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Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers 
Release Date: April 26, 1993
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 180
Source: Amazon
Genre: YA Dystopia
Review Date: Recorded November, 2014
Rating: 3 bookmarks

Synopsis: Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back. 

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: September 17, 2013
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher via Goodreads First Reads
Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Dystopia
Review Date: Recorded October, 2014
Rating: 2 bookmarks

Synopsis: Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: April 15, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 416
Source: Amazon
Genre: YA Dystopian, YA Paranormal
Review Date: June 16, 2014
Rating: 3 bookmarks

Synopsis: Vengeance will be hers.  

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer. Monster.

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions - her creator Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost - the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie. 

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, her triumph will be short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

I'm sad to say that I'm a tad disappointed with this installment. I acknowledged that it's completely possible that I set the bar really high being that I loved the first two books so much. This in turn probably caused my disappointed when it didn't meet that expectation.  

This book had a slow start for me.  It took me much longer than I anticipated getting through the book. It wasn't boring by any means, but it wasn't a page turner like the first two in the trilogy either.  

There were two major plot twists that were the peaks of the story that caused moments of surprise, sadness and hope.  Beyond that, there were valleys where the moaning and groaning of several characters was a bit much for my taste.

Kane proved to be the glue that holds his offspring together, not only does he have to hold everything together while they are in pursuit of Sarren, but he then makes the ultimate sacrifice in stopping him. Jackal isn't as bad as he seems, apparently under that cold exterior he has a heart after all. Allie has clearly grown up even more, and has finally accepted herself as she is.  Good, bad or indifferent she's got bigger worries than to cry over than being a monster.  As one would think, trying to save the world, vampires and humans alike, from a deadly virus will put things in different perspective.

Hey Friends!

I have a mini review for you today!  A mini review is my short and sweet analysis of a book.  You'll know in 350 words or less if this is a book I recommend.

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Format: ebook
Pages: 320 (Hardcover)
Source: Amazon Purchase
Genre: YA Dystopian
Review Date: May 12, 2014
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most importantly, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty, or doesn't leave at all.

Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival, and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand.

But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won’t stop until they get it….

With evocative, spare language and incredible drama, danger, and romance, debut author Mindy McGinnis depicts one girl’s journey in a barren world not so different than our own

Pros: The first couple pages had me wondering if I would like it, then BAM, out of nowhere I found myself really enjoying it and caring about what was going to happen to these characters.  

The character development was on point.  How Lynn starts off in the beginning is night and day from what she’s like at the end.  The secondary characters really added a lot of depth to the relationships as well.  Lucy, Eli, Lucy's mother and the neighbor Stebbs are characters that influence Lynn on some level.

The story is YA Dystopian, yet it's so different from the other mega popular trilogies, Divergent and The Hunger Games.  McGinnis has her own voice and it stands out.  What really caught my attention is that the story is more character driven rather than action driven. Yes, there are action scenes, but the real focus is on the characters. Who they are, how they became what they are and what they will become.

I recently found out that this book will be on the big screen, which I’m excited about.  This book could be amazing with the right casting and screen writers.  

I enjoyed the realistic ending.  Yes, it's a bit sad, but there's nothing I appreciate more than a real end of things. I can't stand the happy go lucky, we're all great, and no consequence ending. Not only was it realistic, but it finished strong and set up the next book nicely.

Cons: While Not a Drop to Drink is a coming of age story, I wish that Lynn’s mom did her motherly duty and gave the poor girl a clue! How naive Lynn was about boys and girls was pretty dreadful!

Final Thoughts:  I'm looking forward to the second installment of this trilogy and reading about Lucy. Getting her take on the state of things as she gets older should be interesting.  I'm also excited to see how the other characters continue to evolve from Lucy’s POV. If you enjoy the YA Dystopian genre and characters with a lot of depth, make space on your reading list for this!

Happy Reading,
~Tamara

Hey Friends!

I have a mini review for you today!  A mini review is my short and sweet analysis of a book.  You'll know in 350 words or less if this is a book I recommend.

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Release Date: August 20, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 466
Source: Library Borrow
Genre: YA Dystopian, YA Fantasy
Review Date: April 28, 2014
Rating: 2 bookmarks

Synopsis: It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

Pros: I liked the premise of this story; a dystopian world combined with fantasy. It intrigued me. The story takes place in 2059, in a London society where being clairvoyant is against the law, yet clairvoyants aren't all that rare.  I can a appreciate Samantha Shannon's imagination. To be able to construct an entirely new world is no small task.  Everything was different, the currency, the government, the country’s history, the various levels of clairvoyant abilities, and more. In regards to the technical part of her writing, I had no problems there.

Cons: My main issue was the slow pacing. I also felt that at times the story was a bit wordy. Some of the history was either repetitively explained or gave too much information. When the story took deviation to focus on world building, those passages seem to slow down the story even more. I think that's due to the information being told in a let me teach you a new history sort of way, instead of describing things passively behind the plot of the story.

Unfortunately I didn't connect with any of the characters, which is never a good thing.  Even the implied romantic interest between Warden and Paige was weak at best and didn't interest me very much. While it's clear that Paige is a strong heroine, her personality didn't do anything for me.  In addition, I was annoyed that we never found out exactly what the Rephaites (Warden’s people) are! We know they're not vampires. We know they're not human.  We've been lead to believe they may be some sort of alien being, but not exactly. We know that they connect to a place described as a dreams-cape in one’s mind. We know that they feed on human essence, but it wasn't explained how or why. Who knows?  It’s possible that it was explained and I fell asleep on that part.

Final Thoughts: While the book didn't rate highly with me, some may enjoy it. If you curious about The Bone Season check it out. If you've already read it, please share what you thought!


Happy Reading,
~Tamara

Hey friends!
I have a mini review for you today!  A mini review is my short and sweet analysis of a book.  You'll know in 350 words or less if this is a book I recommend.

Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 3, 2011 
Format: Audio MP3 (Brilliance Audio, Released January 24, 2011 )
Pages: 441 (Paperback) / Audio Length: Approx 12 hours
Narrator: Sarah Drew
Source: Library Borrow via Overdrive
Genre: YA Dystopian
Review Date: April 16, 2014
Rating: 3 bookmarks 

Synopsis: Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

Pros:  The best thing about our main characters, Lena, Hana, and Alex, is their character growth. They are not the same people at the end as they are in the beginning.  Our heroine, Lena isn't so much of a true heroine. Not at the beginning anyways. She's has a hard time seeing what's right in front of her, she pretty much flat out refuses to see the obvious for most of the book.  She lives with a cured Aunt and Uncle and a few cousins.  Hana is obviously the odd man out in that house, so I can see her need to be like everyone else.

I liked Lena’s best friend, Hana. She's strong and out spoken.  At first she is more aware, but in the end she accepts that she will have the life expected of her.   I'm not sure what to make of Alex. He's got all the typical YA love interest components, but I feel that there could be something more there. I'm curious to see what becomes of him in the next book.

I listened to this on audio, so I’ll address the narrator.  The narrator can either add to or take away from the experience.  It took me a minute to get used to her young sounding voice, but it grew on me, then it was fine.  She did a good job and I have no complaints.

Cons:  The pacing of Delirium was overall slow.  There was so much being explained (sometimes repetitively) about the society that the meat of the story didn't show up until it was half over. The story was entertaining enough, but I kept waiting for things to really start moving.  I hope this pace won’t repeat in the next books.  Hopefully Pandemonium will start off where this book finished, in a dead run. 

Final Thoughts:  I liked it overall. I'll continue the series. When? Who knows, it's not high on my list. If I have a lull where I can't get a book I want, then I’ll continue with this series.  The dystopia genre is still pretty hot right now in the YA world, so if you're into it, this could be right up your alley.  

Happy Reading, 
~Tamara