The Stranded is a YA dystopian book being compared to The Hunger Games and Divergent. I used to love this genre so I was hoping to have a bit of nostaThe Stranded is a YA dystopian book being compared to The Hunger Games and Divergent. I used to love this genre so I was hoping to have a bit of nostalgia wrapped up in a modern dystopian. Unfortunately, The Stranded read exactly like the YA dystopians that were flooding the market over a decade ago. There wasn't a lot of development and there wasn't a lot of explanation.
The Stranded is told through multiple points of view. A couple of these views are told through first person and a third point of view through third person. I didn't enjoy the change in narrative, and I didn't enjoy the characters either.
This dystopian world has strict rules, but anyone can get in trouble at any time - even if they did nothing wrong. People in close proximity to rule breakers would be arrested while the actual rule breakers got away. The characters are stuck on these ships because the world got hit with a virus - but the people who study and earn their way back into the real world can get vaccines and be taken off the ship. There are vaccines but they don't give them to everyone because it would cost millions. When was this written? Did I read this wrong?
Our main character is studying to earn her way off of the ship, but she totally forgot to study for an exam that's 65% of her grade so she decides to cheat in order to take the only remaining spot off the ship. Why would I care to keep reading? The stakes were so random, the characters were basic, and I didn't understand the world at all. I held on for 173 pages until I just didn't have any reason to root for anyone.
If you are a huge fan of the Hunger Games era books, you might love this. I would 100% believe The Stranded was written 10 years ago when there was no longer a market for it. I was hoping for a modern take on the YA dystopian genre, and I guess that's my fault.
Review copy provided by publisher. This is a review of my reading experience....more
I adored The Girl with All the Gifts. That makes me automatically take a closer look at anything M.R. Carey releases. Why did I read The Book of Koli?
I adored The Girl with All the Gifts. That makes me automatically take a closer look at anything M.R. Carey releases. I loved the sound of this trilogy. It's been a while since I've read a really great dystopian, and a deadly forest sounded perfect!
The Strengths
I immediately fell in love with the language in this. I think some readers may have trouble with the grammar and other nuances, but I really connected with Carey's writing in this one. There was poetry to his voice and his language here, and I just really enjoyed spending time with it.
I also loved the characters. Koli is a bit of a Harry Potter type of character. He's the star of the show, but all of his supporting characters are more powerful and more interesting. Monono reminded me a lot of the operating system in the movie Her. If you liked The Book of Koli or Her, I highly recommend the other!
I loved the world building, but this is also going to appear in the weaknesses for The Book of Koli. I'm a sucker for post-apocalypse and natural forces outweigh political forces for me every time. I can't wait to learn more about this world.
The Weaknesses
The Book of Koli is the first book in the Rampart Trilogy. It helped tremendously seeing the covers for the next two books on the back of my Koli paperback. I was prepared to only receive the first third of a complete story, but I'm never going to be 100% OK with a book not being able to stand on its own.
My expectation going into reading The Book of Koli was the environment was going to play a huge role in this trilogy. Hopefully it still will, but there was a lot less man versus nature than I was expecting. I want to know more and I want to see more! The good news is we are just getting started.
Would I recommend The Book of Koli to others?
Yes! Especially if you have loved other books by M.R. Carey. I'm really excited for the rest of the trilogy, and the next two books are at the top of my most anticipated list.
The folks who told me I should try again to read Shift because it was worth it to finish out the rest of the series were right! Dust brings us back arThe folks who told me I should try again to read Shift because it was worth it to finish out the rest of the series were right! Dust brings us back around to the characters and happenings that were taking place in Wool while still maintaining the thrills and characters from Shift. There is a lot happening! And there were a lot of revelations I was not expecting. I very much enjoy the way Hugh Howey writes. The only reason I'm giving Dust 4 stars instead of 5 stars is because you absolutely have to read Wool and Shift to understand what you are reading in Dust. The overall series as a whole, though, gets 5 stars from me....more
I've been asked on many occasions if I've read this book, and I never stopped to wonder why. Of course I see now why this book has been recommended toI've been asked on many occasions if I've read this book, and I never stopped to wonder why. Of course I see now why this book has been recommended to me throughout the years. It's like asking someone who's afraid of clowns if they've read IT. The Long Walk is a perfect fit for me. I wish I had read it sooner! I wish I had read The Long Walk prior to the upteen billion dystopians I've already experienced in recent years. It kept reminding me of The Hunger Games instead of vice versa as it bloody well should have been.
I listened to The Long Walk on audio which was a great experience. Grab it off Overdrive if you have yet to read this one. There's an amazing introduction by Stephen King included with the audio. I have the "Bachman Books" on my shelf so I pulled it down to read the introduction again only to find a completely different introduction! If you've already read the Bachman Books, you might be interested in reading the second introduction King wrote for it.
I've put off reading Bachman over the years. Up until now I think I've only read The Regulators (right after reading Desperation) and Thinner (right after watching the movie). I've had some deluded idea in my mind that I wouldn't enjoy them like I enjoy a King novel. I can't speak for the rest of the Bachman Books, but you don't get more Stephen King than The Long Walk. He really, really thought no one would know Richard Bachman was Stephen King?! No one writes like Stephen King. In my opinion, no one even comes close to writing like Stephen King. So now I have some more reading to do!
The Long Walk was a great way to end a not-so-remarkable reading year. It serves as a good reminder of how important it is to pull down the back titles throughout the year and enjoy some gems I've been missing out on....more
I tried to read The Maze Runner back in January with no luck. I couldn't get into it at all, and I decided it waTake this review with a grain of salt.
I tried to read The Maze Runner back in January with no luck. I couldn't get into it at all, and I decided it wasn't for me.
This past month, however, my hubs wanted to watch the movie. I have strict rules against watching a movie before I read the book, but since I had no intentions of reading the book, I thought what the hey. It's not often hubs is requesting one of "my" movies so I went with it.
Here's the kicker - I really liked the movie. So much so that I wanted to read the book.
The book was much easier for me to get into this time around because it was more like a reread. I was also listening to it on audio with a good narrator so it was altogether a nice read for me.
I can't say what my original rating would have been if I had forced my way through it, but I do know my interest in this series is high right now. I just need to decide if I'm going to read The Scorch Trials now or stick with watching the movies....more
The Fire Sermon was an enjoyable read despite the fact I'm a bit burned out on the dystopian genre.
The dystopian hook with The Fire Sermon revolves arThe Fire Sermon was an enjoyable read despite the fact I'm a bit burned out on the dystopian genre.
The dystopian hook with The Fire Sermon revolves around twins. In each pair of twins there is an Alpha and an Omega. The Omega always has a genetic defect and is split off from their family and their twin. The twins are still linked, however, and when one twin dies, so does the other. It's an intriguing concept. I'll be honest - I didn't grasp how some of the twin phenomenons in The Fire Sermon could realistically occur, but it was easy for me to "go with it".
Since Cass and Zach were both seemingly born with no defects, their story goes far beyond the typical Alpha and Omega twin existence.
I'm not sure if The Fire Sermon is classified as a YA novel or not, but it is probably best suited for YA readers. It's unfortunate The Fire Sermon is being released into an oversaturated market. I can imagine it would have been extremely popular about four years ago, but it's going to have a tough time standing out against the crowd. The Fire Sermon is the first book of a planned trilogy so hopefully it can pick up traction and find a good audience.
Like most series books - especially of the YA flavor - my rating for the series will likely be higher than my rating for the individual books. As it stands now, The Fire Sermon is a solid 3-stars, with plans to read book two....more
Shift is quite a different read from Wool. Where Wool feels very much like a dystopian novel, Shift is more of a thriller. The characters are differenShift is quite a different read from Wool. Where Wool feels very much like a dystopian novel, Shift is more of a thriller. The characters are different and the tone is different, but it's very good.
Shift does eventually converge with the characters and happenings of Wool, but it requires a little patience and faith going into it. Shift is where we learn how everyone ended up living in the silos and who's really "in charge". I was excited to read more, and I knew I wouldn't wait so long to read the final installment in the trilogy....more
I am in love with this series. Wool wasn't perfect, but I loved it pretty hard core.
Dystopians and I haven't gotten along for a while now, but Wool haI am in love with this series. Wool wasn't perfect, but I loved it pretty hard core.
Dystopians and I haven't gotten along for a while now, but Wool has reminded me of everything I love about a great dystopian.
So what's the dystopian hook with Wool? A silo. The earth has become uninhabitable, and those who have survived live in a giant silo below the ground.
There is a view up top of the outside, but it's dangerous to spend time dreaming or wondering about the outside. The highest crime is professing a desire to go outside. The punishment for committing such a taboo? You get your wish. They send you outside.
The first half of the book was awesome. It was exciting to have my love for dystopia totally renewed. As Wool progressed, I had more and more trouble suspending my disbelief and there were a couple of plot holes, but overall the suspense and the characters and my curiosity about the silo and the world outside was plenty enough to overcome the technicalities.
The Wool omnibus is also the first book in the Silo series, but for those of you who are series shy, it can absolutely stand on its own. If Wool hadn't weighed in at 500+ pages, there's no doubt I would have immediately picked up the next book in the Silo series. I get reader burn out easy, though, so I know better than to jump into another chunky monkey from the same series. I'm happy to add the Silo series to my current favorites, and I look forward to reading Shift in the near future.
If you enjoy post-apocalyptic and dystopian books (with a strong female lead!), Wool is definitely a book you should put on your radar....more
3.5 stars: Viral Nation is the first dystopian book I have enjoyed in a long time.
Viral Nation opens with a virus wiping out most of the world's popul3.5 stars: Viral Nation is the first dystopian book I have enjoyed in a long time.
Viral Nation opens with a virus wiping out most of the world's population. I love a good apocalyptic virus so I was captured by Viral Nation right away. A suppressant for the virus was discovered when the main characters were very young so the focus is much more on the power held by the company who controls the suppressant than on the virus itself.
The main character (Clover) has autism which instantly sets her apart from all of the other YA characters I have ever encountered. Most of the characters were quite likeable, and since Viral Nation is the first book in a series, I get the impression we will learn a lot more about the "Freaks for Freedom" as the series progresses. Clover also has a service dog that assists her with her autism. I loved that. Even more so, I loved that Shaunta Grimes did not use the dog to toy with my emotions.
I'm excited that there is time travel in this series, but it doesn't work well for me yet. If I think about it too hard, I get a headache, but I was able to let go and just go with the flow most of time. In fact, I found Viral Nation pretty hard to put down.
As with most YA series books, I wish I would have gotten more of a complete story out of Viral Nation. That is starting to be a pretty huge gripe with me, but nevertheless, I am anxiously awaiting the next book and will definitely be carrying on with the series....more
If you aren't familiar with the Delirium trilogy, Requiem is the third and final book. In the Delirium series, love is a disease and the folks in the If you aren't familiar with the Delirium trilogy, Requiem is the third and final book. In the Delirium series, love is a disease and the folks in the books have a procedure done to be cured from amor deliria nervosa (love).
As I stated in my review of the first book, Delirium, love isn't just about the romantic love between two people. It's the love of friends, the love of hobbies, the love of the small details as well as the large.
Like most dystopian books, there is a lot of suspense, darkness, and conflict in this series. Good times (for the reader). The second book was kind of lackluster for me, but the ending... oh, the ending. I'm not normally a fan of the cliffhanger, but I did love the ending to Pandemonium. I needed Requiem after that ending!
Thus, I've been waiting and waiting to read Requiem which you know if you follow my blog. I hoped Requiem would pick up just seconds after Pandemonium, but I was very pleased with how Requiem began. In fact I was pleased with most of Requiem. I'd seen the low ratings. I'd read some of the spoiler free reviews. I was happy I was loving it so much because my expectations were no longer high.
Once I reached the end of Requiem, however, I understood all too well why this book was not well received. My poor hubby had to hear so much bitching from me last night. My main beef with this book (and the entire series I have devoted so much time toward) was there was no ending. No ending, no resolutions. I'm all for literature that makes me think. I have no problem when things are left up to my imagination, but when you leave the actual story up to my imagination, I feel robbed.
I feel robbed.
2 stars: One star because I thought I was going to love it, and one star for Hana....more
Article 5 is the first book in Kristen Simmons's Article 5 series.
Few things can sell me on a book like a lot of action. I love action packed page turArticle 5 is the first book in Kristen Simmons's Article 5 series.
Few things can sell me on a book like a lot of action. I love action packed page turners, and the idea of a YA dystopian novel with non-stop action was too good to pass up. Unfortuntely, Article 5 turned out to not really be my thing.
The dystopian premise of Article 5 is the government enforcing strict moral statutes on its citizens. I could never figure out what would cause society to evolve that way. The statutes were still being rolled out through the states yet the states enforcing these moral statutes were already executing people.
The main character of Article 5, Ember, was born out of wedlock 17 years ago. Article 5 of the moral statutes dictates that only children conceived by a married husband and wife are valid citizens. When the government updated the statute to include existing minors, Ember's mother became an automatic violator and Ember became property of the government.
As I stated, there is a lot of action in Article 5. Ember is on the run from the government and trying to save her mother. I normally love a good chase book where the characters are on the run, but I never understood why anyone cared or why all those resources were being used to such an extreme toward individual citizens like Ember and her mom.
Ember was a sympathetic character but she didn't have much snap to her. I wanted to holler at her a lot.
In the end, the action taking place throughout Article 5 wasn't enough to make me a fan. I needed a reason to believe the events would even happen and the characters were more frustrating than they were likeable. I will not be reading more books in the Article 5 series....more
After reading the Allegiant spoilers, I give up. If you love a book so much that you have to read it THE VERY DAY it comes out, even if you hate the fAfter reading the Allegiant spoilers, I give up. If you love a book so much that you have to read it THE VERY DAY it comes out, even if you hate the fucking thing, don't spoil it for others....more
Ashfall is a real pageturner. I made the mistake of starting Ashfall when I was ready to go to bed. Don't do that if you require lots of beauty sleep.Ashfall is a real pageturner. I made the mistake of starting Ashfall when I was ready to go to bed. Don't do that if you require lots of beauty sleep.
Mike Mullin threw build-up and foreshadowing out the window when he wrote Ashfall. The supervolcano eruption... chapter one. That's how I love my stories. There is a lot of action in Ashfall, and it is all delivered without apology.
The natural disaster aspect of Ashfall evoked a lot of emotion in me. The story itself is well written and thought provoking, but as someone who has been through multiple hurricanes, I made a lot of emotional connections to Ashfall. I'm also never, ever letting my son quit TaeKwonDo.
I was pleasantly surprised to find Ashfall to be more than a young adult book about survival. There are also strong elements of YA romance, post-apocalypse and even some dystopia. The girl lead Darla is a bad ass, but she's vulnerable when she needs to be. Alex is the opposite (in a nice way). He's vulnerable, but a badass when he needs to be.
Once again - how does this keep happening to me?! - I wasn't aware Ashfall was a series. When will I understand YA = series? Thankfully there was no frustrating cliffhanger. I feel like a received a complete story, and I'm left with the typical craving for more you get with a good first book in a series. I will definitely pick up Ashen Winter when it is released next fall.
If you are a YA fan of the post-apocalyptic flavor and you don't mind some brutal and unforgiving scenes, you need to read Ashfall. Just make sure you don't start reading it at bedtime!
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