The Replacement

The Replacement
Brenna Yovanoff
September 2010
Reading Level: YA

Summary:

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

Review:

I've gotta admit: I didn't like this book very much.

The problem is that it's hard to articulate what I feel about it. The whole thing just doesn't sit right with me. I didn't particularly like Mackie, and I didn't particularly like Tate, so the characters didn't quite do it for me. I also wasn't particularly intrigued by the story. Which odd, considering I've been dying to read this since it came out.

Overall, this book just left no impression on me. The characters fell flat, the story was dull, and it was just overall an unmemorable book. I tried so hard to like it; I really did. And it was kind of interesting, and definitely unique, but it will rest next to books like The Forest of Hands and Teeth (which I also found to be dull and uninteresting) in my heart. Was it inherently bad? Not at all. Just not my cup of tea.

Across the Universe + A Million Suns

Across the Universe && A Million Suns
Beth Revis
January 2011; January 2012
Reading Level: YA

Summary:

Summary is for Across the Universe:

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.

Review: 

The first two books in the Across the Universe trilogy are perfect examples of what I love to see in a young adult book. I will demonstrate this by making a list of the aspects of the novels that make them so wonderful and unique:

1. There is love and romance. I include this first because it is one of the things that I find the least important in a novel. However, the relationship between Amy and Elder is one that is incredibly difficult and complex, and that's what I love about it. As in real life, love and attraction is not clear cut or simple. In these novels it's clear that there is a mixture of love, obsession, fascination, and also confusion in their relationship. Despite what these characters may hope for, this is not a fairytale story, and whether there will be a fairytale ending remains to be seen.

2. The situation is hopeless. I LOVE when characters find themselves in situations that are completely out of their comfort zones. I hate when authors provide quick and easy solutions to truly difficult and impossible situations just for the sake of a happy ending. The problems of Amy and Elder are both impossible, and there are no easy solutions. Therefore, the ending is entirely unpredictable. So even though this is a dystopian story, the situations are as realistic as they can possibly be.

3. The story itself is unique. I'm sure there are plenty of books out there that are Star Wars or Star Trek related that regale the stories of Han Solo or Captain Kirk or whoever, but this is the first time I've seen a story set on a spaceship that is intended for a general young adult audience, as opposed to the audience for a Star Wars or Star Trek type story. I wasn't sure what to expect from this, which left me pleasantly surprised when I found something completely enjoyable and unique.


4. Both books were addicting. When I can't put down a book, I know it's good. This is a combination of all the above factors as well as the intrigue and suspense provided by the author.

Based on the above factors, these were both excellent books. I would definitely recommend them to young adult readers, and if you're still feeling skeptical, then let me just say that I was too when I started, but your concerns will quickly be eased once you get started and become wrapped up in the story.

Note: Look for the third and final installment to this incredible trilogy, Shades of Earth, available January 15, 2013!

Wither

Wither
by Lauren DeStefano

Summary:

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being 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 Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

Review:

First of all, I'd like to say that this cover is absolutely phenomenal. At first it looks busy and cluttered, but when I actually took the time to look at it I realized that it's the perfect cover for the book. I absolutely love it!

Now, onto the content of the book. I absolutely LOVED it. The story was one that I couldn't help but get sucked into, and the characters were so interesting that I wanted to know more about each and every one of them. Rhine's relationship with her brother, with Gabriel, with her sister-wives, with Linden... they are all so complex and while I disagreed with her actions sometimes, I could still see why she did the things she did.

The author also did a fantastic job with keeping things interesting. I couldn't put the book down, because there was always something new to discover.

I have two points that I would like to make, however, that are not necessarily criticism, but just thoughts I had while reading.

1. This reminded me of The Hunger Games. I realize that dystopian fiction is hot right now, but something just struck me as very Hunger Games-esque. However, I do feel that the story was different enough to hold it's own. I am just worried about the sequels and how the story will play out.

2. This book was very very introductory. There are many unanswered questions, and if I didn't know this was going to be a trilogy I would be very disappointed with the way this book ended. However, I am very much looking forward to two more books and I can't wait to see what happens.

Overall: read it. You won't be disappointed!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

I expected The Forest of Hands and Teeth to be a fantastic love story set in a post-apocalyptic world... I expected to fall in love with this book, and to rave about how much I love it and want other people to read it.

I think I am the only person I've heard of who was actually disappointed with this book. Not to say that it was overall a bad book. It was decent; it had a good story and cute romance and a not-cheesy ending. But I had a problem with it.

First of all, I had a problem with the Unconsecrated. I couldn't figure out exactly what was up with them... it wasn't until after I finished the book and read other reviews that I figured out that they are basically, in simple terms, "zombies". But even the idea of zombies doesn't seem right to me. And I felt like the idea was never explained in clear enough terms. Maybe it's because the characters didn't really understand fully themselves, but I really wanted some answers, and I just never got them.

[[Side note: It seemed like the problem of the Unconsecrated could easily have been solved. If there's a little village in the middle of a forest of Unconsecrated, and that village has been there for years and years, and the only way the Unconsecrated can grow is if they turn humans, then the obvious solution in my mind is to keep the humans away and just kill the Unconsecrated off one by one. Eventually, they will all be gone. Although I suppose that's too simple of a solution.]]

Another problem I had was with the main character, Mary. She was extremely selfish. Her only goal in life is to see the ocean. That is a fine goal, I must say, and if I were her I'd feel the same way. And I admire her ambition, but it seems like she was willing to let everyone around her suffer for that one goal.

The last problem was the ending. Mary's story seemed complete, and I was completely satisfied. But I can't help but wonder what happened to the other characters?? She seems to have forgotten everyone else entirely, and I have no idea what happened to them, and I would really like to know. Perhaps it addresses them in the companion novel, but I doubt it. Doesn't The Dead-Tossed Waves deal with different characters? Will I ever find out what happens to Mary and the others?

In conclusion, the book was a good one, but it left me guessing way too much. I was left to infer a lot of the background (although I may be enlightened a bit in the companion, but I won't know until I read it) and also left to infer a lot about the ending. I can understand why someone would enjoy this novel, because it is definitely a page-turner, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Now I wonder... having read this review, do you think I should read The Dead-Tossed Waves??

Waiting on Wednesday: 9/29/10

Trash
by Andy Mulligan
Release Date: October 12, 2010

Summary:

In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three “dumpsite boys” make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city.

One unlucky-lucky day, Raphael finds something very special and very mysterious. So mysterious that he decides to keep it, even when the city police offer a handsome reward for its return. That decision brings with it terrifying consequences, and soon the dumpsite boys must use all of their cunning and courage to stay ahead of their pursuers. It’s up to Raphael, Gardo, and Rat—boys who have no education, no parents, no homes, and no money—to solve the mystery and right a terrible wrong.

Andy Mulligan has written a powerful story about unthinkable poverty—and the kind of hope and determination that can transcend it. With twists and turns, unrelenting action, and deep, raw emotion, Trash is a heart-pounding, breath-holding novel.

Why?

I read this amazing review and it instantly made me intrigued. I did some more research on what it was about, and I am sooo interested in this book. It looks fantastic! [Also, I just searched for and read a few more reviews, and it looks like the response has been all-around positive for this book. Can't wait!!!]

Jane

Mockingjay

Hmm, what can I say about Mockingjay? While I haven't gotten around to reading very many reviews of it, I'm sure that everything I think has been thought by someone else, somewhere.

The problem is, I can't decide what to think. I finished this book three weeks ago, and I still cannot come to a decision about whether I loved it, hated it, or if it was just okay.

So, let's break it down.

Characters: They just didn't seem right to me. They didn't feel like the characters that I was starting to get to know, and it's probably because that's what happens when everything changes. However, Katniss bothered me like she has never bothered me before.

Pacing: Okay, this book was paced perfectly. There wasn't a page that went by that I didn't HAVE to know what happened next. I was reading during lectures, in between classes, at one of my roommate's dance recital... I could not stop.

Plot: As far as what was happening, I'm not sure that I totally want to go with it. It made sense, but it just didn't sit right with me. There really is no good way for me to describe it, it's just an intuitive feeling I have.

Ending: This is the hardest part to analyze. And I don't want to. Let's just say... ehhhh.

Overall: I enjoyed the book. But in comparison with the first two, it could have been better. I plan on re-reading the whole series next summer, and perhaps I will come up with a definite opinion then.

Unwind

Unwind is undoubtedly one of those books that makes the reader think. It makes you take a real-world issue and think about it on a deeper level. It also puts us in the future, to what could happen if things go a certain way.

Unwind is a book that not only makes us think, but it keeps us riveted. I believe that what makes it so compelling is not only because of the issues it revolves around, but because of another important factor: the characters.

Yes, I truly believe that the characters made this book. Unwind focuses on the lives of three teenagers: Connor, Risa, and Lev. These characters are as deep and complex as anyone I have ever met. They are unique and different, and constantly changing and evolving as their world changes and evolves. This is what happens to real people, and these three could easily be real people that I meet on a daily basis.

I feel this way not only about the three main characters, but also about all of the minor characters. Through the short span of 335 pages, I felt a deep connection with every character who surfaced in these pages. Everyone was complex, everyone had a story to tell. It was extraordinary, how I could be so interested in the stories and lives of everyone in this book.

Having said that, the story in itself was incredible. I was intrigued from the first page, and I couldn't stop reading until I reached the conclusion. Once you're in this world, you find that you need to know what happens next. There is adventure and action, and yes, even a bit of romance. This is a book that will appeal to a wide variety of readers, and I would recommend it to anyone.