I am still here! Just not reading as many teen books as before...and forgetting to put down the ones I do! I'm also taking an opportunity to read some full series, instead of just the first book or two.
So...Ashfall.
Alex is left alone for a weekend in his Cedar Falls home while his parents and younger sister head off to a family's home in Illinois. Alex expects the weekend to be very low-key. The world has other plans. A volcano erupts at Yellowstone National Park and throws the entire world off-kilter. The earthquake ruins Alex's home and the ashfall from the eruption causes total blackness.
Staying with the neighbors seems like the best option...until one of the men kills an intruder. Scared and nervous, Alex takes off, determined to find his family on the other side of the Mississippi. What he doesn't realize is how desperate people are or how determined to survive at the cost of everything. Especially others' lives.
The scariest part about this story is the fact that it could happen. While the book could have been a little shorter, it is definitely a page-turner. Alex meets all sorts of obstacles along the way and while he's not afraid to take help, he becomes leery of it as the book moves on. A good survivalist novel...there's a sequel on the way!
Showing posts with label dystopias. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dystopias. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts
Mason's mom is in a fatal car accident, so he's at the hospital when his school is blown up. Now everyone he's ever cared about is dead.
Aries is on the bus on the way back to school when the earthquake hits. Her best friend Sara doesn't survive and a stranger, Daniel, tells her to find a place to hide. He warns her things are going to get worse.
Clementine is at an emergency town meeting with her parents, worried about her brother Heath, when two men armed with guns enter the room. Clementine's mother makes her run...before everyone is shot.
Michael is on the road with his buddy Joe when they see a driver purposefully run a motorcyclist down. When the cops come, they kill the driver. Michael and Joe hitch a ride before they're next.
Something is really wrong with the world, and as these four teens try to survive in a world that has gone completely crazy, only one thing is for sure. They won't survive long.
A great dystopia! Hard to put down yet hard to keep going. The story focuses on five people (yes, I know I only mentioned 4) and switches from story to story. The things that happen to some of the characters during the story are disturbing. But the story is hard to put down.
Aries is on the bus on the way back to school when the earthquake hits. Her best friend Sara doesn't survive and a stranger, Daniel, tells her to find a place to hide. He warns her things are going to get worse.
Clementine is at an emergency town meeting with her parents, worried about her brother Heath, when two men armed with guns enter the room. Clementine's mother makes her run...before everyone is shot.
Michael is on the road with his buddy Joe when they see a driver purposefully run a motorcyclist down. When the cops come, they kill the driver. Michael and Joe hitch a ride before they're next.
Something is really wrong with the world, and as these four teens try to survive in a world that has gone completely crazy, only one thing is for sure. They won't survive long.
A great dystopia! Hard to put down yet hard to keep going. The story focuses on five people (yes, I know I only mentioned 4) and switches from story to story. The things that happen to some of the characters during the story are disturbing. But the story is hard to put down.
Monday, December 19, 2011
The Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars by Nick James
Jesse, Eva, and Skandar have gone down to the Surface, which is illegal, to trade for a Pearl. Pearls come from outer space and have enough power for small cities. The mission is a success until Jesse is trapped on a roof by Cassius--a trainee in the Unified Party and enemy to the Skyships. Jesse falls but survives without a mark on him. Cassius still gets away with the Pearl, so Jesse, Eva, and Skandar return to base without the prize they went looking for.
Cassius, however, knows something happened while Jesse was hanging off that roof. He knows Jesse did something to him. Especially when he sets his entire room on fire. Madame, the real leader of the Unified Party, has a special mission. When she heads up to the Skyship, she wants Cassius to find and kidnap Jesse. She doesn't explain why, but Cassius feels honored he is chosen for such an important mission.
Until it goes badly. Jesse recognizes him and tries to escape. He's helped by his friend Avery as they jump into a ship and head for the surface. The two of them try to avoid Cassius, but at what cost?
At every turn, Jesse is learning who he can and cannot trust.
A solid beginning--it appears there may be more. There are some pacing issues, but mostly this is action-packed. Especially about halfway through the book to the end. Something is always happening and there are enough twists to keep anyone interested.
Cassius, however, knows something happened while Jesse was hanging off that roof. He knows Jesse did something to him. Especially when he sets his entire room on fire. Madame, the real leader of the Unified Party, has a special mission. When she heads up to the Skyship, she wants Cassius to find and kidnap Jesse. She doesn't explain why, but Cassius feels honored he is chosen for such an important mission.
Until it goes badly. Jesse recognizes him and tries to escape. He's helped by his friend Avery as they jump into a ship and head for the surface. The two of them try to avoid Cassius, but at what cost?
At every turn, Jesse is learning who he can and cannot trust.
A solid beginning--it appears there may be more. There are some pacing issues, but mostly this is action-packed. Especially about halfway through the book to the end. Something is always happening and there are enough twists to keep anyone interested.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Nailer works on light crew--crawling into the deep paths on the ships beached in the Gulf and pulling copper wires to cell. His life is hard and he almost dies more than once. He is afraid of getting too big to continue this job as well.
He and his friend Pima save a girl, Nita, whose father is very wealthy. Nailer's dad wants to ransom her, but Nailer just wants to get her to safety. So they run away.
On the run, they don't know who to trust. They'll have to start somewhere to survive.
A pretty good dystopia--has everything you'd want, including a little social commentary. Action, adventure, and danger to keep things moving.
He and his friend Pima save a girl, Nita, whose father is very wealthy. Nailer's dad wants to ransom her, but Nailer just wants to get her to safety. So they run away.
On the run, they don't know who to trust. They'll have to start somewhere to survive.
A pretty good dystopia--has everything you'd want, including a little social commentary. Action, adventure, and danger to keep things moving.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Beatrice lives with her family in the Abnegation faction. They dress all in grey, wear their hair up, and are completely selfless. Beatrice and her brother are nearing their Choosing Ceremony, where they'll decide which faction to live the rest of their lives in. Before that happens, they have to go through an aptitude test, which indicates which faction they should be in. Beatrice's test shows she's Divergent. She's told to tell no one.
At the Choosing Ceremony, the first shock Beatrice gets is watching her brother Caleb choose the Erudite--the intelligence faction. The second shock is watching her own hand choose the Dauntless--the bravery faction. Once there, she changes her name to Tris and has to learn survival, fighting, and killing to become a full member.
Her days are spent training but she learns quickly how to survive in the brutal surroundings. Then she stumbles upon something that isn't quite right--deals being made between the Erudite and the Dauntless, aimed at the Abnegation. And finding that being Divergent means she can manipulate simulations, which means she may have a chance to save her family.
On the same bent as the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Enclave by Ann Aguirre, we've entered another dystopias, this time in Chicago. The story moves quickly, the characters are well-drawn, and Tris is a great narrator. Some things are obvious, but that's ok. I'm sure there will be more--so this sets up a great beginning. Well worth the read!
At the Choosing Ceremony, the first shock Beatrice gets is watching her brother Caleb choose the Erudite--the intelligence faction. The second shock is watching her own hand choose the Dauntless--the bravery faction. Once there, she changes her name to Tris and has to learn survival, fighting, and killing to become a full member.
Her days are spent training but she learns quickly how to survive in the brutal surroundings. Then she stumbles upon something that isn't quite right--deals being made between the Erudite and the Dauntless, aimed at the Abnegation. And finding that being Divergent means she can manipulate simulations, which means she may have a chance to save her family.
On the same bent as the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Enclave by Ann Aguirre, we've entered another dystopias, this time in Chicago. The story moves quickly, the characters are well-drawn, and Tris is a great narrator. Some things are obvious, but that's ok. I'm sure there will be more--so this sets up a great beginning. Well worth the read!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
Ok, so once again, I find myself reading a book in a series, and I don't want to give away what happens in the other two books by talking a lot about this book.
What I will say about this book is this one was the best of the three. I didn't think it would be when I started, but I absolutely could not put it down. This pulls stories mostly out of the 2nd book, Dead-Tossed Waves, but there are a few references back to The Forests of Hands and Teeth.
Well worth the read, and wonderful!
What I will say about this book is this one was the best of the three. I didn't think it would be when I started, but I absolutely could not put it down. This pulls stories mostly out of the 2nd book, Dead-Tossed Waves, but there are a few references back to The Forests of Hands and Teeth.
Well worth the read, and wonderful!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Rhine can't believe she's been captured. Now she'll either be a bride or be forced to work in a brothel, forced to sell her body for food and have children before she dies.
Which will only be four years from now. Everyone born these days only lives until they're 20 for females, 25 for males. Rhine has avoided the Gatherers thus far, but no longer. She's taken, drugged, and married to Linden, along with two other girls. Despite Linden's obvious attachment and wealth, Rhine thinks only of escape and finding her twin brother. She knows he'll be looking for her, but won't be looking in the right area. She hopes to find him before he takes off. But escape takes planning. And cunning.
The first in a series, because the ending is a cliffhanger. An interesting plot, with girls having to give birth as early as possible to keep the human race going and almost everyone dying young. Tense, beautifully written, and with great characters. Highly recommended.
Which will only be four years from now. Everyone born these days only lives until they're 20 for females, 25 for males. Rhine has avoided the Gatherers thus far, but no longer. She's taken, drugged, and married to Linden, along with two other girls. Despite Linden's obvious attachment and wealth, Rhine thinks only of escape and finding her twin brother. She knows he'll be looking for her, but won't be looking in the right area. She hopes to find him before he takes off. But escape takes planning. And cunning.
The first in a series, because the ending is a cliffhanger. An interesting plot, with girls having to give birth as early as possible to keep the human race going and almost everyone dying young. Tense, beautifully written, and with great characters. Highly recommended.
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
The fifty contestants of the Miss Teen Dream pageant trained for months, even years, to strut their stuff in front of the cameras. Too bad their airplane crashes on an unknown and deserted island and some of those 50 girls don't make it.
The survivors are left wondering if they'll ever be rescued. They continue to train for the pageant, but in order to survive they also have to learn how to find food, fend off snakes, and cope with the lack of civilization.
Meanwhile, on the same island, The Corporation--responsible for all merchandise and entertainment available to everyone in America--plots to undermine the government by supplying weapons to America's worst enemy.
Yet another hilarious book by Libba Bray. Enough things go on here, most of all a parody of the way society is. Humor, adventure, and a dose of romance.
The survivors are left wondering if they'll ever be rescued. They continue to train for the pageant, but in order to survive they also have to learn how to find food, fend off snakes, and cope with the lack of civilization.
Meanwhile, on the same island, The Corporation--responsible for all merchandise and entertainment available to everyone in America--plots to undermine the government by supplying weapons to America's worst enemy.
Yet another hilarious book by Libba Bray. Enough things go on here, most of all a parody of the way society is. Humor, adventure, and a dose of romance.
Matched by Ally Condie
Cassia has been Matched with Xander, her best friend. Virtually unheard of, Cassia is pleased she doesn't have to wonder what her match is like. When she puts her microcard of Xander in her screen at home, though, someone else's face pops up for a few seconds--Ky.
Cassia's told Ky can't be Matched with anyone, but she can't help but wonder. The two of them are thrown together, for hiking, leisure time, and in her neighborhood. He's from the Outer Provinces and while at first that scares her, she becomes fascinated. Her feelings begin to grow, especially when her Grandfather gives her an illegal poem, Ky teaches her how to write, and she begins to question the Society, Officials, and her life.
Then Ky is taken away. Cassia has to decide where her loyalties will lie.
This is the first in a series. I liked how the book unfolded, and Cassia's growth. A lot happens in the book and most of it seems important in one way or another. In a way it reminded me of The Matrix (everything reminds me of a movie!)
Cassia's told Ky can't be Matched with anyone, but she can't help but wonder. The two of them are thrown together, for hiking, leisure time, and in her neighborhood. He's from the Outer Provinces and while at first that scares her, she becomes fascinated. Her feelings begin to grow, especially when her Grandfather gives her an illegal poem, Ky teaches her how to write, and she begins to question the Society, Officials, and her life.
Then Ky is taken away. Cassia has to decide where her loyalties will lie.
This is the first in a series. I liked how the book unfolded, and Cassia's growth. A lot happens in the book and most of it seems important in one way or another. In a way it reminded me of The Matrix (everything reminds me of a movie!)
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Deuce has lived her whole life underground in the enclave. She's also been in training to be a Huntress, someone who protects, hunts, and fights for the enclave's survival. After her naming ceremony which identifies her as an adult, Deuce is partnered with Fade, a lone Hunter from Topside. Neither is happy about it at all.
Soon that doesn't matter. The two are punished for not following direct orders by bringing a deformed outsider into the enclave. The outsider brings news--Nassau is gone, overrun by the Freaks who threaten everyone's survival. Deuce and Fade are sent to find the truth--a mission no one expects them to survive. That's only the beginning of their adventure together.
A fantastic book. Loved the characters and setting along with the plot. A lot like The Hunger Games and The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Can't wait for the sequel.
Soon that doesn't matter. The two are punished for not following direct orders by bringing a deformed outsider into the enclave. The outsider brings news--Nassau is gone, overrun by the Freaks who threaten everyone's survival. Deuce and Fade are sent to find the truth--a mission no one expects them to survive. That's only the beginning of their adventure together.
A fantastic book. Loved the characters and setting along with the plot. A lot like The Hunger Games and The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Can't wait for the sequel.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Nomansland by Lesley Hauge
Keller is a Novice Tracker. She lives in FoundLand, a country of all women. The world has changed, and while a few items of the Old People exist, most of them are gone. The materials from the Old People must be purged from their area, to avoid the catastrophe which caused the earth's destruction so many years ago.
But Laing finds a hidden cave of forbidden items and Keller can't stay away. The more she tries to resist, the more often she risks getting caught. The more she learns about the Old People, the less she believes what she's always been told.
An interesting premise. I enjoyed the story and Keller is a likable character. A few characters were not so fleshed out, but it didn't detract from the story. Lots of questioning authority and adventure, along with human nature.
But Laing finds a hidden cave of forbidden items and Keller can't stay away. The more she tries to resist, the more often she risks getting caught. The more she learns about the Old People, the less she believes what she's always been told.
An interesting premise. I enjoyed the story and Keller is a likable character. A few characters were not so fleshed out, but it didn't detract from the story. Lots of questioning authority and adventure, along with human nature.
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