Book Review: The Drowned Cities

Author: Paolo Bacigalupi
Series: Ship Breaker #2
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Pages: 437

Summary: In a dark future America where violence, terror, and grief touch everyone, young refugees Mahlia and Mouse have managed to leave behind the war-torn lands of the Drowned Cities by escaping into the jungle outskirts. But when they discover a wounded half-man--a bioengineered war beast named Tool--who is being hunted by a vengeful band of soldiers, their fragile existence quickly collapses. One is taken prisoner by merciless soldier boys, and the other is faced with an impossible decision: Risk everything to save a friend, or flee to a place where freedom might finally be possible.

This thrilling companion to Paolo Bacigalupi's highly acclaimed Ship Breaker is a haunting and powerful story of loyalty, survival, and heart-pounding adventure.

LC's Take:

Whoa. 

Um, where do I even start with this one? The Drowned Cities was one of the most intense and brutal stories I think I've ever read. This was one of those books that pretty much grabbed hold of me from the first few pages and left me completely breathless by the end-- it was a gripping and fast-paced story set in a war-torn world of both hope and desperation, and everything about it pushed the boundaries of YA fiction. Absolutely. Insane.

The story is set in a war-torn, post-apocalyptic world where society has basically broken down into decentralized rebel groups that live to kill each other off. Neither side ever really gains an advantage, and the resulting stalemate between these war groups has led to the world of The Drowned Cities-- crumbling ruins of a once productive civilization, now the center of hatred and death. (I know, real uplifting right??) But even though this wasn't exactly a cheerful read, I definitely appreciated the story because it was clearly well-thought out and even addressed what is happening in other areas of the world today. With it's rebel troops made up of soldier boys, and names like Army of God and the United Patriot Front, I was reminded of the political turmoil going on in Africa and other Third World countries. Mahlia and Mouse, the two main characters in this book, had to live out the realities of civil war and exploitation of children-- only in the book they face these scenarios in a nightmarish future version of America. The result was pretty terrifying, but also not too difficult to imagine...

Mahlia was an awesome main female character. And she was tough as nails. I'd even say that she was possibly tougher than Katniss, no joke. Her ability to fight in a world that is literally out to rip her to shreds and not give up when the odds are impossibly stacked against her was reason enough to read this book to the end. It was a constant struggle for her to not only survive, but also to not become like the monsters she's running from-- to maintain her humanity in a completely inhuman world. Katniss of course also had similar struggles, but there was something more desperate about Mahlia's situation. She's an orphan with no family, and her only one true friend becomes lost to the enemy, so the fact that she was still willing to fight and work up the courage to try and escape to safety and freedom was just mind-boggling! Mahlia's story was heart-breaking, but it was always laced with hope, which definitely kept me reading to the end.

I do have to warn everyone-- this was one extremely gory book-- the brutality of The Drowned Cities is not even remotely censored, and there were many scenes that left me cringing with how gruesome the descriptions were. I almost had to put it away at certain parts, to be perfectly honest. However, I think that a lot of the more horrific and grisly scenes were meant to really show the breakdown in society and how it had reverted to a barbarous place where there is a fine line between remaining human and becoming no better than an animal. The world-building-- although sometimes difficult to read about-- was complete, and vividly memorable.

As much as I can appreciate The Drowned Cities for its raw and uncensored portrayal of a post-apocalyptic world and its fully-developed characters, I have to admit that I didn't like it quite as much as I did Ship Breaker. It's only my personal preference, but I just enjoyed the world-building, characters, and story more in Ship Breaker than in this second YA book by Bacigalupi. However, I am definitely glad that I read this one, because it was a very refreshing break from the typical YA genres I read, and it really took risks and stepped outside the boundaries of what we usually expect from YA books. Definitely not for the faint at heart, I would recommend this book if you're looking for something a little more serious and a lot more uncensored than your typical YA... altogether, this was an unforgettable book, and absolutely worth checking out!

~Cover Talk~

I do like this book cover-- I think it really captures the dark grittiness and just the whole oppressive and dismal world of The Drowned Cities. I also really like how you can see Mahlia's eyes, hardened and defiant, at the top. This is one of those books that I would stop to check out just because it is so different from other YA covers with swooning female models or brighter colors, and I think that after reading the story, I like it even more.

LC's Rating:

A brutal and intense Post-Apocalyptic adventure, The Drowned Cities was filled with action, political turmoil, and memorable characters that kept me reading to the end. If you're looking for something really different (and aren't too squeamish when it comes to gory scenes) I would definitely put this one on your TBR list!

Check it out!

Book Review: The Selection

Author: Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: April
Pages: 327
Source: ARC from the publisher
Read it in: 3 days

Summary: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

LC's Take

[**NOTE: This review was not affected by online drama or controversy. Everything I have to say here is based on my own personal opinion about the book itself, even though I definitely think Cass needs a new publicist.]

[**NOTE #2: All the captions in the non-animated picture memes were made by me-- because, you know, I'm just THAT brilliantly witty. So please don't use them without asking my permission first. Thanks :)]

35 GIRLS. 1 CROWN. THE COMPETITION OF A LIFETIME.

Now with a story premise like that, honestly I thought it would take a lot to ruin this book for me. 35 girls all competing for one crown and the heart of one handsome prince? Sign me up and bring on the popcorn! However, The Selection turned out to be one of those unfortunate books that had about twenty-dozen little things in it that just aggravated the crap out of me, with the end result being that I was entertained by it for all the wrong reasons.

So first, a word about love triangles. I honestly don't mind them IF they are done well. But in this case, the love triangle was SO freaking forced, cliche, and angsty, I was ready to tear my hair out strand by strand. The whole thing between America, Aspen, and Maxon was just completely ridiculous, and the motivations behind their actions made absolutely no sense whatsoever. There were so many instances of juvenile misunderstanding, miscommunication, etc. that I'm not even going to bother going into specifics. All I have to say is: STOP TRYING TO MAKE THE LOVE TRIANGLE HAPPEN.

Moving on, America as a main character was just about two steps away from being completely intolerable. She was-- to put it simply-- extremely annoying (Highlight, underline, and bold extremely). I *might* have been able to stand her if all the little things that were supposed to make her seem like a fun and feisty redhead hadn't come across as painfully redundant and irritating. For example, she denies ad nauseum that she's beautiful even though she clearly is. She makes constant quips and remarks about the stuffy life that Maxon leads and he finds it to be cute (it's not). She's got the whole cliche tom-boy thing going on while every other girl is a Stepford clone-- It was just like, OK, I get it, she's one of those totally-gorgeous-but-she's-the-only-one-who-thinks-she's-not girls. And ironically? She stands out in the story because she's so "different" from the other girls, while simultaneously being about as cliche as they come.

As for the rest of the girls in the book? Well, let's just say that added to the exasperating America Singer, this book just made me hate girls. For real. Even more than ANTM.

And the guys weren't any better. Probably because they were about as manly as:

Sexy, right?

Prince Maxon was seriously one of the most awkward characters I've ever encountered-- and not in that adorable, hott kind of way either. In typical Disney prince fashion, he was so perfect and nice that I couldn't even take him seriously. He bored me to tears and was overly-sheltered to the point of being pathetic. And his behavior? It made NO SENSE. Let's review: America wrongly assumes that Maxon is about to rape her-- then she proceeds to knee him in the royal jewels-- then he pretty much brushes it off like a day later and goes back to let's-be-best-friends-because-I-don't-have-any mode. Seriously dude? I've never watched The Bachelor, but I'm pretty sure that if some strange girl told the guy that she had zero interest in him, that she was in love with somebody else, that she was only there for the food (no I'm not making this up) AND THEN wrongly accused him of being a rapist, I'm going to take a **wild guess** that he would've kicked her out of the mansion on the spot. I mean, that's a pretty serious way to offend someone, no?

But then when America tries to explain to him that Celeste the Biotch is sabotaging the rest of the girls, he throws a hissy fit, being all like, "YOU WILL RESPECT MAH AUTHORATAH!" -- and almost sends her home. Whhhhhaaaatttt???

Then there was Aspen, the chauvinistic jerk-wad who gets his panties all in a bunch when America tries to make him dinner and then immediately bails on her because he can't handle the helpless, little woman being the one providing for him. The guy seriously needed to grow a pair.

Another beef I had with this book was that I couldn't find any context for the kind of society that America Singer lives in. HOW did Illea come to be the way it is? What major events led up to the creation of a society where there's a monarchy, an eight-tiered caste system, and two different groups of rebel forces trying to bring it down? And why again was The Selection created?? (Vague explanation: it creates hope. okaaayyyy...) And don't even get me started on "The History Lesson" that was randomly thrown in, because it made absolutely NO SENSE (The American State of China? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA). Apparently there was a Third and Fourth World War where the US was invaded by China and then Russia because it couldn't pay off its massive debt. Riiiiiiiiiiight... Explain that one to me, please. In a nutshell, the "history lesson" that attempted to establish the world of Illea explained nothing.

So for me, it was difficult to find a connection to this world because it wasn't built on any solid foundation that would have made it remotely believable. And I'm sorry, but if a book can't manage to adequately explain how a society came to be and what the motivation is behind the ones leading it or trying to tear it down (**cough, cough** Matched! **cough, cough**), that for me is a major dystopian FAIL. In the end, I just had to take Illea for what it was-- a make-believe fairy-tale kind of setting that had no plausible explanation for why it exists or how it came to be.

Now if the long-awaited, delicious drama of a 35-girl competition had actually happened, I really wouldn't have cared about the absence of a thought-provoking dystopia. But where the heck was the crazy competition part of the story?? That whole Bachelor spin-off was the number one reason I was looking forward to reading this book in the first place! And the entire thing ended up being one big, sloppy mess. There were some random acts of cattiness and backstabbing, a few girls got kicked off, a few dresses got ruined, but hardly anything was explained and there was little to no build-up or suspense. What happened to--

Not only was there no drama, but I honestly couldn't have cared less about who got kicked off and who stayed. Note to the author: If you aren't going to even bother telling your readers WHO your characters are, WE AREN'T GOING TO GIVE A CRAP WHEN THEY GET BUMPED OFF. We have ZERO investment in them. So faceless, never-before-mentioned Girls #1, 2 and 3 got the ax? Umm, yeah don't care. No shock value. And Celeste the spoiled little rich girl? C'mon now, she was one big glaring stereotype and had about as much personality as a thumbtack. It was boring!! And one of the girls was named Tiny. I'm sorry, but how can I take a book seriously with character names like Tiny, Tuesday, King Clarkson, and Maxon Schreave? (Answer: I can't.)

So for me, the only thing that this book had going for it was that it was *mildly* entertaining in a mindless kind of way, and there was nothing about it that made me want to seriously punch a hole in the wall. But the rest was either very confusing or highly predictable. Everything from the characters, to the love triangle, to most of the outcomes of The Selection were all very easy to see coming from miles away. I'm sorry, but I really couldn't find anything about this book that was terribly exceptional or interesting and overall, I just wasn't impressed.

After this, I think I'll be picking up a book about killer dragons. Or bioengineered war beasts. That really sounds like a good idea right about now...

~Cover Talk~

The cover of this book is clearly eye-catching. But what I love about this book isn't the dress-- in fact, I think the dress is rather hideous if I'm going to be completely honest (sky-blue tulle ruffles?! Um, eew).  I actually love the graceful pose of the model on the cover, how her arm comes up to hide half of her face (even though Cass from Words on Paper observed that it looks like the chick is sniffing her arm pit which made me laugh) and I also like how you can see just glimpses of the other girls from The Selection in the background behind her. To me this is a really intriguing cover, and it definitely made me want to pick this one up, which... in hindsight... didn't work out all that well for me, but just the same, I am rather fond of the cover.

LC's Rating:

This book just fell flat as a pancake for me. The "dystopian" society had no context, the characters were stereotyped to death, the story was sloppy, and I couldn't make myself care about anything that happened in the competition. In the end, it was mildly entertaining, but nothing I'm going to remember in another month or two.

Book Review: Fever

Author: Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Series: The Chemical Garden #2
Release Date: February 16, 2012
Pages: 341
Read it in: Longer than you want to know, but it had nothing to do with actual book...

Summary: Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

LC's Take:

So I have to start by just saying that Lauren DeStefano seriously puts me into a trance with her writing, it's that flipping good. Her world-building and descriptive abilities are incredible, and she was easily able to carry me back into Rhine's world in this second book-- one that is both beautiful and disturbing at the same time.

Fever begins after Rhine has managed to escape from the mansion where she was being held captive as a "sister-wife," forced to marry and ideally produce children to make up for the deadly virus that has overtaken the population. Rhine and Gabriel are now on the run, to escape from Linden's sadistic father, Housemaster Vaughn, and find Rhine's twin back in Manhattan.

Rhine has matured in this book, and continues to grow and become stronger and more resilient throughout her journey back home. I really liked that she wasn't afraid to fight for her life and protect those she loves. Fever also helped me to come to better terms with Rhine's decision to leave the mansion in the first place-- I remember thinking while reading Wither, why the heck is she so upset with being chosen to be a sister wife? You know, besides the whole being-kidnapped-to-become-a baby-machine-thing, the gig wasn't so bad compared to how crap-tastic her life in Manhattan was before. I think that you really see in this book how Rhine starts questioning whether or not life in the mansion was so bad after all, and what price she has to pay to have any sort of "freedom" in the real world-- which in this case, is pretty dark and nightmarish, too.

Then we have Gabriel... OK, so it's not that I don't like him, I mean he's a nice guy, he's always there for Rhine, and he does what is right, but at the same time I find him to be sort of generic. Well, actually scratch that-- I find him to be dull as a doornail. It's almost like, OK, we have to have a male love interest in this book, so we'll throw in Gabriel and make him the perfect guy but not spend too much time giving him an actual personality or anything that would help me to connect and relate to him as a human being. And not JUST a human being, but one who has just been torn from the only world he's ever known to run away with a girl who has no clue what she's doing or what her ultimate goal is. Yes, he gets sort of pissy at some points in the book, but seriously dude, punch a wall or something! Gabriel just seems like more of a (boring) ideal than an actual person.

As for the other characters, Housemaster Vaughn proved himself once again to be one of the evilest evil villains ever, and his sadistic experiments and torturous procedures were pretty hideous. And yet, the guy does have a motive, which I have to give him credit for. It's refreshing because I feel like in so many YA books it's difficult to figure out what everyone's motive is and why they're doing what they do, but all of this is laid out pretty well. His son Linden is a ghost we hardly ever see, even more washed out and unmemorable than he was in the first book, and Cecily returns with all her sweet, sexy charm to try and help Rhine. And can I just say, I loved Maddie-- seriously she was probably my fave character of the whole book, because without speaking a word, she had so much personality and quirkiness and this creepy-cuteness, that I just couldn't help but love her.

I also really loved the parts having to do with Madame's carnival and I could literally picture every scene-- the prostitutes in the tents, the rusty Ferris wheel, the feeling of desperation underlying this supposedly magical place-- just the whole atmosphere of rot and decay underlying an illusion of youth and beauty, it really stuck with me. That, and the world-building took my breath away.

I guess my one major problem with Fever was that it suffered a little from S.B.S.-- also known as Second Book Syndrome. S.B.S. is characterized by little to no action in the plot line, scenes that drag on and on and seem to have very little point to the overall story, and few if any ground-breaking revelations or "aha!" moments that would otherwise break up the monotony of description and inner-dialogue. There were parts of this book that just seemed to drag on for pages and pages at a time, leaving me wondering when on earth the plot was going to finally pick up again, and when they were going to stop wandering aimlessly around. (It wasn't as bad as Crossed, AKA Matched #2, but it got close a few times.) The first part of the book was absolutely brilliant, no doubt-- I just wish that it could have kept with the fast-paced action and suspense that it started out with!

Altogether, Fever was a good installation in The Chemical Garden series, and Lauren DeStefano is such an incredible writer. Admittedly, I didn't find this second book to be as jaw-droppingly incredible as the first one, but it was still enjoyable. I guess the problem with amazing debut novels is that any book coming after has a lot to live up to. Fever was a good read, but I was so excited and expectant when I got my hands on it finally, that I was ultimately a little let down with the overall story. How do you think it compares to the first? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

~Cover Talk~

When I first saw this cover on Goodreads and other people's blogs I wasn't initially a fan, I guess because I thought the girl looked stoned or something, but once I got an actual copy in my hands, it took my breath away. And did I mention that UNDER the book jacket the actual bound book is hot pink?! Oh yeah, that gives it two thumbs up in my book any day. Not to mention that the overall design of this series so far is absolutely stunning-- the credits, title page, even the publication info on the inside has this amazing detail throughout that is just gorgeous and totally unique. If I were ever to have a book published, in my dreams it would look like this!

LC's Rating:

More beautiful writing and world-building, although somewhat slow about half-way through. Fever is another example of Lauren DeStefano's amazing ability to write, but the plot itself suffered a bit from Second Book Syndrome.

ARC Book Review: Article 5

Author: Kristen Simmons
Series: Article 5 #1
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: January 31, 2012
Pages: 384
Read it in: 5 days
Source: ARC received from the author

Summary: New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It’s hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

LC's Take:

So basically... I could not put this book down! I was hooked from the first chapter, I stayed up late into the night just to get a little further, I cried at one point, and I obsessively thought about it whenever I wasn't reading it. Yeah! Seriously, this is one book that you guys are going to want to have near the top of your To-Be-Read lists because I am still in awe at just how flipping phenomenal it was.

Article 5 takes place in a post-apocalyptic United States, right after a major war has devastated basically the entire country and caused all the major cities to be evacuated. Now a new government has taken over, replacing the Bill of Rights with a new law called The Moral Statutes-- everyone must comply with these incredibly strict laws or face worse than death. Ember Miller and her rebellious mom live together quietly until one day when soldiers from the Moral Militia come to their house and arrest her mom for breaking the Statutes. When Ember fights back, she is taken to a nightmarish Reform School for girls. It is now up to her to escape and save her mom... oh, and also come to terms with the fact that Chase, the only boy she has ever loved, was one of the soldiers who took her mother away.

Ember was an awesome main character-- she goes through so much that you really have to admire her strength and courage and how well she holds herself together. Whether it's watching her mom being dragged away by soldiers or being beaten by a sadistic school teacher or barely getting away from the creepiest psycho lady you will ever read about (OMG you'll know when you get to that part!), Ember never gives up on her goal of finding and saving her mother, and doing whatever she can to resist the cruel government that has ruined their lives. She had a wonderful heart and was both vulnerable but willing to fight at the same time-- even when the odds were completely against her. I definitely loved Ember's strong, rebellious character, and was on her side rooting for her the entire time!

And then we have Chase-- Chase was Ember's love interest and the reason I liked him so much is that you are never **really** sure what his deal is throughout the story-- is he good? Is he bad? Has he been brain-washed? The author keeps you guessing for awhile! I won't give anything away about him, but I will say that the relationship between Chase and Ember builds up throughout the story, going back and forth--which I also loved, because things between them are realistically tough and complicated. (AKA, You don't have to worry about them falling madly in love within 3 pages-- so annoying when that happens right?!)

The one and only (very) small caveat that I'll mention is that I wish a few things about the actual dystopia had been explained a little more... What exactly happened to society and why has it become the way it is? Who was "the War" against and who bombed out all the cities? Who is the President? Of course these things may be explained more in the sequel which I will definitely be reading! And also, let me just emphasize that in the case of Article 5, I enjoyed the story so much and was so invested in the characters that I didn't mind as much not having everything explained. Honestly, I think that this dystopian was done much, much better as far as dystopian world-building goes than some others I have read (**cough, cough, Matched! cough, cough**) in the YA genre.

So in conclusion, I just loved this book-- I was absolutely, completely blown away. Every chapter was full of suspense, action, terror, escapes, fights, romance, and basically everything else that makes a book impossible to put down! I highly recommend Article 5 to all my blog followers, it is one YA dystopian that you are NOT going to want to miss! 

~Cover Talk~

I am definitely digging this book cover-- I love the image of the bombed-out, abandoned city and the picture of Ember and Chase gazing off into the distance. I really love how the title is done in the red and stands out so starkly against the rest of the sepia-toned design, especially since it ties in with the "Red Zones" in the book, which are the evacuated city areas. And, you know, I have to say that I think sometimes it is really difficult for a book to pull off a hand-drawn illustration instead of using a highly-edited photograph (a la Wither or City of Bones) without coming across as looking a little... cheesy. But this cover design works so well because the illustration is so detailed and life-like! I'm definitely a fan.

LC's Rating:

I am just speechless... Article 5 was an absolutely stunning debut! Action-packed and  full of suspense, I could NOT put this book down-- It totally blew me away. Make sure this one gets added to your TBR list!

Book Review: Crossed

Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Series: Matched #2
Release date: November 1, 2011
Pages: 384
Read it in: 2 days
Source: The Library

Summary: In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

LC's Take:

Sigh... where to begin with this one? You know that I **try** to be nice with my reviews and at least say something that I liked about a book before I go all crazy-rant-girl on it, so I guess we'll do a run-down of what I liked about this second book in Ally Condie's Matched trilogy first...

Crossed did a good job of continuing the romance between Cassia and Ky, and honestly, I do like the romance between them. Not too hot-n-heavy, not to whiny-piney, it's sweet and simple. I also liked the conflict that was created between all the relationships going on, even though we all know just how beaten to death love triangles are. Cassia still doesn't know whether she should chose Xander, the guy she was originally matched with, or go with Ky who has shown her a whole new way of life. Oh yeah, and what was going on between Ky and Indie?! Was anybody else wondering that? Were they attracted to each other? I couldn't tell, but this definitely peaked my curiosity and I wonder what will be going on between them in the future...

The new characters that were introduced in Crossed-- namely Indie, Eli, Vick and Hunter-- were all likable, if somewhat lackluster and underdeveloped. I thought that Indie was strong and brave, which Cassia really needed while she was trying to survive in the wilderness, and I'm glad that Ky decided to take Eli and Vick with him, so there was some interaction going on during his parts of the story. Hunter was sort of a mystery, although we know that he has a sad background.

I also liked the descriptive language used to paint a picture of what The Carving-- AKA the giant canyon that Ky and Cassia escape to-- was like. For the most part, I was able to see the rugged landscape and the different settings that both Cassia and Ky traveled through, which created a stark contrast to the perfect, pristine setting of The Society from the first book.

*****

Alright, so that's what I liked, now moving on to the stuff I wasn't a fan of.

First of all, the plot was so sllllloooowwww... like I'm talking molasses in January slow. I think that the reason for this was that the narrative was extremely reflective. I mean, you're in the moment, and then all of a sudden, one of the characters starts reminiscing about some memory, or starts considering a leaf or a piece of grass and thinking, "Wow, how beautiful. This green leaf reminds me of the color of my Match banquet dress, and my mom and dad, and my childhood, and it's so pretty, what a beautiful blade of grass... I think I will write a poem about it."

No, I am not making this up-- literally, the entire book is like this. And what's more, I don't understand the point of it. None of the memories are ones we haven't already heard about from the first book, and they don't bring us to any mind-blowing revelations about what's going on in the present. They're just pretty and empty and-- I'm sorry-- don't add much to the plot, except that I had to work that much harder to not fall asleep.

My second issue with this series-- and this book in particular-- is that there is pretty much zero context or motivation for anything that is going on. This is a problem not just with the main characters, but with the entire world that they live in. I have so many questions that haven't been answered yet, starting with:

1.) WHO or WHAT is the Society and what is their purpose behind getting rid of all but 100 of everything (example: The Hundred Songs, The Hundred Paintings, The Hundred Poems...), and then controlling everyone in the way that they do? We're told that they want to "increase efficiency" and stop death, but how the heck does getting rid of music and paintings do this??

2.) WHO is "The Enemy" that is mentioned at least a hundred times throughout the story and what is their motivation for rising up against The Society and killing people in the Outer Provinces? NOTHING is said about The Enemy, if you aren't counting the fact that "they" are called "The Enemy." This gives me the reader absolutely nada to go on-- do the main characters even know who on earth "The Enemy" is? Wouldn't this be an important little tidbit of info to let us in on?? JUST SAYING.

3.) WHO are these people in "The Rising" and what the heck is their motivation? To get rid of The Society? The Enemy? I am SO CONFUSED. And also, why does Cassia want to join The Rising's rebellion so badly when she has no idea who they even are or what they actually stand for?

4.) What exactly was everyone's ultimate goal in this book? Why were they wandering around a canyon for almost 400 pages? I'm sorry, but if I get to the end of a book and have little understanding of why anything just happened and I close the thing with a ginormous blank stare on my face-- you missed telling me something. Like, badly.

So basically what I'm trying to say is that, the writing wasn't bad and the characters weren't too bad (although they are pretty boring too), but pretty much everything about Crossed was incredibly vague and confusing. And forget about action because there wasn't any. There was a lot of description, but unfortunately not in the places where I actually needed it.

This is similar to how Matched was written, but I can forgive Matched because it was the first book in the series and there was at least some action going on. I expected that in this second book, there would be more explanation about the Society and the Enemy, but unfortunately I was left even more confused than I was at the end of the first book! Crossed just seemed like a lot of aimless wandering around, without actually getting anywhere. And it is very frustrating when you read something like this for the entire length of a book, but nothing is ever really explained about what everyone is trying to accomplish and why.

So I don't know. For me, this is just one those series that meets my most basic standards of being "good," but never leads up to anything that really makes it stand out as being incredible or even really memorable. I thought that the writing was "good" if somewhat bland in places, the narrative flowed well between Cassia and Ky's points of view, and there was nothing outwardly annoying in this book, besides the fact that I can't find a motivation for anything in this plot for the life of me. The thing with second books in series is-- you need to give your readers something to go on. You can't just talk all vague and wishy-washy and totally leave them in the dark, because you're going to lose their interest. My final comment would be "meh." And I hate having that reaction to a book.

~Cover Talk~

I think we can all agree that these covers are just beautiful. I liked the cover for Matched even better than this one, but I think that they both go together perfectly. And the cool thing is that the colors actually are incorporated into the books-- in Matched, the main color theme is green, and in Crossed it was blue. My guess is that the last book in the trilogy is going to be red! And maybe the glass sphere will be totally smashed? I'm definitely looking forward to seeing it.

LC's Rating:

I was not impressed with the sequel to Matched. There was very little action, and hardly any explanation behind what the characters were doing or thinking. The plot was also extremely slow and difficult to maintain interest in, due to the fact that there was so much internal reflection going on. Unfortunately, boredom and confusion were the end results.

Book Review: Matched

Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Series: Matched #1
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Pages: 384
Read it in: 1.5 days
Source: The library

Summary: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

LC's Take:

I feel a teeny-tiny bit sorry for Matched, because I read it in the wake of other amazing YA dystopians such as The Hunger Games, Wither and Divergent. Now, that is not to say that I didn't like it, or that it was a disappointment-- because it wasn't! Only that, it somewhat lacked the brilliance of other novels in this genre. It wasn't heart-stoppingly amazing, but I did like it. In fact, I liked it enough that I read it in 2 sittings, which is almost unheard of for me (I'm a slow reader!).

Cassia Maria Reyes is 17 years old and every aspect of her life has already been planned out for her by the trusted Officials of "The Society." Rules and regulations shape every aspect of her life, and Cassia has never questioned or deviated from them. Everything is safe and perfect, and there is no pain, suffering or sadness. That is, until a glitch in the system matches her with two different guys-- Xander, her best friend, and Ky, a mysterious boy from the Outer Provinces whom she knows little about.

I loved seeing Cassia's character develop as I read this story. Through her Grandfather's poems, Ky's stories, and her own observations, Cassia begins to think for herself and realize that everything she has always passively accepted as truth is actually false. And as Cassia slowly starts to think independently from what the Society has always told her to believe, she also starts to find her own identity along the way. I loved that Cassia finally realized that she needed to live her life according to her own terms and no one else's.

The romance between Cassia and Ky was very touching and beautiful, and I loved seeing their relationship slowly build over the course of the novel. Even though it's secret and forbidden, you just can't help but wish against everything that they will end up together! The romance is thankfully free of teen angst or mushy love scenes- everything was genuine and sweet. 

Ally Condie really did a fantastic job of creating a world that seems perfect, but clearly has something very dark and disturbing lurking under the surface. The plot itself did lack the same amount of heart-pounding action as The Hunger Games or Divergent, but in it's quieter way Matched still had it's own appeal.

Unfortunately, some parts of this book did seem slightly formulaic (yup, there's a big ol' love triangle)-- and I thought some things were reminiscent of other dystopian books I've already read (The Giver-- almost everyone else has said the same thing). Also, I felt like we were left in the dark about a lot of things, and I wish that more history and context had been explained. What lead to the Society being created in the first place? What year does this story take place in? Who are the people fighting the system? Who are the people actually in charge and what does the structure of the Society look like? Is there a president or leader? What exactly is the war about and who are they fighting against? These are things that seemed frustratingly vague and wishy-washy to me, and I hope we get to hear more about them in the next books!

In many ways, Matched was a good story that kept me reading. However, there were also things that I found to be lacking, and even though this probably isn't fair, it was hard not to compare it to other books in the YA dystopian genre. Overall it was still very readable and entertaining, and I think that the story it tells was both beautiful and thought-provoking.

LC's Rating:

In its own quieter way, Matched takes a place among other YA dystopian novels. While I found it to be touching and beautiful in some aspects, I wish that there had been more world-building and action. Other than that, this was still a great story!

Book Review: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins
Release Date: July 3, 2010
Pages: 384
Read it in: 4 days

Summary: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the other districts in line by forcing them to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight-to-the-death on live TV.

One boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and sixteen are selected by lottery to play. The winner brings riches and favor to his or her district. But that is nothing compared to what the Capitol wins: one more year of fearful compliance with its rule. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her impoverished district in the Games.

But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Acclaimed writer Suzanne Collins, author of the New York Times bestselling Underland Chronicles, delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in this stunning novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.

LC's Take: 

I know, I know, I'm like the last person to read this book, but I finally got a hold of it! Honestly, this is a really hard book to review because there has already been so much said about it-- I don't plan on adding anything incredibly insightful that hundreds of other people haven't already mentioned about its sheer awesomeness, but here is what I thought...

Unlike a lot of other books I read, I went into The Hunger Games with an expectation that it was going to be incredible. I try not to start a book with any preconceived notions, but in this case I really couldn't help it after hearing so many people raving about it. All in all, I definitely was not disappointed! THG kept me in suspense from beginning to end, wondering what would happen next at every turn in this ultimate fight for survival.

Probably one of the things I liked most about this book was the unforgettable characters. Katniss, the female protagonist, was both believable and likable. She had flaws and struggled with things from her past, and this made her very human and very easy to relate to. I loved the fact that she was strong and independent, but she could be very vulnerable as well. As the heroine, Katniss not only fights tooth-and-nail for her life, she also fights against the oppressive regime that forces the Hunger Games on society. This fight for a higher purpose along with her unbreakable spirit brings deeper meaning to the story and makes you even more invested in the fate of the main character.

Peeta was a thoroughly likable character as well, even though he remained a mystery until about halfway through the story. It's hard to tell what his motives are right away. Does he really like Katniss or is he just playing The Game? I thought that the relationship between him and Katniss developed in a very natural way-- it wasn't at all forced. Here is one instance of a "love triangle" that was not contrived or just thrown in as a plot device to make things more "interesting." I really loved Peeta and can't wait to see how his character develops in the later books.

And can I just say? I loved Rue! **sniffle** I think that it is only a very talented writer who can make their secondary characters as memorable as the main ones, and this book had many! Haymitch, Effie, Cinna, Prim-- all of them, even though they played more minor roles in the story, had their own identity and added something to the plot. Gale was a little more difficult-- we don't really learn much about him in this book, so it was kind of hard to follow Katniss' dilemma about whether she liked Peeta or Gale more, but I'm guessing that we'll learn more about him in the next book of the Trilogy.

The action-adventure aspect of this book was AMAZING. This probably isn't too surprising, considering that the plot revolves around a fight to the death in order to keep yourself alive, but it was one of those books where the end of each chapter is just begging you to continue to the next! The Game itself was exciting and suspenseful, and didn't rely too heavily on shock-value to keep you interested.

I think that the ending was slightly predictable, but once again, I think this has more to do with the fact that I've already heard "snippets" from other people, and unless I lived under a rock, it would be hard to not have some idea about what was going to happen. The ending was still satisfying enough that I was fully engrossed in the story up until the last pages.

The only dilemma that I had with THG was at the beginning, where I had a difficult time understanding Katniss' reactions to becoming a Tribute in the Hunger Games. Maybe because she grew up under the reality of knowing that one day she might be chosen to battle to the death? I don't know, but I guess that if I were about to enter a "game" where I had to kill people before they killed me, and there was little chance of me winning, I would be a lot less concerned about the clothes I was wearing or the food I was eating or the guy I have a crush on. Or hey-- maybe all those things would start mattering even more! Still, some parts of the Games seemed really over-the-top, like with the stylists and the interviews. If I were Katniss, I don't know if I could have played along like she did. Granted, it worked to her advantage in the end... sigh, I guess I just over-think things way too much!

THG was a great dystopian fiction and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. However, I don't think it's fair to say that this book is the be-all, end-all of this genre, and I don't plan on setting this as the benchmark to judge future dystopian books by. There are many, many good dystopians that I have read this year, including Ship Breaker, Wither and Divergent. I am just glad to be able to add yet another amazing book to my list-- it isn't hard to see why this has become an instant classic! 

LC's Rating: 

All in all, I thought that THG was an incredible read-- I will go ahead and say what so many people have said before me: I could not put this book down! I would recommend it to pretty much anyone, especially those who love action, adventure and dystopian fiction. If you haven't read The Hunger Games yet, make sure that you do at some point-- I am pretty sure that you won't be sorry :)

Book Review: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: Divergent #1
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Pages: 496
Read it in: 3 days

The Hook: "One choice decides your friends. One choice defines your beliefs. One choice determines your loyalties-- forever. One choice can transform you."

Summary: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

LC's Take: 

Whoa. OK, please just give me a minute to let my pulse slow and fully recover from the pure awesomeness of this freaking AMAZING book. **Let's out long sigh** Alright, I'm good.

Divergent was one of the most intensely mesmerizing books I've read in a long time-- from page 1 through to the last page 487, I was completely sucked in. Like, I'm talking edge of my seat, nose buried, devouring the pages, could not put down. This book absolutely blew me away.

What really got me into Divergent is that it is one of those extremely intelligent books that is not only a great story in itself; it also poses fundamental questions about humanity and what it is that makes people who they are. OK, I know that totally just sounded like the beginning of a book report, but let me explain. What Veronica Roth does in this book is pretty much break down the most basic of human values and then asks the question: can we humans function or even survive on one alone? Is it even possible for one person to make the choice of what is their most beloved and sacred value, and then live according to that one value for the rest of their life, letting it completely define who they are and how they live? OMG, my brain is throbbing right now. Intense? Oh yeah, this book is way intense.

Alright, so after that tangent, let me focus a little more on the literary merit of this book. Here is what I loved:

• Even if you don't give a crap about metaphysical questions, this was still a kick-ass story. Every chapter ends on the perfect cliff-hanger so that you will quite literally have to un-glue your eyes from the pages. The action is non-stop and the plot will have your heart racing. 
• Can I say just how much I love the internal character struggles? Beatrice-- or "Tris" as she goes by-- is such an amazingly multidimensional character. She is fiercely strong but still vulnerable, which is such a great combination. The book is told from her perspective, meaning that you completely get into her head and experience what she's going through. You know her thoughts and understand her emotions as she faces transformation into a "Dauntless" faction member. I was able to become totally consumed by this book as I followed Tris through her choices and her struggles with her own identity, and I empathized with her internal conflicts. 
• Tris isn't the only great character-- I totally fell in love with Four, Tris' love interest, because he wasn't the typical guy character, and their relationship isn't the same old cheesy romance that you see in other books. Peter is the sadistic bully who you love to hate because he's just completely evil. And all of the other supporting characters show how Tris can't survive on her own, no matter how "brave" or "dauntless" she becomes.

If you want a book with lifelike characters, thought-provoking questions, incredible writing and an action-packed story line that'll have your adrenaline pumping, this is the book for you! I really encourage you to go get Divergent and start reading it ASAP-- I guarantee you won't be able to put it down.

LC's Rating:

An amazingly intelligent and intense action-packed adventure that will draw you in from page one and not let you go until the very end. Read this book: it was brilliant!

Book Review: Wither

Author: Lauren DeStefano
Release Date: March 22, 2011
Pages: 368
Read it in: 1 day

The Hook: What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Summary: Thanks to modern medicine, every newborn has become a ticking genetic time bomb-- males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape-- to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

LC's Take:  

OMG, I don't even know where to begin. This book was INCREDIBLE! I read Wither in one day, I just could not put it down. Lauren DeStafano's ability to create a dystopian world and tell the story of a young girl trapped in that world was absolutely mind-blowing.

From the opening quote by T.S. Eliot to the disturbingly nightmarish first chapter to the last pages that bring you some glimmer of hope, this was one of those books you just can't help but be consumed by. Sometime in the not too distant future, Rhine Ellery is a 16 year old girl who lives in a world where females only make it to age 20 and males to age 25. A few generations back, geneticists had tried to create embryos that were immune to all disease and practically immortal, but in the process they introduced some kind of DNA into the genetic make-up that turns humans into ticking time bombs-- everyone now knows the age they will die. In an attempt to save the human race, girls as young as 13 are kidnapped by Gatherers to either be sold into polygamous marriages in order to breed more offspring, or to be killed. Rhine ends up being one of the "lucky" ones and enters into a world of wealth and privilege as one of the the three wives of Linden Ashby. Now she is surrounded by beauty, parties, and luxury-- but right under the surface, they are all closely followed by inevitable death and decay.

I listened to the interview Lauren DeStefano gave after reading Wither, and she says that the main theme of this book is uncertainty. She tells the story in present-tense because Rhine herself has no idea from one day to the next what is going to happen to her, or even if she'll be alive by the last page. It was this sense of uncertainty that had me totally captivated from beginning to end.

For me, Wither was not only completely engrossing, giving me a beautifully tragic story of a dystopian world, but it was intelligent as well. First, the author actually takes the time to tell you how the world got to be where it is, which I think is essential for any dystopian novel  if it's going to be believable for the reader. Given the background, I could actually imagine this world. Second, the novel brings up some really deep questions. For me, I found myself thinking: is it better to be free and live in grinding poverty, or is it better to be held captive in the lap of luxury? Rhine finds herself in a "gilded cage," and only wants to get out to go back home to her brother, but even she sometimes questions: is it really so bad being enslaved when you're given almost everything you could possible want? What if you only had 4 years left to live? Is it really worth fighting for the things you value the most?

My recommendation? Go out and get this book immediately! I was absolutely blown away. The writing is  beautiful. The plot balances both light and dark elements, and you can't help but be sucked into the dark eeriness that pervades Rhine's world where beauty and decay, and youth and death are so closely linked. Finally, the ending leaves you with some hope that life is going to be restored to the way it was, and you can't help but want more. I give Lauren DeStefano a standing ovation for this debut novel, and can't wait for the next book in her Chemical Garden Trilogy!! 

LC's Rating: 

AMAZING. Beautifully tragic, dark and suspenseful, I could not put Wither down. If you are looking for a book that is both well-written and intelligent, this is one book you are going to LOVE!

*****

I also wanted to include here the trailer for the book and the short interview with Lauren DeStefano, just to entice you a little bit more into reading this book ;)







Happy reading everyone!!

Book Review: Delirium

Author: Lauren Oliver
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Pages: 448
Read it in: 5 days

The Hook: Love, the deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t. 

Summary: There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it. Then, at last, they found the cure. Now, everything is different. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she'll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. But then, with only ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable…

LC’s Take:  

Before I go any further, let me first say that Lauren Oliver is such an incredible writer. Her words are just like poetry and there were points in this book where I literally just broke into tears, because what she has to write is so beautiful and poignant. As I read Delirium, I became totally wrapped up within the story, with the characters—the entire world that Oliver creates is absolutely spectacular. I was able to feel every bit as much as Lena (the protagonist) does, as she reacts to the dystopian society she seems so inextricably a part of.

Lena is a teenager that you can absolutely relate to, despite the fact that at the beginning she is completely brainwashed. Little by little, Lena begins to question things that she has always believed and held to be true-- and this is what makes her such a real character. It’s not like she walks along all happy and oblivious, then meets Alex the guy of her dreams and says, “OK! I guess I’ll believe whatever you tell me, heehee, because I love you and can’t live without you.” No, she actually has a brain of her own and she does go through a painstaking process of shifting back and forth between what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s real and what’s a lie-- it takes her some time to figure it out but that internal struggle gives her character both depth and complexity.

Alex is such a lovable character- from the very first time you meet him, you can’t help but fall in love with him too, I mean he just makes you smile. He’s fun, full of life, mischievous, and represents everything good that stands up against the dark, twisted world Lena lives in. Also, he truly loves her-- that is undeniable by the last pages of the story.

That being said, I did have a few issues with this book. First of all, I just didn’t understand the concept of a world where love is considered to be a disease. Where did this come from? I’ve heard the point made before that dystopian worlds need to have an origin— there needs to be some logical string of events that connects the world we live in to the dystopian world the characters live in. But I couldn’t draw any parallels between our current society and Lena’s that would put love, of all things, in trouble of being destroyed.

Other things that puzzled me: What exactly is the point of making everyone immune to love? Yes, I understand it turns them into dull, listless zombies to be controlled by the government, but love just doesn’t seem to be the most logical or stable thing to target if you are trying to maintain complete control over people. Also, I couldn’t figure out-- are the raiders/regulators/government people in Lena’s world all “cured” as well? How could they be and still stay in control? There were just a lot of open-ended questions I still have that were never answered.

I wasn’t crazy about the ending to Delirium—I don’t want to give anything away, but after 400+ pages I just ended up feeling kind of depressed, let-down, and slightly jipped. (Note: this is not because the ending is boring, it's definitely not!) Maybe I should’ve seen it coming or maybe I’m too idealistic, but I was so convinced the story would end one way and then it ended completely different. I wonder if anyone else who has read this book had the same reaction?

On the upside, Oliver’s story is definitely unpredictable with many plot twists. Most importantly, it was original. **Sigh...** I just wished things had turned out differently! But this is going to be a trilogy, right? So maybe I will be pleasantly surprised with the books to come-- I will definitely be reading them.

LC’s Rating:

Captivating and beautiful writing with an unexpected ending—love it or hate it, you won’t forget this book.