Archive for young adult

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

By Ree
Monday, September 19th, 2011

Across the Universe by Beth RevisTitle: Across the Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: January 11, 2011
Hardcover: 416 pages

Where’d I Get It: Library

Synopsis (From Goodreads): Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone – one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship – tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

My Thoughts: Have you ever read Ringworld by Larry Niven?  I have, and I loved the books. I think Ms. Revis has, as well. Now, I could be wrong (obviously I definitely do not have any insider information on what Ms. Revis has or has not read in her lifetime), but I’m fairly certain that I can detect quite a few parallels to Mr. Niven’s books.  Now…I’m not implying she stole the story.  I’m not saying anything negative, in fact.  I’m merely saying that I think this book could have been at least partially influenced by bits and pieces of the Ringworld series of books.  There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?  As C.C. Colton said, “Imitation is the sincerest [form] of flattery”.

Enough of that.  Let’s get to the nitty gritty of things.  Our main characters are Elder, the future leader of the spaceship upon which this story takes place, and Amy; She’s  ”nonessential cargo”.  Amy’s parents are also cargo, though not nonessential, and a cryogenically preserved while waiting for said spaceship to reach its destination.  There’s quite a few others waiting in a popsicle-like state in the cargo bit of the ship – 97 others, in fact.  So we have a ship full of people who have been traveling from point A to point B for a -very long time-, an up and coming new leader, a few crazies thrown in for good measure, and a plot that’s been done a few times before.  But that’s OKAY! Why? Because Beth Revis makes it seem fresh.  Also, this particular book is written in such a way that the younger crowd can really get into it.  It’s not quite so deep that you have to ponder for hours over it. It is, however, fun.

The chapters change character perspective throughout the book and honestly, I felt as though the book suffered a bit for this.  The voices of Amy and Elder sound oddly similar and that, to me, was a bit disappointing.  Perhaps if they were more noticeably different, the alternating voices would have worked.

All in all I feel the book was decently written, but it’s not one of my favorites. Enjoyable, yes; It’s a fun, light read.

I’ll read the sequel.  I’ll probably even like the sequel.  In the meantime, though, I’m going to go re-read Ringworld and its sequels and prequels, ’cause Across the Universe made me miss it.

Rating: 3 of 5

To Purchase this book:  Amazon – Barnes & Noble - The Book Depository
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Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

By Ree
Monday, April 11th, 2011

Title: Angelfire Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: February 15, 2011
Hardcover: 464 pages
Where’d I Get It: eGalley

Synopsis (From Goodreads): This debut, the first novel in a trilogy, is achingly romantic, terrifying, and filled with blistering action.
When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers – monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell – she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul…

My Thoughts: At the beginning of this debut novel, we are introduced to Ellie and what appears to be the typical life of a typical teenager.  It’s this first bit of writing that kept my interest – not so much because the information was riveting (remember, typical and typical) but because the writing was such that the typical -sounded- good. (Or read well…whatever you like.) It’s in chapter one that we’re introduced to most of the supporting characters in the book, and in chapter two that we first begin to see that maybe Ellie isn’t as much the typical teenager living in a typical world as we first believe.

Now, I could go on and on about the things that I liked about this book, but I feel like I’d eventually get too spoilery and, as usual, I’d like to avoid that.  The characters seem well though out, the writing flows, the plot appears to be solid and substantial, and in general it’s just a good read.  What I did find a -little- tedious are the fight scenes. While they’re just as well written as everything else, there are quite a few of them and after a while got a bit repetitive.  That doesn’t really take away from the story, though, so it’s not something I’m going to fuss overly much about.  Now, regarding religion…obviously since this story is about angelic things, there’s some religious talk in the book.  If you’re one to shy away from books with religion in them, you really should read this anyway.  There’s nothing pushy about the information within the story and it’s presented more like the lore in a fantasy novel rather than a bible study session.

I did enjoy reading this book quite a bit.  Ellie is fun, opinionated, and likable. Will is dashing and exciting.  A few of the other characters are ones that you’ll want to get to know better, but in this first book of the series I think the reader is given enough information on each to be temporarily (while waiting for book 2) satisfied.  By the way, Ms. Moulton’s use of foreshadowing is so utterly yummy that I could hug her.

Rating: 7 of 10

Bella Factor: No

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Bumped by Megan McCafferty

By Ree
Thursday, April 7th, 2011

Title: Bumped Bumped by Megan McCafferty
Author: Megan McCafferty
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: April 26, 2011
Hardcover: 336 pages
Where’d I Get It: eGalley

Synopsis (From Goodreads): When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

My Thoughts: Mmm, satire. How I heart thee…  and I kind of heart this book, because it’s filled to the brim with the beauty that is satirical writing.  Now, while I don’t believe this book was the best bit of literature ever written, I do believe it conveys an important message – extremes on issues such as teen pregnancy are a little asinine.

The nitty gritty on the book itself – well, I didn’t absolutely adore the writing style.  As far as grammatical errors, there was nothing that really made me cringe in horror.  The flow was decent.  But the voice…well, I just didn’t feel it.  Also, the pacing of the book was suuuuper slow.  I did not know until after I’d finished the book that it’s meant to be the first in a series, but even so – I really wish something more had happened within the 336 pages of text.  I’m not usually a fan of books that change perspective/narrator from chapter to chapter, but this one did so in a fairly tolerable manner.  It was also, obviously, necessary for the story – one twin is a part of an ultra-modern sex-is-a-good-thing subculture and the other is a part of an extremely religion oriented sex-after-marriage-only subculture.

As I said, this book is a work of satire, and Ms. McCafferty is mocking the EXTREMES that society has settled on.  Abstinence.  Ignoring Abstinence.  It doesn’t have to be one way or the other.  To me, at least, this book makes it quite obvious that some sort of middle ground needs to be found.  This could easily be a controversial book, and I’m not entirely sure what age bracket would get the most out of reading it, but I truly believe that the point made within its pages is a good one.  If you want to read a book full of fluff, this one isn’t for you.  If you want to read a book that will make you ponder for a while on an important issue, pick it up.  It’s an easy, fun read, so it should make that pondering quite tolerable for those who don’t want an intensely heavy story to plow through.

Rating: 6 of 10

Bella Factor: Not so much.

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Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

By Ree
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

Title: Unearthly Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Author: Cynthia Hand
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: January 04, 2011
Hardcover: 448 pages
Where’d I Get It: eGalley

Synopsis (From Goodreads): In the beginning, there’s a boy standing in the trees . . .
 Clara Gardner has recently learned that she’s part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn’t easy.
 Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there’s another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara’s less angelic side.
 As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she’d have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

My Thoughts: I’m feeling slightly up and down on Cynthia Hand’s Unearthly.  On one hand, I definitely liked Clara – she has a lot of depth and it’s obvious Ms. Hand took the time to really flesh her out.  On the other hand, I really feel the novel was plagued by a lot of filler and not a lot of actual substance.

That said, I did very much like this book.  Clara is a female protagonist I can get behind and understand.  She’s a “typical” teenager in that she does in fact ponder about how she’s going to fit in, how she’s going to cope with a new school, new life, new everything…and she even whimpers a bit over her orange hair.  She’s so REAL.  At the same time, she’s so much more than the “typical” female protagonists that seem to run rampant in a lot of today’s YA novels.  Clara is strong, decisive, and independent.  She’s not willing to let a boy treat her like dirt – she has enough self esteem and feelings of self worth to really KNOW what she deserves, and she’s not willing to settle for less than that.  I adore that about her.

The supporting characters – Angela, Wendy, Christian, Tucker, Jeffrey, and Clara’s mom – are all interesting on their own. Also interesting is the lore behind the Angels and angel-bloods and I definitely would like to read more about that.

The ending of Unearthly, I felt, is a bit abrupt – I was absolutely not prepared for it to end.  While I enjoy a good cliffhanger as much as the next person, this was more of a…cessation of words?  It comes down to there being a whole lot of build up and not a whole lot of resolution.

That’s ok, though. I’ll still patiently wait for the next in the series.

Rating: 6 of 10

Bella Factor: No.

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Firelight by Sophie Jordan

By Ree
Saturday, October 23rd, 2010

Title: Firelight Firelight by Sophie Jordan
Author: Sophie Jordan
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: September 7, 2010
Hardcover: 336 pages
Where’d I Get It: Purchased

Synopsis (From Goodreads): With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness leads her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.

My Thoughts: From the moment I found out that this book was oozing with Dragonish bits, I had to have it.  What can I say, I do love a good Dragon story.  I went in with low expectations, admittedly.  Not every author can pull off a good tale involving any kind of Dragon, especially not as unique an idea as the Draki in Sophie Jordan’s novel.  And, admittedly, the first few pages left me going -what?-…mostly because the sentences were just a tad too short and choppy for my liking.  Around the middle of the 1st chapter, though, Ms. Jordan finds her flow and the story bursts into something extraordinary.  Jacinda is a typical teenager, despite being, well…not a typical teenager.  She’s a strong female lead and she’s got a positive, level personality with focus and intent.  I kind of love her.  Her twin sister is a bit of a brat, but she has her reasons, and the mother is most definitely an interesting character.  We didn’t get to see too much of her this time, but I expect, given some hints in the story, that we will learn more in future novels.   Firelight is a story rich with detail, and most importantly – it’s detail that is relevant to the story itself.  There’s not a lot of fluff, and there is a whole lot of substance.  Definitely a good read, and I cannot wait for the sequel!

Rating: 8 of 10

Bellaesque Rating: Nope, don’t think so.  Jacinda is strong, independent, and while she has attachments to people (esp. Will), well…she’s not pathetically desperate.  I like that she can stand on her own two feet.

Giveaway of Signed Firelight Swag!

Thanks to dear Casey over at The Bookish Type and the lovely Sophie Jordan herself, some of us participating in the Fall Into Fantasy Fiesta of Fabulousness (ok so I added that last bit, but I couldn’t resist) are able to offer some signed Firelight Swag for our readers.  If you’d like to enter, please visit the link that I’ll provide below.  There’s chances for extra entries, but these are not required. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Giveaway Closed.  Winner will be announced shortly!

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Birthmarked by Caragh M. O’Brien

By Ree
Monday, October 18th, 2010

Title: Birthmarked Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien
Author: Caragh M. O’Brien
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Publication Date: March 30, 2010
Hardcover: 368 pages
Where’d I Get It: Library

Synopsis (From Goodreads): After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested.  Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned. Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code.

My Thoughts: I read this book through in one sitting, it was that interesting.  Immediately upon starting the book the reader is thrust straight into Gaia’s world – right as she is performing her first solo delivery, in fact.  The author has managed to capture the emotion of that moment, both the good and bad, without making it seem forced.  It remains so throughout the book, as the author’s writing simply flows forward into this remarkably well-paced story of love, learning, intrigue, and scandal.  What I especially loved about this novel was that O’Brien really did not pull any punches.  She’s not afraid to address birth, death, or relationships.  And though this is definitely a Young Adult novel, it’s written in such a way that adults can easily enjoy it – the language is not so simplistic that it makes you feel like you’re reading something meant for a 4th grader.  Also, I was really surprised to find out that this is the author’s debut novel – it certainly doesn’t read like one.  Best of all, the ending is set up perfectly for a sequel, so I’m hoping against hope that there’s one coming soon.  That said, though, it’s perfectly fine read as a standalone novel.  Lovely book!

Rating: 8 of 10

Bellaesque Rating: Not Bellaesque at all.  Gaia is marvelous.

I read this book as a part of the Young Adult Dystopian Challenge which can be found over at Bart’s Bookshelf.
I’m aiming for “Level 2″ which is 2-4 dystopian novels read between October 1st and December 19th.  This is the 1st one for the challenge.  I -love- dystopian stories!

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Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

By Ree
Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Title: Flowers for Algernon Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Author: Daniel Keyes
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date: June 2004
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Where’d I Get It: Library

Synopsis (From Barnes and Noble): Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence-a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon.

As the treatment takes effect, Charlie’s intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment appears to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance, until Algernon suddenly deteriorates. Will the same happen to Charlie?

My Thoughts: I first read this book in 7th or 8th grade.  For the life of me I cannot remember if I read it because I found it at the library or if it was required reading in class.  What I do remember is loving it.  I remember feel so terribly emotional, so deeply and profoundly affected.  Between then and now I’d mostly forgotten about this book, and it wasn’t until I stumbled upon it at the library a few weeks ago that I decided I must read it again.  Just seeing the title of the book brought back a rush of feeling that I could not ignore. The book very literally called to me, as sappy as that sounds.  I thought that reading it now, as an adult, that I would feel differently.  That I would relate differently.  Obviously I am better able to understand the implications of the scientific experimentation on humans (and animals) now, but the emotions – they are the same.  Charlie Gordon is a man who you can easily love, both before and after  his procedure.  This is a tale of love and acceptance.  It is heartbreaking and it is beautiful.  I am so very glad I picked it up again.

From the book:
“There are so many doors to open. I am impatient to begin.”
–Charlie Gordan”

I dare you to read it and -not- be moved.

Rating: 8 of 10

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Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

By Ree
Thursday, September 16th, 2010

Title:  Wondrous Strange Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
Author:  Lesley Livingston
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Publication Date:  September 22, 2009
Paperback: 352 pages
Where’d I Get It: Library

Synopsis (From Goodreads): 17 year-old Kelley Winslow doesn’t believe in Faeries. Not unless they’re the kind that you find in a theatre, spouting Shakespeare—the kind that Kelley so desperately wishes she could be: onstage, under lights, with a pair of sparkly wings strapped to her shoulders. But as the understudy in a two-bit, hopelessly off-off-Broadway production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, wishing is probably the closest she’s going to get to becoming a Faerie Queen. At least, that’s what she thinks… In this fun, urban fantasy, Kelley’s off-stage life suddenly becomes as complicated as one of Shakespeare’s plot twists when a nighttime trip to Central Park holds more than meets the mortal eye.

My Thoughts:  While I did enjoy the story, there were parts of it that I felt were rushed, and/or needed a bit more development.  I liked that Kelley was not immediately accepting of her new big life change, but I felt like after she accepted her fate, things began to move at a pace that was just too fast.  Some of the dialogue between characters (Kelley and her Aunt) is simply unbelievable and obviously contrived, and the relationship between Kelley and Sonny seemed a trifle forced. The perspective shifts some between Kelley and Sonny, but is done well enough that it isn’t obnoxious at all.  The ending was decent, though the major action literally took up around a page and I feel leaves the reader going “What? That’s it?”. That said, though, the story was entirely easy to read and easy to like. I’ll be reading the sequel, Darklight, for sure.

Rating: 7 of 10

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