Tori's Review: Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #3
Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult, Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 416
Published by HarperCollins on February 4, 2014
Amazon | B&N

The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, called "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love"

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end.

Ignite Me was one of my top anticipated books of 2014, and it feels great to finally have read it, and to finish another series. I have to admit that I started out Team Adam, but as the book series went along, I was less Adam and more Warner. If you've read Destroy Me, no doubt you felt the same. Tahereh Mafi has a way with characters. She so beautifully crafts their personalities and their voice as well as their mannerisms. Some people think her writing is choppy, but I think it's genius.

Warner absolutely breaks my heart. His character survived a long character arc since Shatter Me, and that makes me really happy. I'm glad that he's made it out not-so-unscathed but alright. Ever since Destory Me, I've been in love with that dude. In Ignite Me, he made my heart break/swoon/ache. Just all of those adjectives. He made me feel.

He smiles like it hurts.

In my opinion, each and every character in this book has their own demons they need to learn to face. In Fracture Me, we as readers learn that Adam does have his own inner anger that he needs to tame and learn to deal with. If it weren't for Fracture Me, I don't think I would've been ready for Adam's hostile personality in Ignite Me. His anger surprised me.

Other than Warner, Kenji was my favorite. I think if you've read Shatter Me and Unravel Me, you'll know that Kenji is hilarious. But in Ignite Me, I really start to see Kenji and Juliette's friendship for what it is—hilarious. Not in a sense that it doesn't work, but in the sense that they work so well together as friends. They feed off each other.

That's because you're not fragile," Kenji says. "If anything, everyone needs to protect themselves from you. You're like a freaking beast," he says. Then adds, "I mean, you know—like a cute beast. A little beast that tears shit up and breaks the earth and sucks the life out of people."

Plot-wise, Ignite Me was lacking. The common thread throughout the trilogy was that Juliette wanted to take down the Reestablishment, right? But it seemed as though Juliette's sudden drive to make a change was sudden. Too sudden. She wanted to take down the Reestablishment after Warner's father, the leader of the Reestablishment, shot her, which was reasonable, but I felt like it could've been improved a lot. This trilogy has been solely based off relationships and character arcs, which I'm perfectly fine with, but I wished that it had more substance.

And lastly, the world-building was pretty much nonexistent. Tahereh Mafi barely touches on how this dystopian world came to be. I think I remember hearing about radioactive events occurring prior to Shatter Me, but I think it should've been covered more thoroughly. Even at the end of the book, I'm left wondering if Juliette ever truly gets a happy ending. Plus, the action happened within the last 20 pages, which more or less irritated me. I feel like endings should be big. This one wasn't.

In conclusion, if I wanted to rate this book not thinking about its faults, it would no doubt have five stars. But sitting down and really thinking about the book, I can't give it more than five stars. It was amazing, but it wasn't all that. Regardless, Ignite Me will be a 2014 favorite.

On a final note, Tahereh Mafi is very good at hot scenes, let me tell you.

Torsay Reviews: Rise (Eve #3) by Anna Carey

Torsay Reviews is a feature that Lindsay and Tori have where they both read a book together and then review it. These posts will feature both Tori and Lindsay's review of a specific book and maybe even a discussion between the two on what they thought.

Rise by Anna Carey
Series: Eve #3
Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult, Romance
Pages: 310
Published by HarperCollins on April 2, 2013
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How far will you go when you have nothing left to lose?

When she lost her soul mate, Caleb, Eve felt like her world had ended. Trapped in the palace, forced to play the part of the happy, patriotic princess of The New America—and the blushing bride of her father's top adviser—Eve's whole life is a lie. The only thing that keeps her going is Caleb's memory, and the revolution he started.

Now, Eve is taking over where Caleb left off. With the help of Moss, an undercover subversive in the King's court, she plots to take down The New America, beginning with the capital, the City of Sand. Will Eve be able to bring about a new, free world when she's called upon to perform the ultimate act of rebellion—killing her father?

In Rise, Eve must choose who to leave behind, who to save, and who to fight as Anna Carey's epic tale of romance and sacrifice in the chilling dystopia of The New America comes to a stunning conclusion.

Tori's Review

Rating: ♚♚

NOTE: There are spoilers for books one and two, Eve and Once respectively, in this review. Read at your own risk.

If you've read my review of Eve, then you'd know that I loved that book. Like, a lot. There was the right amount of action and romance and mystery that just made the book all that amazing. Then if you've read my review of Once, then you'd know that I wasn't too fond of that one, although I didn't hate it either. Once suffered from Second Book Syndrome, and it just didn't have as much going on as the first book, which made it somewhat boring.

Now if you've read my review of Rise, then--

Oh, wait. That's what you're doing. Right. Knew that.

Onto the review. To be blunt, Rise was boring. Nothing happens until page 280. At least, nothing interesting, anyway. The first 280 pages was a whole bunch of Eve missing Caleb, Eve pretending (yes, I say pretending) to be brave, and Eve putting people in danger. And in the middle, maybe even a little bit of Eve being the naive little girl that she was in book one. Basically, throughout this entire book, the entire book, Eve annoyed the crap out of me. 

Around page 100, Eve helps girls from the Schools that have come to the City escape. Nine of them. At first, it seems like a good idea to her. But then they get on the road and this one girl--Bette--doesn't like her. (Shocker.) Eve begins to realize that this is a bad idea. (No crap?) So Eve's taking these girls to Califia, and at first I think this is a great idea to move the plot along, but no. Again with the nothing happening. They travel for about 100 pages of nothing. Turns out, Bette's stupid, almost gets them killed, and she still manages to despise Eve in her free time.

I think the biggest fault with this book was my lack of emotion toward the characters. Well, any emotion other than hate. I think that a book's characters should be memorable enough that even if it takes me three years to pick up the next book, I should still remember how much I cared about the characters. I didn't care about any of the characters in Rise. Also, I don't think Carey gives us enough time to cultivate feelings for the girls from the Schools that Eve brings to Califia. The book seemed rushed to me. 

Nothing happened (I've said this several times, I realize), but things were still rushed. When I say nothing happened, I mean nothing important happened. The events that did occur seemed irrelevant to me. In Eve and even in Once, the major plot points were clear and big and meaningful, but in Rise they just didn't seem as, you know, clear and big and meaningful.

In conclusion, I just wasn't feeling it with Rise. I'm not going to say that Rise ruined the series for me, because I don't regret reading the trilogy, per say. It's just that it wasn't the best ending that could've happened for the trilogy. I think the ending should've been bigger and better and just more monumental than it actually was.

Lindsay's Review

Rating: ♚♚

When an author concludes a series, I feel like there should be a big buildup throughout the last book. There should be major issues, major self discovery where applicable, and end with a note that ties up loose ends but leaves the reader wanting more. To be honest, as much as I enjoyed the Rise series, it just didn't do that for me.

Because this is a conclusion book, I won't talk much about the characters, major plot spoilers and issues as much. I like to look more at how it ended a series I spent my time reading. Once ended with a whimper rather than a bang. There was a lot going on, I'll give Carey that. However I felt no build up, no pressure, no stress with what was happening. And then how it ended - I won't spoil this part for you, but I must say that I do not understand how that person at the end of the novel existed. It just makes me angry almost to think about how throughout the book there were no explanations or mentions of this possibility, and then it happens.

Character-wise, Once was lacking. There was a bunch of new girls added into the mix from the schools who were either forgettable or irrelevant, old characters killed off without a second thought, and even though Eve was changing, something was missing with her relationships. She almost seemed like a numb character, like she was detached from everything and not in an artistic writing way. I also noticed that there were a lot of characters throughout the novel with such little parts that made the book feel like a rough draft. Mauve from Califia, her daughter, Bette, Beatrice and Sarah. They all just seemed irrelevant to me and didn't seem to have a purpose to the plot whatsoever.

And don't get me started on Caleb being dead the entire novel.

He would have made the book more readable, and I think it was a dumb move for Anna Carey to cut him out because romance is what sells with readers these days.

For some readers there was no epilogue at the end of the book unless they got the book after it's first publication. I was excited at the chance to read it, given the ending. And when I closed the book I really didn't understand why the epilogue was needed. It was irrelevant and overall frustrating. Some parts were cute but it didn't really make the point of even including it. Sure, the new world is crumbling after everything Eve has done and they're going back to Califia, but really, why is this needed? It just ruined what I had previously read and honestly, kind of made me hate Eve who I defended the entire book.

If you're in the middle of the series, I suggest finishing it, just because I can't stand leaving a series halfway through. Eve was fantastic and could have been a great standalone book, but the series seemed to tumble downward instead of creating a buildup. I'm disappointed with the ending of the trilogy, but will keep the first book as a favorite regardless.

Maya's Review: Uglies (Uglies #1) by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Series: Uglies
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dystopia
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 448
Published by Simon Pulse on February 8, 2005
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Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license - for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all.

The choice Tally makes changes her world forever...

Okay, so I like a lot of books, by a lot of different people and a lot of other genres, but this has to be one of my all-time favorites. Not just because the plot line was very original – and thank the Lord not necessarily all romance – but the way Westerfeld described the new mentality, the new world and the new apocalypse.

Most of the story revolves around rough descriptions and there is a lot less dialogue than I expected at first, which I honestly liked a lot about this book. The author has a way of describing the scenery around the character which really grabbed me. And the human interactions were solid, Tally and David were a solid almost-couple. Although I didn’t like David with Shay before Tally came along. There was no chemistry what-so-ever between them, and it was unnecessary.

The bit that I liked the most would be the way David and Tally traveled back into town. They would spend days and nights together, and just bond in intense silence. Intense silence that turns into a romance. It was natural and somehow, not forced. Tally and David sound interesting characters on their own, so it isn’t hard to put them together and create a whole new level of perfection.

The climax of the story is quite intense: Tally learns the truth about the operations and must choose between the operation to become a pretty and running off with David.

Maybe the worst part of this book (or the whole series) is that Westerfeld repeats the fact that Tally is responsible for everything. That she blames herself for everything that happened. But by reading the story I understood that what she thought wasn't true.

All in all, this book maintains a solid consistency I like. The pace is good, even a little slow, but I like it that way. The descriptions were perfect, and every little detail was explained. The dialogue, although not equivalent to the descriptions, was amazing. The plot in general is spot on and I love the way he succeeded in transferring the mentality of those people there and it really made me feel like I was in Tally’s world, following her everywhere. Brilliant.

Tori's Review: In the After (In the After #1) by Demitria Lunetta

In the After by Demitria Lunetta

Series: In the After #1

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction

Rating: ★★★★

Pages: 455

Published by HarperTeen on June 25, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

They hear the most silent of footsteps.
They are faster than anything you've ever seen.
And They won't stop chasing you...until you are dead.

Amy is watching TV when it happens, when the world is attacked by Them. These vile creatures are rapidly devouring mankind. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to escape—and even rescue “Baby,” a toddler left behind in the chaos. Marooned in Amy’s house, the girls do everything they can to survive—and avoid Them at all costs.

After years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living in a former government research compound. While at first the colony seems like a dream with plenty of food, safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal. And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she’ll lose Baby—and much more.

Rebellious, courageous, and tender, this unforgettable duo will have you on the edge of your seat as you tear through the pulse-pounding narrow escapes and horrifying twists of fate in this thrilling debut from author Demitria Lunetta.

NOTE: I'm counting this for my 2014 Dystopia Reading Challenge, because I've read this book and have decided that it's dystopian. New Hope isn't all sunshine and rainbows.

I read in a review by Emily May on Goodreads regarding this book and she said that anyone who wasn't too fond of The 5th Wave would enjoy this book and vice versa, (as in, if you loved The 5th Wave then you probably won't like In the After) and after reading In the After, I've decided that I agree with her. In my review of The 5th Wave I said that I loved it yet hated it at the same time. I still stand by that. On one hand, I loved the aliens and just the premise of the book, but on the other hand I didn't really enjoy the characters. Yes, I'm going to compare The 5th Wave and In the After in some aspects during this review. I apologize if you don't like reviewers who do that, but it's my opinion.

In the After is about a girl named Amy. Amy is a survivor in the alien apocalypse. One day, she's lounging on her couch watching TV when all of a sudden her TV turns off. Immediately, she blames her dad for messing with the solar panels (he's a eco-freak). But then the TV turns on and it's the president, explaining that he has the situation under control. And then the president is interrupted, broadcasting the news station who informs the US population that they have been invaded by extraterrestrial lifeforms.

Amy survives the apocalypse on her own for three years with only the help of a three year old (now six after the three years) named Baby who unnervingly has the ability to be super quiet and seemingly has unbelievable hearing. Amy and Baby live a comfortable lifestyle...until they simply don't anymore.

I think the biggest issue I had with this book was the pacing. The book is split into three sections. If I had to rate each section, it would go a little like this:

Section 1: Four Stars
Section 2: Three Stars
Section 3: Five Stars

Most people who reviewed this book would disagree with me and say that the first section was the most interesting, but it's really a matter of preference. Although I liked the survival section, Amy daydreamed a lot, thinking back on her past a but like Cassie from The 5th Wave liked to do. Daydreaming in the past really isn't my cup of tea even though it's not completely non-enjoyable. The second section was fairly interesting if not a bit slow. It's really just about Amy meandering around New Hope, trying to find answers about the aliens that have taken over her planet. Not boring but not nail-biting interesting either.

But the third section. Oh my gosh, the third section was the part that made me fall in love (okay, like. I didn't love this book, but I did like it a lot) with In the After. Amy basically does daydream in the past in this section, but it's done in a way that intrigues me. It's not the boring "this happened and then this happened and then this happened and then this happened" rather than "okay here's a scene from the present, now we're going to jumpcut into the past, oh look now we're in the present" and back and forth, back and forth. I don't like books that experiment with different tenses...usually. But this book just did it so wonderfully.

Another thing I really enjoyed about In the After was the characters. They were fairly realistic. Amy's actions and responses to certain situations didn't seem forced or executed in a bad way. But you know what did seem forced? Amy and Rice's relationship.

In the After isn't the type of book to be drowned in romance, which was one of the worst things about The 5th Wave, but the fact that Rice and Amy's relationship was barely grazed on the top made it seem forced and a bit unrealistic. The two didn't really have any chemistry other than the fact that Amy was the only girl Rice's age at New Hope (which turned out to be false because there were two or three girls in the same class as Amy). It just seemed more like a relationship out of necessity rather than passion. And that kiss. It was...unexpected.

The last thing I wanted to address about this book was the book's ending. It wasn't all that surprising. At first, I thought that what I had guessed couldn't be right because it was too obvious, but it ended up being right. But the ending was done so well that I really don't care that I sniffed out the ending before it even happened, which is a good thing I suppose.

In conclusion, this book is full of suspense, action, and sisterly love. I found this book to intense as well as heartwarming, which is something rare for an apocalyptic/dystopian book these days (or is it just the books I pick?). I absolutely cannot wait for the second book In the End to come out June this year! I'm definitely getting my hands on a copy.

If you haven't already read this book, go and read it now! In the After turned out to be nothing like what I thought it was going to be like, but it was a good surprise. I will probably recommend this book to my friends that like action as well as my friends that like dystopian. It's a combination of both!

On a final note, what a great way to start out my reading year! A four star book--amazing.

You might also like: 

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (Maybe, lol)

Eve by Anna Carey

WoW: The Murder Complex (The Murder Complex #1) by Lindsay Cummings (12)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

Series: The Murder Complex #1
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction
Pages: 400
Published by HarperCollins on June 10, 2014
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings. 

This book just sounds awesome. 'Nuff said.

Review: Exceptional (Exceptional #1) by Jess Petosa

Exceptional by Jess Petosa
Series: Exceptional #1
Genre: Dyatopia, Young Adult, Science Fiction
Rating: ★
Pages: N/A
Published by Jess Petosa on February 24, 2012

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

In the future, things are anything but ordinary...

In 2022, the United States commissioned a group of scientists to experiment with genetic mutations. Their goal was to create a serum that would alter the human genetic code, making the subject stronger and faster. They succeeded but their victory was short lived. Not only had they created a super serum, but also an airborne virus. By 2025, seventy-five percent of the world's population had perished. The survivors, well their lives would never be the same.

175 A.V.

Ally is an Ordinary; a human immune to the virus. She lives in a settlement outside the City with her mother and twin brother, but lately it doesn't seem to be enough. She is wrestling between being with her family and volunteering to move to the City, where she can work for the Exceptionals.

Luke is an Exceptional; a superior human being. His ancestors were infected with the virus and lived through it, leaving their super human strength and special abilities to him. He has never given much thought to Ordinarys, despite pressure from his father to choose one from the ORC. But all of that changes when he meets Ally...

I made a list--a freaking list--on reasons why I hated this book. I don't mean I just didn't really like it and found it boring, I hated it. I had to force myself to continue. It was so predictable. This review was originally going to be in a Mini Review post, but I realized that I just had too much to say about this book for it to be considered a Mini Review. I want to start off by saying that I hate saying rude things about someone's book, but I do anyway. So when I have a lot of rude things to say about a book, I feel like a horrible person.
 

Jess Petosa, if you're reading this review, I am terribly sorry. I have nothing against you. I swear. It's just that your book had so much potential, but you just executed it horribly. Seriously. I'm so sorry for writing this review (sort of?). I'm sure you're a wonderful person in real life!
 

The first thing I can to talk about is the instalove. I just couldn't handle the instalove in this book between Ally and Luke. The first time Ally sees Luke she notes how hot he is. Now, that part didn't piss me off. The first time I see a guy, I note how hot he is as well. But when she's already buddy-buddy with Luke and making out with him even after he put her in a fucking breeding house (sorry, spoiler, but it's predictable)? That's just a big no-no-no-no-no-no-no.
 

There were also inconsistencies. In one scene Ally said she had only been in Luke's room once, when in fact she had been in there before when he wasn't home to watch movies. That's a little creepy as well, if you ask me. I wouldn't want someone in my room when I'm not home if I've just me them and then claimed them as my fucking breeding mate. Yeah. I'm deep. (No pun intended.) There were also inconsistences in the Exceptionals' appearances. At first they're described as seven feet tall monsters, but then as the book goes on the height is barely mentioned ever again.

This was minor, but the science in the book was backed up horribly. I'm not saying that I'm an expert in genetics and science-y shit like that, but it just didn't make much sense to me. Pretty much just like Allegiant, the science aspect of the book sucked.

There is just way too much to elaborate on. I'll list:
- Too much monologue of OH MY GOD SHOULD I DO THIS OR SHOULD I DO THAT
- Luke and Ally knew each other one week before they started making out and saying that they loved each other
- Lally = fuck no. I had no motivation for those two. No characterization at all. Just no.
- I hated Luke. He was so ew, and the ending? What the fuck, Luke? What the fuck?
- I love how Ally, Luke (Lukin, but still), Sabine, and Aden have normal names but then you meet the other characters. Like, Stosh? What? Tighe? Pax?
- The characters were so fake. None of them had a character arc. None.
- Because of the lack of character arc, all these characters made random decisions that only made sense to the author. There was no motivation behind anything the characters did whatsoever.

The final thing that made me hate this book was the ending. It was as if Petosa was trying to get the main character out of the bad situation as fast as she could so she didn't have to write the gigantic action scene at the end of every good dystopian good. Just saying.

That pretty much sums of this review--ahem, more like rant. I'd suggest not reading this. Unless you're into all those points that I made up there, then steer clear of this book. Seriously. Don't waste your time. Read a better book that you've been wanting to read.

 

Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout + Reboot (Reboot #1) by Amy Tintera

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Lux #3
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Aliens
Rating: ★★
Pages: 382
Published by Entangled Teen on December 1, 2012
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No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it. 

I guess the Daty obsession/fad is over now, for me at least. I know what these books flaws are now. In my opinion, you have to marathon read them with no time in between to read anything else in order to stay involved in their world. I stopped reading Opal because I had volleyball tryouts and then I just need picked it back up. Finally I finished it and I see how similar this book is to Wattpad books. And I can't do it anymore. The twists aren't aren't surprising anymore.

The ending was so predictable. It seemed like Armentrout foreshadowed the ending a little too much. To the extent that I knew exactly what was going to happen. And the betrayals were extremely obvious as well. The only reason I gave this book two stars was because, hey, I liked Daemon. He's supposed to be badass and callous but he's got a soft spot for Katy. I used to love Katy, but now I don't. I just can't stand to read in her point of view anymore.

And Armentrout's attempt at a climatic ending (with the totally susceptible and inevitable villain coming back to kill Katy) was weak, and it wasn't even very necessary to make the plot continue. While reading this book, I felt like the only reason she added it in was to fill up space in her book.

No hate on Armentrout, because she creates some pretty unique plots and she entertained me during Obsidian, Opal, and Obsession, but I just don't think I'll be able to read any of her stories anymore unless I'm up for something fluffy, and I want a break from heavy books that cause emotional stress on my sanity. I doubt I'll be reading Origin anytime soon.

To read the review for the first book in the Lux series Obsidian, click here. To read the review for the second book in the Lux series Opal, click here.

Reboot by Amy Tintera
Series: Reboot #1
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia,
Rating: ★★★

Pages: 365
Published by HarperTeen on May 7, 2013

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Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

The perfect soldier is done taking orders. 

I read this a month or so ago, so this mini review is actually going to be mini. I'm just going to say why I gave the book three stars, as in what stood out to me and what didn't.

The first thing I hated about the book was Callum and Wren's relationship. I didn't hate Callum and I didn't hate Wren, I just hated their relationship. They should not have fallen in love. They had no reason two. They simply fell in love because, hey, the author wanted them to. In my opinion, two people should fall in love with each other's personalities. Callum and Wren fell in love with their circumstance.

Also, Wren was 'trained' to be a cold-hearted robot, and then the second Callum shows up, she picks him, the weakest reboot, to train? I'm sorry, but no. Wren had no motivation to make the choices that she did other than the fact that she wanted to. That's a little bit too weak for me. Now this would work in the case that the character making such choice was whimsical and spontaneous, not for a character that was rational and driven by their brain rather than their heart. Choosing Callum and falling in love with him were not rational, therefore Wren shouldn't have done it. I liked her just fine when she was a coldhearted bitch. She was hilarious.

I'm afraid that this book was exactly by Shatter Me in a sense of the action stopping halfway through the book. Shit goes the fuck down in the first half of the book and the characters are in a tough situation, but then the last half is the characters that have escaped facing the real life world. That's literally two different plots all in its own! Now, I don't really have a problem with this, I just noticed this particular point while reading Reboot. This didn't affect the rating, I just wanted to point it out.

Now the ending. The ending was...weak, to say the least. Wren and Callum made it to their end goal, but the ending was just...lacking. It wasn't action packed (a bit of action, but still) and everything was a bit too convenient. Callum is hurt (it gets a bit spoilery from here. Skip this paragraph if you don't want to be spoiled) and Wren doesn't know if she can help him. So she gets the cure and gives it to Callum and she doesn't know if it will work...but it does...? I mean, it's great that it worked and all but at least give the book a cliffhanger so the readers have a good reason to want to read the next book. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to read the next book, but honestly, it's only because I do have a soft spot for Callum. He's sweet. Good for him.

Anyway, if you want to, go ahead and read Reboot. It's worth it.

Tori's Review: Once by Anna Carey

Once by Anna Carey
Series: Eve #3
Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult, Romance
Rating: ★★★
Pages: 354
Published by HarperCollins on July 3, 2012
Date Read: September 16, 2013
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When you're being hunted, who can you trust?
For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.
But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.
Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.
In this breathless sequel to "Eve," Anna Carey returns to her tale of romance, adventure, and sacrifice in a world that is both wonderfully strange and chillingly familiar.

Tori's Review: Eve by Anna Carey

Eve by Anna Carey

Series: Eve #1
Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult, Romance
Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 336
Published by HarperTeen on October 4, 2011
Date Read: September 4, 2013
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The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her. 
Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

Tori's Waiting on Wednesday: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi 
Series: Shatter Me #3
Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult, Paranormal
Pages: 352
Published by HarperCollins on February 4, 2014

The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, called "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love"
Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

Tori's Review: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #2
Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult, Romance
Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 461
Published by HarperCollins on February 5, 2013
Date Read: August 23, 2013
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tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.
Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.
She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.
Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.
In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

Tori's Review: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden #2
Genre: Vampires, Young Adult, Dystopia
Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 434
Published by Harlequin Teen on April 30, 2013
Date Finished: August 13, 2013
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Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.
Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

Lindsay's Waiting On Wednesday: Resist by Sarah Crossan

Resist by Sarah Crossan
Series: Breathe #2
Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 400
Published by Greenwillow Books on October 8th, 2013

The sequel—and conclusion—to Sarah Crossan's Breathe. Three teen outlaws must survive on their own in a world without air, exiled outside the glass dome that protects what's left of human civilization. Gripping action, provocative ideas, and shocking revelations in a dystopian novel that fans of Patrick Ness and Veronica Roth will devour.
Bea, Alina, and Quinn are on the run. They started a rebellion and were thrown out of the pod, the only place where there's enough oxygen to breathe. Bea has lost her family. Alina has lost her home. And Quinn has lost his privileged life. Can they survive in the perilous Outlands? Can they finish the revolution they began? Especially when a young operative from the pod's Special Forces is sent after them. Their only chance is to stand together, even when terrible circumstances force them apart. When the future of human society is in danger, these four teens must decide where their allegiances lie. Sarah Crossan has created a dangerous, and shattered society in this wrenching, thought-provoking, and unforgettable post-apocalyptic novel.

Tori's Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Series: The 5th Wave #1
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Rating: ★★★
Pages: 457
Published by Putnam Juvenile on May 7, 2013
Date Finished: August 5, 2013
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The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up

Tori's Review: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Series: Shatter Me #1.5

Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult, Romance

Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 103

Published by Harper on October 2, 2012

Date Finished: July 31, 2013
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Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.
In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .
Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.
Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

Tori's Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Series: Shatter Me #1
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance
Rating: ★★★½
Pages: 338Published by Harper on November 15, 2011
Date Finished: July 21, 2013
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Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.