Showing posts with label Book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book review. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Steel Lily Review

By Megan Curd


Book Info:

AVERY PIKE is a commodity. No, more than a commodity. Her existence is guarded at all costs.

She’s a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Four: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life.

Or so she thinks.

That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Four. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued. But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn’t any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.

…Which means digging deeper.

When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, she learns that while some secrets are better left concealed, humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything…including the fate of your world.

My review:

Avery is an important girl. She is an Elementalist who manipulates steam that helps her Dome, where people live because the outside world is too dangerous. The steam keeps Dome 4 working and helping the last of her people survive. Or so she thought. Then she is brought to another Dome where electricity  runs the town and everything she thought about the world is turned upside down. Jaxon, the man who brought her to the new Dome is a blue eyed, dreadlocked, hotty who is the boss's son and in love with Avery's stubborn, independent attitude. They go through twists and turns in the book that reveal their world isn't what they thought it was and now they want out. This story was very original with the world living in Domes from chemical warfare and people who survived the radiation can now use and create elements. Avery is easy to relate to even though she's an Elementalist that manipulates steam and possibly can do way more than she thought. The only hard part I had with the book was how quickly relationships formed. The friendships made were done quickly and without much talking. The love story between Avery and Jaxon was sweet and believable with Avery turning Jaxon down at almost every turn even though she was attracted to him. I loved the ending that shows a major twist that will knock your socks off! I would definetly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read in the dystopian genre. The next book will be awaited with much anticipation.

What did you think of the book? Share in the comments!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

One Review and One Comic Teaser #7


One Review:

Have you ever thought about having a superpower? Merrin has one! But one in Merrin's world is not enough. To be normal you need two superpowers or none at all. Merrin feels incomplete and she happens to be quite the angsty teenager. Combine these things and you get one determined girl who uses her intelligence to find a way to "fix" herself. I was immersed into this world from page one and didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed the characters with Merrin loving drums and science and Elias being caring and sensitive (not to mention he wears glasses, sigh). The plot has a sweet romance and some awesome twist that I didn't see coming. It was enjoyable from start to finish!


Without further ado, here is comic teaser #7:
Amazing tease! Check back here on June 10th for the final comic teaser before One comes out on June 11th!

Find a full list with links to the other installments of this series on the author’s blog:  www.leighannkopans.blogspot.com
Or follow the author on Twitter @LeighAnnKopans for daily updates!

About ONE (a novel by Leigh Ann Kopans:)
Release date: June 11, 2013
One
Add ONE to your Goodreads and learn more about the author here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17251203-one
                         

When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak.

It makes you a One.

Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover.

If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances.

Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other.

Merrin's mad chemistry skills land her a spot on the Hub's internship short list, but as she gets closer to the life she always wanted, she discovers that the Hub’s purpose is more sinister than it has always seemed. Now it’s up to her to decide if it's more important to fly solo, or to save everything - and everyone - she loves



Add ONE to your Goodreads and learn more about the author here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17251203-one

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Book Review: Cold Light by Traci L. Slatton

Image Source


Summary from Goodreads:
The end of the world brings chaos, madness, and psychic powers. For Emma and Arthur, separated by an ocean, it brings a love that demands everything. Emma’s beloved daughter is kidnapped by vengeful raiders, and Emma embarks on a soul-crushing journey to rescue her. When Arthur finds Emma, can she trust him? Against impossible odds, Emma draws near the rogue camp, where she also confronts the deepest choice of her heart….


This book is the second in the After Trilogy. We encounter Emma living in Canada and trying to get back to her life with her family after the mists. But fate has it to not let her rest. Emma sets out on another hard journey that turns into life or death situations. She will do anything to save her family and keep them united. Emma's voice is strong and she doesn't hesitate to make hard choices. Then we meet up with the characters from the first book and see how they have changed and grown. The tension is high the whole book through with raiders, mists, and forbidden love. With all of these impossibilities keeping the characters from succeeding, Traci Slatton keeps hope as the main feeling. You can feel it through the conversations and Emma's inner voice that tells the story.

I give this story 3.5 stars because I felt some of the situations were a little far fetched and the action was too fast paced. (meaning when one thing happens the next thing happening didn't feel believable) All in all, it was a good book and an enjoyable read.

Order from: Amazon


First book in the After Trilogy:

Image Source
Summary from Goodreads:
When the world ends, all that is left is love....

As chaos descends on a crippled Earth, survivors are tormented by strange psychic gifts. In this time of apocalyptic despair, love is put to the test. One woman with mysterious healing power guides seven children to safety. Charismatic Arthur offers her a haven. Slowly Emma falls for him. But at the moment of their sweetest love, his devastating secret is revealed, and they are lost to each other. Will Emma stay with him?
The first in a romantic trilogy set during the end times.

Order from: Amazon


* FTC disclosure: ARC received from NetGalley

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Gathering Blue Review



"Mother? " There was no reply. She hadn't expected one. Her mother had been dead, now, for four days, and Kira could tell that the last of the spirit was drifting away ... Now she was all alone.

Left orphaned and physically flawed in a civilization that shuns and discards the weak, Kira faces a frighteningly uncertain future. Her neighbors are hostile and no one but a small boy offers to help. When she is summoned to judgement by The Council of Guardians, Kira prepares to fight for her life. But the Council, to her surprise, has plans for her. Blessed with an almost magical talent that keeps her alive, the young girl faces new responsibilities and a set of mysteries deep within the only world she has ever known. On her quest for truth, Kira discovers things that will change her life and world forever. A compelling examination of a future society, Gathering Blue challenges readers to think about community, creativity, and the values that they have learned to accept. Once again Lois Lowry brings readers on a provocative journey that inspires contemplation long after the last page is turned.



Review:
This book was a great change to the romance that I usually want to read. Just because there wasn't romance doesn't mean it wasn't worth reading. Lowery did a great job showing a village where there is no peace or love shown to one another, just looking out for number one. It made me so mad to read how the parents always fought, the mothers always hit their children, and the neighbors never looked after one another. Poor Kira had to grow up in this world with a deformed leg, which makes it easier to pick on. Her gift of being an artist with cloth and finding another artist friend made the story better. I was, for some readon, loved Matt's way of speaking. The author did a great job with his primal language. The ending was a great little ray of hope. 
                                                     4/5 stars ****


Now on to the last book in the "series": The Messenger

Friday, March 25, 2011

Rash Review

Rash
By Pete Hautman
YA Science Fiction
pages 249


In the late twenty-first century, Bo Marten is unjustly accused of causing a rash that plagues his entire high schol. He loses it, and as a result, he's sentenced to work in the Canadian tundra, at a pizza factory that's surrounded by hungry polar bears. Bo finds prison life to be both boring and dangerous, but it's nothing compared to what happens when he starts playing on the factory's highly illegal football team. In the meantime, Bork, an artificial intelligence that Bo created for a science project, tracks Bo down in prison. Bork has spun out of control and seems to be operating on his own. He offers to get Bo's sentence shortened, but can Bo trust him? And now that Bo has been crushing skulls on the field, will he be able to go back to his old, highly regulated life?

At first, I thought I wouldn't like this book because it was mostly about football. (I hate football) But it is not completely about football and so I find it highly interesting to read, except the football parts. This world Bo lives in regulates peoples live so that if they commit any crime or anger out burst they get a strike. 3 strikes and you're out! Out for them means becoming a labor worker like picking fruit, making pizza, keeping places clean, etc. And man is everything expensive and ridiculous! My favorite character is Gramps, born in 1990 (younger than me) who complains about how wimpy people are now with their pads and helmets and soft running course for track. He tells his grandson that the only way to get to prison back in his day was to steal something, kill somebody, or use illegal drugs. He makes his own beer in his basement which alcohol is illegal. Bo gets in trouble and has to do a sentence in a pizza factory and joins the football team, where he doesn't crush skulls he just runs the ball. It changes his life because he is finally able to do exercise and physical contact, which is not allowed in his world. The ending definitely satisfied me and made me happy. 

4 Stars ****

Ever read Rash? What did you think?

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Candor Review

I've been reading a lot lately and finding some really good books out there that help quench my thirst after reading The Hunger Games, Twilight, and Harry Potter. I've opened the door to a world of Dystopian books that I can't seem to get enough of. This week I'll be reviewing a lot!

Candor
by Pam Bachorz
Youth Fiction
249 pages

Everything is perfect in the town of Candor, Florida. Teens respect their elders, do their chores, and enjoy homework...
because they're controlled by subliminal messages.
Oscar Banks, the son of the town's founder, is the model of perfection: class president, top student, shining example. But it's only a disguise. Unlike all the other Candor teens, he knows about the Messages, and he fights them with his own counterprogramming.
Only oscar knows how to get kids out of Candor- for a price.
When Nia moves into town, Oscar is smitten by her tart attitude and ability to see through his perfect-boy front. He can't stand to see her changed by the Messages. Now he must decide to help Nia escape Candor and lose her forever, or keep her close and risk exposure.

This book was a great read. Easy and relaxing with its wording. I was brought into this world right from the start and it was so believable! A whole town where people listen to music all day long and get along perfectly. Very creative. The subliminal messages are a scary idea. I love that the man who created this town's son is the only one aware of the trick and that he works to get kids out of the town. It's just him and his dad, his mom left them after their older son was killed. I can totally see why the dad thought to make the messages, to keep what he had left. Then in comes this girl who is a rebel and Oscar falls for her. Then it turns into this action book to try to save her. It really kept me reading. The ending is great but frustrating! 

4.5 Stars


Click Here to read the first chapter!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Hush, Hush Book Review

hush, hush

by Becca Fitzpatrick
Fiction
391 pages
Pub date 2009

A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgement. 
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen--and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

This book was recommended to me after I read The Mortal Instruments series, since they both follow a story line involving Nephilim. This book defines Nephilim as a half-human being, one parent human, the other a fallen angel. I soon realized that the storyline didn't really follow the Nephilim, it followed a girl named Nora and a boy named Patch. Patch is mysterious and knows everything about Nora without having met her. Nora is drawn to him but also is terrified of him. Then Nora starts to see and hear things that are unexplainable, like falling off a roller coaster, then finding herself coming to a stop at the end of the ride. It's a great read that involves a lot of action. Although some scenes come out of nowhere while some chapters end with you going, what happened? The language is easy to read but keeps you excited to find out whats going to happen next. I was a little apprehensive about continuing the book after it talked about her feeling stalked and being watched. I don't feel comfortable with real life freaky stuff, but if you also get freaked out I recommend reading it during the day. All in all, it was entertaining and the romance was great. 


4 stars * * * *

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

can you keep a secret?

by Sophie Kinsella
Fiction
357 pages
Pub date March 2004

With the same wicked humor, buoyant charm, and optimism that have made her Shopaholic novels beloved international bestsellers, Sophie Kinsella delivers a hilarious new novel.


Secrets from her mother: I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur. Sammy the goldfish in my parents kitchen is not the same goldfish that Mum gave me to look after when she and Dad were in Egypt.

From her colleagues: When Artemis really annoys me, I feed her plant orange juice. (Which is pretty much every day.)

Secrets she wouldn t share with anyone in the world: My G-string is hurting me. I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is.
Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger. But come Monday morning, Emma s office is abuzz about the arrival the company s elusive CEO. Suddenly Emma is face-to-face with the stranger from the plane, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her. Things couldn't possibly get worse. Until they do...

This book was such a great take to the beach read. It was so funny that I actually laughed out loud at some points. It started off slow, I really couldn't relate to someone who thought she was going to die on a plane and literally spilled all of her secrets to the guy next to her. But when you get past that you can really relate to how she feels when she sees that same guy is the head of the company. And he remembers all of her secrets! I love the way they interact and how their relationship grows. It's an easy read, its funny, and serious, and definetly worth reading.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

uglies

by Scott Westerfeld
425 pages
Pub. date 2005

Everyone gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that? Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forver.

I was impressed with this book. I sometimes judge a book by its title and this one made me not want to read it, until I was told it was a dystopian world, and then I decided to try it. Tally can't wait to be pretty while her new friend Shay doesn't want it. I love the way uglies have fun, they play "tricks" by sneaking out and being rebellious. These girls sneak out and almost connect with a person who lives in the wilderness. This twist in the story brings out a secret that changes how Tally sees the Pretties. I never saw it coming! It was so interesting and kept me guessing what was going to happen next.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

mockingjay

by Suzanne Collins
390 pages
Pub. Date: Aug. 2010

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

What can I say about the Hunger Games last book that has not already been said. It is a gripping book that shows how the government can control your life. Katniss has been played like a piece on a chess board for a group that is trying to over turn the government and finally she is told what is going on. Now that she is aware of their plans, she is able to make her own decisions. Her home town was destroyed and those who survived have to learn a new way of life in District 13. The story is filled with action and twists that keep you reading and then wanting more.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

The Declaration

(really late I know!)
by Gemma Malley 
Science Fiction
320 pages
Pub. Date: 2008

It's the year 2140, and longevity drugs have made the world a wonderful place - for some. Taking longevity means you can live indefinitely, but there's a catch, of course: you must first sign the declaration and, if you opt in, you agree not to have children.
For children born outside the Declaration, the world is a grim place. Surplus Anna is one such teen: a worthless burden who must pay back society for her very existence. Bleak and foreboding Grange Hall, with its severe headmistress, will prepare Anna for her short life of servitude. 
But Anna is different. In the pages of a coveted diary, she secretly pours out her heart, her hopes and her many, many fears - including her mistrust of a new arrival to Grange Hall, a boy named Peter. Peter says that longevity is bad, that nobody should be considered a Surplus... and that Anna's parents love her and have been searching for her. Who is she to trust? The strange boy whose version of life sounds like a dangerous fairy tale? Or the cold, familiar walls of Grange Hall and the headmistress who has controlled her every waking thought?

This story definitely  lived up to its dystopian title. People are living forever and those who choose not to sign the declaration get to have a child. Poor Anna is one. She is such an interesting character. She was brainwashed to hate her parents for having her which in turn makes her think less of herself.  But she can't wait to be the perfect servant. Then comes Peter and her world changes. Of course you can't wait to see if there is a little romance between them or if Peter really know her parents. There are so many different twists in this story that it keeps you reading. I also love how the story switches to other peoples views, people that you want to hear from and want to know what they are thinking. It was a very interesting book and I recommend it!


Sequels: The Resistance (2009) The Returners (2010) The Legacy (2010)