Lois Lane: Fallout

By Gwenda Bond

Lois Lane is starting a new life in Metropolis. An Army brat, Lois has lived all over—and seen all kinds of things. (Some of them defy explanation, like the near-disaster she witnessed in Kansas in the middle of one night.) But now her family is putting down roots in the big city, and Lois is determined to fit in. Stay quiet. Fly straight. As soon as she steps into her new high school, though, she can see it won’t be that easy. A group known as the Warheads is making life miserable for another girl at school. They’re messing with her mind, somehow, via the high-tech immersive videogame they all play. Not cool. Armed with her wit and her new snazzy job as a reporter, Lois has her sights set on solving this mystery. But sometimes it’s all a bit much. Thank goodness for her maybe-more-than-a-friend, a guy she knows only by his screenname, SmallvilleGuy…

Superhero nerd that I am, I’m always willing to try out a decent sounding incarnation of a comic. I’ve never been a fan of Lois Lane. I was always a little dumbfounded why Superman/Clark Kent fell for such an abrasive and annoying woman. I mean, Superman is a symbol of pure goodness (or is supposed to be). The least annoying (and most accurate) version of Lois Lane to me was Teri Hatcher’s Lois from “Lois and Clark” and even then she felt off. I like to keep an open mind, so when this young adult version of Lois Lane’s origins popped up on my Goodreads account I was more than willing to bite.

Lois as a sixteen-year-old character was done surprisingly well. She’s a girl who has moved twice as many times as she is old, and has had to build up a thick wall of protection, and not just because her Dad is a general and makes sure his daughters know how to look out for themselves. She desperately wants friends, but not just any friends, people who ‘get’ her. She’s driven, ambitious, and she wants the truth. She wants everybody to have a fair shot.

Que a new school and a chance to help a girl who is being bullied, and Lois jumps all over it, even if it goes against her new motto of flying under the radar. The plot gets trippy as we’re introduced to futuristic tech with holograms and games that can literally change neurons in your brain to help it feel more realistic. (which I kinda wanted to play, and kinda hope never happens) Let the mind games begin. Lois, being Lois, is offered a job by none other than Perry White himself at a high school online newspaper called the Scoop, a subsidiary of the Daily Planet. Lois feels like she’s finally found her calling, and is desperately trying to help her new friends, the first friends she’s had since grade school, without them thinking she’s a complete psychopath for believing that there is ‘more out there’. Que her best friend, whom she hasn’t met IRL, and doesn’t actually know his real name: SmallvilleGuy. She meets him on a conspiracy website after witnessing the impossible one night in Kansas with her father. SmallvilleGuy believes in the impossible, and wants to help this girl who is always getting into trouble. Lois is dying to know, who is this guy really?

This was fun to read, I devoured it in about two days. It was action oriented, had a good amount of tension, a little sci-fi, and the beginnings of something *ahem* great. If you like comic books and Superman, you’ll like this modern retelling of a heroine worthy of the most iconic superhero in the world. This is the Lois Lane I can see being with the Man of Steel.

I give it a 3.75 out of 5 (though close to a 4 for the genre) 

Perfect State

By Brandon Sanderson

God-Emperor Kairominas is lord of all he surveys. He has defeated all foes, has united the entire world beneath his rule, and has mastered the arcane arts. He spends his time sparring with his nemesis, who keeps trying to invade Kai’s world.

Except for today. Today, Kai has to go on a date.

Forces have conspired to require him to meet with his equal—a woman from another world who has achieved just as much as he has. What happens when the most important man in the world is forced to have dinner with the most important woman in the world?

Wow. This. Was. Awful. Okay, clarification time. The premise and the plot was amazing as per usual with Brandon Sanderson, I was blown away once I figured out what was going on, which was a weird hybrid of dystopia and high fantasy. I was strongly reminded of The Matrix. After reading the above summary it was jarring to discover the actual genre (which was far from what is described, but there isn’t really a way to describe what he wrote!) My beef with this novella was the underlying plot, and it’s mostly because I was disappointed that Sanderson wrote something that to my mind was sex-driven. I was irritated at the nudity and I felt awful after I finished. I’m the biggest supporter of Elantris and I was flabbergasted with the world building and plotline of Mistborn, I love Legion and Skin Deep, but this was just…ugh. I didn’t like Kai. I didn’t like any of them. It was just the sexual stuff that completely threw me. I hope that Sanderson isn’t going to fall into the adult fantasy trap of feeling the need to write about sex and rape. This was just…disappointing.

I give it a 3 out of 5 (All for the plot and world building.)

The Silent Stars Go By

By Dan Abnett

The winter festival is approaching for the hardy colony of Morphans, but no one is in the mood to celebrate. They’re trying to build a new life on a cold new world, but each year gets harder and harder. It’s almost as if some dark force is working against them. Then three mysterious travelers arrive out of the midwinter night, one of them claiming to be a doctor. Are they bringing the gift of salvation or doom? And what else might be lurking out there, about to wake up?

Being the enormous Doctor Who fan that I am, how could I not try out at least one novel about the Doctor and his companions? This is a novel featuring 11^th doctor (Matt Smith) and companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams. I was pretty impressed with Dan Abnett’s version of the very popular television characters, I was able to hear their voices with most of the dialogue, especially Rory. This is a fun little Christmas on an alien planet story featuring (of course) a perilous adventure and a new civilization of people who need…a Doctor. You’ve got good aliens, and bad aliens, a mystery to solve in order to save everyone, and the Doctor being his crazy genius self. It was great fun to read and I enjoyed reading a story about the Doctor that was new and viable as a story I could see on the TV screen.

It gets a 3 out of 5 for average (which is great when you consider that this is a novelization of a television show)

And just in case you haven't seen any Doctor Who, this is a favorite clip of Matt Smith's Doctor. It's when he first becomes the doctor and he can't quite get the right food to help him regenerate properly...

Across a Star Swept Sea

By Diana Peterfreund

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo…is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

Here’s the second installment in the world of “For Darkness Shows the Stars”, set in a different part of the world from Eliot’s, this is the world of Persis Blake, aristocrat, socialite, vapid, and empty-headed…or is she? In this lovely sci-fi retelling of  The Scarlet Pimpernel, we see an intelligent and caring young woman risk everything to save those in danger of losing their minds to the new weaponized drug that is Reducing those born with their minds intact. While all this political play is going on, Persis’s best friend, who happens to be Royalty, asks her a favor: look after Justen Helo, a refugee and prodigy in his chosen field of science and medicine. Persis’s secret comes at a cost when she begins to fall for the passionate, and secretive Justen. Justen is smart and observant, and can’t seem to understand why a girl who is obviously almost as intelligent (maybe more) than he is would pretend to be otherwise. Persis doesn’t know what to do with the young Helo when she discovers secrets about him, because she wants more than anything to be able to trust him. This is a great retelling of a fantastic classic, and a great addition to a spectacular world that the author has created. My only difficulty with this book was centered on the relationship between Justen and Persis and the scenes where they are swimming and making out. As per usual, this kind of thing makes me uncomfortable, so I like to warn people when it occurs, in case there are other hyper-sensitive people out there. Other than that very small issue, this book was fantastic and lovely.

4.25 out of 5

Fox Forever

By Mary E. Pearson

Locke Jenkins has some catching up to do. After spending 260 years as a disembodied mind in a little black box, he has a perfect new body. But before he can move on with his unexpected new life, he’ll have to return the Favor he accepted from the shadowy resistance group known as the Network.

Locke must infiltrate the home of a government official by gaining the trust of his daughter, seventeen-year-old Raine, and he soon finds himself pulled deep into the world of the resistance—and into Raine’s life.

 

So I was very anticipatory of this series after reading the first book “The Adoration of Jenna Fox” which was, in a word, amazing. The second book I didn’t like as much, it took on a darker tone and was told from Locke’s point of view instead of Jenna’s. But I still was invested enough to read this last installment, and was quite pleased. It still didn’t have the same punch as the first book, but it was great in its own right. It’s got the almost obligatory love story, but it tackles some interesting issues—mainly the question “what is it to be human?” Locke is a great character and very well written and believable as a teenager turned bio-miracle. Raine is interesting and their connection was well done, not over done and not treated lightly. The plot was a little see-through to me, as I knew what was going on from almost the first few pages. IT was still enjoyable and I’d recommend fans of the series to read this last book.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5- it was above average and fun to read.

The War of the Worlds

By H.G. Wells

Something has just landed in the country fields, and unidentifiable object that causes quite a stir. When it begins to move, the people, curious as ever wait with baited breath to see who could be inside. What ensues is a terrifying account of a Martian invasion told in the perspective of a man who saw it all from beginning to end.

 

Oh H.G. Wells, I’m sure this book was the height of science fiction in its day, but I was so bored. It was so over-worded and long winded that I felt it could’ve been made into a sufficient short story vs. a full bred novel. More than half of the book was spent running around the English countryside staring at the giant metal Martians burning things with its laser vision and spent in exposition about trivial things. Honestly, I can tell you precisely what happens in 3 sentences without feeling like I’ve left anything of importance out. I really do feel like this is a period-piece rather than a long-standing piece. It was hard to muddle through, but I was determined to do it. The end had more punch to it and was more exciting, but about 75-100 pages in the middle were just painful to get through because of the sheer wordage.

 

I give this a 2.5 out of 5

W.A.R.P The Reluctant Assassin

By Eoin Colfer

Riley, an orphan living in Victorian London, has had the misfortune of being apprenticed to Albert Garrick, a former illusionist turned murderer, who now uses his conjuring skills to gain access to his victims’ dwellings. On one such escapade, Garrick brings his reluctant assistant along and urges him to commit his first killing. Riley is saved from having to complete the grisly act when the intended prey turns out to be a scientist from the future, part of the FBI’s Witness Anonymous Relocation Program (WARP). Riley is unwittingly transported via wormhole to modern-day London—with Garrick close on his heels.

In modern London, Riley is aided by Chevron Savano, a seventeen-year-old FBI agent. Together, Riley and Chevie must evade Garrick, who has been fundamentally altered by his trip thought the wormhole. Garrick is now not only evil, but he also possesses all of the scientist’s knowledge. He is determined to track down Riley and use the Timekey in Chevie’s possession to literally change the world.

 

I was pretty excited when I found out Eoin Colfer was writing another series for young adults. I loved Artemis Fowl (with a little less enthusiasm for some of the later books) and had fun reading Half Moon Investigations, The Supernaturalist, Airman, and The Wish List. Eoin Colfer is a fun writer with twisting plots and charismatic characters. WARP was a fun creation with Time Travel at its center. I was wishing I knew a few more details about Victorian London so I’d know what Colfer invented and what was fact.  This book seemed to me to combine some of the historical vibe from Airman and the sci-fi of both Artemis Fowl and The Supernaturalist.  The two protagonists were interesting and fun. Riley is a 14-year-old kid who is just trying to survive to eat his next meal, while keeping his guardian from killing his assistant (him). He has many talents thanks to his master, who taught him skills in fighting, lock-picking, thieving, and illusions. On the other side of the century is Chevron Savano, also an orphan and California native with Native American roots and a full training skill set from Quantico. When these two meet, and Riley’s mentor kills Chevie’s, they find themselves allied out of need and on the run to prevent the devil incarnate from changing history for the worse. This was a solid adventure, with some grisly details of stabbings and murders. There was a little mention of Jack the Ripper and I found myself scrunching up my face in distaste at the horrible person that Garrick is. I have high hopes for the next books in the series.

 

This was a 3 out of 5- average, good, exciting, but not ‘spectacular’

Variant

By Robison Wells

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

 

This book killed me; in a good way.  It was fairly typical of the popular teen genres, but with some pretty awesome twists. I was surprised and impressed with the twist that I didn’t see coming until the axe fell. It did remind me quite a bit of Dashner’s The Maze Runner, being quite violent at times and involving teens.  A lot like Lord of the Flies too from what I know of the novel (I’ve yet to read it, but I’m sure I’ll get to it someday). Honestly, it’s one of those series that I’m kind of ticked that I started because I don’t want to keep reading because of the violence factor in it, but I want so bad to figure out what happens! I was still kind of confused when it ended and wondered about a few things. It’s a great book for people who enjoyed books like The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games.

 

I give it a 3.75 out of 5 because the twist truly surprised me.

The Fox Inheritance

By Mary E. Pearson

Once there were three. Three friends who loved each other—Jenna, Locke, and Kara. And after a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, their three minds were kept alive, spinning in a digital netherworld. Even in that disembodied nightmare, they were still together. At least at first. When Jenna disappeared, Locke and Kara had to go on without her. Decades passed, and then centuries.

Two-hundred and sixty years later, they have been released at last. Given new, perfect bodies, Locke and Kara awaken to a world they know nothing about, where everyone they once knew and loved is long dead.

Everyone except Jenna Fox.

I loved The Adoration of Jenna Fox, so I was pretty excited to read the next installment. Like many books that I greatly enjoy the sequel didn’t quite live up to its predecessor. It had more gloom and desperation in it that brought the entire feel of the book to a different place than the first novel. The themes were very adult, Kara was the most manipulative person I’ve read in literature for a while and I hate that-so I guess that was good if you looks at it that way. Locke was a confused kid who took most of the novel trying to figure out how to love both of his friends without betraying one of them. It was sad and hard. That being said, most of my miff with this sequel is that it was so sad and hard to read. Not that it was badly written, just difficult. The first book had some incredible themes in it and it was fantastically written and handled, but it had hope throughout and plenty of humanity. This second one calls humanity into question and deals with much bigger questions. All in all, it’s a great book, but it just got too heavy for me at times. And with that, I’m still going to read the last book because the characters are great and I want to know what happens.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5 because it was well-conceived and written, despite my gloom after finishing it.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

By Mary E. Pearson

Who is Jenna Fox?

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a year-long coma, and she’s still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it. Her parents show her home movies of her life, her memories, but she has no recollection. Is she really the same girl she sees on the screen?  Little by little, Jenna begins to remember. Along with the memories come questions—questions no one wants to answer for her. What really happened after the accident?

 

Okay, wow. It’s been a while since I’ve been so engrossed in a story. The tone of this novel is mature and the questions of morality and what makes us human is fantastic. Jenna is an amazing character, as her memories return and she comes to understand what happened to her and the mysteries begin to unfold, we see her progress and become increasingly invested in her story and her future. This novel reminded me a lot of the sort of tone and message of novels like “The House of the Scorpion” by Nancy Farmer, and “The Giver” by Lois Lowry, both of which are incredible books. I was so impressed by the quality of the writing and the depth of the story and message, I eagerly await the next books and hope they are of the same caliber. I can’t recommend this book enough for those who have enjoyed the above books and enjoy science fiction books that focus on dystopian like futures with questionable morality. It’s wonderful, and while it is the first in a series, it can easily stand alone.

 

I give it a 4.25 out of 5

Dangerous Voices

By Rae Carson

Errik has been a prisoner—and alone—for a long, long time. He lives for the moment each day when the window of his dungeon cell shines a bit of light onto his bearded face. But everything changes when he gets a new neighbor, a young girl with a voice as beautiful as springrise. They both know the rules: No singing. No speaking. Voices are dangerous. But they can’t help themselves. And soon enough, Errik begins to remember himself, why he’s here in this dark place, and why his captors will stop at nothing to ensure his silence.

 

This is a short story that I found for free on Amazon that I really liked. It was unclear on quite a few things, like why exactly they were in prison, which you have to hazard a guess at toward the end, but Ms. Carson gives you enough that you can make fairly good guesses to what happens, but that isn’t what she focuses on and what is most important. This is a story about being true to yourself and the things that make you who you are no matter who tries to cage you or control your actions. It really is beautiful and well done. I enjoyed it and highly recommend grabbing it on amazon. It’s free and fantastic. I definitely want to read some of her other work now.

 

I give it a 4 out of 5 for being hauntingly beautiful.

Ender's Game

By Orson Scott Card

 In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race’s next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn’t make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender’s skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in Zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender’s two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.


This book has literally been on my 'to read' list for at least ten years. I finally got to it around Thanksgiving and was pretty floored by this book. If you haven't heard of it, it won a couple medals and people tend to either love this book or hate it, which is pretty telling that it is a book that gets a lot of discussion. I was pretty surprised at the load of profanity in this book, but it does lend itself to the story and what is going on, not that I'm excusing it, it still bothered me a great deal. It's really hard to see Ender as such a little kid through the whole book, what with his being a super genious and all the kids in this book being smarter than Einstein. I guess that's part of the fantasy, and the eventual horror. I had no clue what was going to happen and was shocked to say the least at some of the 'reveals' at the end of the novel. Holy smokes. It takes quite the story to get me going like that, and Mr. Card outdid himself on that front. It is apparent from the first pages why this book is contriversial, and why it has won so many awards. This is a book about belonging, about growing up, and about society and war. It's about a whole lot of things and anyone who reads it can find something to latch onto. It's pretty amazing. That being said, I had mixed feelings when I read the last pages. I couldn't stop thinking about it, but I was sad as I finished and more than a little disappointed in the future Mr. Card painted. There was hope, but it was bleak throughout, and I had a hard time swallowing it. But, that in itself, is a sign of what superb writing, and touching story he was able to write. And it only took someone twenty years to make this book into a movie...I just found out it's being made into a movie coming out this summer. We'll see how it goes, looks promising when they cast Harrison Ford.

I give it a 4 out of 5 for excellece, even though I felt a slight emotional scaring by the end.

Son

By Lois Lowry

 

They called her Water Claire. When she washed up on their shore, no one knew that she came from a society where emotions and colors didn’t exist. That she had become a Vessel at age thirteen. That she had carried a Product at age fourteen. That it had been stolen from her body. Claire had a son. But what became of him she never knew. What was his name? Was he even alive? She was supposed to forget him, but that was impossible. Now Claire will stop at nothing to find her child, even if it means making an unimaginable sacrifice.


Anyone who has read "The Giver" agrees that it is an incredible book; though some people don't think it is appropriate for children. I personally would let kids read it because of the message. Well, I devoured "Gathering Blue" and "The Messenger" after I found out they were set in the same world. To my delight I just found out before it was released that "Son" is the ending of this series. Wow did it need this book! It ties things together that seemed vague or loose and I was very pleased to find Jonas and Gabe again and to get to know Claire. She is an incredible character whom I fell in love with almost immediately. Now all I want is another short story to know whether Claire was able to go back and be with the man she fell for on the island...won't spoil it for you! Claire is brave and determined to find her son, and goes through everything imaginable just to find him again. Read about her journey, you won't regret it.

I give it a 4 out of 5- Above average, and finally some answers to questions in the previous books!

Michael Vey: The Rise of Elgen

By Richard Paul Evans

 Michael, Taylor, Ostin, and the rest of the Electroclan have escaped from the Elgen Academy in Pasadena and are headed back to Idaho to plain their next move. But what’s waiting for them there will change everything.

After using their wits and powers to narrowly escape and Elgen trap, a mysterious voice leads the Electroclan to the jungles of Peru in search of Michael’s mother. Once there, they discover that Dr. Hatch and the Elgen are far more powerful than anyone realizes; entire countries have begun to fall under their control. Only the Electroclan and an anonymous voice now stand in the way of the Elgen’s plan for global domination.

But is the voice that Michael is following really an ally, or is it just another Elgen trap?


This is the second book in the Michael Vey series and it was just as fun as the first. It was a little slower to start with, but only a little. Mr. Evans doesn't wait long to throw you into the next heart-stopping escape or rescue attempt for the electroclan. This book centers around the rescue of Michael's mother, and brings up more mysteries and has one heck of a cliffhanger...thanks! I hate having to wait with a cliffhanger. I decided that while reading this installment, it really reminds me a lot of James Patterson's Maximum Ride series, but (in my humble opinion) much better in that it has more depth of story and character. It isn't just a pulp fiction ride, at least it doesn't feel that way.  It's not philisophical by any means, but it does have its moments of teen insight. Fun book and probably a great buy for your young boy readers, though there is some kissy kissy. (Just a bit of fair warning for the cootie believer). 

I give it a 3 1/2 out of 5 

On a Pale Horse

By Piers Anthony

 When Zane shot Death, he learned, too late, that he would have to assume his place, speeding over the world riding his pale horse, and ending the lives of others. Sooner than he would have thought possible, Zane found himself being drawn into Satan’s plot. Already the Prince of Evil was forging a trap in which Zane must act to destroy Luna, the woman he loved…unless he could discover the only way out…

 

 

So I've heard that Piers Anthony is one of the names in Science fiction, so I wanted to give him a go, and found this very intriguing book about Death personified. Well...um, I hated it. Mostly. There was lots in it that I found very interesting, but it was overwhelmed with depictions of topless women, naked women, lots of naked women. Thanks. I needed that.  I was tempted to just drop the book on the first happenstance, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope that there was some redeeming quality to the book. Nope. Not enough to justify the pornography in it. I know I'm probably being harsh by some people's standards, but honestly, it wasn't necessary to the plot. I can see one reference being helpful to the plotline of Satan's evil, but holy cow, do you have to dwell on it? Anyway, I sorta have blacked out this book in my mind as having one or two good points to about a million strange and gross ones.

 

I give it a 1 out of 5 (just because I found no value at all)

For Darkness Shows the Stars

By Diana Peterfreund

 It’s been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family’s estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionalist is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot’s estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret—one the could change their society… or bring it to its knees. And again, she’s facedc with a choice: cling to what she’s been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she’s ever loved, even if she’s lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion, this is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.


Love. Love love love. This book was great. I was hoping with such a beautiful title and the premise that it was based off of Persuasion that it would be good, and I for once was not disappointed! Yay! I finally found a good one! I have been reading classic 'rewrites' for a while in the hopes of finding something new, but familiar and found garbage and mediocrity. Diana Peterfreund does what I wanted them all to do: She took the theme and then did whatever the heck she wanted with everything else! The love story is similar, but slightly different, which I appreciated, because that is the best thing about Persuasion. But holy smokes, the plot, the setting, the characters are all unique and equally thrilling. It's set in a science fiction future where there was a reduction of humans becuase there was too much messing around with humanity that resulted in severely retarded generation of humans who cannot talk or understand anything but the simplest commands. I love that the book has such a gripping history and it isn't all about the love story, it just makes it more personal for everyone included. My only beef with it was that she had Eliot and Kai so young. I was hoping they'd be older, like in Persuasion. It worked though. I'm torn between wanting a sequel, and afraid that a sequel will just ruin this perfectly good stand-alone. Anywho, if you like sci-fi and romance, and a little Jane Austen inspiredness, I definately recomend this book. Deep characters, great plot, and intriguing world.

I give it a 4 out of 5

Mortal Engines

By Phillip Reeve

 

Welcome to the astounding world of Mortal Engines! London is hunting again. Emerging from its hiding place in the hills, the great Traction City is chasing a terrified little town across the wastelands. Soon, London will feed. In the attack, Tom Natsworthy is flung from the speeding city with a murderous scar-faced girl. They must run for their lives through the wreckage—and face a terrifying new weapon that threatens the future of the world.



Cool beans. That is how I feel about this book by Phillip Reeve. I've been meaning to pick up something by Mr. Reeve for a few years now, and I'm glad I grabbed this one. It was awesome. I loved his world that was full of Traction Cities; cities built on huge moving parts that roved around eating smaller cities and towns. His story was great; a story about friendship, revenge, murder, love, freedom, and truth. It has everything! Action, adventure, great characters that I could immediately love or hate then change my mind when I found out more about them. Tom was a great main character, a sort of everyman for the reader to latch onto. Hester was a kind of pitiable tragic character, but by no means weak or damsel in distress material. I loved their relationship and how it goes from her trying to kill him, to them needing each other, to them liking each other, to wanting each other. It was great and very natural. Love love love it! Can't wait until the library gets the next book in the series so I can check it out! It's never there when I go. :(

I give it a solid 4 out of 5  great science fiction/steam punk feel.

Worldshaker

By Richard Harland

 Col Porpentine understands how society works: The elite families enjoy a comfortable life on the Upper Decks of the great juggernaut Worldshaker, and the Filthies toil Below Decks. Col’s grandfather, the superme Commander of Worldshaker, is grooming Col as his successor.

Used to keep Worldshaker moving, Filthies are like animals, unable to understand language or think for themselves. Or so Col believes before he meets Riff, a Filthy girl on the run who is clever and quick. If Riff is telling the truth, then everything Col has been told is a lie. And Col has the power to do something about it—even if it means risking his whole future.


This book was surprisingly awesome. I was expecting a run-of-the mill steampunk novel with lots of mechanics and some strange ethics. There were both, but also a few nice surprises that I appreciated and enjoyed about this novel. I didn't know this was a series when I picked it up, but I recently got my hands on the second installment and I'll let you know if it's worth picking up. This book can stand alone if you just want something fun to read. Col is a character who, like most of us, has ideas of what he'd like the world to be like, but has a hard time making those ideas reality. The more he finds out about what the truth really is, the more he realizes that things should change, but how can he turn his back on everything? On his future? It takes this kid a long time and a huge shove to get him to act, which is how most people are I think. I liked Col. Riff was a little harder to understand, but mysterious and strong which balances Col very well. Gread read if you like science fiction/steampunk novels.

I give it a 3 1/2 out of 5

The House of the Scorpion

By Nancy Farmer


At his coming-of-age party, Matteo Alacran asks El Patron’s bodyguard, “How old am I?...I know I don’t have a birthday like humans, but I was born.”

“You were harvested,” Tam Lin reminds him. “You were grown in that poor cow for nine months and then you were cut out of her.”

To most people around him, Matt is not a boy, but a beast. A room full of chicken litter with roaches for friends and old chicken bones for toys is considered good enough for him. But for El Patron, lord of a country called Opium—a strip of poppy fields lying between the U.S. and what was once called Mexico—Matt is a guarantee of eternal life. El Patron loves Matt as he loves himself for Matt is himself. They share identical DNA.

As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister, grasping cast of characters, including El Patron’s power-hungry family. He is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards and by the mindless slaves of Opium.

 
 
First thing look up. Do you see those medals? That is a pretty good indication that this book was fantastic and amazing. This book is one of those awesome creations that explores what being human is really about. This book is one great example of how fantasy and science fiction can create a great setting to get a great message across and get kids thinking outside the box about the power of choice and what it means to be accepted. While truly entertaining and engrossing, this book teaches. It follows the life of Matt, the clone of a druglord, and how he discovers who and what he is.  He grows up with everyone treating him like a dog; a disgusting dog.  Only his surrogate mother Celia and his on-loan bodyguard Tam Lin treat him like a real person. Even his only friend treats him more like a beloved pet than a person. This story takes place as Matt learns about the world around him and tries to figure out his place in it.  It's set in a sort of fuzzy future, but it's more about Matt than about any calamitous future, so the details offered are just enough. The characters are wonderful and genuine- good and bad. Great read, so glad I found this one.
 
4 out of 5

Under the Never Sky

By Veronica Rossi
Since she’d been on the outside, she’d survived an Aether storm, she’d had a knife held to her throat, and she’d seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as the Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.



So, I read this one because it seemed interesting and it was recommended on my Kindle for me to read, so here I dropped into the land of virtual reality and weird electrical storms and strange savage hunters with weird powers. It was actually fairly interesting though uncomfortable as they hinted about sex and such throughout, and then came the actual sex scene toward the end and I was harrumphing around the house for a few days, disgusted. It wasn’t just the fact that I HATE bedroom scenes, it was the fact that the stupid girl consented knowing that it wouldn’t work out and that it didn’t matter because they knew she couldn’t get pregnant. Lovely message for teenagers people. Lovely. Good grief. If that doesn’t bug you, I grudgingly say go ahead and read it, it’s okay for a dystopian romance.


2 out of 5 for me.