Review: Perception by Lee Strauss

Title: Perception
Series: Perception
Placement in Series: Book 1
Author: Lee Strauss
Format: e-galley
Blurb:

Eternal Life is To Die For.

Seventeen year old Zoe Vanderveen is a GAP—a genetically altered person. She lives in the security of a walled city on prime water-front property along-side other equally beautiful people with extended life spans.

Her brother Liam is missing.

Noah Brody is a natural who lives on the outside. He leads protests against the GAPs and detests the widening chasm they’ve created between those who have and those who don’t. He doesn’t like girls like Zoe and he has good reason not to like her specifically.

Zoe’s carefree life takes a traumatic turn. She’s in trouble and it turns out that Noah, the last guy on earth she should trust, is the only one who can help her.

Review:
Spoiler warning: I touch on some scenes in the book, but no major plot twists or events are spoiled.

The concept of this book was really fascinating. Set in a futuristic world where technology has advanced incredibly, humans (who can afford the procedure) are genetically enhanced so they live longer (to about 200 years old!) and physically age slower. Our main character, Zoe, lives in a large, protected city known as Sol. She is blonde-haired and blue-eyed and white-skinned like the other GAPs (genetically altered persons), living separately from The Outside, or Los Angeles, as the 'normal' people call it. People on The Outside live far less perfect lives than those in Sol, and do not have access to the procedures to become GAPs (and most don't want to, proving so by holding rallies protesting the genetic alterations).
Then Zoe's brother dies mysteriously, and she goes on a hunt to solve the mystery of his death. And it seems everyone in her life (parents, boyfriend) is hiding something from her.

Throw in science versus ethics and a forbidden romance, and you've got my attention.

Present it to me as it is written in Perception, and you've lost me.

I'm not even going to get into the whole 'all GAPs are beautiful and caucasian and blonde with blue eyes' thing, because I'm sure you can guess how much that in itself annoys me. I read the Uglies series (gee, another disappointing story on genetically altering humans*), and I don't remember if people's skin colour was changed, but I wouldn't doubt it. This is not okay, people.

Disclaimer: not blaming the author on this one - it is all a part of the story. And that's why I'm not going to go into it, because it is not something I find to be a fault in the book itself. I just wish this was also touched on more in Perception.

Touched on more?
What else do I think should be touched on more in Perception?
Hmm, well let's see...
Everything.

While the plot seriously interested me, I was extremely disappointed in how it all played out. The only reason I continued to read past the halfway point (when I knew this book was doomed) was because I wanted to know how it would play out. It wasn't the premise that was the problem, but the many factors in the book (characters, plot development, length, writing) that worked against it and had me gritting my teeth and biting back the urge to yell at my e-reader.

I apologise for the extreme negativity contained in this review, but it was unable to be helped.

Let's start with the main character, Zoe. Zoe is naive (understandable, since she grew up sheltered as a GAP), but she never grows out of it. She's also emotionless. Her brother dies, and sure, she's upset. But she acts as if he was merely keeping a secret from her, not that he died and is never coming back. In fact, no one in the book reacted very much when Zoe's brother died. Her mother (who Zoe refers to by her first name - Zoe refers to both her parents by their first names, because she doesn't feel 'connected' to them) was clearly upset by the death of Liam. But she was the only one. And everyone else was acting as if the mother couldn't handle life or something because she was so upset that her son died.
So yeah, there was that. Thankfully Zoe is at least trying to find out what happened, but I don't believe it's her way of grieving. I don't believe she's grieving at all. I think she's just offended that no one will tell her what is going on.

Zoe also fails to react (except for her knees giving out in shock) when she finds out something shocking about her past (she says vaguely, to avoid spoiling anyone who has yet to read the book and wants to). What she learns is so incredibly life-altering (haha, get it? Because she is literally already altered being a GAP? Sorry. Moving on), but she doesn't stop to think about it. There's no internal monologue about it, and it's not brought up until she randomly lashes out at her grandfather. But even all that is is a sarcastic comeback telling her grandfather that she knows the secret about herself, and then that's it. She hardly brings it up again. Not even internally. And this book is written in the first person. There is no excuse.

A bit more on Zoe's lack of... thought, for lack of a better term at the moment. Her boyfriend is being extremely shady throughout the whole first half of the book, and never once does she think 'Why am I with this boy who acts like he knows something about my brother's death, but won't tell me about it? And why am I with him when he basically ignores me after my brother dies - a moment in which I need him the most? And why do I continue to be with him after all of that plus the fact that I am now finding the maid's son to be attractive and I want to kiss him really, really badly?' (more on that later)
Zoe! Your boyfriend is being shady about your brother's mysterious death and barely even comforts you in your (basically non-existent - but that's besides the point) time of mourning! DUMP HIM!

She also infuriated me with her obsession over the maid's son. His mother is extremely sick and he leaves her to go visit her in the hospital, and doesn't call Zoe right away, and Zoe is paranoid he hates her. Out of no where she just starts thinking he's going to leave her. Because when he called her to give her the update on his mom, he sounded strained. He called her and she thinks he doesn't want to be together. Zoe is not a character anyone should look up to.

So about those romantic feelings for the maid's son...
Zoe doesn't pay Noah (maid's son) much attention until she realises his functionability in figuring out what happened to her brother. Now, I don't believe she's using Noah, no. I just also don't believe how she fell for him in an instant at this point. Out of no where she's realising how attractive he is and hoping that he'll be attracted to her. Meanwhile, she's still with her shady GAP boyfriend.

But the worst part?

Noah thinks of Zoe as filth. She's a genetically altered person who believes in everything he's against. But the day after Zoe enlists his help to solve the Liam mystery, he's into her like he hasn't spent hours of his time at rallies against GAPs and loathing her family. It made no sense to me. This was one romance that I could not get into. I wanted to; the idea of their forbidden romance was a predictable plot point, but an intriguing one. Sadly, it was developed poorly.
It had its ups and its down. Singular. Down. They had one fight that lasted half of a page. Noah realised he didn't belong in Sol because he wasn't a GAP and Zoe's 'friends' turned their nose up at him. Zoe chases after him and after only maybe three days of knowing him properly and one day after kissing him, declares that she'll leave the only home she's ever known to be with him.
No.
Stop.
There was no emotional build-up. The romance just happened and we readers are just supposed to believe it. Count me out.

Also underdeveloped was Zoe's relationship with her friends. They only appeared to nudge the plot along slightly. Zoe needed an escape from her house, and suddenly her best friend (who isn't mentioned until 90+  pages in - more than halfway through the story, folks) is on a trip and Zoe's pretending this best friend is home a day early.
What?!

There were several plot holes, like when she sneaks out of the house and her father tries calling her, but she ignores him. And then when she returns home, there's no mention of her getting reprimanded. The way she left her house had me thinking she wasn't going to return until everything was solved - she was basically on house arrest at that point, because her parents didn't want her seeing the maid's son. But then she sneaks out and nothing happens? *frowns*

I wish there was more focus on the story at hand. What I read feels like it was a first draft the author wrote down to get all of their ideas out in front of them, for them to embellish on later. The characters as well as the plot need some extreme fleshing out. And for a futuristic story about genetically altered humans, 150 pages just doesn't seem enough to tell the story. And it doesn't. A few other reviews I've read pointed out that Perception felt like it was a summary of a book. Someone wrote down all of the basic plot points and left out all of the development and emotion and voila! Perception.

The last quarter of the book is told from an entirely differect point of view. All of a sudden we reach 'part 2' of the book, and it is told in Noah's point of view. While I enjoyed Noah's point of view better than I did Zoe's, I thought this was really odd, and it threw me off. I want through most of the book in one person's perspective, only to be thrown into an entirely different person's mind for the last few chapters. This part could have been extended to the length that Zoe's part was - everything that happened in Noah's chapters felt rushed, and the final plot twist was solved way too conveniently for my taste.

In summation, good premise, bad delivery. Perception needs a lot of fleshing out. I hope the sequel is given more attention. I might read it to see if it improves and to see where this story goes, because like I said before, I really like the idea.

Rating: 2/5 - Just didn't do it for me.
Recommended for: No one? The only reason I finished this one was to find out how it ended, and because it was so short.

*I've so far read three stories about genetically altering humans. Perception is the latest, Uglies was the first, and Origin (Jessica Khoury) was the second. Origin was fantastic, by the way. So it can be done right.

Review: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Eternity Cure
Series: Blood of Eden series
Placement in Series: Book 2/3
Author: Julie Kagawa

Description:

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

Review:

This book is one of those books which was just so good I want to give you all copies and sit and watch you read it while trying to remain expressionless, but really I will be sitting next to you hitting your arm and saying with wide, crazy-eyes: "I KNOW, right?! THAT part!"

But I'm going to try to get my thoughts out on this book in a slightly more coherent way, because you all need to read this book. Because you just do.

If you have yet to read the first book in the Blood of Eden series (The Immortal Rules) by Julie Kagawa, I suggest you do that first if you want both my review and the book itself to make any sense. You can read my review on The Immortal Rules here.

(Note: The following has very few spoilers.

What I liked about The Eternity Cure:
Once again Julie Kagawa's writing continues to amaze me. I seem to forget each time I open one of her books just how visually descriptive and real her writing is, then I start reading and it's like eating a perfectly baked fudgey brownie after months of not having any (I really like brownies and I'm hungry, okay? No judging). It's descriptive without being too descriptive, and the action scenes (which there are a lot of) are perfect. She makes you feel like you're there (though you might not always want to be, based on some of the things that happen and what the characters are seeing!) and are a part of the action.

What I did not like about The Eternity Cure:
The fact that I have to wait a year from now for the next book. Seriously, I have zero complaints about this book.

What I loved about The Eternity Cure:
Jackal! And the plot itself. Without spoiling too much, I will say this: The Eternity Cure starts not too long after where The Immortal Rules ends, and Allie, now a vampire who should not be able to dream, keeps having 'dreams' about her sire, Kanin. He is in trouble, and so she sets out to find him, following the bond that connects them. But when she finally reaches her destination, what she finds is far from what she expects! She stumbles upon Jackal, her vampire 'brother' whom she faced off against in the last book (and nearly did not make it). He requests her help in finding Kanin, whom Jackal is also searching for, and they set off to find their sire, putting aside their differences (or not really, based on the massive amounts of humourous - at least to me - bickering that is exchanged between them).
On their journey to find Kanin, we discover a bit more about Jackal (and in my case, start to fall in love with him - he is just too entertaining, despite how incredibly evil he can be) and even meet up with a few figures from Allie's past.
Also, a new string of the Red Virus has broken out and it affects not only humans, but threatens the vampire population as well.

The book is full of plot twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat (or at least sitting up in my bed clutching my Kobo), and just when you think everything is fine and phew, we can relax now... Nope! Julie Kagawa rips that chair right out from behind you and leaves you slamming hard onto your backside on the floor. And I loved every second of it.

You see a lot of Allie's development as a person (er, can we still call a vampire a person?) and a vampire in The Eternity Cure, and some shocking development in a few other characters (whom I will not mention because spoilers) as well.

The reappearance of Jackal was one of the best things to happen to this book. He is annoying and hilarious and sassy, and even though he did many unforgiveable things in The Immortal Rules, I could not help but like him in a very different way from the rest of the characters. I want to say more, but I know it will count as a spoilers, so I will just leave it at that. All I will add is this: more Jackal, please!

Rating: 5/5
I recommend this book for: Anyone over the age of 15 (some violence/language/themes that might not be suitable for younger readers) who has read The Immortal Rules (why read the sequel without first reading the book that started it all?)

Where you can buy this book:

In Canada:
Indigo/Chapters/Coles

In the USA:
Barnes and Noble

Internationally:
Amazon

For your e-reader:
Kindle
Kobo
Nook

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Title: Requiem
Series: Delirium Trilogy
Placement in Series: Book 3/3
Author: Lauren Oliver
Description:

They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

Review:

I first read Delirium back in January 2012, when I was going through my 'what to read after The Hunger Games' kick (all right, I admit I'm still on a dystopian/post-apocalyptic kick, one that I'm not sure will end!) and it quickly became one of my favourite series. I had high expectations for Requiem, especially considering how much I loved Pandemonium (my first review on this blog!) and the direction it seemed to be taking the series. While I was on hiatus from here, I read a lot of reviews and opinions on the final book in this trilogy, and it seemed people were either disappointed with the ending, or they loved it. I, personally, loved it to the core. Below I have written why, but proceed with caution: if you have yet to read Requiem, there are some (major) spoilers below.


What I liked about Requiem:
As in the previous novels, Lauren Oliver's writing remained poetic and perfectly descriptive. I was there with Lena and with Hana in every moment. I understood them both, even though my feelings toward Hana are not the greatest (although I came around in the end).

I also liked that half of the book was written from Hana's perspective. After reading Hana's short story, it was pretty much necessary. It was certainly something that I, as a reader, wanted. Hana intrigued me, and it was important for me to see how Hana had changed (and not changed) after she received the Cure. I am glad she redeemed herself after what she did in the Hana short story (which, by the way, if you have not read before reading Requiem, I think you should).


What I did not like about Requiem:
There was very little that left me dissatisfied when it came to this book. There is a small part of me that wishes there were a few more loose ends tied up by the end of Requiem, but at the same time...


What I loved about Requiem:
Basically everything, but the ending was my favourite. Lauren Oliver had a lot of expectations to live up, and it is certainly not possible for her to end this series in a way that will satisfy every reader, but I was definitely one of the satisfied ones.

I loved how there were loose ends. I loved that I was left with questions. What happens to Portland after? And the rest of the world seeming infected with Deliria? And what about Hana? Where does she go? Does she survive and does she ever meet up with Lena? I like to imagine that she did. I like to imagine that they find each other in the future, while the world is being rebuilt, and that they are still a part of each other's lives. I like to imagine that, if their friendship is not rekindled, they at least are near each other and can exist for each other, especially considering how important they were to eachother before everything that happened happened.

And what of Lena's relationship with Julian and Alex? Who, ultimately, did she choose? There were strong reasons for her to choose Alex. There were strong reasons for her to choose Julian. However, I think if she did choose by the end of Requiem, it would have been too soon. So many characters in YA seem to make rushed decisions (which is understandable considering they are teenagers; however, Lena has grown up a lot since Delirium, and it is no longer in her best interest to make such hurried decisions). The way I see it, she waited a while longer to make her decision, perhaps until things were a little less hectic. After all, she has a lot of other things to worry about. Like repairing the relationship with her mother, mourning Raven, and helping rebuild (at least) Portland.

But again, these are all questions I was fine with having been left unanswered. If they all had been, the ending would have been too rushed. Like author John Green said: "Books belong to their readers", and in this case, I am very glad to have been able to make my own theories. There are some books that need loose ends like these tied, but Requiem is not one of them.

Requiem rating: 5/5
Series rating: 4.5/5


And you? How did you feel about Requiem? Agree with my review? Disagree?
Discuss in the comments!

Cover Judging #2 + Cover Reveal: Blood of Eden series by Julie Kagawa

The publishers of the Blood of Eden series have designed new covers for Julie Kagawa's vampiric dystopian series, Blood of Eden. The new covers looks great, and I am excited for them, but I do understand why some fans of the series are concerned about the new cover designs. However, I have a few points that should soothe your hesitation, Kagawa fans.

(The first edition The Immortal Rules cover)

Like with Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me trilogy, Blood of Eden is going to have new cover designs, presumably so the series can have covers that flow. Both YA series had standard covers featuring the main character (See my post on the new Shatter Me trilogy cover reveal here), and I believe that having a cover that features more of a design than a face will appeal to readers. Current fans already love the series, and a cover that could appeal to everyone would only benefit the series. I don't want to get into a super deep analysis of what type of covers attract what groups of people, so I won't say much else about that.
Plus there isn't much you can do with a character's face at the cover, unless you change up the characters featured on the cover, or if you do what the Delirium trilogy did with their covers (which I personally am not a fan of, because it was just different angles of Lena's face with a different colour featured on each colour. It did not feel as creative as it could have been, but hey).

Cover changes happen, and usually it is for the better, even if not everyone is a fan (and it's impossible to please everyone, so) of the changes.

And honestly, I had a feeling the covers would change. I personally love the new covers. They're fun to look at, and even though this means I'm going to have to buy another copy of The Immortal Rules so my covers will match, I can live with that.

So what are your thoughts on the new covers? Let's discuss in the comments!

Wishlist Wednesday #2

Wishlist Wednesday is a blogger meme hosted at Pen to Paper where bloggers feature the books on their wishlists. You can join in on the hop over at Pen to Paper's blog by clicking here.

This week I'm wishing I had obtained this series a while ago, but alas, it has yet to grace my bookshelf with its presence:

Series Title: Maze Runner trilogy

Books in Series: The Kill Order (prequel), The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure

Author: James Dashner

Blurb: 

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

Yep, this week I'm wishing I had The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner. I have heard many great things about this series, and there have been so many times I've gone to the bookstore to get it, only to come home with different books. Each time I get home I beat myself up thinking 'Why? Why didn't I pick it up?' And then I remember: 'Oh, right. The store had the paperbacks of the first two novels and the hardcovers of the final book'. I'm big into my books in a series all being either paperback or hardcover. I really like matching covers, okay? It's killing me that my Shatter Me trilogy is going to be all messed up, but... that's something to get into later.

So basically I'm waiting on this series to all be out in paperback so it will all match. I might be able to get the hardcover of the prequel and be okay with it, but we'll see. Or maybe I'll use my bookstore discount and spend the extra cash on the hardcovers if I can get them sent to the store. Hmm... Either way, The Maze Runner Trilogy needs to find its way onto my shelf and then into my hands!!

Reached Book Trailer

I absolutely love book trailers. They are not always perfect, but they are a fantastic way to get readers even more excited about the book, and an easy way to link people to an amazing series.

For those of you like me who are eagerly anticipating the final installment of the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie, Entertainment Weekly has put up the trailer. To view it, click here.

(click here to read the full description on goodreads.com)

The hardcover will be 512 pages, while the hardcover of Crossed and Matched are 367 and 369 pages, respectively. That's a big difference, and I cannot wait to read this epic conclusion!

Reached hits bookstores this November on the 13th. Only twenty more days!!
Will you be picking up a copy?

Waiting on Wednesday #9

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly blogger meme started by Breaking the Spine. If you want to check this meme out at its origin and particpate, just click here.

Every time I read the blurb for this one, I squeal a little and bounce a lot. I CANNOT WAIT.

Title: Requiem

Author: Lauren Oliver

Series: Delirium trilogy

Blurb:

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight. 

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

I'm not sure what part of this book I am more excited for: the anticipated conclusion or the fact that it's told from Lena AND Hana's point of view. Also, the cliffhanger we were left with in Pandemonium (read my full review of Pandemonium here) was absolutely brilliant.

I can't believe we still have to wait until March 5th, 2013 for this one. Thankfully there are other books to read in between to keep our minds off the wait, huh?

So what books are you guys waiting on this week? Link me in the comments!

Book Haul #2

My second book haul video!

Featuring:
The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse
Sacrifice by Cayla Kluver (book #3 in her Legacy trilogy)
The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa (book #5 in The Iron Fey series)

and a special mention of Looking For Alaska by John Green

Reviews to come of The Lost Prince and The Forsaken soon, for sure (and possible Looking For Alaska and Sacrifice).

Waiting on Wednesday #8

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly blogger meme started by Breaking the Spine. If you want to check this meme out at its origin and particpate, just click here.

I have seen arcs of this lovely floating around the bloggersphere, and it is the book I am anxiously waiting on this week.

Title: Prodigy
Author: Marie Lu
Series: Legend

Blurb:

June and Day make their way to Las Vegas where they join the rebel Patriot group and become involved in an assassination plot against the Elector in hopes of saving the Republic.

The blurb is small for this one, but I could not be more excited! Legend is one of my favourites that I have read this year, so I cannot wait to read the sequel.

Fun Fact: It was originally titled 'Patriot'

Prodigy is due out on January 29th, 2013. I will certainly be visiting the bookstore that day to get my hands on a copy.

Mini Review: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

If Destroy Me does not make you sympathize with Warner, I honestly don't think you actually read it.

Title: Destroy Me
Series: Shatter Me trilogy
Placement in Series: 1.5
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

This novella was so perfect. So needed. If you read the Shatter Me series, you need to read this novella. It is not an option. This book is so integral to the plot that it cannot be set aside. To me, it's book 2. And Unravel Me will be book 3.

In Destroy Me we get a much bigger picture of everything that is going on. We get to see how the Reestablishment functions. We get to see so much more than Juliet could show us; even more than Adam could show us. We really get an insider's view of how the post-apocalyptic world Tahereh Mafi created functions and who runs it. And we get to see inside Warner's head.

I don't want to spoil anything, so if you haven't read Destroy Me yet, go do that now. It's an e-novella. And probably on Tuesday I will be doing a follow-up review in video format which will be full of spoilers because I need to talk about this book.
Brilliant.

Waiting on Wednesday #7

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly blogger meme started by Breaking the Spine. If you want to check this meme out at its origin and particpate, just click here.

I know I haven't been updating lately, and I apologise deeply for that. Been really busy, but I'm going to post this because I'd hate to miss a week! Please bear with me, guys.

This week I am waiting on the final installment of the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie.

Blurb:

Cassia faces the ultimate choices in the long-anticipated conclusion to the "New York Times" bestselling Matched Trilogy After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising--and each other--Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again. In this gripping conclusion to the #1 "New York Times" bestselling Matched Trilogy, Cassia will reconcile the difficulties of challenging a life too confining, seeking a freedom she never dreamed possible, and honoring a love she cannot live without.

Reached comes out November 13th of this year (2012 for any of you who are time-travelling). AND I CANNOT WAIT. I love Ally Condie's writing style, and I cannot wait to find out what happens in this book. There are so many ends that need to be tied up and though I have my theories, I cannot wait to see how Ally Condie ties up this trilogy.

So what are you guys waiting on this week?

Waiting On Wednesday #2

This week I'm anxiously waiting on book 1.5 of the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi. Destroy Me, written from Warner's perspective, is due out in e-book format on October 2nd 2012.

Goodreads blurb:

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

Just hearing that is will be in Warner's perspective was enough to get me excited for Destroy Me. It is not often that readers get the perspective of the antagonist. I am curious to see just exactly how Warner's mind works, and am looking forward to seeing him in future books. I mean, he was able to touch Juliette... BUT HOW?

*bounces up and down in excitement*

Also, the cover text: "She will choose me"

LOVE. IT.

Who else will be purchasing this e-novella? What are you most excited for? Discuss in the comments below :)

Review: Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

(Note: The above cover is not from the original first edition, but the cover on the copy I purchased and now own)

Title: Uglies, Pretties, Specials
Series:  Uglies series
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Goodreads Link: Goodreads Description
Rating: 3.5/5

Review:

(Note: This review may contain spoilers. If you want nothing spoiled, please skip to the bottom for my spoiler-free summary of the review)

 So Westerfeld's Uglies series was one highly recommended to me. Naturally, I had to read it asap. The premise of the plot is what pulled me in: a society where at the age of sixteen you can get surgery to look 'pretty' just like everyone else. My first thought was 'Oh my goodness, that is just horrible! No one should be made to feel ugly, but this society is making everyone feel ugly until they turn sixteen'. Imagine living almost a quarter of your life thinking you were ugly and there was no way to improve your looks except with surgery at age sixteen. That in itself fascinated me, and I wanted to know exactly how Scott Westerfeld's story would play out.


 To be honest, I'm still a little confused as to the point of it all, because I was expecting Tally, the protagonist, to realise that looks aren't everything. After reading Uglies I figured that she would in the end, but the books took the story on a completely different track. And honestly, I'm not sure if I even enjoyed them after reading Uglies. Sure, the society was interesting to read about and Scott Westerfeld described it amazingly. It was very interesting learning about all of the technology and how the Rusties (basically, us) were killing the earth with all of our expansion -- a point, by the way, that I'm glad he brought up and dealt with, since (***major spoiler alert. Scroll away now***)  in the end, Tally and David went around protecting the wild from possibly city expansion. But let's not be too spoilery now.


I enjoyed the first book most in this series. In the beginning, it was interesting seeing how much Tally wanted to become a Pretty. I'm really glad she was not a character who already rejected the whole idea and was not rebellious from the get go, because this way we get to see the way this society had corrupted people's minds. When we met Shay I instantly loved her. She was fun and I thought she would be the one to make Tally see the light (that looks aren't everything). Of course Tally is unsure right away, but keeps her friend's secret -- that is until the government comes after her hoping she will lead them to Shay and The Smoke. Then Tally takes the deal (betray her friend and lead Dr. Cable to The Smoke), since all she wanted was to become a Pretty. As I expected, Tally got used to the idea of living out in the wilds, and even found a love interest who began to show her that being 'ugly' wasn't a bad thing. It's the person inside of you that matters. Finally, I thought. Let's get this story on a roll. But of course, things went wrong, and I won't go into detail, but things get very interesting. I really like David (Tally's love interest) because of all that he teaches Tally. He is probably the most refreshing character in these books, and the only one I actually can stand. That's not to say that I hated everyone else, though.


A bomb gets dropped on us by David's mother which reveals the true reason this post-apocalyptic series contains a dystopian society. Again, spoiler ahead. Readers, beware. It turns out, when sixteen year olds get their Pretty operation, their brains are also modified with lesions that control their mind. People aren't under complete mind-control, but they do lose a part of themselves and basically become all the same, all with the same 'bubbly' personality. The new pretties, for example, spend their days and nights partying and sleeping with no adult supervision. And they don't really need it since their minds have been configured to work the way the government wants them to. This is what really got the inner plot going, and I thought Hey, cool. So finally I get the plot of this series. Tally and David and Shay will most likely work together to bring down Special Circumstances and remove the lesions from everyone's brains and teach everyone that looks aren't everything. I was partly right.


But then Tally gets captured. And then she gets turned into a pretty. And then she's against the Smoke. And then we see what her life is like as a Pretty. Honestly, after Uglies I was not a huge fan of what was going on, so I'll keep this bit short. I felt a lot of what happened in Pretties was dull. And when at the end Tally gets captured again and we start off Specials with her pretty much in the same place as we started Pretties (with her separated from David and the Smoke on the side of Special Circumstances), I got really annoyed. The plot took us in a complete circle, and still hadn't begun to explain how Tally was able to get past the lesions on her brain. She was able to bring herself out of her 'Pretty' mind, but we never learned how that was possible. Why was Tally able to do that and no one else? That was an end left untied that really bothered me.
Another thing that bothered me about this series is that in the end, Tally still thought looks were important and was still revolted by David's 'ugly' that she couldn't be with him in a relationship anymore. The only thing that had changed about Tally was she became more stuck up and arrogant. I was really disappointed that in the end she didn't realise that it's a person's personality that mattered. I thought these books would have that as its moral, but I was very wrong. Disappointing.


Also in the end I could not stand Shay. Or Tally. If I had not been determined to finish this series and hoped they would change, I might not even have stuck it out. It really kills a book for me if I dislike most of the characters. But the world Westerfeld created is what kept me reading.


*No major spoilers whatsoever at this point of the review. If you scrolled down from the warning at the start of the review, hi! This part of the review is safe to read, I promise.*


So for me, I could not really get past how Tally still thought 'pretty/special' people were better than the 'uglies'. However, I read the entire series and it was an okay read. It was full of a lot of action and adventure (at least in the second half of most books), and the society that Westerfeld built is certainly interesting to read about. What with all of the technology already being created nowadays to improve one's appearance, I think this society is completely plausible. I could see this happening. I just wish there was a moral to the story Westerfeld tells, or at least one to appeal to teenagers and young adults. It would improve my overall opinion of the books, that's for sure.


I will not be reviewing Extras, because I did not enjoy it at all. Why? I'll give my simple answer: I saw absolutely no point to the story told in Extras. It could have been a series on its own, perhaps, relating to the world created in the Uglies series. But you could honestly read Uglies, Pretties, and Specials and never read Extras and you won't miss anything.








I know that a lot of people loved this series, and I wish I enjoyed it as much. Tell me, if you liked it more than I did, what was it that you enjoyed?
If you didn't really enjoy it, share your thoughts! I'd love to discuss this series with you.
Share your thoughts in the comments :)

Review: Insurgent

Title: Insurgent
Series: Divergent trilogy
Author: Veronica Roth
Goodreads Link: Goodreads Description
Rating: 5/5

Review:

Warning: The following review contains spoilers. If you have not yet read Insurgent and do not want anything to be spoiled for you, I suggest you turn back now. This has been your warning.

Unnofficial Warning: I'm not a professional book reviewer so I leak pure bias into my reviews and talk about how I feel about specific characters and not just a generalised feel of this book. So if that bothers you... skip this one. :) 

 Wow. This book is one that I have been waiting to read every since I finished the first in the series, Divergent. There's this thing that can sometimes happen when you anticipate to read a book, and then you actually read it and are let down. That thing is called disappointment because you have been so worked out and the excitement has built up that in the end, the book could never have possible lived up to the expectations you built for it. In the case of Insurgent, this does not apply. This book series is one of my favourites out of the many I've read in the past while, and that has not changed with this book.

I'm going to start off by talking about the ending. That seems like a good place to start, no? Anyone who says that the ending was no surprise to them and that they saw it coming it a liar or is Veronica Roth herself. Because that ending was a total brick wall. The kind you slam into when your eyes are closed tight and so you don't see it coming even if you were expecting some type of cliffhanger. Specifically I am talking about how we learned about Edith Prior and what was outside of New Chicago. Of course we all knew something was out there. But Edith Prior? No no no. That was total unexpected and I applaud Veronica Roth for that. Amazing. Ingenius.

And now let's skip back to the beginning! One of the things I noticed a lot of people complaining about after reading Divergent was how Tris did not seem to mourn the loss of everyone that died at the end of the first book. I don't understand how they came to this conclusion because the book ended with Tris, Four, Marcus, Peter, and Caleb on the train to Amity. There was no time to show mourning because the book ended there. So I'd like to know how those people feel now, for I'm sure they are eating their words considering Insurgent opened with Tris thinking about Will and regretting what happened, and a vast majority of what happened in the book to Tris was affected by her PTSD. She couldn't even touch a gun as a repercussion of what happened in Divergent! And again I just want to applaud Veronica Roth for this, because as great as bad ass heroines are in a book, I love realistic bad ass heroines even more. And PTSD and guilt and regret are all realistic things for Tris to feel. Tris is not my favourite character of this series (and main characters are usually my favourite, so this it out of the norm for me), but I was able to appreciate her more because of this. She is real. Tris is real. 

 I had heard talk about a betrayal in Insurgent in a part of one review I read somewhere online, and I was all prepared for it. Or at least I thought I was. I kept it in mind while I read the book, but when the betrayal actually happened, I was floored. I stopped reading for a good five minutes and must have said 'no no no no no' more times than I probably should have. I won't say who it was because I don't want to spoil everything that happened in the book, but I loved that character. And now I don't know how to feel about them. I feel betrayed. And for the third time so far, I applaud Veronica Roth. It hurts thinking about that character now because... well I mean they had my trust. They had everyone's trust. I did NOT see that coming. Honestly I thought it was just Peter and well... who wouldn't expect that? Oh, the plot twists. Veronica Roth, you are currently the queen of plot twists and I love you for that. I hate you, because how am I supposed to feel about this character now? But I love you.

I'll stop here with the love now to point out something that bothered me, and I know others have mentioned this in review of Divergent, but I'm going to say it again anyways. The action is great, the character dynamics are fantastic, but the one thing this book lacks is setting description. There was more of it in Insurgent than there was in Divergent, because I can picture a few of the places better now, but the biggest bother for me was the lack of Candor description. The Amity description sufficed, but considering they were also in the Candor faction for a while, it's a bit disappointing that I still have no idea what most of it looks like. Just that there are Candor symbols everywhere. But that's just the interior of one building. While it does not take away from the plot, I do wish there had been more description. Tris does notice how rooms are decorated and there was description there, but what I really wanted was to be able to picture the specific factions better, especially since I have no idea what Chicago looks like. However, the book still gets a 5/5 from me, because this is a minor thing.

In regards to Tris and Four's relationship, I'm glad it was not perfect in this book. I felt they both had changed, and Four having trouble dealing with his own issues while Tris dealt with hers... Well I'm just glad that they weren't all lovey dovey and there were moments where I seriously feared for their relationship. That's real. As I've mentioned before, I like realistic happenings when it comes to characters. When everything is perfect between them, that makes no sense to me. So I applaud for a fourth time, Veronica Roth.

Overall, I'm sure it's obvious that I loved this book. It was certainly a page turner, which I'm glad for because I read it all in one sitting. I've read other books all in one sitting before and have regretted it, not because they weren't page turners, but because so much happened at once and it was difficult to follow along with. And while a lot happened at once in Insurgent, it all flowed well and made sense and none of it felt fake or rushed. This book made me love characters that I didn't notice before, it made me hate characters I loved, and it made me love characters even more than I did before. Amazing. Well done. Brilliant. I bow to you, Queen Roth. And now to wait painfully for a year for the third book. *breathes*

This book, you guys. This BOOK. Read it.


Also, I've noticed that my reviews are turning more into 'how I feel about this book' posts, but that's fine with me, so it will probably continue. I'm not good at straight-forward reviews.

Review: The Immortal Rules

Book: The Immortal Rules
Series: Blood of Eden
Author: Julie Kagawa
Goodreads Link: Goodreads Description
My Rating: 4.5/5


Review:

Caution: Possible spoilers below. This has been your warning. You may now proceed with the knowledge that anything I say from hereon out is not my fault for spoiling it, as you have been warning. I cannot stress that enough. Although I do promise that I do not spoil anything of too much importance other than basic plot points that the book trailer and synopses let on.

Okay wow. Where do I begin?

The story begins with a look into the life of Allison Sekemoto (who we can only assume through several hints is of Japanese heritage, but is unaware of it as race is far from importance in this dystopian world -- in the means that people have much bigger things such as vampires and survival to worry about than where they came from). She lives in a dystopian USA run over by vampires. Her city is protected by walls that keep out the rabids (crazed vampires with no sense of thought, personality, or humanity), while the inside is run by the regular vampires. Registered humans give blood to the vampires every so often in exchange for shelter and food. The Unregistereds, which includes Allie, basically forage for themselves and try to stay out of the vampires way.

I must say that I love how there are two very different groups of vampires: the crazy out-of-control rabids, and the city ones. Neither, of course, are the kind you want to be buddy-buddy with, considering all you are to them is a food source, but I would rather take my chances in the city than out in the ruins where the rabids could get me. Then again, I wouldn't want to be under control of vampires, either.

Anyways, Allison gets Turned into a vampire (through events which I will not spoil) and her Creator teaches her the ways of being a bloodsucker. I really liked this bit, because it was not just Allison learning, but also the readers. And we don't learn it in a super boring 'oh my goodness, just get on with it already!' kind of way. We get fed pieces that we can take the time to digest. It worked well, and I applaud Julie Kagawa for that. I won't reveal much more plot-wise, because I hate spoilers and I don't want to ruin anything for anyone, so here are some scrambled thoughts of mine about The Immortal Rules:

I thought the vampire genre had been killed repeatedly already, but Julie Kagawa was able to bring it back in a really interesting way. Tying it in with the current popular genre of dystopias was pretty genius, I must say. But the plot was again an interesting twist on dystopias, as well. It follows, of course, some basic dystopian plot norms, but it does not do so in a way that we know pretty much what is going to happen next. There were a lot of moments where I was like "Whoa! I did not see that coming!" which was great. Predictable is not always fun.

 The characters were pretty amazing, too. Of course Allison is the protagonist and we see everything from her perspective. She is a pretty BA heroine, I must say. Very unlike other protagonists in the vampire genre. Of course, they are usually human and unable to help their helplessness, so perhaps that is a factor.

 One thing I'd like to learn later in this series is how exactly the vampire cities are run so well. Do humans have jobs or do they just slack around? Do vampires do much or do they just feed? We don't get to see that in The Immortal Rules, and that's no fault to the plot or the author or anything -- Allison was never a part of the vampire cities in a direct way, so we might not ever get to see it. But I am curious to know.

The way Allison fought her Hunger felt very realistic to me (although what do I know? I'm no vampire), because she had a lot of trouble with it. In other vampire books and stories (and I'll point out Twilight as a specific because it's one of the few I've read, and also The Vampire Diaries - at least the TV shows as I've not read the books) they show the vampires as 'vegetarian' vampires. Allison's Creator makes it very clear that while it is possible to survive off animal blood, it's like junk food for vampires and never truly fills them up. This makes more sense to me, because it does not glorify being a vampire. As a vampire, you will kill a human. It's what they do. The Hunger will always win out. There are a few exceptional quotes from Allison's vampire Creator when explaining this, and they are some of my favourite quotes from this book. BUT I don't want to give too much away, so... go read the book :P

I know that I am seriously rambling here, so here are some quick sum-up points:

• The description Julie Kagawa uses to describe the vampiric dystopian world sucked me in. It is definitely not a place I would want to live in, but the description was so amazing that I could picture everything in my mind as I read, which is very important to me. Some books have amazing plots but seriously lack in the description, and some books have great description but that overshadows the plot. There was a great balance between plot, characters, and setting in TIR. So, go Julie!
• Allison is great. She is sarcastic, witty, caring, and overall bad ass. I do not picture her as the model on the cover art, considering Allie is supposed to be Asian (I'm guessing Japanese considering the references to the katana and her surname), but that's fine. It did bother me a bit at first, but Julie painted a well-enough description of Allie that I managed to pick up (I'm usually terrible at imagining characters in my mind and often rely on the cover art. My fault, no one else's).
• There is romance. And it is done well. It certainly does not over-shadow the plot. It is a small vine in the forest of the plot, and is done very well. Kudos.
• Julie was not afraid to kill characters. I learned this in the first few chapters and found myself feeling Allison's relectance to get close to any other characters. Which was cool.
• Eden! I don't want to spoil anything. So I won't say anything else about Eden. But I want to. I have questions. But I am sure those questions will be answered in the later books. Hopefully.
• The plot twists! Just when you think you know where the story will go, Julie snags the rug out from under your feet and points you down a new path in the maze. And not in a whiplash sort of way, either. Each twist was well-placed and well-done.
• If you are not a fan of vampire books, this book might just change your mind. I've been hesitant, but picked this one up for two reasons. 1-Julie Kagawa. I read her Iron Fey series and cannot wait for Ethan's trilogy. 2-vampire dystopia? That's new!

 In conclusion, Julie Kagawa continues to be amazing. Some may say the vampire genre has been overdone, but Julie brought it back in an original way. Knowing I have to wait about a year for the second book in this series to be released is...slightly torturous. Buuuut I know it will be worth the wait. Go read this book.

ps: My next review will be less scrambled, this I promise. But if I didn't type this out now, the procrastinating would never end.

Review: Pandemonium

Book: Pandemonium
Series: Delirium Trilogy
Author: Lauren Oliver
Goodreads link: Pandemonium on Goodreads
Rating: I give it a 4.5/5 - but the ending deserves a 5/5.

Review:

Such a cliffhanger that’s slowly killing me (I had trouble sleeping because my emotions and feelings for the characters were going haywire. I couldn’t keep track).
Oliver’s writing, like in Delirium, was again up to par. Poetic with tonnes of show. I was IN New York with Lena. I WAS Lena. I didn’t have a big connection with her in Delirium, but Pandemonium really brought her up to the plate. I won’t spoil, but she changes. A lot. But that’s what stuff like this does to a person.
I was very pleased with how Lauren Oliver had Lena grow. It didn’t happen in a split-second. She switched back and forth from ‘then’ and ‘now’, giving us a look into how Lena changed as well as showing us her change. But she continued growing and developing, even in the ‘now’. It was brilliant. It really was.
For those who did not enjoy Delirium very much, I highly recommend you read Pandemonium anyways. I rated Delirium on goodreads as 3/5, I believe. Delirium is filled with more romance and innocence, which might not have drawn readers in like faster-moving dystopias (such as The Hunger Games and Divergent) did. It’s Pandemonium that really gets the ball moving, especially once you read the middle of the book.
As for the cliffhanger ending… Lauren Oliver has a skill. And evil, evil skill. She made us pine for Pandemonium at the end of Delirium, and now she’s got us craving Requiem.
Let’s hope our hearts don’t break completely before then.