found this book sooner. (There is always something special about finding a good book before it becomes popular). "The Giver", by Lois Lowry, is now very popular and is also a movie, which I have yet to watch. This as another book set in a controlled community that has become so popular these days. "The Giver" came out in 1993 though, so I guess it is one of the first of it's kind.
This book is very unique. It takes "controlled community" to a whole new level - one where you don't get to choose the clothes you wear, the job you have, what you do with your day, when you get to ride a bike, or even the words you say. Every choice is made for you. This was the life of young Jonas, until he received his job assignment to become the community's new 'Receiver' and was told that he is suddenly allowed to be different. He can ask questions, lie, and even be rude. His life is turned upside down and through his training he realizes that he's not satisfied with the way the community is run. What will he do about it though?
"The Giver" is a book that will make you ponder things that you have probably never thought of before, and it's thought provoking contents will stay with you long after you have finished reading. It's reasonably easy to get through and there is nothing questionable about the content. I recommend this book for all ages. If you enjoyed this book, be sure to check out it's companions - "Gathering Blue", "Messenger", and "Son".
Divergent has become a very popular motion picture, and in my opinion it is a movie that sticks fairly close to the book. Which I appreciate. The Divergent Series, by Veronica Roth, takes you in to a post world war 4 society that has been separated into 'factions' to help control the peace. Someone who doesn't fit into these factions is considered 'divergent' and is a threat to society. The main character, well two main characters really, show the reader what it means to truly be brave and selfless. Honestly before reading these books I thought that being brave meant that you weren't afraid of anything, but I have learned that it really means that you can face what you're afraid of and not crumble in fear. This story will suck you in with it's perfect mixture of trials and triumphs, battles, and romance. I also felt like it had this underlying message telling the reader, "you can do hard things".
The characters dedication and determination is inspiring, yet almost annoying at times. I wanted to yell into the pages, "You don't have to do that! It's okay to be selfish and just walk away!". You'll have to read the books to see what I mean. The series consists of three decent sized books, which may take a couple of weeks to get through. I read the whole series in less than a week, but that's because I was on maternity leave and had loads of free time. If you enjoyed reading "The Hunger Games" or the Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie, then I would highly suggest you read this series. Be sure to let me know what you think when you are done!
