Review: Champion by Marie Lu

Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu
Publication Date: November 5, 2013
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Number of Pages: 369
Format: Hardback
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
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He is a Legend.

She is a Prodigy.

Who will be Champion?

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position.

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.

With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

I will have to say after the last book, Prodigy, I was a little bit worried about how this one would end. Especially considering the majority of books in the genre doesn't always have the best endings.  But Marie Lu nailed it.

The book picks up sometimes after the end of Prodigy. June has accepted one of the Princeps-Elect positions and is working for Anden, while Day is on the other side of the country with his brother, also working for the government, but still getting treated for his illness, which June nor the country knows about. But the country is on a brink of a war, and could face a terrible fate. Which is why June has asked Day to come to the capitol.

Revelations and secrets unfold in this fast paced book. Day and June will just break your heart. They've fought so hard to be with each other. There were scenes that brought me close to tears. The love triangles...well more of square was resolved in a very believable way. I was more than pleased with the way Tess was handled. June and Anden...well I wished we got to see more of that. Don't get me wrong, I like Day and June, but I felt a huge spark between June and Anden.

It's interesting seeing the different countries in the book. The US not being a powerhouse country, and Antarctica actually having inhabits, and even Africa being one of the most powerful countries. I did wished we learned more about what exactly happened to the US or even see it become whole again.

The ending...well it was one of the better ones for this genre. Even more of a happy ending. I really enjoyed this series.

Rating: 4/5

 

Review: Countdown by Michelle Rowen

Countdown by Michelle Rowen
Publisher: Harlequin Teen Australia
Publication date: October 1st, 2013
Number of pages: 325 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository | Bookworld Australia


2 pawns thrown into a brutal underground reality game. 

Kira Jordan survived her family's murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis.

1 reason Kira will never, ever trust Rogan. Even though both their lives depend on it.

Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira's psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan's secrets prove evermore deadly, Kira's only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can't escape.

Game Over.

Kira Jordan lives in a world where most of earth has been wiped out due to a virus killing 60% of the population. Those that did survive left and moved on to other places, and the cities became abandonded with barely no life left. A special place was then opened up with the best kind of life possible. You could have the perfect life, but only if you are chosen, or have enough money or/and connections to be able to get there.
This is something Kira has always wanted, but never has yet to be able to achieve. After her family was murdered a few years ago, and instead of being forced into foster care, she has chosen life on the streets. She has to use her looks to get what she wants, whatever they may be, and it worked... until one day, she woke up in a cell beside infamous Rogan Ellis.

The two of them find themselves in the middle of a do or die game. To get from one level to another, and if you manage to succeed and win, you just may get something you have always craved for.
In order to win, Kira knows she has to trust Rogan enough to help them survive throughout the levels, with the clock ticking down, it's now or never.

I really loved Kira. She had street smarts after being alone for so long. She has learned to be able to take care of herself after the deaths of her parents. She is rough, resourceful, yet honest, caring and vulnerable. She is also human, so she tends to get scared and not as brave on the inside as she may claim, and while that might be a flaw, I just think it's only natural and makes her human.
The things she had to go through ---  I'm not sure if I could have survived it, but she did. She has never given up no matter how much the past few years has taken a toll.

Rogan I also liked from the get go.  He has those bad boy looks with secrets hidden away. He also has been through many things over the past few years. While he may come from a rich family, not everything is as it seems at first, especially when you begin to understand him fully.
Rogan is just as broken, as been through just as much as Kira, and the two of them make a great pair, together and separate.
I loved seeing them interact. There is some chemistry between them that is noticable instantly, but Kira doesn't trust him, not properly at first, and with good reason. But even there are things either of them don't quite understand in the beginning.
Secrets come to light, layers get pulled back and reveal so much about Rogan, and also about Kira that just make them even more great characters.

Countdown is a suspenseful and exciting story, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what was going to happen next.
With a mystery, family values, secrets and twist, this was a fabulous story.
I loved every part of this book. One of my favourite reads this year.  I urge you to pick this up and check it out for yourself.

This is a stand alone, but it was also sad to say goodbye to these two characters.

Thanks to Harlequin Australia for allowing me this book for an honest review.

5 Stars

Review: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
Publication date: August 1st, 2013
Number of pages: 362 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Em is locked in a bare, cold cell with no comforts. Finn is in the cell next door. The Doctor is keeping them there until they tell him what he wants to know. Trouble is, what he wants to know hasn't happened yet.

Em and Finn have a shared past, but no future unless they can find a way out. The present is torture - being kept apart, overhearing each other's anguish as the Doctor relentlessly seeks answers. There's no way back from here, to what they used to be, the world they used to know. Then Em finds a note in her cell which changes everything. It's from her future self and contains some simple but very clear instructions. Em must travel back in time to avert a tragedy that's about to unfold. Worse, she has to pursue and kill the boy she loves to change the future.

Cristin Terrill's debut novel is nothing if not outstanding. It bridges the lines of dystopia, sci fi and time travel. It begins with a girl and a list.
The list is something not to think unimportant because it is very significant, more than you may know.

There are many themes that this novel consists of. From romance to friendship to assassination attempts and war. From love to hate. To many timelines. To making things right.

It all begins with Em and Finn, who are are in joined cells together. In the past, Marina lives next door to her best friend, James, who is as smart as a scientist. James, who she loves. A time machine named Cassandra is what connects Em and Marina. The present and the past. What has done and what needs to be done.
After Em discovers a list in a drain in her cell, with things crossed off the list minus one remaining sentence. In her own handwriting.  Em understands it's the only thing that can work and she needs to obey.
If not, then Em and Finn will most likely end up dead sooner or later. There is no time to waste.

This story is narrated by both Em and Marina explaining their stories, and how they connect to one another. How one comes to be the other.
This is a complicated story of time travel, what one may do to save your future and the lines blurred to how someone was, to who they may or may not become.
Cristin does a great job at showing how both Marina and Em came to be in the positions they find themselves in. How the relationships between Em and Finn, Marina, Finn and James, and Em and the doctor are. What exactly is it between these characters and what does it mean for the overall plot.

You could say this story is definitely driven by plot, but with the narratives, you can understand Marina and Em, their reasons for the things they do, and how each of them end up the way they do by the end of the story.  Marina in particular got on my nerves from time to time, but as I went through the story, I began to understand what she had to go through to become the person she had to be.

I absolutely loved the romance portrayed in this book.  I admit though, I at first was a tad hesitant to read this book because after reading the blurb, I was a little confused and wasn't sure if I would like it. After hearing a friend of mine that she loved it, I took the chance and bought the book for myself.  I'm glad I did because I would never had the pleasure of discovering such a unique and fascinating story, with compelling characters who I adored.  It was an addicting story and I can't wait to see what comes next.
I thought there was going to be some sort of triangle between Em, Finn and James, but how it turns out,  once I understood the scope of what was going on, I could not have been more wrong, and I was thankful.  The love story is something that spans lifetimes. It was beautifully written, so natural and honest. 

5 Stars.

Review: The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore

The Fall of Five (Lorien Legacies, #4) by Pittacus Lore
Publisher: Penguin
Publication date: August 27th, 2013
Number of pages: 342 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase:  Amazon | The Book Depository

The Garde are finally reunited, but do they have what it takes to win the war against the Mogadorians?

John Smith—Number Four—thought that things would change once the Garde found each other. They would stop running. They would fight the Mogadorians. And they would win.

But he was wrong. After facing off with the Mogadorian ruler and almost being annihilated, the Garde know they are drastically unprepared and hopelessly outgunned. Now they’re hiding out in Nine’s Chicago penthouse, trying to figure out their next move.

The six of them are powerful, but they’re not strong enough yet to take on an entire army—even with the return of an old ally. To defeat their enemy, the Garde must master their Legacies and learn to work together as a team. More importantly, they’ll have to discover the truth about the Elders and their plan for the Loric survivors.

And when the Garde receive a sign from Number Five—a crop circle in the shape of a Loric symbol—they know they are so close to being reunited. But could it be a trap? Time is running out, and the only thing they know for certain is that they have to get to Five before it’s too late.

The Garde may have lost battles, but they will not lose this war.

Lorien will rise again.

The Lorien Legacies saga keeps getting better and better with each passing book. Just when you think you have seen it all, something then happens and you're blown to pieces.
I had been excitedly anticipating the release of this book to the point I could not wait until I got my grabby hands on it. I absolutely adored The Rise of Nine. The stakes are raised, with twists and turns, you just have no idea what will happen next with this group of people.

When this book begins the group are searching for number Five, but when they do get word from him and locate the boy, it may not be the reunion they thought it would be. With Five joining their ranks, the group seem to get the idea they are becoming stronger by the moment. Five is not your average member of the Garde, and when the others seem to not know whether they can trust him or not, a big betrayal happens in the core of the Garde that puts everyone they care about in danger.

I loved the relationship between John and Sarah. I think they are my two favourite characters. Whether or not you like her, or them, I think it's fairly obvious from the first book these two are just it for one another. There is only one person for those Loric's, and Sarah happen to be John's.. now it's just a matter of  exploring each other and how to make this work while they are under siege. It's not the most ideal situation to start up a relationship, but they do what they can.

I also came to adore Six and Sam's relationship.  I felt there was much potential with them from the very first book also, and so you can see the progress they make into forming something in this installment.
After Sam is kidnapped, he knows that while he is only human, he has to make an impact and do something.
I love the fact that with Sam and Sarah. They may be the human love interests, but they aren't weak or useless. They know they have to learn to be able to fight, even if they don't have special powers like the others do, they will just have to rely on human abilities, such as strength, will power and a kickass attitude.

This book was full of sacrifices, betrayal, romance and revelations. It was action packed, and might be my favourite out of the series as yet.
The end opens up for some interesting new developments, yet sadness because not everyone will make it.

I liked the introduction to Sam's dad and the information he has provided the group. That is something they can't find any place else.  It was nice to have someone that knows a bit more than they do, and something that can help them through their battle with their enemy.
Also.. Adam. Ah, I loved him. It just goes to show that a new species built from the moradorian can either be good or bad, especially when they have insight to human emotions.

It was nice getting to know other characters. I adore how Pittacus has gone about with the multiple POV, although I do think it would be easier if he would put their name just above before entering each person. It can sometimes get  a little confusing.

I absolutely can't wait to see what happens next to my favourite characters, for then to defeat the Mogadorian, and maybe go home to Lorien.. Or stay on earth. Just as long as they have everyone with them. Human and not.

Rating: 5/5

Review: Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead

Gameboard of the Gods  (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead
Publisher: Dutton
Publication date: June 4th
Number of pages: 464
Format: E-format via Netgalley
Preorder: Amazon | The Book Depository (Free Shipping)

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

I originally reviewed this when I receieved an arc for it, but a few months ago, I decided to buy the book and give it another shot thinking that maybe I was a little hasty with when I first read it.
I'm glad I did because I ended up liking it a lot more than I first did. Funny how those things can happen, right?

We're quickly introduced to Mae, who after the death of a friend (and maybe more than that?), one of the members of the miltary's most elite, gets sent to pick up someone who has been exiled because they need the experience and his talents for a case that only he can solve.  Mae doesn't know who he is or what it's concerning, doesn't know what he looks like either, so when she meets Justin at a party who saves her from a group of thugs, the two of them hit it off instantly...

Justin... I loved him. He isn't your normal hero, but then again, Richelle never does things the easy way, and so he has a complicated past, invisible friends and a prophecy if it ever comes to pass, it would spell no good things for him, and he would do anything he can to stop that from coming true.
But sometimes... not everything will go the way you wish or want it to... Justin knows this first hand.

Mae, I came to like her. She was strong with also a complicated past with a complicated family life she doesn't like to speak of. I felt she and Justin connected because of their common interests, their lonliness and their sad souls. I bet they never expected to meet again after their first encounter, but sometimes things are meant to be whether or not you want them to be.  I really adored the relationship between them.  It's not an easy one, and I have a feeling it's gonna be one that is a work-in-progress for the series.  They may have had some moments, but I wouldn't say they have a romance in this book. It's more like a beginning, but it can only envolve and progress from here on out.

The world-building was fascinating. The first time Richelle has done dystopia/sci fi, and I think I like it. It's certainly different, but I can't wait to see how the series folds and pans out in the next book, because the end certain sets things up nicely, especially where it comes Justin+Mae, plus Justin's little prophecy  he needs to be concerned with.

If you haven't given this a shot, then go ahead, you may end up being surprised.

Rating: 4/5

Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth
Publication Date: October 22, 2013
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 526
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
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The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

I've been in a reading slump lately. For the last few months it has taken me at least two weeks to finish anything. But this-I finished in two days. Not sure if it's because it's the first YA I've read in months, since YA usually are quick reads. I will admit I was nervous about reading this. I heard a lot of people hated the ending, and it even made people who heard about it before hand refuse to read it, and I even know of someone who doesn't even want to see the movie. Although I had decided I didn't want to know how the book ended, I ended up reading reviews a few days before I started the book and then ended up spoiling myself. Not that I had already somewhat guessed the ending.

Sitting here hours after I finished the book, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I wouldn't go as far as I thought it was amazing, but it was almost there. I didn't like the multiple POVs. Both Tris and Four's pov were too similiar. I couldn't really tell them apart. During Four's chapters I had to keep reminding myself whose chapter it was. I've never really been a big fan of the guy's POV in YA books. They are tricky and most authors can't nail them down. And the truth behind the factions and even what exactly Divergent is was disappointing. I was hoping, no expecting for more.

Another thing is Tris and Four was constantly in a bad place with each other. It tore my heart apart. I wasn't a big fan of Four's characterization in the novel either. He was this amazing, strong guy in the first two. But because of certain revelations he became this broken person, unsure of himself. I loved Tris' growth though, and the growth of hers and Four's relationship.

I don't want to go too much into detail and spoil the book for anyone. But the ending was so tragic and heartbreaking, even knowing it ahead of time. I wanted to scream and cry. Even wanting to cry my eyes out.

I know most people hated the ending. Said it was pointless, and ruined the series. But it made sense to me. The book is about self-sacrifice, love, betrayal, and family. Thinking back on the last two books there was foreshadowing. And everyone should remember this is dystopian fiction. This genre isn't about romance and happy endings. Veronica Roth made a bold move, and I respect her for that. She knew that it would upset people. Maybe it wouldn't of hit so hard if the romance didn't seem to be the core of the series.

Rating: 4/5

 

Review: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2) by Diana Gabaldon
Publication Date: July 1, 1992
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 743
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
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For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland's majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones...about a love that transcends the boundaries of time...and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his ....

Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire's spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ...in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising...and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves....

The second Outlander book picks up not only right after the first one ends, but also twenty years in the future. That doesn't sound possible now does it? The beginning picks up twenty years later. Claire has returned to the land that she had once fell in love with, Scotland with her grown daughter. At some point Claire had returned to her time, back to Frank pregnant. Frank made Claire promise that as long as he lives she won't tell their daughter, Brianna, who her real father is. Now it wasn't made clear to me if Frank ever believed her story or not. Just that he's not the biological father of the baby. But with the passing of Frank, Claire knows it's time to tell Brianna the truth.

Claire seeks out Roger, the adopted nephew of the Reverend, the close friend of Frank's in the first book. She wants him to find out what happened to a list of Scottish warriors. In their search, Claire makes a devastating discovery that could change everything. She then reveals the truth to her daughter, and tells her and Roger her journey through time. This is where the book picks up from the last one. Jamie and Claire are in Paris pretending to be Jacobites to prevent the Highlanders from going to war. 

Although I did love this book, I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one. I've heard many complaints about how long the book is, and how a lot of it could be cut out. But that's one of the things I love about these books. We get to see their everyday lives, and it seems more realistic. Like you are right there with them. I do have to admit the beginning with them being in Paris kind of moved slow. Maybe it's just my bias towards Scotland, but the scenes placed there were my favorite.

I didn't think my love for Jamie could grow after the first book. But once again I was wrong. We saw Jamie and Claire grow as a couple. They weren't perfect, they had their ups and downs, arguments, and then there was even a few situations you weren't sure they could work through. Their love is realistic. You don't just fall in love and then happy ever after, you have to work for it.

Trying to change history isn't an easy task. And with a few surprising discoveries, they aren't sure if they can. But  with a twist of turns of events we discovered why Claire went back to her own time. I thought that at some point the story would go back to the present time and Claire and Brianna would venture back to Jamie's time, and was kind of disappointed that they didn't.

Like the first book, I thought this was just amazing. The same conflicts show up in this one as well, violence and rape. If you can't handle those subjects this isn't the series for you. Also the Scottish dialect is used and sometimes took me a few times to read a sentence to understand.

Rating: 4/5

Review: Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris

Unbreakable (Unravelling, #2) by Elizabeth Norris
Publisher: Harper collins
Publication date: June 6th, 2013
Number of pages: 416 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | Kindle | The Book Depository

24 meets the X Files in the amazing follow up to Unravelling.

Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but civilisation is slowly rebuilding, and life is finally starting to resume some kind of normality. Until Interverse agent Taylor Barclay shows up. He’s got a problem, and he needs Janelle’s help. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring – kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths. And Ben, with his unique abilities, is the prime suspect. To make things worse, Janelle learns that someone she cares about – someone from her own world – has become one of the missing.

Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?

In this heart-pounding sequel to Unravelling, author Elizabeth Norris explores the sacrifices we make to save the people we love and the worlds we’ll travel to find them.

I absolutely loved Unravelling. I thought it had amazing mythology. Romance and mystery. Fantastic lead characters and sub characters. It was one of the better YA sci fi books I have read.
In Unbreakable, it has been four months since Ben left to go back to his own world. He said he would return but Janelle has yet to hear from him.
When Barclay suddenly turns out and tells her he needs her help in a mystery of disappearances, and that Ben is the prime suspect, she will do anything to help and clear his name.

Janelle couldn't understand when she discovers that Ben is back in her world but has yet to contact her. She also knows that there is no way he could do something like he is now accused of doing. The only thing she can do is believe in him and track him down.
But what will she find when she does locate him? Will he be the same Ben she knows and loves, or will he be someone differently that she hardly recognizes? So many questions and not enough time, as there is a race to the clock with only days to sort everything out.

This was a great book. I love how this series is so thrilling and exciting. As the time ticks down, you can't wait to see how these characters will solve the crime as the clockdown starts to tick down to the last second.
I admit, it's not what I thought this book would go down as, I probably liked it a little less than Unravelling, but it was still good enough. There just was not enough Ben, though I guess I can understand why, it just sucks.
I was glad I read Ben's novella not too long before this, so I know little bits of what transpired to get to this point and what happened to Ben while he was gone.

I really came to adore Barclay. I hated him in the first book, though I suppose he was not meant to be liked back then, but in Unbreakable, he became much of a prominent character and we came to understand him so much more than we ever did before.
The direction of his character was interesting, yet sad and heartbreaking. I liked the teamup with Jannelle. They were pretty good friends in this book, and that's where it ended for me. I could not see anything romantic between the two of them, her heart belonged to Ben, no matter what might or might not happen. There was parts of this book that I screamed at, or cried or wanted to shake some characters.

Ben and Janelle didn't have the perfect relationship. They had issues, as evident in this book. The way it ended for them, I was definitely happy with, but it wasn't how I thought it would have ended originally, but hey, who am I to complain?

In the end, I was sad this is to be the last book in the duology, because I felt there could be so much story to tell, but maybe one day....
I loved this series from start to finish, and definitely a recommend read for those like Sci fi + time travelling + mystery.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: Hover by Melissa West

Hover (The Taking, #2) by Melissa West
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication date: August 13th, 2013
Number of pages: 352 pgs
Format: Kindle
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut. Because Zeus will do anything to save the Ancients from their dying planet, and he has a plan.

Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth's atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them. But on Loge, nothing is as it seems...and no one can be trusted

Earlier this year I discovered Gravity and fell in love with it instantly. With Aliens. Dystopia/Sci/fi, it had everything I could have wanted including a sexy love interest named Jackson.
I couldn't wait to read the sequel, so of course when it was released, I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough. I couldn't wait to find myself back in Ari's world to see what has happened and changed, and what happens next to my two favourite characters.

Ari finds herself at Loge, a place so unfamilar to her. She feels like a little mouse around all these different people in a new territory. Understandable since she is new to the place and to the people, the only person she know is Jackson, but sometimes people need to get used to new surroundings before they can adjust and be who they are used to being.
This novel is a little bit different to Gravity because it doesn't take place on earth, but once you get around the initial adjustments, and get settled into this new world, it's fascinating.

Ari and Jackson have their own fair share of troubles. Secrets are kept. Ari doesn't know who she can trust especially when learning who Jackson really is and his connection to Zeus, but he is there for her no matter what. Their love just gets stronger by the end of the book.
Jackson has many responsibilities and it's never easy for him. It's never easy for either of them really, but he does all he can do to protect her.

I really adore these two characters. They are special and strong in their own right. They are both leaders and take charge when they need to. Ari's journey into a leader is a slow process that started up in Gravity, and everything she goes through, only makes her stronger by every moment.

I look forward to how everything comes together in Collide, and what Jackson and Ari will have to go through.
There is a villian among their mists and they'll have to find a way to defeat him once and for all, no matter who he may be or what he might do to either of them.  If they just stick together. they can get through anything that the world throws at them.

A great sequel to Gravity.

Rating: 4/5

Teaser Tuesday 27

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Want to play along?

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share 2 "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers
• Share the title and author

I know, I know, it's been months since I've done one of these. I always remember the day after. To make up for lost time I will post a few teasers.

The first one comes from Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon, the second novel in her Outlander series. I just finished this one today, and I absolutely love me some Jamie Frasier.

“I will find you," he whispered in my ear. "I promise. If I must endure two hundred years of purgatory, two hundred years without you - then that is my punishment, which I have earned for my crimes. For I have lied, and killed, and stolen; betrayed and broken trust. But there is the one thing that shall lie in the balance. When I shall stand before God, I shall have one thing to say, to weigh against the rest."

This next one comes from On the Edge by Ilona Andrews. I've only read the first book, but I can't wait to read more of the series.

"Go brush your teeth, comb your hair, put on dry clothes, and get the guns. We're going to Wal-Mart.”

 

Review: Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

Shades of Earth (Across the Universe, #3) by Beth Revis
Publisher: Penguin
Publication date: May 2nd, 2013
Number of pages: 369pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience. But this new Earth isn't the paradise that Amy had been hoping for. Amy and Elder must race to uncover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. But each new discovery brings more danger. And if their colony collapses then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been meaningless..

It's a shame that when the first few books in a series have been great but then get let down by its conclusion. This is what happened here. I had to wait extra longer for the book to be released in Australia, so I had all these hopes. When I did get around to reading it it didn't feel like the same story I had been reading.

I understand how things were different because of the different surroundings, but I was was not impressed. People weren't who I thought they would be, there was contrived plots and it was poorly delivered. I expected much better from Beth Revis.
I was a big fan of the romance between Amy and Elder, even though I knew they were gonna have their happy ending, but in the way it happened, I didn't like.
I'm disappointed and wish things could have been different, but I guess you can't always get what you want.

In this installment, Amy and co find themselves right next to Centauri Earth and have to decide whether or not they should take the risk in landing and making it their home. Not everyone agrees, but those that do hop on their way to explore the new planet.
Soon they discover that they aren't alone, and it brings more danger than they ever anticipated. Amy isn't alone either when her parents slowly wake up and she is reunited with them, to discover she may not know her parents like she thought she did. She basically was blind when it came to why they were there, what their mission was and their intentions.

I would still recommend this series no matter if this book disappointed me. It did have its good parts, even with the bad, so I guess it was not a total waste of my time.
Everything ended up the way it was supposed to, I guess, though sometimes it's not how you envisioned it to end up.

I'd like to say Ciao to this trilogy, I'll always cherish it as the series that got me into YA sci fi and for that I'm greatful.

Rating: 3/5

Review: A Million Suns by Beth Revis

A Millions Suns (Across the Universe, #2) by Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication date: April 5th, 2012
Number of pages: 386 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Trapped on board the spaceship Godspeed, Amy trusts no-one.

The ship's ruler is dead and a rebellion threatens. Amy wants to help Elder as he tries to take charge, but she's torn between her feelings for him and the chaos that's pulling everything apart. As more harrowing discoveries are made about Godspeed, Amy is caught in a desperate race to unravel its secrets. Only one thing is certain.

They have to get off this ship.

I believe this was one of the most talked about, anticipated books of 2012. Ever since Beth came out with ATU, the fans have been hungry for more, myself included.
I'm not big on sci/fi, but this series really sucked me in, which is hard to do for a genre like this.
I was surprised at how much I liked the first book and by the end I could not wait until book 2.
The book isn't even out in Australia yet, so I decided to get myself a copy for my kindle. I decided I had enough waiting and it was time to check out the book everyone was talking about.

A Million Suns picks up about 2 months after the end of ATU. Elder is the leader of the ship as he tries to discover and be the leader he is meant to be, but finds that things are easy said than done in this case.
He is trying his best, but it doesn't always come across that way. There are angry people and who start to rebel against him.

When Amy starts to receive clues left by Orion, she starts to wonder if there is something going on that nobody knows about.

I think I hated him less in this book, as we got to understand the reasons for what he did. It was an interesting plot within the story, and I was wondering what it was leading to. When it got discovered... that he knew something so jawdropping.. I didn't know how to react. But I came to understand him a little better.

I might like Amy and Elder's sweet relationship, but my favourite relationship in this series, is.. well we haven't seen much of it, but is her relationship with her parents. The fact that Amy went with them on the ship because she didn't want to be apart from them tore at my heart strings. I can't wait to see them wake up so she can talk to them and be with them again.

Rating: 5/5

Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1) by Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication date: March 3rd, 2011
Number of pages: 398 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

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.

Across the Universe is one of those unique books that hook you from the beginning. When I first read this book, I had not read any YA sci fi at all, I never figured it was my thing, or at least, it never appealed to me before now.
I found this story compelling, fascinating because it's the sport of thing you'd have as an adult story, to having these characters as teenagers was interesting to me.

This is a dual pov book. On one hand you have our female protagonist, Amy who was frozen alongside her parents heading to a new earth and suddenly wakes up realizing they have not arrived yet and someone has woken her up early -- without her parents.
Then we also our male counterpart, Ender. He is a young leader-in-training who will one day take over leadership of the ship he has been born and raised on. The one place he only knows. Things don't always go according to plan and Elder takes an interest in the new girl, since he has found her interesting to have someone different, his own age to talk to. Someone with different experiences than he does. Someone who lived on another earth.

After being adjusted to her new surroundings, Amy and Elder soon discover the frozens -- the others who were frozen upon arriving on the ship are suddenly being unplugged and thus dying. You would think being unplugged would then wake them up, but no, I guess there is only a proper way of doing it otherwise they die, and this is what has been happening. Someone aboard the ship does not want these people to wake up, ever and is preventing them from doing so, ever again.
Amy and Elder will have to discover the culprit and put a stop to it once and for all before someone she cares about gets hurt.

If you like sci fi with a touch of romance and mystery, then I'd recommend you check this trilogy out. It's not one to be missed.

Rating: 5/5

Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1) by Veronica Rossi
Publication Date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins
Number of Pages: 376
Format: Paperback
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Add to Goodreads

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered.

This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland — known as The Death Shop — are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent energy storms will. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild — a savage — and her only hope of staying alive.

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

 Meet Aria. She lives in a pod protected from the outside world. Inside the pod she has everything she has ever wanted. She can go into any realm/world she wants and no harm done to her. Plus they don't ever get sick or even get periods (lucky girl). But her mother is away on business and the communication line with the pod she is on has gone done. She just knows something is wrong. To try to get information she convinces the son of one of the consuls to break in one of the sectors that is damage. From there things go wrong. But there's an outsider, Perry, who had broke in at the same time and saved Aria.

But Aria pays the sacrifices and gets thrown into the outside. And Perry just happens to stumble across her and saves her from eventually dying. But Perry needs Aria. To the outsiders or savages as they are often referred to, Aria is a Dweller. Perry's nephew has been kidnapped by them, and he has to get them back and Aria seems to be his only hope.

The book and the world building is interesting. And very different. But I just couldn't really connect to the characters. I liked them as individuals, but Aria and Perry as a couple I couldn't get into. I felt like them falling in love came out of nowhere. They initially hate each other, but one day they started being friends and then bam they are in love. *rolleyes* I did love Roar.

I felt like all the reveals in the book was very predictable. I could see them coming all along.  The book was ok. But it didn't interest me enough to continue with the series.

Rating: 3/5

 

Review: Reboot by Amy Tintera

Reboot (Reboot, #1) by Amy Tintera
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Publication date: June 1st, 2013
Number of pages: 384 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

Wren Connolly was shot and killed at twelve years old. 178 minutes later; she came back at a Reboot. This is not quite a zombie, but not really alive either. I think somewhere in the middle.

The longer someone is dead, the less human they will be. Wren happens to be one of the people who was dead longer than most and hence she doesn't have many emotions. Her humanity; lets be frank has been lost.
Wren follows her orders; doesn't have many friends and does what she is told. Why should she do anything else?
When the new Reboots turn up, there is one boy who is very much human and isn't very good at the physical stuff; so what does she do? She takes him on as a trainee.

She knows Callum will have to improve, and if she can't make it happen, then he'll be eliminated (because what's the point of having a reboot who isn't any good?) and she'll be forced to be the one to do it. She knows this. Wren will have to make sure not only does he improve, but he doesn't prove to be her own downfall.

Wren was an interesting character. She is basically a shell. Someone who goes around and acting like she should, but inside, there is nothing there.  She does what she is told. She doesn't understand those who are more human than others and she is stone cold, almost like a robot.
I really adored the way she went from not caring, to having this new person in her life; Callum who she finds emotions coming back to her, and falling for him. It's the last thing she ever wanted, or expected, but by the end --- she wouldn't trade it for the world.
In a way, being around Callum helped her regain her emotions and humanity again. It's something she has not had since before she was shot, and even then she never had the best life, but Callum makes her see the world differently than she did before. You might even say... he makes her believe again.

The world these Reboots are in I found quite fascinating. Amy Tintera did an amazing job at building up such an interesting world. Where the world is different from ours, but you can see how it could happen; and how things could be.
There was so many elements I would classify this as... you'd find things from love, to terror, to power and strength.  These characters show you something different about the world, about the story... and such an imaginary view to the Dystopian world.  I'd say it would be a mix between sci fi and Dystopia. Both genres I have been loving lately.

If this is your kind of thing.. I'd totally recommend it. :)

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Unremembered  (Unremembered, #1) by Jessica Brody
Publisher: Macmillan Childrens Books
Publication date: February 28th, 2013
Number of pages: 303 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

A catastrophic plan crash leaves one survivor: a girl with no memory.

Who is she?

Where does she come from?

Nobody knows and no one comes forward to claim her.

Haunted by a looming threat she can't remember and plagued by abilities she doesn't understand, she struggles to recall who she is. But every clue leads to more questions. And she's running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a boy who claims they were once in love.

Alone and on the run, who should she trust? And what if she discovers that she is safer with a past that stays unremembered?

I'd have been looking forward to this book ever since I saw the description, minus how brief it might have been at the time at Goodreads. A year or two later the book finally comes out and of course I was anxious to read it.

I found the plot of this story interesting, and while it might not have been what I thought it was, I quite throughly enjoyed it through and through.
Jessica Brody sure knows how to entertain and hook a reader in. With interesting characters, a unique plot and a mystery to boot.

This story we find ourselves in Sera's world when she wakes up after a plane crash to be the lone survivor and having no memory whatsoever from her past, or who she is.
Since she has no living relatives and they can't find any family to speak of, Sera is then put into foster care with a nice family who she ends up liking and caring about.  Sera also knows she has the get to the bottom of who she is, where she came from and how she came to be at the site of the plane crash.
Sera, I found was quite a likable character.  This story deals with memory loss and how one goes about it. I can't imagine what it would be like myself, but it's sure an interesting theme to deal with and one that happens in everyday life.

Sera finds out some shocking and interesting things about her life, and of course there is a romance involved. Pretty much we meet the love interest right away before she even leaves the hospital. Zen is someone I liked, and so did Sera. He couldn't understand why she couldn't remember anything about her life... and that was an indication that he knew her from her previous life, who she was before.
But the question is.. how? and what exactly had happened to her to get to this state in which she does not remember a thing.
Zen turns out to be more than a love interest. He has a role in this mystery of hers more so than you would ever suspect. It was interesting in learning the events just as Sera did.

This is an intriguing story of love, self discovery, family and secrets.  It has it's flaws, as everything does, but overall, It was quite entertaining story and I was glad to have experienced it.
I look forward to where this story goes from here next. It sets up for some new and interesting plots.

Rating:  4/5

Review: Quicksilver by R.J Anderson

Quicksilver (Ultraviolet, #2) by R.J Anderson
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication date: May 2nd, 2013
Number of pages: 376pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Back in her hometown, Tori Beaugrand had everything a teenaged girl could want—popularity, money, beauty. But she also had a secret. A secret that could change her life in an instant, or destroy it.

Now she’s left everything from her old life behind, including her real name and Alison, the one friend who truly understood her. She can’t escape who and what she is. But if she wants to have anything like a normal life, she has to blend in and hide her unusual... talents.

Plans change when the enigmatic Sebastian Faraday reappears and gives Tori some bad news: she hasn’t escaped her past. In fact, she’s attracted new interest in the form of an obsessed ex-cop turned investigator for a genetics lab.

She has one last shot at getting her enemies off her trail and winning the security and independence she’s always longed for. But saving herself will take every ounce of Tori’s incredible electronics and engineering skills—and even then, she may need to sacrifice more than she could possibly imagine if she wants to be free.

A couple of years ago Ultraviolet came out and It was one of he best books I had read that year. It had everything.. from mystery to romance, with shocks and twists. The ending, while felt satisfying, but also left with quite the cliffhanger, so you knew there was more story to tell. I waited for that story...

Until now...
This is Tori's story.

In book one, we discovered Allison's story and what happened to her. Tori seemed to be more of a mystery waiting to be discovered. In Quicksilver, we follow her as she and her parents leave town and find a new life for themselves. To try to escape those wanting to track Tori down.
Tori settles in her new life with a new name and identity, and everything seems to be running smoothly, that is until the moment that changes the course of one event, and she isn't alone. Somebody knows her secret.

Not too soon later, Allison finds herself with a surprise vistor: a shock from her past in the name of Sebastian Faraday. He is someone who she probably wished she would never see again, yet also glad she did.  Although, from that point forward, Allison finds herself in a situation and a journey to which she thought she left behind.  But no... her past has caught up to her, and it won't stop until something is done about it.

Awhile, I admit, Ultraviolet was a more mystery, freaky and fast paced, Quicksilver is a little bit different.  It was still enjoyable in its own right since Tori is not Allison, we can't expect things to be in the same capacity.

I found myself really liking Allison, and her love interest. I adored Sebastian from the beginning, and we see much more of him in this sequel. Interesting things come to light, shocking events take place and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

It was nice to see the pieces fit together. Things get resolved, and a happy ending in sight.  This was a great continuation of the book I loved. I was glad to be back in that world because it's different from anything else I had read.

I now officially feel content and satisfied with how things turned out.

Rating: 4.5/5