Showing posts with label Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Series. Show all posts

Thursday, February 22, 2018

The Program by: Suzanne Young

Amazon.com
Teen Suicide runs rampant. Depression is a sickness, a virus, it grows deep within its victims and spreads until there is no other choice but Quikdeath. Sloane refuses to let it take her. She's seen what it can do. After her brothers suicide Sloane refuses to follow suit. But, nobody escapes the Program.


The program is a solution, at least that's what the propaganda shoved down teen throats says. You'll come back shiny and new with no memory of your life before. You'll come back better. The program is here to fix what's broken. Sadly, most would rather be broken. The pills wipe away the bad and the good. There is no cloud or backup drive to save you. Once your memories are gone, they're gone. It's Sloane's worst fear and greatest nightmare. One terror she can't wake up from.

While the Program has a plot that would seem to thrill, it focuses more on romance then the dystopian society it has built up. The young adult novel is more focused on romantic tension and bonds rather than destroying an oppressive society. If love amongst chaos is your go to then I recommend this. But, if your priorities lie elsewhere I would not say this is an adventure you would like to partake in. ( 2/5 stars )

Monday, September 18, 2017

All Fall Down By: Ally Carter

Product Details
All Fall Down on Amazon
The first book in the thrilling Embassy Row trilogy focuses on the return of Grace Blakely to Adria, home of Embassy Row. Grace is not crazy, despite popular opinion. Her mother was murdered, it wasn't an accident. The scarred man killed her, and now he's going to kill again. Grace pulls out all the stops to discover the Scarred Man's conniving intentions toward some important employee on Embassy Row. With the help of Noah the classic boy next door and official best friend, Megan the tech wiz, Rosie the acrobat, and Alexie her brother best friend since forever, she plans to foil the plots of the Scarred Man. But with secrets better left untold hiding in the shadows, danger lurks beyond ever cornor for our slightly insane protagonist. A past of loss, and a future not yet foreseen, what lies a head may be the downfall of Grace Blakely once and for all.

Full of colorful twist and turns All Fall Down is a classic government adventure novel. With a plot that engulfs the reader into a world full of corrupt politicians and unlikely alliances, you'll never want to put it down. Ally Carter does it again with this wonderful new edition, that is at home in any teen readers bookshelf.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Angelfall by: Susan Ee

Product Details
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.

Friday, December 16, 2016

The Forever Song By: Julie Kagawa

Amazon.com
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.

Monday, November 28, 2016

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.


Thursday, November 3, 2016

Killer Instinct by: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Dark Faerie Tales
This book is within the adventure and mystery genre with a little bit of romance. It is also the second book in a series. The first book is The Naturals.

Cassandra "Cassie" Hobbes is a Natural. She is part of an FBI organization because she is a natural profiler.Knowing who someone is, what they do, and how they act is what she can figure out with just a few details.  In the organization, Cassie and 4 other teens work on active and cold cases solving them when FBI agents can't. After a thrilling last summer, she wishes that she can just relax with cold cases.

She didn't get her wish.

There is a new killer out there, and they seem to be copying everything Dean's serial killer father did. The five teens just can't resist helping their friend find out who is impersonating his father.

What I liked about this book was that it was unpredictable and simply kept you guessing at every turn. Once you think you are right, you will be proven wrong.

There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.


Tuesday, October 11, 2016

The Giver By: Louise Lowry

The Giver Site Amazon 

Product Details
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.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

The Blood of Eden: The Immortal Rules by: Julie Kagaway

 You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the monster you truly fear. This is exactly the case for young Fringer Allison. She has spent most of her life as a lowlife Fringer until a sudden rabid attack changes her view. In the face of impending death she chooses immortal life but at what cost. Her old life is practically erased from her memories. Kanin a vampire who turned Allison will teach her the ways of their kind, but can Allison do it. Does she have the guts to cut of her human ties, to feed off of or eventually kill defenseless humans so she can survive. But when Kanin disappears at the hand of the Masters where will Allison go. Will she find refuge with a ragtag band of humans and their Preacher leader or will she live on her own and take her chances with the rabids. She knows she must save Kanin, but until she can do that, how will she survive.



The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden Book 1)

The Immortal Rules is the first book in the Blood of Eden series by: Julie Kagawa. It is a fantastic story full of relatable characters, exciting plot twist, and perplexing moral questions that even affect today's society. Chock-full of twist and turns it leaves readers excited for its following sequel.
I rate this book 5/5.

Friday, October 30, 2015

Lockwood & Co. The Screaming Staircase

The book that I'm recommending is Lockwood & Co. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud. (He's my favorite author! Yay!)


Image result for lockwood and co the screaming staircaseLucy Carlyle, a teenager in modern day London, can hear ghosts and paranormal echoes from the past. Now, you might read that and think, “Oh, she must be so special, then!” Well, you’re slightly wrong on that account. A lot of people have Talents, in fact. And the only people who can properly use them are, guess what? Kids. And teenagers, you get it. Anyways, those Talents of theirs are rather useful, considering the fact that ghosts of all kinds are roaming the street, forever bound to their Source and their everlasting craving for some sort of contact with living beings, whether it be for revenge or finding something lost.


This epidemic, or literally “The Problem”, is tackled by several different agencies, including the up-and-coming Rotwell agency, the snooty Fittes, and several others of a slightly lower rank. In the end, the goal is always the same for all agencies: Find the Source, contain it, and destroy it for the safety of the public. However effective it may be however, there is a corruption that lies under it, and some reasons for that corruption are different then others.

Enter Lockwood & Co., the smallest agency in London, and the only one to be run by teenagers, much to the Department of Psychic Research And Containment's, aka DEPRAC'S, annoyance. It consists of charismatic and mysterious Anthony Lockwood and his pudgy, sarcastic assistant George Cubbins. Lucy decides to take a shot at an interview with them, (she was turned down by the other companies,) and the duo accepts her as a new agent. Together they attempt to solve the mystery of Annabel Ward: an ancient corpse found behind an old chimney breast before a disastrous end to a simple case.


This book is literally one of the best books that I have ever read. The pace is perfect, and the ghosts are terrifying. The dark humor is spot-on, and the overlying mysteries about the Problem and Lockwood's past is always underlying the story. 

It can be a bit complicated at times, though. Not in a bad way, but enough to have you trying to remember the part where they mentioned an important bit of information, and it will turn out that that part was 6 (very long) chapters ago.

I give it 5/5 stars!

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Magnus Chase and the Gods Asgard: The Sword of Summer

Magnus's life sucks! His mom is dead and he is homeless, roaming the streets, hiding from police. When his crazy uncle (that his mom had always told him to avoid) arrives telling him stories about the Norse gods and the end of the world his life gets way weirder. Then when a fire giant attacks him for a magical sword he realizes that sometimes the only way to start a new life is to die.......
Source

The best part about this book is that (if you're a Percy Jackson fan) you will recognize some of the characters and references -chapter 48-. This is awesome because some of us just aren't over Percy Jackson. Also this book is more grown up compared to some of Rick Riordan's other books.

The main thing I didn't  like about the book was how confusing it was. Also it was fairly similar to The Lightning Thief but so much that it is a rip-off.

Btw, for anyone that read the book, Magnus would win the bet.




Tuesday, October 27, 2015

The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones By: Rick Riordan

Image from Goodreads.com
The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan is a fun and thrilling read. It has adventure, romance, action, and mystery.


Grace Cahill has left her descendants a decision. They could either take one million dollars or a clue. You’re probably thinking why they would take a clue instead a million dollars, right? The Cahills are the most powerful family in the world, but the source of that power seems to be lost. There are 39 clues scattered across the world, and those clues will reveal the family’s secret and the source. No one has been able to assemble them. The hunt will commence. Amy and Dan must decide if finding the clues or finding out what actually happened to their parents is more important.


This book is in a series with different parts. The first part is just the 39 clues, the second part is Cahills vs. Vespers. The third part is Unstoppable, the fourth is Doublecross. There is 24 books in the series so far. There is also codes in the books or outside of it that makes it more fun to read.


I liked how you had to think throughout the book, and that is was very unpredictable for the most part.


I didn’t like how pretty much everyone hated Amy and Dan.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Virals By: Kathy Reichs

Image from Goodreads.com
I will be recommending Virals by: Kathy Reichs. This book is a science fiction mystery with some action.


Tory Brennan is always up for a challenge. She and her science-geek friends spend their time exploring the marshlands of Loggerhead Island. Exactly where the Loggerhead Island Research Institute is, which is completely off-limits. Sensing something weird is going on, they rescue a wolfdog from a secret lab within the Institute. Tory and her friends are now exposed to a rare canine parvovirus, changing them forever. They are no longer just friends. They are dangerous. They are a pack. They are Virals. Is it enough to catch a cold blooded murderer?


This book is a series of 5 books. The next book is called Seizure.


I liked how this book described what the characters were feeling when they went into their hyper senses.


What I didn’t like about this book was the fact that Kit spent more time with whitney than his own daughter.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Hunger Games Catching Fire

The Hunger Games Catching Fire starts out in district twelve where Katniss Everdeen (the winner of the seventy fourth hunger games) is enjoying her new life of  luxury, when Katniss won the Hunger Games with Peeta both of the victors became very rich. After one year, The Second Quarter Quell is read to the country of Panem and the Quell is that The existing pool of victors are re entered into the Reaping and forced to go back into the arena and fight for their lives.
Image from Amazon.com
The tributes for district twelve are Peeta and Katniss and then they were quickly transported back to the capital after President Snow visited Katniss at her home. After the president leaves his threat of executing Gale hanging in the air. She marries Peeta to satisfy President Snow’s wishes.
Once the tributes take their positions inside the metal cylinders Katniss sees something really terrible… But then the platform begins to rise up and into the arena and she overcomes her grief and runs straight at the cornucopia.Then she meets up with allies she didn't know she had and together they run into the forest. With Finnick and Mags at their side Katniss had a good chance of surviving the games.
Later thick toxic fogs surrounds the team killing one of their members. Once again getting over the loss Katniss and her remaining teammates run through the forest to the cornucopia and pick over the  weapons.
Then Katniss and her team find Johanna Mason, Wiress and Beetee which quickly team up with them and very quickly after Enobria and Brutus show up at the cornucopia and the pairs fight but then Enobria and Brutus retreat back into the woods. Later Beetee hatches a plan to kill Enobria and Brutus, and Finnick and Katniss proceed into the woods to set their trap.
But then jabberjays come and mimic Prim and a girl named Annie, nearly driving Katniss into sanity then luckily the birds die out and Katniss and Finnick take a moment to recover then go back and begin Beetee’s plan. Johanna and Katniss start by rolling out wire from a tree that is often struck by lightning. But then Johanna bashes Katniss’ head in and slices her arm in which Katniss believes is an attempt to kill her. 
Katniss survives the assault and goes to find Peeta but instead finds Beetee tied to a tree with a knife. Katniss finds out how the plan was supposed to go and finishes the job.
Katniss meets up with Gale but tragedy has struck district 12 and the capital's wrath is burning brighter than ever in her home district.
I really hated the ending of catching fire because Katniss’ life was bad enough before the hunger games and then this! It would have been so much easier to just murder Katniss in the beginning. However I really like how the arena was set up it was a lot more interesting having them know vaguely what was going to happen

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars because of the incidents in 12