Book Review: Starters by Lissa Price

  Title: Starters                                                                 Pages: 368
  Author: Lissa Price                                                       Source: Netgalley
  Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers    Published: June 12, 2012
  Series: Starters #1                                                       Purchase: Amazon

HER WORLD IS CHANGED FOREVER...

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined...

Starters is a great example of the wonderful dystopian novels that are coming out lately. It has heart, action, incredible sci-fi moments and an awesome, brave heroine.

I loved Callie. She had so much of her heart to give, especially to her brother. She loved him unconditionally and did anything it took to keep him alive, including selling her body to the Body Bank and the Enders that rented her. I loved how much she cared about everyone and how much ambition she had!

If you're looking for a highly romantic book, you will not find it with Starters. While it has romance in it, it is not in the forefront as most other novels. This did not bother me in the least and I thought Lissa Price did a fabulous job writing the romance.

The plot is really fast paced and just plain great. I loved it from the minute I started and did not once lose interest. Some of the twists I saw ahead of time, but there are a few that just blew me away.

While the ending was not totally wrapped up (because of there being a sequel!), I was greatly satisfied and I felt like it was partly resolved. To me, this is how all great dystopian novels are: book one introduces a "big problem" and a "smaller problem" that gets resolved by the ending, book two keeps the "big problem" going and introduces another "smaller problem" and depending on if this is the final book, both big and small problems get resolved. If a novel does not follow this formula, I am usually left feeling unsatisfied with the first book of the series.

Overall, I loved Starters and would definitely recommend it to any dystopian or light sci-fi fans. I will definitely be reading the sequel, Enders!

Pass or Read? Read right now!

Cover thoughts: This is by far one of the most unique covers I've seen. I mean, the girl is completely white except for her eyes! I've never seen that before and since it's so bright and unique, it can definitely attract attention in a book store!

In My Mailbox (29)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and is a weekly meme to showcase what you got over the week by buying, receiving, borrowing, stealing from a friend etc.


Review:
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga - This one is not something I'd normally read I don't think, but it sounds amazing!! I hope it doesn't disappoint.
172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad and Tara Chace - This one sounds very interesting and is another one that I don't think I'd normally read. Hopefully this one is good as well!

Random Buzzers:
Cross My Heart by Sasha Gould - I've gotten into historical romances a lot more and this one sounds soo good.

Thank you Little, Brown and Random Buzzers!

That's all I got this week or so, what did you get in your mailbox?

Cover Reveal Thursday: Beta by Rachel Cohn

I've decided to make Thursday my official cover reveal day, if there are covers to reveal, so I'm not posting all these cover reveals randomly. I hope you enjoy :).

  Title: Beta
  Author: Rachel Cohn
  Published: October 16, 2012
  Publisher: Disney Hyperion

In a world constructed to absolute perfection, imperfection is difficult to understand—and impossible to hide.

Elysia is a clone, created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen year old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of teenaged clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to be created.

Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air there induces a strange, euphoric high that only the island's workers—soulless clones like Elysia—are immune to.

At first, Elysia's new life on this island paradise is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, the most privileged people in the world who should want for nothing, yearn. And, she comes to realize that beneath its flawless exterior, there is an undercurrent of discontent amongst Demesne's worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care—so why are overpowering sensations clouding Elysia's mind?

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When Elysia's one chance at happiness is ripped away from her with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive.

I really love the colors of this one. The fonts are also fantastic! I also love how the girl's eyes are a bit blank, because the clones are supposed to be "unfeeling" with no soul. What do you think? Will you be reading Beta?

Cover Reveal: Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

  Title: Time Between Us
  Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
  Published: October 9, 2012
  Publisher: Hyperion

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett’s unique ability to travel through time and space brings him into Anna’s life, and with him, a new world of adventure and possibility.

As their relationship deepens, they face the reality that time might knock Bennett back where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate—and what consequences they can bear in order to stay together.

Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, TIME BETWEEN US is a stunning and spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new talent in YA fiction.

So what do you think? I think it looks way too Contemporary for the synopsis, but other than that, I like it. I like the pale blues and whites and then the bright pop of pink.

Waiting on Wednesday (19)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's can't-wait-to-read selection is..

  Title: Above
  Author: Leah Bobet
  Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
  Published: April 1, 2012
  Pages: 368
  Goodreads

Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee's wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe's history and the shadows' attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home—not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.

Doesn't it sound like X-Men?? I loved the newest X-Men movie and I think I'll really love this one :). And that cover is gorgeous!

What are you waiting on?

Author Interview: Julianna Baggott

Today I am interviewing Julianna Baggott, national bestseller and author of the Pure series.

Here's my review of Pure.

Find Julianna Baggott on:
Website | Twitter | Goodreads


What made you write/want to write a dystopian/sci fi novel? Besides finishing the Pure series, do you think you'd ever write another dystopian/sci fi, or do you think you'll venture out?
As I've written over a dozen books (across genres), I might write just about anything. I've fallen in love with dystopian. (And I don't think PURE can be defined as truly sci-fi.) I'm a buckshot writer. I don't think much of definitions and boundaries. I do think of audience but usually try to narrow that audience (while writing) to one person. (PURE is dedicated "To Phoebe -- who made a bird of wire" -- my daughter who is now 16, the age of the main character.) I've ventured far and wide and will probably keep venturing out and returning to landscapes I love.

Pressia is such a unique name - how did you come up with it?

Names are very strange. They come to define characters, sharpen them, make them real. I collect names just as I collect images and places and gestures and phrases ... Writers are collectors of odd things.

Is there a certain thing you found yourself doing a lot while writing? (listening to music, taking frequent breaks, drinking or eating certain things?)

I do take breaks. I'm a grazer so eat, return, eat, return. I also have 4 kids, 2 dogs and a cat so interruption is part of my creative process. Sometimes I'll crank a song. Things are desperate then, and sometimes I have to go out and drive. Just see scenery shifting by.

How do you handle negative reviews - do you read them or ignore them?

Some are really important to hear, especially with the first book in a trilogy. They sometimes shape the way I talk about a book, too. Others simply don't resonate with me so I can't really learn much from them. And then, occasionally, there will be a line of a review that's really damaging. Writing is such deeply personal and psychological work and writers tend to be the raw types -- born that way. There was a review in 2003 and one line was so devastating -- to me as a woman writer -- that it really changed what I was willing to hand over. It's a strange and delicate process, going public with your work. I know that I'm paid to do it, but that makes it no less personal.  

How much research did you have to do for Pure?

A lot of research went into PURE. In particular, I read a good bit about the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the images of the aftermath as well, which made a huge impression on me not only as a writer but as a human being. And with much of the speculative parts of the novel, I researched a lot innovation in science. Incredible things are already being invented out there. That was truly humbling.

Fun question: If you could write your next book/next addition to the Pure series anywhere in the world, where would you write it?

I can't write in places where I'm distracted by a foreign language -- even accents new to me. I love language so much that it completely derails me... So I'd better -- at least for the writing itself -- not wander too far. 


I want to thank Julianna for taking the time to answer my questions! 

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters...

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash...

There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

Buy Pure at Amazon!

Review: Pure by Julianna Baggott

  Title: Pure                                                       Pages: 448
  Author: Julianna Baggott                             Source: Publisher
  Publisher: Grand Central Publishing       Published: February 8, 2012
  Series: Pure #1                                             Purchase: Amazon

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters...

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash...

There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

I had not heard much about Pure before I read it and while I ultimately came out liking the book, there were a few flaws that stood out to me.

Pressia was a fantastic character. She was strong and independent and doesn't like leaning on others, so she doesn't have to owe them favors. She lives on people owing her favors, to ensure her survival in the bleak and dangerous world that is her home.

I didn't see much growth in Pressia, though she did get more optimistic as the book went on and I was glad that she did.

I enjoyed the other characters immensely as well. The only character I had a slight problem with was Bradwell. He was always the "brain" of the pack and was always the one to explain all the conspiracy theories to the other characters. While it would have been okay if they were kept as theories, Bradwell was always right, which was highly unrealistic.

Another problem I had with the characters, is there were too many "points of view." I say this with quotation marks, because the whole novel was in third person, so for example, a chapter would be about Pressia, but Partridge's thoughts were explained as well. This wasn't that big of a deal, because it went further in depth with the story and characters, which is always a good thing.

The writing was beautiful. It was absolutely lyrical at times, but this had its drawbacks. Some passages were a bit hard to decipher and I had to reread the paragraph to truly understand what just happened. Also, a lot of the new vocabulary wasn't explained at all, or explained later in the story when I had already guessed what it was, using context clues. Now some of the vocabulary words were very straight forward, but I would have liked a description of them nonetheless. Another, smaller gripe I had, was things got a bit too political at times for my tastes, though this was easy to overlook, because it would soon go back to the story.

The plot was amazing. It was action and emotion-packed. I found myself caring about these characters and hoping that everything would be okay for them. I guessed a few of the twists, but I was left stunned by the rest. Julianna Baggott pulled out all the stops for Pure and she didn't back down until you were done reading and craving book two.

Overall, I really liked Pure, even with all the gripes I had. I was able to look past these flaws and see Pure for what it is: a wonderful addition to the dystopian genre and definitely a book series I'll read. I'd definitely recommend to fans of the dystopian and sci-fi genres.

Pass or Read? I'd say give it a shot!

Cover thoughts: I really, really like it. It has that dystopian feel and it has to do with the story. It also continues on the back, with a mechanical butterfly like the ones Pressia makes, which was a wonderful touch.

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

  Title: Cinder                                        Pages: 387
  Author: Marissa Meyer                        Source: Netgalley
  Publisher: Feiwel & Friends                 Published: Jan 3, 2012
  Series: Lunar Chronicles #1                Purchase: Amazon

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl...

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.

Cinder had such a unique premise, that I immediately was drawn into the story. I believe it has the chance of being one of the best dystopians of 2012.

Cinder is one of my favorite heroines of all time. Just the amount of rejection and pain she goes through, just because she's a cyborg is heartbreaking and I felt immensely for her. Her stepmother is such a witch and the things she says to Cinder, to put Cinder down is absolutely horrible.

The reason why I loved Cinder so much is because even though she's verbally abused, she was so strong. She didn't break down and be angsty for the rest of the novel, she pushed through and thought of a way to escape. She grew so much and overcame so much and that's why Cinder was one of the best female characters I've read in a while.

I loved Prince Kai and I adored his and Cinder's interactions. They were so cute when they were flirting, even though Cinder was trying to pretend she didn't like him. I really liked their chemistry as well.

The plot twists weren't that surprising to me. In fact, I pretty much guessed what was coming around page 45 and I was cemented in my guess by page 100. Even so, I loved the plot. I couldn't get enough of it. I felt the ending came way too fast, which was a great thing in my opinion, because I haven't read a novel lately where I'm dying to read the sequel. And trust me, I'm dying to read Scarlet.

Also, this book was so darn creative. I have never read a novel about androids and cyborgs and Marissa Meyer brilliantly executed them. The planet Luna and its inhabitants were also brilliantly executed, down to every detail.

Overall, I loved Cinder. I loved Cinder even before I was finished reading. I'm incredibly anxious to read Scarlet and I urge everyone to pick up this wonderfully unique novel. I doubt you'll regret it.

Cover thoughts: I absolutely love it. It's unique, like the book, and actually has to do with the book, therefore automatically earning points from me.

Review: Human.4 by Mike A. Lancaster (Luxury Reading review)

  Title: Human.4                          Pages: 240                
  Author: Mike A. Lancaster        Source: Luxury Reading 
  Publisher: Egmont USA           Published: 3/8/11  
  Series: ?                                   Purchase: Amazon
  Rating: 3 out 5

Kyle Straker volunteered along with three other people to be hypnotized during a talent show by one of his friends. He figured it’d just be him hypnotized to cluck like a chicken and that’d be it. Boy, was he wrong.

He and the three others wake up to find everyone sitting completely still, not blinking. Kyle, thinking it’s a joke, calls out to them that they can quit the joke. Nobody moves. That’s when Kyle thinks something a lot more sinister is going on. And when he and the others find that no communicational devices work in their village and the computers are streaming a weird, moving language, he knows something sinister is going on. Is it a plague? …Aliens??

Narrated through cassette tapes, Kyle Straker unfolds his chilling story of technology gone too far.

I want to say first that I did enjoy this book. There are several flaws, though, that held me back from liking it more.

Want to read the rest of my review? Please go here: Luxury Reading
 

I give this book a 3 out of 5.

Why do I only have some of the review here? I am going to be reviewing books for Luxury Reading, and Human.4 was my first one. Each post I have with a Luxury Reading review will be set up just like this one, where I’ll have you go to the link to read the rest of the review, because Vera (the blog owner) kindly ships books to me to review.

I will of course still have full reviews on my blog, so keep a look out for those .

Follow Friday (1)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee.

This week's question is:

If you are a fan of Science Fiction what is your favorite book? If you haven't read Science Fiction before...any inkling to? Anything catch your eye?

Hmm, I don't believe I've ever read any Science Fiction. I'm not quite sure as to what books are Science Fiction and if it's the same thing as dystopian. Gosh I sound so dumb.. :P

I'm currently reading Human.4 which is described as "science fiction" on goodreads, so I guess that means I've read science fiction! Woop woop!

Anyway, to more anwswer the question, yes I would like to read more science fiction than what I may or may not have read and I do find the topic interesting.

</end totally stupid answer>