The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Okay, so after a stint of not reading any YA dystopian novels because my reactions were shall we say, less than positive, I decided to take a chance with Joelle Charbonneau's debut The Testing. A cut-throat university setting where students are expected to learn how to rebuild the world without being stabbed in the back by their class mates? I'll bite.

After the world was decimated and recognizable civilization all but destroyed, tiny pockets or colonies were established to help bring mankind back to life. Only the brightest and best however were sent to Tosu City, to the University, to learn how to help rebuild and become the future leaders. Cia is a young candidate, chosen from her primarily agricultural colony, selected for the Testing -- a rigorous testing to be allowed entrance to the University. Where the penalty for wrong answers is more than just a bad grade. Warned by her father to trust no one, Cia is packed off to the big city where her life and her family's will forever change. If only she can make it through her exams.

I was initially very much on board with the idea behind The Testing. But like so many others it quickly began to deteriorate into a less polished derivative of The Hunger Games. Which may be harsh to say fresh out of the starting gate, but let me say this: the comparisons are inevitable. Cia, a young girl from an unappreciated colony, travels to the big city, has unknown people 'watching' out for her, and must fight for her life to succeed. More than a little similar. The Testing started off at least with some original ideas but predictably fell into common tropes.

Let me back up, The Testing did have some good ideas - the general concept that after the world was all but destroyed, the colonists were trying to rebuild it by educating people on how to genetically alter plants and discover new energy sources - but the execution seems just short of believable. It's a book that wants to be technical but doesn't ever get much past general knowledge.

For example: we have Cia, a sixteen year old (prodigy, no less) who 'a few years ago' built a solar power system for her family. Okay, I'll buy that there are some very talented and resourceful teens who could accomplish that but I didn't get the sense that Cia was all that mechanically inclined beyond the author telling us she was by a few token descriptions. I'll be honest, I'm married to an engineer and from day one I knew his mind worked just a little bit differently from my own. To put it bluntly, Cia acts like someone's idea of how a mechanically-minded person thinks they would, but never really gets past the surface ideal. There is no fiddling, no try and retry, there isn't even jimmy-rigging for heavensakes (which I have learned is imperative to those of the mechanical bent)! And maybe I wouldn't be bothered quite so much if I wasn't intimately acquainted with someone just like that, but I am and thus Cia is utterly unbelievable. But kudos to Joelle Charbonneau for trying to write writing about a female interest in mechanical things.

Ultimately, my major problem with this book was the actual testing portion the candidates faced. Yes, it was intense and even a wee bit terrifying at times, but I began to wonder Is this really how they are searching for the best of the best? With the exception of the last survival exam (don't even get me started on that one), the tests were a gauge of intellect not knowledge. For example: what plants are poisonous, how to build a radio, history, etc. Nothing that checks for intuitive thinking. If I wanted to find the brightest future leaders, I think I would administer more tests of creativity and ability to learn and adapt rather than what they have already had in their teenage heads. So while The Testing had it's moments ultimately, it fails. In a big way.

The Testing comes out June 4, 2013

series reading order:
~ The Testing
~ Independent Study (Jan 2014)
~ Graduation Day (June 2014)

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Heise Reads & Recommends review
Little Book Star review
Popcorn Reads review
Resistance is Futile review
Winter Haven Books review

book source: review copy from publisher

Ann Aguirre Guest Post - Enclave Casting Call

As you guys probably noticed yesterday, I am a major fan of Ann Aguirre's newest YA dystopian novel, Enclave - which just so happened to have been released this week! Yay!

As part of her blog tour for Enclave, Ann has graciously agreed to stop by today to share a little more about her book by revealing who she thinks would make good casting choices for each character. As I am woefully out of the loop when it comes to current actors (blame it on too much Disneyfied TV courtesy of my 3 year old) - I was much impressed with her choices.  But I'll let you judge for yourself ;)

Take it away Ann!

*****

Deuce -- Saoirse Ronan. She proved she has the chops in THE LOVELY BONES, and she's a little older and Deuce is 15 in book one, but the actress looks young, and it's pretty common for people to play younger than they are. In appearance, she's perfect.

Fade -- Paul Dano. He stole the show in LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE without every speaking a word. He has exceptional presence and the right look. He -is- Fade. He radiates that brooding energy even in his photos.

Thimble -- Ellen Page. She has the right look, and it would be interesting to see what she did with the role.

Stone -- Chris Evans. He's a little old, but yum. Enough said.

Stalker -- Taylor Kitsch. He can definitely pull off the wild blend of honor and brutality that Stalker embodies. He'd just need to blond up a bit. Yum, Gambit! I know I don't need to say more.

Tegan -- Evanna Lynch. She has such an otherworldly charm that she would be wonderful in this role.

Longshot -- Jeff Bridges. If you saw TRUE GRIT, you don't need to ask why.

Momma Oaks -- Kathy Bates. Just because I loooove her. (You get a bigger part in Outpost!)

There are more characters like Silk, Copper, Twist, Whitewall, and the Wordkeeper, but I'm not going to cast them. Once you read the book, you can do that on your own, and then you'll have some thoughts on how well I did.

*****

So what do you think? Personally, I think Ann's choice for Deuce and Fade are fabulous. And so is Evanna Lynch! Ooooh! And Kathy Bates! Okay, okay, I really love all these actors and am just nodding my head over how well they fit the characters in the book.

Thank you again Ann for dropping by today! Go here to read the first couple chapters of Enclave.

What do you think? Have you read Enclave yet? Which actors would you pick?

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

All her life Deuce has only wanted one thing: to become a revered Huntress within her underground community, the Enclave. Settlements like hers are the only existing communities left after the Topside world was destroyed and deemed uninhabitable years before. As a Huntress, Deuce has the responsibility of hunting food within the tunnels while fighting the lethal mutant Freaks who roam their depths. But Deuce's naming day becomes a bittersweet event when she realizes her hunting partner will be Fade, the perplexing young man who was brought to the Enclave after surviving on his own for years in the deadly tunnels.

Life within the Enclave is tightly controlled, with rules regarding almost every aspect of life. But Deuce has always believed that the Elder's strict regulations were essential for the continuing survival and protection of their small community. But once Deuce and Fade return to the Enclave with grim information about a local settlement destroyed by Freaks, a warning which is completely ignored by the Elders, does Deuce begin to question the complete devotion the Enclave seems to require.

With her trademark grittiness, Ann Aguirre has yet another winner on her hands, this time a young adult novel no less! Most dystopian novels are somewhat dark and bleak due to the nature of the genre itself but Enclave does not shy away from those harsh details whatsoever. From the very first few pages of Enclave, where Deuce is awarded her Huntress status in a ceremony that leaves her with six perfect (and painful) scars on her arms, I was immediately transported into her world where such extreme sacrifices were commonplace. Descriptions of her patrols with Fade were equally riveting (will they run into Freaks? will they find food? will they wind up forever lost in the tunnels?) - usually because I never knew what the enigmatic Fade would reveal or do next.

That isn't to say that Enclave is only a dark and harsh read. As Deuce and Fade come to rely more on each other and even eventually discover truths about the world as it really is, their relationship really takes off. As I've found in her Sirantha Jax series, Ann Aguirre is beyond talented at crafting complex, emotionally-wringing relationships and this one is no exception. There were some truly lovely scenes between the pair which only served to leave me, once again, waiting another whole year until the sequel, Outpost, will be released. Dang it.

Read the first two chapters here.

series reading order:
~ Enclave
~ Outpost (Fall 2012)

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
All Things Urban Fantasy review
Between the Covers review
Presenting Lenore review
Sophistikatied Reviews
YA Highway review

book source: ARC from publisher

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Orphaned at an early age and doomed to grow up in a world where death for girls comes at age twenty and boys at twenty-five, Rhine Ellery has tried to carve out a life with her twin brother Rowen. That is until she is kidnapped at age sixteen by Gatherers and sold as a teen bride to the wealthy and young Governor Linden. Even though they are marrying Linden, Rhine and her sister wives, Jenna and Cecily, quickly discover it is their controlling father-in-law Housemaster Vaughn who will ultimately decide their fate. Unwilling to accept life in the gilded cage she has been confined to, Rhine begins to plan her escape - part of which is crafting a mask of happiness that will fool Linden and hopefully even sinister Housemaster Vaughn.

It seems that recently several dystopian novels (Matched, Delirium) have been published which center around the idea of a predetermined or forced marriage in a futuristic setting. While similar in concept, Wither seems to take the concept once step further by actually portraying a teenager in a polygamous marriage. That little tidbit alone initially kept me from sinking into Rhine's story from the beginning. I was turned off by all the inherent implications of such a storyline but once I got further into the story, I found myself very impressed by Lauren DeStefano's careful handling of the topic. Yes, it does read a bit like The Handmaid's Tale but the terrifying bits are kept to a young adult level.

I was especially impressed with DeStefano's rendering of the human conflicts inherent in a polygamous marriage - aspects I was truly nervous about. Rhine's dealings with her two sister-wives, Jenna and Cecily, became a highlight while reading as both characters brought their own unique viewpoints and experiences to the situation. I cannot imagine being thrown into such a situation with two other teenage girls and Ms. DeSefanto does an admirable job of underscoring the unsteady nature of that crazy relationship. And just like her attitude towards Jenna and Cecily, Rhine's role as wife to Linden often winds up becoming blurred as well. None of Rhine's relationships in Wither are simple and that is what really kept me reading until the end.

Despite the readability of Wither, one thing I never quite understood was Rhine's constant aversion to Housemaster Vaughn dissecting bodies in order to better comprehend the genetic alteration responsible for early death. Isn't that what's done in order to develop a cure? Especially since Rhine's parents had been scientists too, I find her unwillingness to see the scientific benefits of performing autopsies unbelievable. Maybe it was simply because it was Housemaster Vaughn doing the dissections? I could tell Lauren DeStefano tried to style him as someone subtly menacing and creepy a la President Snow, yet he never quite reached that level of villain in my book. Otherwise however, Wither proved to be an unnerving and well-thought out debut, with lots of promise for the rest of The Chemical Garden series.

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Brittany the Book Slayer review
The Compulsive Reader review
Confessions of a Bookaholic review

book source: ARC provided by the publisher

Matched by Ally Condie

At seventeen years old, Cassia is ready to attend her long-awaited Matching ceremony -- a special banquet where teens of the same age all throughout the Society finally find out who they have been matched with. Cassia's match is the boy she will one day marry, raise a family with, and ultimately spend the rest of her life with. What Cassia is not expecting from her tightly controlled, orderly Society is to be matched with her childhood friend (and all around good guy) Xander. Cassia is pleased and beyond surprised to be matched to someone she has known and liked her entire life. But Cassia's elation is tempered by a glimpse of the unexpected when she goes to her computer that night to learn upload her match file and sees -- just for a moment -- not Xander, but a different face on her screen. Someone else she has known for years, the distant and unique Ky Markham. Confused by her happiness with Xander yet plagued with a desire to learn more about Ky, Cassia finds herself torn between her duty to her family and Society and the chance to discover something completely different. But of course, the Society doesn't make mistakes and someone is always watching the choices Cassia chooses to make.

Dystopian novels have always been my go-to choice in books and so I've eagerly been awaiting the release of Matched for some time. Of course the cover is astoundingly beautiful and it even corresponds (somewhat) to portions of the novel, which I always love. The premise of the novel itself also had me intrigued from day one to say the least. A young girl rebelling against her controlling 'utopian' society for the first time? Awesome. After reading, I'm happy to say that Cassia indeed has a uniquely compelling voice. Her narrative wasn't without fault -- she would often repeat the same phrases over and over again, but I found her self-discovery refreshing and incredibly readable. Likewise learning about the Society structure were pretty darn interesting too. And can we get three cheers for good-guy Xander who still remains a really, really stand up fellow even when he discovers how Cassia feels? So refreshing. Truth be told, I read Matched in one sitting and immediately wanted the next installment. Praise aside, throughout the entire book I was constantly pulled from Cassia's story due to some glaringly obvious similarities to several other well-known YA dystopian novels.

While I feel like authors will inevitably owe debts to previous ground-breaking books, I felt like Matched lifted too much structure from Lois Lowry's The Giver and even Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. In their excellent review The Book Smugglers gave some fabulous examples of why Matched reminded them so much of The Giver and I too felt like the whole controlled life span and career set-up from Matched were nothing original. Furthermore, everything Cassia learns from Ky about the Outer Provinces and their rebellion reminded me so much of the outer Districts and their uprisings in The Hunger Games. Possibly if I had never picked up (and consequently loved) The Giver, I might have had a completely different reading experience with Matched. But I have read it and loved it. Hopefully Ally Condie will use her imagination a little bit more in the next installment becuase I for one am curious for the rest of Cassia's story. I just hope it's something a little more original.

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Angieville review
The Book Smugglers review
The Compulsive Reader review
Forever Young Adult review
Persnickety Snark review

book source: ARC from the publisher

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Candor is a friendly and clean planned community. It's citizens are happy, teenagers are college-minded and always respectful. Even if parents have had trouble with their kids prior to moving to Candor, the cookie-cutter perfection of the town cannot but help rub off on them. After only a few weeks parents begin noticing that their offspring have become model teens: modest, studious, polite, and healthy. Could it be something in the water of Candor that changes everyone into white picket fence, picture-perfect, perma-smile families?

No, don't be silly. It's actually in what they hear.

Oscar's father has created the cure-all for any worried parent in the form of a pricey, perfect planned community. Pedestrian friendly shopping and schools close to home sprinkled among picturesque parks. Though he's taken this master plan a step further than most builders by including a stream of constant subliminal messages filtered daily to every inhabitant. The messages can make you lose weight, quit that lingering bad habit or even make you think you're in love. Having been around Candor since it's inception, teenage Oscar has worked hard to combat his father's constant brain-washing. He's successfully fooled an entire town into thinking he's the perfect son while secretly helping other kids break free of the system that allows no room for differences. Oscar himself is content to wait for escape until the perfect moment comes along. Then the lovely, rebellious Nia becomes Candor's newest resident and although she could mean the downfall of everything Oscar has worked so hard for, he finds himself ready to do anything to help her escape 'normalfication.'

Talk about your disturbing dystopian concept to keep you awake at night. In the first instance that someone would even go so far as to try to control everyone around them using subliminal messages and secondly, that any parent would knowingly submit their children to such a fate. I must say, however that no parent is half as sinister as Oscar's dear old dad. His controlling persona is a force to be reckoned with and Oscar is very believable as a teen who not only wants to escape the brain-washing while still seeking his father's approval. In fact, I was highly impressed with the entire set-up of Candor. That said, there was a definite lack of substance to the novel. Weighing in at just over 200 pages, it didn't seem like Pam Bachorz took the time to adequately flesh out Oscar (or anyone really) as a character. Although I understood his initial attraction to Nia (she was completely different that anyone else he had ever met), I never really saw him truly falling for her or understood why he took the steps he did to ensure her safety. I won't say any more than that for risk of spoilers, but I'll just say that their relationship never really quite made it off the ground. Which is unfortunate since Candor had the potential of becoming really quite special.

What I really love about this book is the rockin' cover. That shiny piece of marketing was one of the main reasons I decided to pick Candor up in the first place (besides being a Cybils finalist). The guy on the cover is close to what I had in mind for pretty-boy Oscar and those little paper houses are something special. And the book itself? A nice bright spray-paint orange reminiscent of the delinquent Nia.  

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
The Book Butterfly review
The Book Nest review
The Compulsive Reader review
My Friend Amy review
Not Enough Bookshelves review

book source: purchased

Blog Watch: The Last Blog in The Universe

Who doesn't love to get sucked into a good dystopian novel?

I sure do.

So when I stumbled across what has to be the best new blog called The Last Blog in The Universe I might have squealed just a little bit. Hop on over to check out their round-up of recent dystopian book reviews including The Top 9 Signs You Are Reading a Bad Dystopian Novel.

I think I just figured out how I'm spending my lunch break.

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

I have been looking forward to reading This World We Live In, the third book in Susan Beth Pfeffer's Moon trilogy, for what seems like ages. After tearing through Life As We Knew It I spent countless late nights up with a newborn agonizing over what I would do in such a catastrophic situation. Due to Miranda's spell-binding account, the hubby and I often spent hours mentally counting canned foods, organizing medications, and obsessing over ways to cook without electricity. Not often does a book consume my every spare thought as effectively as Life As We Knew It did. Knowing This World We Live In would connect Miranda's story with Alex's from The Dead and the Gone, I mentally prepared myself for a similarly engrossing read and lots of hours checking over my food storage.

In the past year, Miranda's entire life has altered after a freak asteroid-moon collision resulting in a change in orbit and all kinds of calamity. Countless natural disasters ensued and it was all Miranda, her mom, and brothers Matt and Jon could do to survive one catastrophe after another. Nothing is as it was before. Miranda will never be a 'normal' teenager and she's almost starting to forget what it was even like to walk in the sun or eat eggs or even fresh lettuce.

It's been less than a year since everything changed, less than a year since hunger and darkness and death have become so commonplace, but I couldn't remember what life -- life the way I used to know it -- had been like. I couldn't remember blue.

They've made it through the worst of the winter and are even beginning to feel a ray of hope for the future with the arrival of spring and some truly unexpected guests. Miranda's father has returned with his wife and new baby. He's also brought along Alex and Julie Morales and a close friend, Charlie. Although thrilled to have them safe and home, Miranda and her family understandably begin to wonder just how long their meager stores will last with the addition of five adults.

This World We Live In returns to Miranda's journal entries and although I could not bear to look away from her family's struggle, this latest installment didn't really add anything in terms of character or plot development. Whatever happened to the Miranda I knew and loved from Life As We Knew It? That Miranda had me in the palm of her hand as she unfolded her desperate struggle for survival. And although her everyday existence remained as precarious as ever, I didn't feel like Miranda (or anyone else) grew from their experiences. Yes, it was interesting to see how Miranda and Alex interacted but I never got a good handle on why they were drawn to each other. Besides both having survived a world-ending disaster, of course. It was like Susan Beth Pfeffer expected her readers to already be so in love with Alex from The Dead and the Gone (which I wasn't) that she didn't really bother taking the time to develop a believable relationship between the two.

Although I did struggle reading it, I will admit I still read This World We Live In quicker than you can say 'post-apocalyptic-young-adult-candy-fiction.' Fans of Miranda who have continued to wonder about her future will be glad they picked it up; I just wish the story had been developed a bit further.

series reading order:
~ Life as We Knew It
~ The Dead and the Gone
~ This World We Live In (April 2010)

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Becky's Book Reviews
Jen Robinson's Book Page review

book source: provided by the publisher, Harcourt

Veracity by Laura Bynum

At the age of six, Harper Adams lost her parents, her home - her entire world in a mass pandemic caused by an act of terrorism. In the aftermath of confusion and panic, a new government called the Confederation of the Willing took control of the country. No longer willing to allow people to self-govern, the state demands each person receive an implant called the Slate which records every word and action a person makes. If a person even dares to speak a banned or Red-Listed word, the Slate will deliver an immediate electric shock along with a none too subtle reminder of the state's control. If this weren't enough to keep the populace subdued and complacent, the government also relies on a brutal police force called the Blue Coats whose punishment is swift and often deadly.

Harper has become a different sort of tool in the hands of the government. Somewhat psychic, she has always been able to read people's emotions and is now used as a Monitor to determine guilt or innocence. But Harper has seen enough corruption to know it is time to stop the oppressive government and is more than ready when an underground resistance movement recruiter makes contact. Fueled by the memory of her lost daughter, whose name is now a Red-Listed word, Harper willingly joins the Resistance knowing it just might cost her everything but it also might give her more than she ever imagined.

For me, dystopian books may as well be classified as 'Book Crack' as I tend devour them without hesitation. Although the various dystopian books I've come across vary in terms of suspense, I found myself almost shuddering at the harsh reality of Harper's world. In the vein of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Veracity is a dark and fearful reminder of the power of knowledge and the lengths a government will go to keep its citizens repressed. I also couldn't help but be reminded of M.T. Anderson's chilling book Feed, in which everyone has a computer implanted in their brain at birth.

At it's core, Veracity is a book that explores the power of words. How they allow us expression and understanding and how censorship destroys that basic freedom. I couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow as Harper confessed to ignorance of common words I so dearly love: music, poem, community, painting and so many others. Although quite dark, I was impressed with Harper's interactions with the Resistance and their struggle to restore knowledge through the fabled Book of Noah.

Other Veracity Blog Tour participants:
My Friend Amy
The Neverending Shelf
Opinionated? Me?
Parajunkee's View
Temple Library Reviews

book source: provided by the publisher, Pocket Books

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Thanks to the wonderful Holly (you remember how much fun she is right?), I recently picked up The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness on her enthusiastic recommendation. Dystopian? Intriguing characters? Suspenseful action? Sign me right up.

Todd Hewitt lives in a world without silence. In Prentisstown, all the thoughts of every man and animals are projected loud and clear, without filter - called the Noise. Constant and deafening, the Noise is inescapable and full of every secret thought.

The Noise is a man unfiltered, and without a filter, a man is just chaos walking.

Todd has never known privacy in Prentisstown nor he has ever met a woman. His own mother, along with all the other women, was killed during the war with an alien race called the Spackle. Now as the only boy left in Prentisstown, Todd is eagerly awaiting his 13th birthday - the one that will turn him officially into a man. A month before his birthday Todd and his faithful dog Manchee discover something that will change his entire life and will contradict every truth he ever believed in and leave him running for his very survival.

There are many different reasons why I practically devoured this book: first of all is Patrick Ness' completely unique writing style. From the compelling and stark chapter titles to the varying type fonts used to characterize the harsh pervasiveness of the Noise - it was all just so... new and utterly real. But the real ace in the hole has to be the characterizations in The Knife of Never Letting Go. I so loved Todd's interactions with each and every individual - I even went so far as to fall in love with his crazy dog, Manchee. The dog. In every exchange, you can practically chart Todd's progression into maturity on his flight from Prentisstown. Take this truth Todd belatedly learns about the falseness of first impressions:

I look up at him. His face and his Noise are as blank as I remember but the lesson of forever and ever is that knowing a man's mind ain't knowing the man.

Talk about a book that will kill you with its utter, complete, blinding perfection. Which is the reason I shall now dub it as My Favorite Dystopian Read of 2010. Oh, I know it is only two weeks into January and I've got another 50 odd weeks of reading yet to come, but I cannot even begin to explain the sheer brilliance of this compelling book. After digesting this complex read, I'm more than confident that The Knife of Never Letting Go will remain on my best of lists. That is, unless The Ask and the Answer dares to take its place.

series reading order:
~ The Knife of Never Letting Go
~ The Ask and the Answer
~ Monsters of Men (September 2010)

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Confessions of a Bibliovore review
S. Krishna's Books review
Things Mean a lot review
YA Fabulous review
ya Reads review
Rhiannon Hart interviews Patrick Ness

book source: my local library

Giveaway: Furnace: Solitary by Alexander Gordon Smith

As always with a sequel, read the following review at your own risk of spoilers!!

After putting down Furnace: Lockdown - which effectively ended right on a monumentally massive cliff-hanger ending - wondering if Alex Sawyer actually, really and truly escaped from the underground prison Furnace, I simply took a deep breath, cracked open Solitary and plowed on ahead. You see, Alex has witnessed horror upon horror during his stay in Furnace and just when the possibility of escape is dangled right in front of him, he's brought back to grim reality by the evil Warden and his soulless blacksuit minions. That's right, Alex and Zee are caught and placed in solitary confinement - underneath the main prison - leaving the boys wishing for the relative comforts of their old shared cells.

Solitary confinement leaves Alex questioning his own sanity and he quickly begins to once again dream of that elusive hope of escape. When a monstrous creature who used to be a boy just like Alex opens up his cell filling his head with horrible tales of experimentation and savagery, Alex is once again determined to get out of Furnace - no matter what. He just has to figure out a way past the blacksuits, the killer dogs, the wheezers, the panic-inducing Warden, and miles of solid rock.

It's safe to say after having already read Lockdown, I was ready for the horror that can be categorized as Alex's time in prison. Like it's predecessor, Solitary follows Alex and his friends as they face death and agony time and again only to be pushed deeper into the nightmare of Furnace. Alexander Gordon Smith's intense writing effectively grabs you immediately; dragging you along in the wake of Alex's desperate flight through the depths of that horrible prison. I barely had time to catch my breath between each new harrowing discovery - but that's what makes Alex's story just so compelling. Heck, if I were a teenage boy I'd be eating this stuff up with a fork. And asking for seconds.

And once again, we are back with that same clip-art obsessed cringe-worthy cover artist. But wait you say! It's different! They used blue! And there are targets! Ohhhh... that changes everything. Sadly there is no alternate cover to soften the blow to my eyes.

Read the first two chapters of Solitary here.

series reading order:
~ Lockdown - my review

~ Solitary

~ Death Sentence

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
The Book Bag review

book source: The Book Smugglers giveaway

******************

Since I haven't hosted a giveaway in quite a while (bad bloggy!) I'm going to be giving away a signed copy of both Furnace: Lockdown (my review) and Furnace: Solitary to one lucky commenter who tells me what scares you the most. That's right two signed books to one lucky commenter!

Giveaway Guidelines:

• Open to US residents only
• Must be a follower
  
• Leave a comment answering the question: what scares you the most?
  
• Include your email
• Entries must be received by midnight on January 31st
  

Furnace: Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

When Lockdown came for me in the mail I might have experienced a slight panic attack. You see, ever since the ninth grade when my friend lent me her copy of Stephen King's Misery and I ended up alternating between wide-eyed panic and downright terror anytime I got near a car or was left alone, I vowed to steer clear of the horror genre henceforth. I've remained steadfast in my resolve for many years now, only to be tempted to crumble in the face of Alexander Gordon Smith's horrific view of a teenage prison, Furnace. I reasoned with myself that one, Furnace is actually labeled YA fiction, so really it can't be that bad and two, seeing as I am an adult, I could probably get through this one just fine.

Riiiiight.

There's probably a good reason why I haven't stepped foot near a haunted house in over six years.*

Alex Sawyer has been condemned to life behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. Although he's not looking forward to time spent in a sparse juvy institution - no, after murderous teenagers killed innocent victims on the streets of England, Alex has been sent to the imposing prison Furnace. A prison constructed to hold any and all dangerous youth and the only sentence at Furnace is a life-sentence, basically a death-sentence. As Alex tries to navigate his way through the harsh reality of his new life - fear, hide, fear, work, fear - he begins to dream of the unthinkable: escape.

When asked about his inspiration for the horrific conditions of Furnace in an interview with The Discriminating Fangirl, Smith explained:

I was thinking less about the news and more about my own worst fears. The thought of being convicted of a crime you didn't commit, and spending your life in jail, is absolutely terrifying.

And terrifying it is. From the heartless jailers to the complete lack of parental control or contact with the inmates on the inside, Furnace is a place directly out of anyone's nightmares (including this reviewer). That said, I was surprised to find Alex's story was full of heart. I know, cliche right? But I have to admit Alex's buff and gruff cell-mate Donovan and his fellow newbie Zee were bright spots in an otherwise red haze.

And for all of you who are scratching their heads with me over the cover? Please, please someone help that clip-art happy cover artist. Dogs! Barb-wire! Guns! Red strobe lights! I feel like I'm looking at some 10th grader's collage on nightmares and frankly it just gives me a headache. The UK cover is much better.

Let's just say after diving deep into the terrifying underbelly of Furnace, I think I'm going back to my original policy of no horror. Although it didn't exactly leave me with nightmares, I'll be the first to admit that I at least like the possibility of rainbows and a happy ever after. Which will never feature in a Furnace book. Never. Smith does a good job of dangling the possibility just out of reach, but it doesn't happen. That's not to say I'm not totally rooting for Alex to figure his way out of Furnace. I am. I'm just not crossing my fingers that it'll happen any time soon.

* You guessed it: It's because I'm a wuss.

series reading order:

~ Lockdown

~ Solitary

~ Death Sentence

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:

The Book Smugglers review

The Discriminating Fangirl review

Fantasy Book Critic review

Squeaky Books review

book source: The Book Smugglers giveaway

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

As always, I'm trying to keep things spoiler-free here, but trust me when I say you won't want to read this review unless you've already read the heart-stopping Hunger Games. What are you waiting for? Go read it! Now!


After defying the Capitol and President Snow in the last Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta have returned home as joint victors – an unprecedented achievement – to find they are still in as much danger as before. This danger however is not such an in-your-face-fight-for-survival, but nonetheless deadly with exponentially more lives at stake. All Katniss wants to is to return home after the Games and resume her former life: hunting with Gale, arguing with the black market vendors of the Hob, and generally keeping a low profile. That dream however is shattered after President Snow makes it perfectly clear to Katniss that he expects to be fully convinced of her undying love for Peeta not just on their Victory Tour but permanently. And if she can’t? The consequences won’t just be limited to herself this time: her family and friends would be the Capitol’s next targets.

On thing I really like about Suzanne Collins’ books is that I never really know what will happen next. Her constant twists and turns catch me of guard and I really, really like that. Despite the somewhat rushed, horribly abrupt cliff-hanger ending (why do authors ever feel the need to do that to their readers?!?) Catching Fire held me from the get-go and played havoc with my emotions the entire ride.

So much about Catching Fire is focused on relationships and barring Katniss' interactions with Gale and Peeta, I eagerly anticipated any scene where Cinna came into play. The man is a genius designer and I couldn’t be more impressed with his subtly and symbolism in everything he creates for Katniss. A talented designer and truly committed to Katniss, Cinna is one stylist I’d want in my corner too.

I’ve read many reviews that compalined that the pacing in this book was off – to which I say, not off, just different. For a while Katniss really doesn’t do much of anything besides try to figure out where she stands on a variety of subjects: how she feels about Gale, how she feels about Peeta, how to convince the President she really isn’t trying to foment a rebellion, etc., etc. This is a drastic change of pace in one sense, because Katniss isn’t physically fighting for her life every at every turn. Instead, she’s waging war on a variety of fronts, only now she has to think about how to keep her family and friends alive too. So for a 17 year old, she’s got a lot on her plate and I, for one, was intrigued by her inner turmoil and struggle to define herself. Which maybe makes Catching Fire more of a coming of age/determination story than a dystopian survival novel, but differences aside, I loved it and can’t wait to see where that cliff-hanger ending will go next.

series reading order:
~ Hunger Games
~ Catching Fire
~ untitled book 3 due out Aug. 2010

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Angieville review
The Compulsive Reader review
Karin's Book Nook review
Linus's Blanket review
Presenting Lenore review

book source: Book Binge giveaway

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

In the future, municipal Darwinism is King. After massive world-wide destruction, cities and towns have become mobile structures lumbering across continents 'eating' each other in a race to acquire more materials, fuel, and even slaves. Young Tom Natsworthy was born and bred in the traction city of London and even if he is only a third class apprentice in the Guild of Historians and an orphan, he's content to be a part of that great city - a pinnacle of progress. While on assignment, Tom can't believe his luck when he finally meets his hero, Mr. Valentine, the brave archeologist and darling of London - and his beautiful daughter Katherine. But after witnessing something he shouldn't have, he finds himself lost in the rugged Out-Country, desperate to find a way back to London and joined by the scarred Hester Shaw, a young girl bent on revenge and delightfully flawed. As Tom and Hester race across the desolate landscape after the mobile London, they face death at every turn as they stumble across pirates, slavers, and even the resistance movement, the Anti-Tractionist League.

Every so often I stumble across a little-known book that really hits a high note. I should have known Mortal Engines would have been a Sure Thing knowing it was 1. a dystopian book and 2. chock full of compelling characters, but be warned: this book will pull you in faster than you can say "anti-Tractionist League." Truly engrossing, the non-stop action of Tom and Hester's journey left me stunned. The whole idea that after massive world destruction, technology has evolved to allow entire civilizations to become mobile is fascinating. Throw in a very active resistance movement and the fact that Philip Reeve presents compelling arguments for each side without ever forcing an opinion on his readers and you've got yourself some compelling reading.

Staggering world building aside, characters are what make this book a stand-out. And I don't just mean the main characters; Mortal Engines boasts a superb supporting cast. The red-clad pilot Anna Fang: charming and kind but who would like nothing better than to see the end of mobile cities. The power hungry pirate Chrystler Peavey who only keeps Tom alive in hopes of turning his crew into 'proper gentlemen.' Not to mention Hester Shaw - whose scarred face and thirst for revenge has her wary of any overture of friendship. Be warned, as meticulous Philip Reeve is with crafting his characters, he doesn't think twice about killing them off. Several times, I would re-read passages thinking "did he really just do it again??! NOOO!!" But that's okay, I'm planning on returning to The Hungry City Chronicles just to find out what unique individual he's planning on introducing me to next.

series reading order:
~ Mortal Engines
~ Predator's Gold
~ Infernal Devices
~ A Darkling Plain

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Book Loons review
Green Man review
SF Site review
Teenreads.com review

book source: my local library

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines

Many of you have heard me go on and on about all the truly unforgettable books that Angie from Angieville has recommended - there's quite a list at this point. Last week, she posted a blazingly hot review for a recent debut titled Girl in the Arena, and like Pavlov's dog, I immediately felt the need to pick it up. Imagine my joy when Angie herself hand-delivered said book to me on Friday (thanks Angie!). And true to form, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.

Lyn G. is the daughter of seven gladiators. Her beautiful mother, Allison, has made a career of sorts being married to Glads and lives and breathes according to the bylaws governing Glad wife and child behavior. Tommy G. is lucky husband number seven and has become more a father to Lyn and her younger brother Thad than any of her previous fathers. Tommy is also one of the best Glads in the business and now only has a few fights left before his contract is over with the Gladiator Sports Association. For his last bout, he's slated to face the rising-star Uber, a young Glad who is at the top of his game and who strangely enough, has the usually confident Tommy, Lyn, Allison and even Thad worried and obsessing over the outcome.

This is one of the first bylaws I was taught; number 96:

Never leave the stadium when your father is dying.

As a Glad daughter, Lyn feels trapped in a life she has no control over and suffocated by a mother who only wants her to make the same choices she did. But Lyn is fiercely independent and of all things a pacifist(!) and would like nothing better than to take her family away from all the violence and the prying eyes of the media. Especially her mentally handicapped brother Thad who often makes surprisingly accurate but oh so creepy predictions but who she would do anything for. Including stepping into the one place she hates more than any other - the arena - for the chance to fight for their freedom from the GSA once and for all.

Part social commentary, part dystopian fantasy Girl in the Arena portrays an America that isn't too far off by any stretch of the imagination. Chuck Palahniuk-esque fight clubs controlled by the all too powerful GSA abound and achieve higher ranking than even the NFL Over them all (and the bane of Lyn's existence) hangs the persistent, malicious media and paparazzi who make the Glad way of life impossible to escape.

Lise Haines' book is full of convoluted twists while oozing daring and character upon character that fairly leap off the pages. I do wish there had been more action scenes involving Lyn and clearer descriptions for some of the aspects of Glad culture which were a little murky but I have to look beyond them both in the face of the brilliance of Lyn's story. Against the powerful GSA and her daunting family she's honest, she's loyal and she's so freaking tough - no wonder she had Uber walking on eggshells most of the time. Parts of the action in Girl in the Arena completely broadsided me (just like it does Lyn) and all I could do was hang on, trusting Lyn to make sense of it all. I think what ultimately made me love Lyn to pieces however was her constant maneuvering of her brother, herself, her friend Mark, and even Uber in a such way to achieve some semblance of happiness for them all.

And if nothing else, please take a moment to watch this video I found over at Teens Read and Write. It's part review, part music video and wholly awesome.


Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Abby (the) Librarian review
Angieville review
Becky's Book Reviews
The Compulsive Reader review
Juiciliciousss Reviews

book source: borrowed from a friend

Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody

Way back in August, The Book Smugglers held their fantastic YA Appreciation month in which I furiously scribbled down book after book that I wanted to get to know better. Then they began spotlighting dystopian and post-apocalypse books over and over again and I began to feel a little faint. Literally. If you don't already know of my severe weakness for anything dystopian - I'll say it now loud and clear. I'm an unashamed addict and after reading Ana and Thea's glowing recommendations for the Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody, I was sold. Bought and paid for. I then and there began plotting on how to get a hold of the series before my curiosity did me in. And let's just say, my efforts paid off in full.

Following the devastating nuclear fallout known as the Great White, wherein humans basically tried to destroy each other, only small pockets of civilizations remained on the barren and poisoned earth. Each civilization had to find a way of controlling their panicked citizens which eventually lead to the establishment of the Council of farmers, a group who by their strict governing have most people too scared to even think about stepping out of line. Since you have all that nuclear radiation floating around, human mutations have started to pop up everywhere and are not exactly popular with the Council. Any person suspected of having a mutation (real or imagined) is either put to death, or if caught in their youth, sent to a civilization shrouded in secrecy called Obernewtyn - established specifically for misfits. Elspeth Gordie just happens to be more scared of the Council than most - her mutation is one she's never even heard of and the thought of being discovered is enough to make her steer clear of potential friendships or informers. Not only does Elspeth have the 'common' problem of her dreams turning into actuality, but she can talk with animals; animals who mistrust humans in general but who also possess memories of the time before the Great White. She's also got some other serious undisclosed 'talents' that would definitely label her as Public Enemy No.1, so I see nothing wrong with being a little closed off. Unfortunately, Elspeth does find herself competely out of sorts after a not-so-chance encounter with Obernewtyn's misfit-finder resulting in her too-quick removal to that infamous settlement.

Now, Ms. Carmody could have stopped Elspeth's story right there and it would have been just dandy. But oh nos - she keeps going: firmly placing the restrained and self-contained Elspeth into a world where every person is shrouded in secrecy and around each corner is another creepy misfit that had the hairs on the back of my neck permanently standing on end. Maybe just a little out of her comfort zone, but Elspeth rises to the challenge and many fantastic cloak-and-dagger moments ensue. Add in a potential love interest and I was hooked for good. There is so much going on in the background as well - Elspeth's mental link with the moody cat Maurman (when are cats not fickle and moody?), the distrust of all technology and books - not even to mention the ever-increasing underground movement to overthrow the Council's control. All combined, it makes for some pretty compelling reading and I seriously cannot wait to return to Elspeth's world in book two, Farseekers.

series reading order:
~ Obernewtyn
~ Farseekers
~ Ashling
~ The Keeping Place
~ Wavesong
~ The Stone Key
~ The Sending (2010)

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Fantasy Book Review
I Was a Teenage Book Geek review
Royal Reviews
SF Site review
Terra on the Bookshelf review

book source: my local library

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Jenna Fox has awoken after lying in a coma for the past year following a horrible accident to discover that not only does she not remember the house or the people she is with but has absolutely no memory of her life before the accident. Her mother encourages her to piece her life back together by watching home videos of herself that span every year of her life - each neatly cataloging every moment of Jenna Fox's growth and development. As an only child, she is obviously her parent's pride and joy but Jenna finds herself rebelling against their strict rules without really understanding why.

Oh, and did I mention it's set in the future after the world has been plagued by epidemics and violent sicknesses due to too much genetic engineering of plants and medicine? Yep. It's one of those fabulously creepy dystopian books. My cuppa tea.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox was one of those suspenseful books that kept me constantly trying to guess The Big Secret. Hints are dropped along the way and little by little Jenna begins to remember things from her past; ultimately revealing an all together not unexpected twist. Jenna is a compelling storyteller with a very clear voice. I loved that she often would mistake the meaning of a particular word or phrase since she had no idea what it meant - often substituting an alternate meaning that usually was more accurate than the originally intended meaning. Watching her slowly put together all the pieces of her story was a fascinating look at how a person facing total amnesia might react.

I felt that the relationship between Jenna and Lily, her grandmother, was extremely real. Right from the start, Jenna gets the feeling that Lily doesn't like her but knows at one point she must have loved her like any normal grandparent. As their relationship develops, their conversations contain some of the most searching and realistic interactions in the entire book. Though unsure of what to make of Jenna, Lily is constantly pushing her to think for herself and to act on her decisions. Sounds like an ideal grandma to me. That said, the other secondary characters were pretty flat by comparison. Her parents were at times, almost stereotypical in their quest for the perfect daughter and even her interactions with other teens left me feeling a little like "huh?" There was one kid in particular, Dane, that the author just sorta introduced as being weird and then competely dropped which was weird. I felt like the book resolved itself in such a way that still left me with questions but with enough answers to satisfy me - although I could have competely done without the epilogue. It really just didn't work with the overall tone.

Am I morbid?

Many of you know about my fascination with anything dystopian, end of the world or post-apocalypse in literature. Maybe I just have an unhealthy curiosity over what happens when either mass disease, natural disasters or super scary technology irrevocably changes the world. Something about people showing their true colors in times of trial and all that. Many of you have also expressed similar interest and I just knew there were others out there. So I couldn't have been more pleased to read the fabbity-fab post The Book Smugglers recently wrote outlining mucho many dystopian books as part of their YA Appreciation Month. They hit many of my favorites (how i live now for starters) and touched on many that I can't wait to try out (can anyone say Obernewtyn?). I think I've just added another 15 inches to my ever increasing TBR pile...

It's the end of the world as we know it

I have no idea why I enjoy reading doomsday or post-apocalyptic books. Maybe it's the extreme circumstances that build strong characters (or sometimes expose weak ones for that matter) or maybe I just have an unhealthy obsession with the end of the world. Whatever the reason, these books never fail to catapult me directly into the story and leave me shivering with delight. It's like watching a train wreck - it's gruesome and horrific but you just can't tear yourself away. So I thought I'd put together a list of some of my favorite post-apocalyptic books that just might make you want to get a gun, food storage and a whole stockpile of medicine.



How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Dark and moving book about teens living on their own in England through a devastating war. Told from the first-person, I loved the narrator’s psychological development and struggle to deal with the reality of her new life. And of course, it's a Printz winner - no further recommendation needed.





Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Boy does this book ever make me want to get my food storage! In a series of diary entries, a young girl records her life after an asteroid hits the moon, throwing it off it’s path causing all kinds of natural disasters. The honest narration compelled me to honestly evaluate what I would do in the same situation.




The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Panem ruthlessly controls the 12 districts that once were known as North America. Their ultimate control over the populace lies in the Hunger Games where one boy and girl are chosen as 'tributes' from each District every year and are forced to fight for their lives while the struggle is broadcast to the entire nation as mandatory viewing. But that doesn't even begin to encompass it's greatness - just read it.




The Road by Cormac McCarthy
McCarthy has a classic on his hands here. An utterly amazing story of a father and son who travel across a devastated and scorched America. Along the way, they deal with love, loss, courage, the will to survive, and simple pain. Some of McCarthy’s images will stay with me for a really long time. It completely blew me away.





World War Z by Max Brooks
A compilation of first-hand 'accounts' from when zombies tried to destroy earth's population. Various countries and communities are featured, each giving a different look at how people reacted to a large scale threat – often in chilling ways.





The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Government control gone crazy. Each person has a ‘job’ but even in this highly strict society, corruption and greed are found as one woman tries to escape her life as a handmaiden to a civic leader and his barren wife. Not for the faint of heart.






1984 by George Orwell
George Orwell's bleak vision of a world under the thumb of a brutal, oppressive regime in which we are first introduced to that all-knowing and all-powerful presence: Big Brother.





Among the Hidden (Shadow Children series) by Margaret Peterson Haddix
These quick yet thought-provoking junior fiction books introduces us to a time when America is suffering from food shortages due to population explosion. The military has taken control and Haddix forces the reader to consider what our own government would do in the face of such crisis.



The Giver by Lois Lowry
A fascinating, almost chilling tale about a boy, Jonas, who is chosen to be his community's new Receiver. Jonas receives memories from The Giver; memories that are full of feeling - pain, love, loss, color, and life - that are deemed too dangerous for the community to be able to experience.




Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
A totalitarian regime controls the populace through nonstop entertainment. Don’t think, don’t read, don’t be an individual – just enjoy TV. Follow the transition of Guy Montag from book burner ‘fireman’ into a man who is on the run for not only possessing books, but killing a fellow fireman to protect them.




So that's my list of post-apocalyptic books. I'm always on the lookout for the next great addition to this list, so please let me know if I've missed your favorite doomsday book!