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Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1)
by Veronica Rossi
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (January 3, 2012)
Goodreads Summary:
WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.
DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.
Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.
Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.
If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.
DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.
Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.
Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.
If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.
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My Opinion:
This story is told in third person with each chapter alternating between Aria and Perry . The reason I like chapters set up this way is because it helps me to get to know each of them better without lingering in one place long enough for me to forget the feel of the other character.That allows the story to flow more smoothly for me.
I liked both of the main characters straight away. Aria is smart, talented, and very determined to find her mother. She becomes a strong survivor after being dumped in a place with extreme adverse conditions compared to life inside the pod. Perry has not had the pampered and carefree life that those who live behind the domes have. He has to fight for everything he needs and is a real alpha male who comes to Aria's rescue.
I liked both of the main characters straight away. Aria is smart, talented, and very determined to find her mother. She becomes a strong survivor after being dumped in a place with extreme adverse conditions compared to life inside the pod. Perry has not had the pampered and carefree life that those who live behind the domes have. He has to fight for everything he needs and is a real alpha male who comes to Aria's rescue.
These two suddenly find themselves on a journey together, each searching for a missing loved one. Along the way they have to face deadly weather, cannibals, wolves and the people that threw Aria "Outside". I'm sure you have guessed by now that during their travels Aria and Perry start developing some sort of feeling for one another (after a very rocky start) but the pacing was just right I think.
The one criticism I have would be that in the beginning of the book I wish more was written about Aria's life in the pod to give me that day to day feel for it.
Overall I enjoyed this well-written, original dystopian. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, Through the Ever Night.
4.75/5
I read this book as part of Dystopian August.
The one criticism I have would be that in the beginning of the book I wish more was written about Aria's life in the pod to give me that day to day feel for it.
Overall I enjoyed this well-written, original dystopian. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, Through the Ever Night.
4.75/5
I read this book as part of Dystopian August.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Review: Legend by Marie Lu
Legend By Marie Lu
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (November 29, 2011)
Goodreads Summary
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.
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My Opinion:
I'll start off by saying I loved this book! I don't know why I'm always a little surprised when I read a dystopian and love it. Maybe it's the typical love triangle or love/hate relationship between two strong characters I'm expecting.
Although this book has some of the same characteristics as other dystopians, it was done in a way that didn't make me want to just skim through parts of it. The story flowed nicely and advanced along quickly enough that I didn't get bored, but not so quick that I felt like it was rushed.
The characters, Day and June, were well developed, although I would have liked to get to know Tess a little more (maybe in the next book?).
Two fifteen year old kids accomplishing so much may be unbelievable to some people but who wants to read about unremarkable characters in a dystopian? I like having young "superheroes" in the story.
Kudos to Marie Lu for a well written book. It has left me wanting to follow Day's and June's ventures into the sequel. I found Legend to be very enjoyable and I would recommend it.
5/5
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Review: The Other Life by Ellen Meister
The Other Life by Ellen Meister
Goodreads Summary:
If you could return to the road not taken, would you?
Happily married and pregnant, Quinn Braverman has an ominous secret. Every time she makes a major life decision, she knows an alternate reality exists in which she made the opposite choice-not only that, she knows how to cross over. But even in her darkest moments-like her mother's suicide-Quinn hasn't been tempted to slip through...until she receives devastating news about the baby she's carrying.
The grief lures her to peek across the portal, and before she knows it she's in the midst of the other life: the life in which she married another man, and is childless. The life in which her mother is still very much alive.
Quinn is forced to make a heartbreaking choice. Will she stay with the family she loves and her severely disabled child? Or will an easier life-and the primal need to be with her mother-win out?
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Happily married and pregnant, Quinn Braverman has an ominous secret. Every time she makes a major life decision, she knows an alternate reality exists in which she made the opposite choice-not only that, she knows how to cross over. But even in her darkest moments-like her mother's suicide-Quinn hasn't been tempted to slip through...until she receives devastating news about the baby she's carrying.
The grief lures her to peek across the portal, and before she knows it she's in the midst of the other life: the life in which she married another man, and is childless. The life in which her mother is still very much alive.
Quinn is forced to make a heartbreaking choice. Will she stay with the family she loves and her severely disabled child? Or will an easier life-and the primal need to be with her mother-win out?
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Review:
How creepy would that be, knowing that you exist in an alternate reality? Just imagine if you make one decision but in an other life you make a different one and it's all happening at the same time.
I thought this book was gonna be a page turner but it turn out to be a let down for me. I'm not saying that it was bad, it just wasn't what I expected. I thought the whole alternate life thing was a good idea and I do like Meister's writing style but I personally didn't find the story that interesting.
I couldn't seem to care about the main character for some reason. In one life Quinn has a child and is pregnant with her second. She found this portal that she could go back and forth through to the alternate life.
A mother leaving her child that she loves so dearly for another life because she thinks she may be happier there, even for a little while, didn't feel believable. She just came across as selfish to me. But hey, that's just my two cents worth. I have seen a lot of four and five star reviews for this book...this just won't get that many stars from me.
2.75/5
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Review: Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli
Sirena By Donna Jo Napoli
Goodreads Summary
When Sirena and her sisters sing their siren songs to the sailors on their way to the Trojan War, the men crash their ships upon the rocks. There is one survivor. Sirena defies the goddess Hera by tending his wounds and soon the two are deep in love. But does Philoctetes love Sirena's song, or her soul? And will the pull of honor prove stronger than the bond of love?
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Review:
This was my very first mermaid story. I don't typically read fantasy so I almost dreaded reading it, however I try to keep an open mind...plus it only had 224 pages. It was pleasantly surprising and I actually quite liked it. Now that I've tried this one on, I will be more apt to read this type of book in the future.
Sirena and her mermaid sisters sing a song that makes men adore them. The problem is that when the men are lured by the song, their ships crash on the rocks leading them to their deaths. Her 9 sisters are not bothered by this the way she is so she swims away to live alone.
Sirena will not become immortal unless she is loved by a human man but when she finds an abandoned soldier on the island of Lemnos she hides from him. She won't let him to hear her sing because she does not want to trick him into loving her. She brings him food and water while he is asleep because he is ill due to a snake bite and unable to provide for himself.
Will he survive? Do they fall in love thus allowing Sirena to achieve immortality? Will this Greek soldier ever be able to leave the island and continue his journey to the Trojan War? I'm not telling so you'll have to read this book and find out for yourself!
3.75/5
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (November 1, 2000)
Monday, July 16, 2012
Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Quirk Books; Book Club edition (June 7, 2011)
Goodreads Summary:
A mysterious island.
An abandoned orphanage.
A strange collection of very curious photographs.
It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.
A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.
An abandoned orphanage.
A strange collection of very curious photographs.
It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.
A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.
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Review:
I found the story to be interesting but I was expecting much more. I felt like the author struggled by trying to make the story fit the photos at times. I thought the vintage photographs were good and creepy. The story did have some unexpected twists for me, which I love not being able to figure the ending out too quickly.
I thought the author did a wonderful job describing things so I had a pretty decent visual of how things looked. Some of the characters fell a little flat for me. I wish they were developed a bit more, although Jacob was a very believable character. I think I would have enjoyed the story more in audio format with a picture catalog to go along with it. Overall I thought it was a good book and I will most likely read the next book if and when one is published.
3.75/5
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Review: Three Maids For A Crown by Ella March Chase
Three Maids for a Crown: A Novel of the Grey Sisters
by Ella March Chase
Goodreads Description
In the second novel from Ella March Chase, we meet sixteen-year-old Jane Grey, a quiet and obedient young lady destined to become the shortest reigning English monarch. Her beautiful middle sister Katherine Grey charms all the right people--until loyalties shift. And finally Lady Mary Grey, a dwarf with a twisted spine whose goal is simply to protect people she loves--but at a terrible cost.
In an age in which begetting sons was all that mattered and queens rose and fell on the sex of their child, these three girls with royal Tudor blood lived under the dangerous whims of parents with a passion for gambling. The stakes they would wager: their daughters' lives against rampant ambition.
In an age in which begetting sons was all that mattered and queens rose and fell on the sex of their child, these three girls with royal Tudor blood lived under the dangerous whims of parents with a passion for gambling. The stakes they would wager: their daughters' lives against rampant ambition.
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Review
This story about the Grey sisters is told from alternating points of view between the three of them. Jane, the quiet, obedient one; Katherine, the beautiful one; Mary, the neglected handicapped one. I'm so glad that the author wrote this way because it gave me a chance to put my feet into the shoes of each of the sisters. My favorite character was Mary Grey, who seemed to be the most developed so I felt as if I could really feel where she was coming from.
Ella March Chase did a fantastic job taking me back in time so much so that I would forget that history can't be changed and I found myself on edge hoping that Jane would be set free! It got so intense for me and let me tell you, I would hate to have lived during those times, especially at court with all the greed and struggle for power. Yikes! I can't imagine my parents putting me in harms way just to further their own status. If ever there was a need for child protective services, it was back then.
If you love historical fiction or if it's a new genre for you, I recommend you read this engaging well written story about royalty, greed and paranoia.
5/5
Ella March Chase did a fantastic job taking me back in time so much so that I would forget that history can't be changed and I found myself on edge hoping that Jane would be set free! It got so intense for me and let me tell you, I would hate to have lived during those times, especially at court with all the greed and struggle for power. Yikes! I can't imagine my parents putting me in harms way just to further their own status. If ever there was a need for child protective services, it was back then.
If you love historical fiction or if it's a new genre for you, I recommend you read this engaging well written story about royalty, greed and paranoia.
5/5
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