Dark Energy by: Robinson Wells

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Humans have always wondered what lies beyond the dark starry sky. What else is out living and surviving in the universe? What will happen if they find us? Out in the middle of nowhere Iowa, it seems they have. A spaceship larger than a skyscraper has tore through the land killing thousands. The people are enraged, the aliens are silent. For days they stayed locked inside their beaten ship. Until finally they emerge, shocking not just the nation, but the world. When terror and lies threaten to end humanity it is up to a NASA scientist daughter to save not only our world, but theirs too. Friendships formed from the sparks of conflict will grow like wildfires. Whereas dangerous lurking in the dark may hold truths we wish not to know. Events spiral down further and further as new truths are brought to light. Who are these strangers? Why are they here? An who's going to follow?

At first glance Dark Energy may seem as your run of the mill Sci-Fi novel, but i assure you,  Robison Wells has an ace up his sleeve. A rag tag bunch of teens, aliens from amongst the stars, death far greater than ever before, it will draw you in and never let you leave. The story flies right off the page leaving readers itching for more. Hugging the edge of there seat and devouring line after line. No one can get enough of this fantastic new adventure.

Angelfall by: Susan Ee

Angelfall

The apocalypse has settled on Earth. The Angels have come and the world is taken into their deadly grip. Death and destruction reign true as humanity slowly slips into darkness. What the world needs is a hero but that's not who Penryn is, she is just a daughter of man, a human girl trying to survive. If life wasn't hard enough before the apocalypse it might as ell be hell now (literally). Her schizophrenic mother crippled her sister when they were very young. A disability like that gets you killed now-a-days. How is Penryn supposed to protect little Paige from Angels and Demons if she can't protect her from their own mother? That's one of the many questions Penryn asks herself when Paige is stolen by Angels. SHe must team up with a wingless vengeful Angel named Rafe to save her sister, and maybe just maybe the world in the process. But will she get there in time.

Angelfall is a thrilling apocalyptic novel with twist and turns at every page. An amazing cliff-hanger end accompanied by the growing hunger and suspense for what follows keeps readers on their toes awaiting the next book. The way what we know about religion and pop culture blend together to make this wondrous tale is beyond me. It's a swirling storm of family, trust, and daring. A resistance novel mixed with magic and  a moral. Truly fantastic.

Gifted by: H. A. Swain

Gifted

Throughout the book we see the government trying to dictate who the citizens are. They use special schooling and medical procedures to decide who will be a popstar, a scientist, a warehouse worker, and a big shot. Who a person naturally is and becomes isn’t allowed. Society gets to decide not the individual. That is why we see rebellions more commonly known as “brain activist”. These people are fighting for their right to think freely and be who they want to be, not who they're told to be.The whole population is conforming to one man's idea of a perfect society. In this “utopia” your own thoughts aren’t even yours. They are patented and sold by Chason Industries. Only certain select members of the elite are able to afford ASA’s that allow them to become gifted. Without these procedures you are not allowed to have a career in anything. The big shot corporate manager of Chason Industries controls all of society and this cannot continue. It’s time people stood up for themselves and showed the world that their brains aren’t just there for the taking.


This book is one of the better books I have read but lacks a certain crucial piece of a story. It has no falling action and very little conclusion. It seems that the climax is practically the ending. You have this extreme build up to a moment of pure suspense and then are just dropped right into the end. It is one of my extreme pet peeves and bothers me greatly. 3/5 stars.

Carve the Mark

Carve the Mark

Carve the Mark is the newest tome by Veronica Roth.  I was terribly excited to read this book- especially when I found it accidentally displayed a week early!  

This story follows the stories of Akos and Cyra- two teens in a galaxy defined by the "current" and the unique currentgifts (powers) of each person.  In the first few chapters of the novel we get a glimpse into the childhoods of each character, learning about the moments they receive their currentgifts.  Cyra's gift is defined by pain.  This pain affects not only her, but also those she interacts with- making her a tool for her tyrant brother.  Akos's gift is complementary to Cyra's, but that is a surprise I will leave for readers.  

As we jump into the present day, the story shifts to how these powers will bring Cyra and Akos together even though they are from rival nations.  It is up to them to decide if their differences are too great to overcome.  

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as I had hoped.  I don't know if I was let down by my own Divergent-loving heart and high expectations or if it was really just not amazing.  Nonetheless, I would still recommend it to others.  I give it an optimistic 4 out of 5 stars.  

The Forever Song By: Julie Kagawa

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Alison Skemento, a fringer turned vampire with a seemingly unreachable goal. Her and her somewhat dysfunctional vampire coven are on a mission across the world to stop the psychotic vampire Sarren from releasing his mutated version of the red lung virus called requiem. She is fueled by revenge due to the death of her lover Ezekiel. He was abducted by Sarren, he was tourchered for hours before he was brutally killed. Allison heard the whole thing via demented voice recording. As she travels she keeps hearing Sarren's sick and twisted message in her mind "Sing my little bird and make it a beautiful song" followed by Zekes cries of agony. But when she finds Zeke back from the dead new surprises are in store. He is a childer of Sarren, a vampire who is controlled by their Sire. Zeke is a vampire, a blood sucking demon who shall never once again regain his innocence. Allison is a monster trying to helplessly cling to her only shred of humanity left. Allison, her Blood Brother Jackal, and her sire Kanin, this team of wayward vampires must find a way to change the fate of humanity.

Once again Julie Kagawa has thrilled her readers with a new installation of the Blood of Eden. The third and finally book is a true literary masterpiece. We see the depths of human emotion from each and every character. Love, hate, rage, desperation, and above all fear. I feel that Julie Kagawa can do no wrong when it comes to dystopian societies. She keeps her readers on the edge of there seats for all 485 pages.

Insurgent by: Veronica Roth

Insurgent (Divergent Series)

Tris, Four, Marcus, and the rest of their band of Abnegation refugees have taken refuge in the peaceful fields of the Amity farms. They are outsiders, factionless now. After the Erudite simulation which controlled the Dauntless into slaughtering innocent Abnegation, Four and Tris had to leave the city to avoid execution by the Erudite. They try and stay hiding for as long as possible but when Dauntless traitors ( those who were Dauntless but now work for the Erudite) come looking for them they must flee. They take sanctuary with the factionless who, to their surprise, are more like a faction then the actually factions right now. The factionless are banning together to make an uprising against the Erudite. The factionless plan to join forces with the remaining Dauntless and bring down the Erudite tyrants. But when the Erudite start hunting Divergents she must make a choice. She could choose to be selfish and let others die for her decision, or she could be brave. Tris chooses to be brave. She turns herself into the Erudite, knowing that when they are done with their painful research they will kill her. What is so important about the Divergent that the Erudite want to study them before killing them off? What is Jeanine hiding in the Erudite tower?

Veronica Roth has done it again in this wonderful sequel to Divergent. She is truly a magnificent author who knows who to entertain an audience. She develops such a bond between the reader and the Protagonist that you feel as if you are living this story with them. Every page turn is a plot twist, every chapter is a new addition to the already building tension. This masterpiece of a story is thrilling from the first word to the last mark of punctuation.

Divergent By: Veronica Roth

Divergent (Divergent Series)

Tris is a 16 year old girl from Abnegation. This year she will be subject to the simulation which will help her choose her future faction. Will she choose to stay selfless in Abnegation or will she choose one of the other factions. The simulation is made by the government it supposed to help you make this impossible decision. But when her results come back inconclusive she is thrown into a world she never knew existed. “Fear doesn’t shut you down it wakes you up….” page 313 Divergent. Tris chooses to be brave, she chooses to be Dauntless. But becoming Dauntless comes with a price. To join this faction you must pace a growling initiation process, because if you don’t you are factionless. To be factionless is the lowest thing you can be in this dystopian world. Tris must hide her Divergent state and pass a series of physically and mentally daunting task.  But when the Erudite faction has a plan to take down Abnegation, everything Tris has ever none is thrown for a lope. Will she be able to pass these test? Are there others that are Divergent like her? Is what the Erudite say about Abnegation really true? Tris wants answers to all of these questions, and a war between factions may be the only thing that will answer them.

Veronica Roth's Divergent book is truly remarkable. She shows multiple aspects of this dystopian universe which can relate back to many things in today's society. The word choice and description is truly captivating. Every twist and turn the book takes leads to a new and exciting adventure. This book left me breathlessly awaiting its sequel.

The Giver By: Louise Lowry

The Giver Site Amazon 

The Giver is a fast paced book full of ideas and theories that touch on some of today's most popular topics. These idea’s really grab the reader's attention and is generally the reason I enjoyed it so much. It’s views on the government, what control they should have over the General Population, can translate easily into what is happening today politically. In the Giver the government completely controls what the public does day in and day out it never stops watching and monitoring them. Once one person steps out of line they are killed to keep their opinions from spreading. While in today's government that may not exactly be the case it is close to it we are always watched by the government they monitor what we do on the internet what we post, what we view, they can see it all. Anything we think and want to share can easily be demolished by the government. If we have an opinion that doesn’t match theirs they have the power to take away our means to share it, lock us away, keep our thoughts contained and not let them run wild. 

Another topic the Giver touches on is the importance of emotion. In the Giver emotion isn’t allowed. It is taken away from the public making them emotionless complying robots with no means to express how sad and empty the really are. This is a pressing issue in today's society. Fear of being rejected or showing any sort of emotion toward something causes people to ignore how they feel and hide their true colors. People are so afraid of what someone might think they let them control how they feel, think, and act. It is important to acknowledge this and start expressing how we feel in a civilized matter. We can’t let the fear of others opinions and reactions dictate our right to emotion. If we do we are no better then the robot like citizens in the Giver. Most books have something that always just picks at the back of your mind and annoys you so much but every once in awhile you get that one book that you just can’t find something wrong with and in my personal opinion the Giver is one of those.

I rate this book 5/5 stars.

Michael Vey and the Prisoner of Cell 25: by Richard Paul Evans

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Michael Vey is a pretty normal teen in 9th grade at Meridian High School. Except for one thing. He has Tourette's syndrome. Oh, and electrical powers. Maybe that was a little more important He can shock people, but he tries to hide it. He's had to move multiple times because of his powers, but he's hidden it well for the last few years. With his dad being dead after a heart attack when Michael was 8, it's just him, his mom, and his best friend Ostin.
However, his secret slips out after he reacts to getting assaulted by bullies, and he makes contact with one of the most popular girls in the school, Taylor Ridley. Turns out, he's not the only one with electrical powers. Taylor can read people's minds if she's touching them or if she's touching something metal. Between them and Ostin, they create the Electroclan. What they don't realize is that the Electroclan is going to run into more danger than just the average schoolyard bully.

I liked the action in this book. It's not overdone, at least not for an action/sci-fi book, but it's certainly exciting. I also like how the romance [not gonna say who] isn't extremely cheesy. It's actually played quite well, and it shows that in a crazy world, things don't always work out for the couples.

The thing I didn't really like was how the beginning was kind of slow. It took me 2 tries to finish the book.

Overall, I'd give this book a 4.5/5 stars.

A Shade Of Vampire----Bella Forrest ****Don't recommend to males or people under the age of 15.*****

              When Sofia Claremont was young her mom was crazy and locked her in the closet when her dad was gone. Sofia would stay in the closet all night. One day her mom went away and her dad left her with his friends family. That's when she meets Ben, the one she has always had a crush on. Ben is her dad's friends son. She lived an almost normal life after that. Then one night while she was walking on the beach she met a mysterious man. That's when her life changed drasticly. Will she survive? 

The Martian by Andy Weir

Mark Watney is one of the first people to ever to walk on Mars, but he will surely be the first to die there.

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Mark Watney was presumed to be dead, after a satellite hits his visor in a 170 kilometer per hour storm. And his crew is forced to abandon Mars. But no! His life is saved! When it impacted his suit, it created a seal. Even though no air leaked he was in critical condition, once he hobbles back to the HAB he does a minor surgery to himself.

After all of that he starts to count how much of everything he has, rationing is necessary. Then remembering the potato seeds, and his skills with botany has a illogical idea to get water. By distilling hydrazine. everything is going his idea of perfect until BOOM! The Hab explodes. everything is misplaced. Will Mark Watey survive only using his botany and chemistry expertise? Find out by reading this awesome book. 

 Overall I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

This book is not meant for the average person, Some words are complicated. Oh, and A LOT of cussing 



Thanks for reading!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Linh Cinder is your everyday, second-class citizen--living in New Beijing. That is of-course including the fact that she is part-cyborg and has the uncanny ability to fix objects. But on her 16th birthday she get’s signed up for Letumosis research, after her mother accuses her of giving her sister, this deathly plague. (But if its deadly then why isn’t she dead too?)

The problem occurs when the prince’s dad dies, making him the new emperor, then he receives word that the (Evil) Lunar queen Levana is coming to Earth to attend the Emperor's funeral. After this, Cinder and Emperor Kai go to the Royal Ball together. But Levana notices something strange about Cinder, She is Lunar! New Beijing is harboring a criminal! After she sees this the world plummets into chaos, witch all started with Cinder being a Lunar! (which are suppose to be on Luna, or the moon rather.)

My favorite thing about the book is how it is based off of a Fairy-tale, In this case, it is cinderella. It is like a advanced, set in the future version of the original. they just rename the characters, and the plot just a tad, but never-the-less it’s still a really good book!

I think the one thing that I didn’t like about this book was they didn’t didn’t go into detail about the characters and their background, if they did, a 5 of 5.

Overall I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars

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