Flawed

TITLE: Flawed
AUTHOR: Cecilia Ahern
RELEASE DATE: April 2016
PUBLISHER: Feiwel and Friends
PAGES: 324 pages
SERIES: Flawed book 1
GENRE: Science Fiction
OVERALL RATING: 3/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 7-12

SUMMARY: Celestine is perfect in a world where people are punished for their flaws. Those that are deemed "flawed" are not only branded, but they are forced to live by a different set of laws. Celestine makes one rash decision that changes her perfect little life. Now Celestine is the most flawed person in history. Should she sit back and accept her consequence or join the rebellion to get rid of this archaic system?

   

FAVORITE QUOTE: "But  Ican now understand why people read, why they like to get lost in somebody else's life. Sometimes I'll read a sentence and it will make me sit up, jolt me, because it is something that I have recently felt but never said out loud. I want to reach into the page and tell the characters that I understand them, that they're not alone, that I'm not alone, and it's ok to feel like this. And then the lunch bell rings, the book closes, and I'm plunged back into reality."

WHAT I LIKED: I enjoyed the world building in this book. I love all dystopian novels with truly

SERIES UPDATE: Book Two: Perfect releases April 4, 2017

READALIKES: The Giver by Lois Lowry, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

BOOK TRAILER:

Defiance

TITLE: Defiance
AUTHOR: C.J. Redwine
RELEASE DATE: August 2012
PUBLISHER: Balzer + Bray
PAGES: 408 pages
SERIES: Defiance book #1
GENRE: Fantasy
OVERALL RATING: 2/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 7-12

SUMMARY: Rachel is not like other girls in her walled city of Baalboden. While they are taught to sew, cook, and be obedient; Rachel is learning to read, write and hunt. But when Rachel's father disappears beyond the wall, her life changes and all of her freedoms are gone. She must escape, go beyond the walls, and through the Wastelands to find her father.   

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: This story was just like every other typical Dystopian today. There is a city with walls and a terrible Wasteland beyond that isn't safe for anyone to live, most likely because mankind did something to destroy it (in this case, we brought forth giant snake creatures that live beneath the earth). But of course, the main character ( a girl) fights against all odds to save the world: enter danger, love story, and sequel. 

FAVORITE QUOTE: "I love how you still think if you tell me to do something, I'll just check my brain at the door and do it." This quote shows Rachel's stubbornness, especially toward Logan.

SERIES UPDATE: Book Two: Deception and Book Three: Deliverance

READALIKES: Graceling by Kirsten Cashore

BOOK TRAILER:

Proxy

TITLE: Proxy
AUTHOR: Alex London
RELEASE DATE: June 2013
PUBLISHER: Philomel Books
PAGES: 379 pages
GENRE: Science Fiction
OVERALL RATING: 2/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 8-12 (language) 

SUMMARY: Knox is a playboy, he likes to party, loves the girls, and never gets in trouble. When he steals his dad's car, takes it off autodrive and crashes, instantly killing his passenger, there is no punishment for him. Instead, Knox's proxy Syd is the one who receives the punishment. As Knox watches; Syd is tied up, electrocuted, branded and punished to manual labor in a work camp... all for something a kid he has never met did. So what happens when by some small chance, Knox and Syd finally meet? 

   

FAVORITE QUOTE: "He laughed at himself for thinking about Mr. Baram's weird saying and picked up an ancient plastic pen that had rolled out of one of the bins. He mindlessly clicked the back of it to make the little tip go in and out with a satisfying sound. Why did they even have this antique? Who knew how to write by hand anymore?" (London, 43)

WHAT I LIKED/DIDN'T LIKE: I was not a big fan of this book. The high-tech dystopian society was kind of cool. But it seemed like there were a lot of questionable gaps. The beginning of the story would mention one thing and you would have to wait till several chapters later as to find out why. I never felt any bond toward the characters. It's not like I was tearing up when a character died. Another thing that really bothered me was the language. You would think in this futuristic world, they would come up with new curse words. The author created several new terms, but still felt the need to add curse words so that I don't feel comfortable allowing my middle grade students to read the book. 

SERIES UPDATE: Book 2: Guardian out in May 2015

READALIKES: Red Rising by Pierce Brown, The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

Ink and Bone

TITLE: Ink and Bone
AUTHOR: Rachel Caine
RELEASE DATE: July 2015
PUBLISHER: Scholastic Press
PAGES: 355 pages
SERIES: The Great Library
GENRE: Fantasy
OVERALL RATING: 4/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 6-12

SUMMARY: In an alternate history, the library of Alexandria controls all the knowledge of the world. People are not allowed to own actual paper copies of books, but only blanks, devices that allow temporary access to approved books available to the public. Due to this, the world is a dangerous place, with Scholars controlling the access to the knowledge, Burners who believe no one should have complete control, and smugglers who will get you any book for the right price. Jess falls into the last category, his family has a network of smugglers all across the country, and Jess is a runner, one of the best runners. That is until his father thinks he will be more valuable working for the source, and buys him an opportunity to win a place among the Library Scholars.

FAVORITE QUOTE: "Librarians instruct, assist, research, develop, create... and protect, do they not?" (Caine, 69)

WHAT I LIKED: I absolutely loved the world building in this story. A lot of the story takes place in England and Egypt and other places in that area. But the history behind these places are completely different from what we know now. The author, Rachel Caine, explained in a Tweet to me, "It's modern, but because of the changes in history, it's a kind of flawed utopia where scientific advancements been slowed... It's not dystopian because there is law and order, society, all the things we think of as normal. But it's deeply flawed."

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I felt this book needed a glossary in the end. Maybe a short description of the Library specialities: Medica, Artifex, Historia, and Lingua. I felt like I needed a course in Latin to understand all of the job titles: Obscurist Magnus, Artifex Magister, etc. 

READALIKES: The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

SERIES UPDATE: Book Two: Paper and Fire due out July 5, 2016

BOOK TRAILER: 

The Selection

TITLE: The Selection
AUTHOR: Kiera Cass
RELEASE DATE: April 2012
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen
PAGES: 327 pages
SERIES: Book 1 of 5 in The Selection series
GENRE: ChickLit
OVERALL RATING: 5/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 7-12

SUMMARY: In a dystopian future where people are distinguished by numbers and talents, America Singer is a five with a future in music. Life is perfect, with her plans to marry Aspen, the boy next door, until her name is drawn on live television to compete against thirty-four other girls for the chance to marry, Maxon, the prince.

WHAT I LIKED: This is one of those books that I think every girl in the entire world needs to read. When I got the series in my library, I immediately checked out the first one for my mom. She had all four books and novellas finished within the week. Right now I have an English teacher hooked. When I "Book Talk" this series to my students, I tell them it is a cross between Hunger Games and The Bachelor. Gets them every time! I'm not usually into Chick Lit, and I had a hard time deciding if this series should go into Chick Lit or SciFi, because of the covers I went with ChickLit, but I already have a second set on order. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I didn't like Aspen, throughout the entire book I wanted to tell (ok, scream) America to just leave that boy in her past. He was only holding her back. Seriously, how can you even begin to compare Aspen, a five, to Maxon, the prince! No contest! 

MOVIE RELEASE: in development by Warner Bros

BOOK TRAILER: 

Legend

TITLE: Legend
AUTHOR: Marie Lu
RELEASE DATE: November 2011
PUBLISHER: Putnam's
PAGES: 305 pages
SERIES: Book 1 in the Legend trilogy
GENRE: Science Fiction
OVERALL RATING: 5/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 7-12

SUMMARY: Day is the most wanted fugitive in the  Republic, June is the Republic's number one military cadet. In a future where the two sides of the country are constantly at war, Day and June will do anything they can to protect the ones they care about. But when their paths cross, will it be a battle to the death or will the two realize maybe they share the same enemy?

WHAT I LIKED: I enjoyed how this story was not only written in alternating first-person narratives so that you could get the story from both sides, but also because each character's chapter was written in a different color. I know it is such a little thing, but sometimes when you pick up a book after a while you have to backtrack to remember what is going on. This made it easier. Also, while there are a lot of dystopian books out there right now, Legend, easily goes at the top of my list. This three book series does not disappoint as each new book comes out in the series.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I hate to say this, but I don't like the ending (no spoilers). But after everything that June and Day endure throughout the three book series, I just really hate to see how they end up. I'm a sucker for a happily ever after.

READALIKES: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Divergent by Veronica Roth

MOVIE RELEASE: in talks

BOOK TRAILER: 

5th Wave

TITLE: The 5th Wave
AUTHOR: Rick Yancey
RELEASE DATE: May 2013
PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PAGES: 457 pages
SERIES: Book 1 in the 5th Wave series (Book 2: Infinite Sea, Book 3: The Last Star)
GENRE: Science Fiction
OVERALL RATING: 4/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades: 8-12 (some sexual references)

SUMMARY: Cassie is a survivor. She survived the 1st wave when all the world's electricity was wiped out by an electromagnetic pulse. She survived the 2nd wave when tsunamis wiped out all the coastal cities. She even survived the 3rd wave, called the Red Death, a plague that killed 97% of the remaining population, including her mother. The 4th wave sends Silencers, humans implanted with aliens. The worst wave of all, because you don't know who you can trust. But Cassie knows how to survive, don't trust anyone. 

FAVORITE QUOTE: "If you don't kill all of us all at once, those who remain will not be the weak. It's the strong who remain, the bent, but unbroken like the iron rods that used to give this concrete its strength."

WHAT I LIKED: I liked how this story keeps you on your toes. You're constantly asking yourself, "Is he an alien? Is she an alien? Can you trust him? No! Don't trust him!" I really have to admit that there were no slow parts to the story, it might be close to 500 pages, but I couldn't put it down. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The story changes perspective frequently between Cassie, Evan, and Zombie. I feel like as soon as you get used to Cassie's voice and her storyline, her lone survival, it switches to Zombie in this tough, military lifestyle. At first it was annoying, but as you start to see the three storylines intertwine, and you begin to learn things that the character doesn't know. Then for all three characters to end up together, I really look forward to reading the second book and finding out how the clash of all the different characters and their personality help them all survive together. 

READALIKES: The Host by Stephenie Meyer

MOVIE RELEASE: January 22, 2016

BOOK TRAILER: 

The Hunt

TITLE: The Hunt
AUTHOR: Andrew Fukuda
RELEASE DATE: May 2012
PUBLISHER: St. Martin's Griffin
PAGES: 304 pages 
SERIES: Book 1 in The Hunt Trilogy (#2:The Prey, #3:The Trap)
GENRE: Supernatural, Horror, Adventure
OVERALL RATING: 2/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 8-12

SUMMARY: Gene is one of the only humans left on earth, but he can't let any body else know. He is different and must keep his identity a secret. This means scrubbing his skin, shaving his body hair, not showing emotion, going out in daylight, and wearing fake fangs. But when Gene wears a lottery to hunt some of the last remaining humans on earth, what will he do? Kill them to save himself, or risk his own life to save them?

WHAT I LIKED: I liked the idea of this story, a human hiding in a world of blood sucking people (the book never uses the word vampire). I also liked Gene's description of everything, several times he would describe to the reader things that are normal to us, but not to someone who has lived among these creatures their entire life. For example, "Its nose crinkles-'crinkle' is this thing hepers do when they pull their facial skin together-in mild disgust" (p). 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I felt the book needed more of a backstory. Where did these people come from? What happened to all the humans? It seems like when a person comes upon a heper, then it is devoured completely. It's not like humans are turned into these people. I just wondered this throughout the entire book, waiting for some kind of flashback or timeline of when all this happened. The people's facts about the hepers were all completely wrong and made-up, like they were stories that had been passed around. 
UPDATE 1/12/2016: In the second book of the series, The Prey, more details are given about the duskers and how they became (genetic modification... of course).

READALIKES: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

BOOK TRAILER: 

The Cage

TITLE: The Cage
AUTHOR: Megan Shepherd
RELEASE DATE: May 2015
PUBLISHER: Balzer + Bray
PAGES: 405 pages 
SERIES: Book 1 in the The Cage series (Book 2: The Hunt due out May 2016)
GENRE: Science Fiction
OVERALL RATING: 4/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 8-12

SUMMARY: Cora wakes in an unknown world with five other teenagers. One of them is dead. None of them know where they are or how they got to the strange place with different environments and outdated decor. No matter how hard they try to escape, all roads lead back to the center of town. When their captor, Cassian, materializes out of nowhere, they realize that their prison is more terrifying than they could ever realize. 

WHAT I LIKED: Two words: "people zoo"! When I told friends about this book, the first mention of the word, aliens, turned them off completely. But I can't say enough good things about this story. A lot of the time, I can predict the end of a book within a couple of chapters. However, with this book, it seems like every time I made a prediction, the opposite happened. Each character had a story that throughout the book you realize is just a lie for a completely different kind of life. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I really enjoyed this story, once you get past the whole "alien abduction", the storyline is interesting; reminds me of an old episode of The Twilight Zone. The only thing that bothered me were the characters. I often found myself wanting to yell at them, call them stupid, or just question their choices. Seriously... how can you be locked in a cage by aliens and just accept it? Who does that?!

READALIKES: The Host by Stephenie Meyer

BOOK TRAILER: 

The Partials

TITLE: Partials
AUTHOR: Dan Wells
RELEASE DATE: February 2013
PUBLISHER: Balzer + Bray
PAGES: 472 pages (series: The Partials, Fragments, Ruins)
GENRE: Science Fiction, Dystopian
OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 8-12

SUMMARY: In the year 2076, the United States has just won the Isolation War against China and Iran in which that created genetically modified soldiers called Partials. After the war, the Partials return to the United States only to be treated as second class citizens. After years of this unfair treatment, the Partials turn on their creators and begin a war with the human race, releasing a deadly virus called RM that kills 99% of the human race. Kira Walker survives "The Break" and works as a medic-in-training trying to find a cure to RM by observing a captured Partial, named Samm.

WHAT I LIKED: I enjoyed the world building of this book series. Kira and the remaining humans live in a small city on Long Island where they have access to all the fashion they could want. For fun, they rummage through old stores looking for new clothes. Kira's adopted sister, Sochi, collects music players. After living like this for ten years, canned food is starting to go bad. Reading this book, really makes you think about how you would survive in a post-apocalyptic world and what your priorities would be.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: There were a couple of holes in the story. I think it was the middle of the second book before I fully understood what a Partial was. Throughout the first book, people referred to the Partials as machines, and not human. They were built and engineered to look eighteen years old. They don't age, they don't procreate; so throughout the first book I thought as a Partial as an "it". But throughout the other books you begin to learn that even though Partials aren't technically born, they still have fear, empathy, love; and you begin to wonder what really is the difference between a Partial and a human.

BOOK TRAILER: This is easily one of the best Book Trailers I have found. It is Paragen created propaganda for Partials. While it doesn't give you the details of the book series, it definitely peaks your interest.