XVI: Review

Title: XVI
Author: Julia Karr
Release Date: January 2011
Published By: Puffin/Speak
Genre: Dystopian
Pages: 325 pages
Goodreads Rating: 3.63 stars

Review: Nina lives in a world where girls are primed from a young age to be "sex-teens", and they must receive a government-issued tattoo of the letters XVI when they turn sixteen to let people know they're ready for sex. At fifteen, Nina is terrified of becoming a sex-teen. At least, until her mom suddenly dies after a horrifying attack and reveals to her shocking secrets that are even more terrifying. Everything she thought she knew about her past is shattered and now she must try to pick up the pieces to find herself again. Except things are never that easy, because her mom's killer is still out there. And he might be after her.

What I loved most about this book was the concept. In Nina's world, looking sexy and being flirtatious is put forward by the media as something that can get you anything you want, but is that so far from our own world? Even in such an enlightened age as ours, so many books and movies and TV shows display girls and women alike using their appearance as a tool for power and it's not too hard to imagine a world where this is taken to the extreme.

But although the concept was intriguing, I found the execution to be lacking in certain respects, such as the characters. Nina was a decently likeable character, and Wei was hands-down my favorite character (seriously, she was brimming with awesomeness). Sal was okay - I never really felt that he was particularly swoon-worthy but I didn't dislike him. The character that I did dislike, however, was Nina's best friend. Sandy was supposed to be an example of a sex-crazed teen girl, but even though I understood that, I wished that she had at least some depth to her and a bit more of a personality.

The author also makes frequent use of coined slang terms, like "emo-detector" and "trannies". Phrases like these can be clever and enjoyable if used in moderation, but I felt like they were just a bit too excessive and were sometimes confusing. It took me quite a while to figure out what FeLS meant, and every time I read "tranny", I couldn't help but think of the shorthand term for transgender people, which is a very different image from hovercars.

I still liked this book, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're picky with your dystopian novels as I am. The concept is fascinating, and most of the characters were well-developed and diverse, avoiding YA stereotypes. I did wish that Sandy was more interesting and that there were fewer made up terms, but other than that, this was an enjoyable read.

Divergent: Review

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Release Date: May 2011
Published By: HarperTeen
Genre: Dystopian
Pages: 496
Goodreads Rating: 4.55 stars

Review: In the future, people in Chicago are in one of five factions - Erudite, Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, and Amity. Those in Erudite take in as much knowledge as they can, those in Candor never lie, those in Abnegation live without luxuries, those in Dauntless live without fear, and those in Amity strive to be kind to all. And then, of course, there are the untouchable Factionless. When teenagers turn sixteen, they must take an aptitude test that shows which faction they're naturally inclined to, and then choose whether to stay with their original faction or change. Beatrice, born in Abnegation, chooses Dauntless and changes her name to Tris. She has to be strong and brave to survive the horrifying initiation process, which only the top ten pass. But more than that, she has to keep it a secret that the results of her aptitude test were out of the ordinary, because there are people out there who won't hesitate to kill her for it.

It was a very pleasant surprise to receive this in the mail the other day. I'd heard about this book here and there but hadn't read any reviews. Still, the cover was all pretty and shiny, so I finished the book I was currently reading and moved on to this one without really any expectations at all. But honestly? I could have had the highest of expectations and still wouldn't have been disappointed.

I know it's early in the year, but this is so going to make my top books of 2011 list. Seriously, this book was amazingness and awesomeness and epicness all wrapped in one. There were action scenes that sent my heart pounding, romantic scenes that made me swoon, and such character depth that I wanted to steal Veronica Roth's writing skills.

Tris was incredibly strong and brave while still being a flawed, sometimes vulnerable character. She reminded me a lot of Katniss in The Hunger Games, but in a good way. There are actually a lot of similarities between this book and Hunger Games, but don't get me wrong - this is still very much its own book, with its own plot and twists and characters.

Every time I started to reach the end of one page, I was already itching to flip it to the next. This is the kind of book you stay up all night reading because you can't possibly put it down, kind of book that you can't really write a sensible review for, because all you can do is shove it in people's faces and demand they read it right now. And that's what I'm saying to you guys: read it right now. Or rather, when it comes out in May.

FTC Disclosure: I received a free advanced copy of this book from the publisher. This in no way affected my review, which is 100% honest.

Matched: Review

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Published By: Dutton Juvenile
Goodreads Rating: 3.94 stars

Synopsis: 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.


Review: You're probably tired of reading all those raving reviews of Matched, and I went into this fully expecting it not to live up to its hype. However, this will be another review with so many exclamation points that you can only imagine me frothing at the mouth, eyes rolling in their sockets, as I tell you how amazing this book is.

If you're only going to read one dystopian novel of 2010, it has to be this one. This is like The Giver but with more love, more romance, more passion. Cassia has an easy voice to get into, and once you start reading, you'll be completely sucked into the story. Each character was fresh and unique, and I loved how strong and brave Cassia was. Xander and Ky both had distinct personalities as well, and I only wish Em (Cassia's best girl friend) had more of a developed personality. However, she was just a minor character so it's not a big deal.

And the romance! It was very well-written, and I found myself practically swooning over Ky, which is fairly rare for me. Ally Condie is so good at making what seem to be relatively ordinary scenes jam-packed with sexual tension without actually having sex or anything graphic. For example, the scenes where Ky was teaching Cassia how to write (in their age, people only type things and largely don't know how to write by hand) were definitely among my favorite.

All in all, I love-love-loved this book! If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for? You've got to get your hands on this as soon as possible. There's a reason why I haven't seen a single negative review for this book yet. From the characters to the romance to the world-building, this is something that will stay in my mind for a long time.

Grade: A

Grace: Review

Title: Grace
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Release Date: September 16th, 2010
Published By: Dutton
Goodreads Rating: 3.60 stars
Amazon Rating: 4.00 stars

Synopsis: Grace was raised to be an Angel, a herald of death by suicide bomb. But she refuses to die for the cause, and now Grace is on the run, daring to dream of freedom. In search of a border she may never reach, she travels among malevolent soldiers on a decrepit train crawling through the desert. Accompanied by the mysterious Kerr, Grace struggles to be invisible, but the fear of discovery looms large as she recalls the history and events that delivered her uncertain fate.

Told in spare, powerful prose by acclaimed author Elizabeth Scott, this tale of a dystopian near future will haunt readers long after they've reached the final page.

Review: I had pretty high expectations for this book because of Living Dead Girl, and I wasn't disappointed. Grace was powerful and haunting, and made for a frightening but original dystopian world. It takes place largely as Grace is escaping on a train, and she flashes back numerous times to past events and memories.

Though this is a short book at only a little bit over 200 pages, it manages to discuss quite a bit. While reading this, I felt like I was really there with her in the train, watching horror after horror unfold. Elizabeth Scott does an excellent job painting a miserable future, and I have to say, I really envy her writing ability.

Kerr was one of my favorite characters because of his complexity. There are secrets about him that I don't want to reveal here, but they add so much to him, and the reader will feel just as conflicted about him as Grace does. I kept wishing I could just break through the pages and hug him, although that probably wouldn't work out on so many levels.

This book was a little depressing - or, rather, a lot depressing, but it did have some notes of hope within it. I highly recommend this to those who loved Living Dead Girl even if you're not usually a fan of dystopias or science fiction. This was, after all, more of an introspective, character-driven book than anything else. The one thing I will say is that this book didn't suck me in as much as I thought it would, but it was still an excellent read.

Grade: B

The Compound: Review

Synopsis: Eli and his family have lived in the underground Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone, and they've become accustomed to their new life. Accustomed, but not happy. 

For Eli, no amount of luxury can stifle the dull routine of living in the same place. with only his two sisters, only his father and mother, doing the same thing day after day after day.

As problems with their carefully planned existence threaten to destroy their sanctuary - and their sanity - Eli can't help but wonder if he's rather take his chances outside.

Eli's father built the Compound to keep them safe. But are they safe - or sorry? 

Details: The Compound by S. A. Bodeen, 256 pages, 3.75 stars on Goodreads

My Thoughts: First off, major props to the author for a unique plot! There are tons of books out there that deal with apocalyptic scenarios, including nuclear wars and the like, but I love that this focused more on something totally different. If I wanted to write a dystopian, I don't think I'd ever think of doing something where the main characters are completely separated from the outside world in order to survive. The situation is awful - you can't have contact with anyone outside your immediate family (except for Eli's twin brother, who didn't make it into the compound), every day is exactly the same, and tensions and problems arise. 


I especially love the twists. Just when you think you know what's going to happen, you find out everything you thought was true was completely wrong. This book is unpredictable, a welcome relief from novels where you can practically recite the next sentence before you read it. The one thing I didn't like about the plot was that it was on the unbelievable side. You kind of have to suspend your disbelief, but after a while, you start to really get into it and it's not so bad. However, the delightfully creepy nature of the book more than makes up for this.


Some people didn't like Eli that much, but I thought he was a great character. He definitely was far from perfect - at times he was downright lazy and selfish, but I felt that made him real. Aren't we all lazy and selfish sometimes? Besides, he'd been through some really tough stuff, particularly with something regarding his brother, which I won't reveal. Eli struggled with a great deal of emotional baggage, but in the end, he was an honest portrayal, and I'm glad the author didn't try to sweeten him up. I also liked watching him grow as a character and become more caring and selfless.


Of course, there were several aspects of the book I didn't like as much. First, there was the issue of the "supplements", as they were called. While it was never really fully explained, from what I understand, they were raising little kids to eat because apparently their food supply was running low. I think the author tried too hard to raise moral/ethical questions, because that felt extremely unbelievable to me. If you think you might starve, is your solution really going to be to make your wife and daughter pregnant so you can eat the babies? I mean, really? I kept thinking I misinterpreted the book because that just seemed so illogical.


The other thing I didn't like was the father. I realize he was supposed to be the cold, manipulative psychopath, but many of his decisions didn't make sense, even after I finished the book. I can't say exactly what they are without revealing major, major spoilers, but they just seemed plain weird. I think there could have been better reasons to explain why the father did what he did - something, anything to make it more real and believable.


All in all, The Compound is a quick but fascinating read. It's suspenseful enough to keep your attention and have you turning pages, but the plot isn't the most believable in the world. 


Plot - 3/5
Characters - 3/5
Writing - 4/5
Impact - 3/5
Inability to put it down - 3/5


Overall - 64% = B-

Mockingjay: Review

Synopsis: "My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead."

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans -- except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay -- no matter what the personal cost.

Details: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, 390 pages, 4.13 stars on Goodreads

My Thoughts: I felt a little guilty when I got this book. Everyone was fighting tooth and nail to get their hands on it, and here I was, receiving it in the mail and putting it aside to finish a few other reads first. But I eventually got around to picking up that book and turning the lovely blue cover, and I began to read.


One thing I have to say is that I was never as captivated by the Hunger Games trilogy as everyone else seemed to be. They're great books for sure, but I was always able to put them down and go do something else, and to the end of the trilogy, I didn't cry. Okay, well, I teared a little bit, but everyone else seemed to sob their guts out. I don't know why the Hunger Games doesn't work as well for me as it does for everyone else.


However, I do have to say that I really, really liked Mockingjay. Maybe it's because I haven't read the other books in four thousand years (I don't remember them very well), but I loved how Suzanne Collins made it so deep and dark and chilling. This book illustrated better than any other how truly horrifying war is. There are passages in Mockingjay that make me want to read them over and over and over again.


Of course, there are aspects of Mockingjay that I really, really didn't like. Oh yeah, and here's where the spoilers begin. Scroll down to the bottom if you haven't read it yet and you just want to see the final rating. You're continuing to read? Okay. Let's start.


Unnecessary deaths. There were a lot of them, particularly Finnick and Prim. In a way, I can understand why Collins wanted Prim to die. It was this horrible ironic twist since the entire trilogy basically started because Katniss chose to die in Prim's place, and then in the end, Katniss lives and Prim dies. But Katniss has suffered enough. She's so incredibly screwed up now, enough to vote for the Hunger Games to run again! And Finnick? He didn't even get a decent death. It was just all, "Oh yeah, and Finnick died. Moving on..." 


Katniss changed. I liked her because she was gutsy and brave and loyal, and in Mockingjay, she was broken shell of a person. I understand everything she's gone through is absolutely horrible and absolutely scarring, but I had a lot of trouble relating to her in this book. She was a different person, and I didn't like her as much.


Gale vs. Peeta. I've been a Peeta person all along. Personally, I found it obvious that she would end up with Peeta; that's how these types of stories work. But seriously? Just having Gale conveniently take a job somewhere else? He deserved a better ending than that. I would have loved a Katniss-Peeta-Gale confrontation or something.


All in all, Mockingjay was good - but it definitely could have been better.


Plot - 4/5
Writing - 4/5
Characters - 3/5
Impact - 3.5/5
Inability to put it down - 2/5


Overall - 66% = B

Restoring Harmony: Review

The year is 2041, and sixteen-year-old Molly McClure has lived a relatively quiet life on an isolated farming island in Canada, but when her family fears the worst may have happened to her grandparents in the US, Molly must brave the dangerous, chaotic world left after global economic collapse—one of massive oil shortages, rampant crime, and abandoned cities.

...moreSynopsis: The year is 2041, and sixteen-year-old Molly McClure has lived a relatively quiet life on an isolated farming island in Canada, but when her family fears the worst may have happened to her grandparents in the US, Molly must brave the dangerous, chaotic world left after global economic collapse—one of massive oil shortages, rampant crime, and abandoned cities.

Molly is relieved to find her grandparents alive in their Portland suburb, but they’re financially ruined and practically starving. What should’ve been a quick trip turns into a full-fledged rescue mission. And when Molly witnesses something the local crime bosses wishes she hadn’t, Molly’s only way home may be to beat them at their own game. Luckily, there’s a handsome stranger who’s willing to help.

Restoring Harmony is a riveting, fast-paced dystopian tale complete with adventure and romance that readers will devour. 

 

Details: Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony, 320 pages, 3.76 stars on Goodreads

My Thoughts: This one was another dystopian, which, as I've said, I'm getting a little tired of. Or maybe more than a little. Let me say something straight off - I didn't dislike the book, but I feel it just didn't stand out very much, especially given how many other dystopians there are out right now. I read this something like three weeks ago (I know, I'm so behind on reviews), and I don't even remember very much about this.

There's nothing I can find that's wrong with the book - the plot is interesting, the characters feel real, and there are places where I very much wanted to know what happened next. I was a little disappointed, though, because the cover was so pretty (I know, I know, don't judge a book by its cover) and I've heard so many great things about this. In the end, Restoring Harmony simply didn't grab me as much as I'd hoped.

One thing, actually, that bothered me was how easy everything was for Molly. I liked her - she was strong and a little feisty and definitely intriguing - but whenever something bad happened to her, she escaped about half a minute later. For instance, there was a scene when she was about to get raped, but then got rescued at the last moment. A lot of scenes like this occurred where they didn't do much for the plot nor did they affect her much, and I got the feeling that Joelle Anthony was just trying to show how dangerous the world was supposed to be without having anything really, really bad happen to Molly.

When I think of this book, the first word that comes to mind is "slow". The book itself wasn't slow-paced, but it wasn't as suspenseful as it could have been. I think I would have liked this much more if there was more tension, more of that quality that makes you sit on the edge of your seat (and slide off and fall on the floor, if you're me).

This review has been mostly negative, looking back, but I did enjoy parts of this. The romance was cute, and who doesn't like a girl who carries around a fiddle all the time? Molly is an amazing character, the kind of person I'd love to be friends with. She's kind and brave, but not all perfectly perfect like you sometimes see in YA.

(I'm going to try a new rating system, inspired by all the blogs I've seen on the hop.)

Plot - 2.5/5

Characters - 3.5/5

Writing - 3/5

Impact - 1/5

Overall - 50% = C

 

(Note: A "C" is similar to 3 stars, which is what I gave it on Goodreads.)

The Line: Review (and a blog award!)

The spectacular Elle from Media Molly gave me this award for Lovely Blog! My first blog award, ever. So exciting :) I believe I'm supposed to pass on the award, so I'll give it to two of my favorite blogs - Creepy Query Girl and Badass Bookie. Go visit and follow them if you aren't already!

Now, onto the book-butchering! I mean, book-reviewing. Heh... heh... *shifty eyes*

Synopsis: Rachel lives with her mother on The Property. The good thing about living there is that it's far from the city, where the oppressive government is mos ...more Rachel lives with her mother on The Property. The good thing about living there is that it's far from the city, where the oppressive government is most active. The bad thing, at least to most people, is that it's close to the Line - an uncrossable section of the National Border Defense System, an invisible barrier that encloses the entire country.

She can see the Line from the greenhouse windows, but she is forbidden to go near it. Across the Line is Away, and though Rachel has heard many whispers about the dangers there, she's never really believed the stories. Until the day she hears a recording that could only have come from across the Line.

It's a voice asking for help.

Who sent the message? What is her mother hiding? And to what lengths will Rachel go in order to do what she thinks is right? 


Details: The Line by Teri Hall, 219 pages, 3.46 stars on Goodreads


My Thoughts: I wasn't as satisfied with this book as I thought it was. To be fair, I read this after about six hundred other dystopians, so I was getting a little sick of the genre (or sub-genre? what's it called?) anyway. As in, I had to go on a huge contemporary binge after finishing this book. So I'm going to start with all the things I liked about the book.


The style. The style was a big, big plus. It had this whole fairy-tale thing going on, with the third person and sort of distant narration. At that same time, it was a little creepy, too, like how you knew from the very beginning that this wasn't going to be a happy-sappy fairy tale. Although, come to think of it, most fairy tales are creepy. Anyway.


The characters were also spectacular. Each one was deep and had a lot of layers, especially Ms. Moore - she was by far my favorite character. The Line is the first book in a series, so I expect there will be a lot of character growth from Rachel, and that will be interesting to see.


For the things I didn't like, world building is probably the first one on the list. I personally didn't find the concept to be very original or shocking or thought-provoking. Basically, the government really sucks. And they made a line. And there are people trapped on the other side of the line. And Rachel decides to cross the line. (These aren't spoilers, by the way, don't worry!) What I really didn't like was that all this information was dumped on us through numerous pop quizzes. There has to be a better way the author could have conveyed what happened.


I didn't like the ending so much, either. I mean, the cliffhanger was okay, but this book was really short, so I don't see why, for example, the second and first book could be combined. Or even the third with the second with the first. The ending of The Line felt unnatural - the beginning was a little slow and there was a lot of building up, and just when something exciting finally happens, it ends.


All in all, this was an enjoyable read and definitely worth it if you're a huge fan of dystopians. If you're not into them so much - well, I wouldn't keep it at the top of the TBR list. 3 smilies out of 5.

Caragh O'Brien: Interview

Recently I read and reviewed Birthmarked, which you must read if you haven't already. I had the good fortune to be able to interview the author. Everyone, let's welcome Caragh O'Brien!


1. What was your inspiration for Birthmarked?

Let me say first how delighted I am that you invited me by, Izzy. I feel so honored! My inspiration for Birthmarked came first when I saw the drought in the southern states in the winter of 2008. We were driving across the country, and when I saw the empty lakes in state after state, the landscape struck me as a wasteland and I started imagining how we would adapt socially and politically to climate change. I was also inspired by my students and my own kids, especially when I imagined Gaia and how strong she was.

2. You have some wonderful codes in the novel. How did you come up with these?

Thank you! I love codes. I think they’re fun. When I was a kid, my brothers and sisters and I routinely wrote messages to each other in code. My father, a veteran cryptanalyst for the army, wrote codes in his letters to me. I thought this was typical. When I needed codes for the book, I tinkered with ones I remembered from my childhood.

3. What's the hardest part of writing for you, and how do you tackle it?

First drafts are hard for me because there are so many possibilities and the wrong directions seem just as enticing as the right ones. I give myself permission to make huge mistakes (as in 50-page-long mistakes) just to get anything down. Then I trust I can do better once I’m revising. Revising is the part I like.
 
4. On your website, you mentioned that Birthmarked is the first book of a trilogy. Can you tell us anything about the second book?

Sure. Book 2 (like the catchy title?) picks up a couple weeks after Birthmarked ends, and Gaia encounters another dystopian society which is also based in a stressed environment. In this case, women rule the men who vastly outnumber them, and Gaia suffers with a strict social code and intense injustice against people she loves. Speaking of revising, I’m starting my 8th draft and the story is shaping up.


5. You've been stranded on a desert island. You can request one book, one album, and one movie from an awesome genie. Assuming the desert island is equipped with a CD player and DVD player, what would you choose?

Ha! The music and movie are easy: Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, and American Beauty. The book is impossible to choose. I suppose I’d take along Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale because I’m rereading it now and I want to get to the end. 

Thanks again, Izzy, for having me by. I enjoy your site, and your “How To Be A Great Writer” post especially made me laugh. Good luck with your own writing!

Thanks so much for doing the interview and answering all my questions!

Nomansland: Review

Synopsis: Sometime in the future, a lonely, windswept island is populated solely by women. Among these women is a group of teenaged Trackers—expert equestrians and archers—whose job is to protect their shores from the enemy. The enemy, they’ve been told, is men. When these girls come upon a partially buried home from the distant past, they are fascinated by the strange objects—high-heeled shoes, teen magazines, make-up—found there. What are they to make of these mysterious things? And what does it mean for their strict society where friendship is forbidden and rules must be obeyed—at all costs?

Details: "Nomansland" by Lesley Hauge, 256 pages, 3.47 stars on Goodreads.

My Thoughts: I've been excited to read this since I first read a review of it, and I wasn't disappointed at all! Even though I was getting a bit tired of dystopians, the idea of a society completely made up of women was fascinating. When I was a kid, I read this book about the Amazons and thought it was really neat (despite the fact that there was an incredible amount of gore), and this book sort of reminded me of that. Except there wasn't a lot of gore in Nomansland, luckily. 


Life in Foundland is fascinating. No one is allowed to have a fancy first name, or have hair longer than a certain length, or wear anything designed to look nice or flattering. There are strict rules regarding the "Seven Pitfalls" (things like vanity), and the society was basically feminism to the extreme. Men were referred to as the enemy, and many of the girls and women believed that men are dangerous. If you're wondering, women got pregnant by artificial insemination, but what was interesting was how horrifying pregnancy was. First, there's the fact that being artificially inseminated isn't really all that fun, and since the women don't get to keep the baby in the end, they have none of the motherly love that makes pregnancy worth it for modern-day women. 


Keller is a multi-dimensional character, and throughout the book I admired her strength. She struggles to do the right thing, but that can be so hard when everything is confusing and you don't know who's good and who's not. I felt at times she could a little apathetic to what was going on, but overall, I definitely liked her.


The only thing I didn't like so much about Nomansland was that after I finished it, I still wanted to know more. Why, for example, did the genders separate in the first place? How long has it been since the Time Before? Who came up with the Seven Pitfalls? Other than that, this was a great book, and absolutely worth a read! 4 smilies out of 5.