Tori's Review: Fire & Flood (Fire & Flood #1) by Victoria Scott

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott
Series: Fire & Flood #1
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Rating: ♚♚♚
Pages: 320
Published by Scholastic on February 25, 2014
Amazon | B&N

A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

NOTE: I received this as an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing that I disliked about Fire & Flood was Tella, but I'm pretty sure this was the case for nearly every person that read this book. She was irritating, and all she really thought about was herself. That's kind of sad considering she was racing to win the Cure for her brother who was sick and dying. The majority of the narration was "I," "I," "I." Honestly, I don't know how Guy put up with her.

Guy Chambers. Since this is only the first book, I'm sort of hoping that they change his name. After reading Jon's review over at Scott Reads It, I can't get it out of my mind that Guy Chambers sounds like the mens' restroom. Tella made this huge deal out of him like he was there to win for her. She always forgot that Guy was there for somebody too and was there to win the Cure for a loved one too. He wasn't going to give it up for a girl he just met. The same thing goes for all the supporting characters. They're all there to win the Cure, not to make friends. Tella knows this, and still she's so shocked when one of her "friends" betrays her to get win the game.

Plus, the romance between Guy and Tella is very basic and nothing new to the YA genre. It's not horrendous, but it's not something that I'm over here swooning over.

The supporting characters were slightly irritating and forgettable. If it weren't for the plot, I don't think I could've read on. Despite the similarities between The Hunger Games and Fire & Flood, the two were still pretty different in my opinion. I loved how there were separate legs in the Brimstone Bleed, and I liked how people didn't have to die in order to win. They just had to beat out the other Contenders.

The world-building a bit lacking, and I really didn't understand what was going on until about 75% through the book. It's never really confirmed what time period it is, and that bugs me. There's no advancement of technology (that's mentioned), and yet there are hybrid animals being hatched out of eggs? It's illogical and kind of made me want to rip my hair out.

I have to admit that the action was great, though. I thought that Scott really knew how to frame her novel and turn it into something adventurous. The things Guy knew about survival made sense and weren't stupid. They were perfectly logical. When Guy said to empty the packs, I was like, "Let's empty the packs!" Leaving the tents behind was sort of sketchy to me, but Guy knew that he had his Pandora to keep them warm at night.

Ah, Pandoras. I loved them. I loved them so much. They were so cute. Madox is the best Pandora in the world. I really liked Harper's Pandora, too, though. They were all great in their own way. I think the best thing about Fire & Flood was the Pandoras. (Titus's Pandora, AK-7, sounds like a gun.)

Well, and the action. But mostly the Pandoras.

Going into this book, I thought I was going to hate it, but I ended up liking it quite a bit. In the end, it's worth the read. The characters are a bit rocky and forgettable, and the romance wasn't anything special. The plot was a bit predictable, but it didn't hurt or add anything to the novel. I'll recommend this to people who aren't critical readers and are looking for a quick, fun, intense read with action and adventure along with some survival aspects along the way.

Tori's Review: Unforgotten (Unremembered #2) by Jessica Brody

Unforgotten by Jessica Brody
Series: Unremembered #2
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance
Rating: ♚♚♚½
Pages: 416
Published by Farrar, Struas and Giroux on February 25, 2014
Amazon | B&N

Some memories are better left forgotten...

After a daring escape from the scientists at Diotech who created her, Seraphina believes she is finally safe from the horrors of her past. But new threats await Sera and her boyfriend, Zen, at every turn as Zen falls prey to a mysterious illness and Sera’s extraordinary abilities make it more and more difficult to stay hidden. Meanwhile, Diotech has developed a dangerous new weapon designed to apprehend her. A weapon that even Sera will be powerless to stop. Her only hope of saving Zen’s life and defeating the company that made her is a secret buried deep within her mind. A secret that Diotech will kill to protect. And it won’t stay forgotten for long.

Packed with mystery, suspense, and romance, this riveting second installment of Jessica Brody’s Unremembered trilogy delivers more heart-pounding action as loyalties are tested, love becomes a weapon, and no one’s memories are safe.

NOTE: I received this book from this publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A continuation of Unremembered by Jessica Brody, Unforgotten picks up several months after the end of Unremembered. The first thing that really irritated me about Unforgotten was the pace. I honestly would've liked this book so much more if the beginning went faster. I understand that the book needed to start somewhere, and, yes, action did happen in the beginning, but I just really wasn't feeling it. I wish it was a bit more interesting. Although after Sera was accused of witchcraft, the book definitely got better.

Kaelen, a new character, was by far my favorite other than Cody. I can't really say anything about Zen, because he was barely in the book. In my review of Unremembered, I said that I wanted to see more of Zen and Sera to decide whether or not I liked them together. I was a bit bummed out that I didn't get to see them grow as a couple, because I really wasn't feeling them as a couple in Unremembered.

Because of me not feeling them as a couple, it was easier for me to latch onto Kaelen. On one hand, he's a horrible love interest that doesn't go with Sera at all, but when you really think about it, he's the best fit for Sera. They're the same. They're both created by Diotech. They're both supposed to be emotionless. They're perfect for each other. To me, Zen was a set of training wheels for Sera in the sense that he prepared her to really connect with someone that understood her more—Kaelen.

Like I said, other than Kaelen, Cody was my other favorite character. I don't think it's a spoiler saying that he was in the book. I mean, there's no other way that I can talk about this book without saying a few things that aren't in the summary. Cody is all grown up in this book, and he's still the same old Cody. I'm really glad that Brody was able to maintain Cody's voice even thirty years into the future.

The world-building aspect of Unforgotten is pretty good. I wasn't as confused in this book as I was in Unremembered, which is good. More science is added to the plot, and I feel like Brody explained it well.

The ending was alright. Just alright. Most of my rating is coming from the very beginning and the very ending. I'm not saying the ending was bad; I'm just saying that part of it was predictable. And infuriating. I suppose the infuriating part is okay, but it just sort of ruined the entire book for me. I realize that there's going to be another book, which I'm anticipating greatly! I need to see how the rest of this series pans out...

This book was good, and I liked it. The was beginning was slow. The ending was a bit predictable, and it made me groan, because of I saw it coming. I loved Cody, and Kaelen is my favorite between him and Zen. I just don't see Zen and Sera as a couple, so if they're the end game, I hope Brody justifies their connection in the third book. The science is easy to understand yet still complex and interesting. In all, this is well worth the read! I'm wondering if it's a trilogy or if it has more books than just three. (Everything's a series these days.)

Tori's Review: Unremembered (Unremembered #1) by Jessica Brody

Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Series: Unremembered #1
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance
Rating: ♚♚♚♚
Pages: 320
Published by Farrar, Straus, & Giroux (BYR) on March 5, 2013
Amazon | B&N

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

From popular young adult author Jessica Brody comes a compelling and suspenseful new sci-fi series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.

I haven't read a lot of memory books, so I think that's one of the main reasons I enjoyed this book so much. The one thing that bugged me throughout the entire novel though was the fact that it reminded me of Origin by Jessica Khoury. At one point, the man that "created" Seraphina tells her that she's perfect, and one thing I remember about Origin was that they always called the main girl Pia perfect. This wasn't a big issue for me, but it did annoy me at times.

The characters weren't explored that much, in my opinion. As a reader you barely get a glimpse at what Seraphina (or Violet) is really like, and Zen is barely around enough to see what he is really like either. In other words, when Zen is around Seraphina, he's very cryptic, because he wants Seraphina to figure her past out for herself. I really hope we get to see more of Seraphina and Zen in Unforgotten. Also, I'm glad that it wasn't exactly insta-love. That really grinds my gears.

My favorite character had to be Cody, Seraphina's foster brother. He was hilarious, and when he explained the world to Seraphina because she didn't remember the majority of it, I cracked up. I think for every book there needs to be a comic relief, and Cody was that comic relief.  

The plot was pretty good. I knew that there were going to be science fiction-y elements from the beginning after I found out she had purple eyes and was gorgeous. I think the science aspect was alright. I can't really judge that part since I don't know much about genetics. I don't want to spoil anything, but the science got a bit confusing when Seraphina's genetics were being explained to her. I had to read a sentence once or twice to actually understand what was being said.

I thought the pacing was great. Unremembered wasn't too fast, and it wasn't too slow—it was just right. There was the right amount of action and the right amount of seriousness to keep my interest throughout the novel. I can safely say that there isn't a dull moment whether or not the plot doesn't really and truly take off until around 70 pages in. Don't be intimidated though! It's a fun 70 pages.

Overall, I liked this book a lot more than I thought I was going to. I like that Jessica Brody has branched out from contemporary and decided to write a science fiction-esque book. (I read and reviewed her contemporary 52 Reasons to Hate My Father.) Albeit a bit confusing at time, I liked this book a lot. I can't wait to read the ARC of the second book Unforgotten that I have! I need to find out what's in store for Zen and Seraphina. I think Jessica Brody's writing is really easy to read, which I love, and I think she knows how to keep a reader's attention, which is another thing that I love. I would recommend this book to people that want to break into the science fiction genre!

"Forgetting who you are is so much more complicated than simply forgetting your name. It's also forgetting your dreams. Your aspirations. What makes you happy. What you pray you'll never have to live without. it's meeting yourself for the first time, and not being sure of your first impression."

Tori's Review: Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Series: Lunar Chronicles #3
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 560
Published by Feiwel & Friends on February 4, 2014
Amazon | B&N

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

NOTE: There are no spoilers for Cinder or Scarlet in this review. You'll just know who ends up with who coupling wise if you read this review, which really isn't that big of a deal. 

Oh, man. I honestly don't even know how to begin this review. To be truthful, I am still so shell-shocked when it comes to the Lunar Chronicles. I loved Cinder and Scarlet, but I don't think I realized how much I loved those books until I read Cress. 

The action in Cress is never-ending, which I loved. There's never really a dull moment. Looking back on this book, it's constant action. I would've read this book in one night if it hadn't been 12 in the morning and I wasn't about to pass out. I couldn't stop reading this book, because that's just how amazing it was. I hate writing extremely negative and extremely positive reviews, because this is how they end up—jumbled and incoherent.

I seriously ship all the couples in this book so hard. Thorne/Cress (Thress?), Wolf/Scarlet (Wolflet/Scarf?), Kai/Cinder (Kinder?), and then there's going to be a Jacin/Winter (Jater/Wincin...?) coupling in Winter. I swear, I don't know how Meyer does it, but she manages to make me ship every single one of her couples. I feel like I'm forgetting a couple, but then again, I don't think I am.

The only characters that I had extreme feelings for in Cress were Thorne and Wolf. I loved Thorne so much in this book. In Scarlet, I was pretty neutral about him, but once I read this book...wow, I loved him so much. Wolf—not so sure about. The more that I think about it, the more that I come to the realization that for the majority of Cress, Wolf brooded and sulked. In Scarlet, he took action and he was amazing, but in Cress, he was easily manipulated and just...there. I think he was a much better character in Scarlet. Regardless, this is the only complaint I have when it comes to this book.

Other than Wolf, there was a character arc for nearly every single character (except Scarlet, but if you've read this book, you would know why. She didn't get much book time), which I loved. Kai grew quite a bit in this book, and I think this was when I really started to love him. So did Cinder. Just everybody grew, and that made me love this book even more. I have so many feelings while reading it.

There were so many POV's too! But I surprisingly was content with this. Usually third person writing with a lot of POV's is a recipe for disaster and no attachment to the world/characters, but Meyer has no problem with this whatsoever. I really love Meyer's to-the-point writing, and she made everything work out in the end. I thought I would get confused with all the different plots going on, but I didn't. It was fairly easy to keep track of, which I loved. (Wow, I loved a lot of things when it comes to this book.)

Overall, this is one of my top favorite of 2014 so far. I've read 16 books in 2014 as of February 9 when I wrote the review, but out of those 16, this is my favorite. I think this will probably remain at the top. I want to reread it right now, and I probably would if it weren't for the fact that there are a million other books that I need to read. I could seriously go on and on in this review, but I think I'll stop it here.

I HIGHLY recommend this series. HIGHLY.

Oh yes, and on a final note, Levana is probably one of the best villains I've ever read about.

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.

 

Mini Reviews: Steelheart (Reckoners #1) by Branson Sanderson + World After (Penryn & the End of Days #2) by Susan Ee

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Series: Reckoners #1
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Science Fiction
Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 386
Published by Delacorte Press on September 24, 2013
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

There are no heroes.

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.

But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics... nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning—and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

This was just a random read for me. I was using the app Overdrive, and I had downloaded this book as a test for using the app. I didn't actually plan on reading it anytime soon (I had three weeks to get it read, and hey, 300 pages is easy). But then one day I was at school, and I didn't want to read the book that I brought with me (Eat, Brains, Love), and so I pulled my phone out. And it took a lot of restraint to not open the Nook app and read Shiver or The Darkest Minds, because those were some titles that I'd been wanting to read for a while. But no, instead of opening those, I opened Overdrive, and I had a moment of weakness where I opened up this book and read it.

Hell, that was one of my best weakest moments ever. This book was great, and I definitely didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Yes, there are cliffhangers. Yes, there are twists. And yes, there are bamf'ing girls and guys in this book. There was only one thing that I could've guessed by the end of the book, and that was a certain somebody's actual identity. Other than that one thing, I couldn't have guessed any of the other stuff at all.

Brandon Sanderson definitely knows how to write a great superhero-esque novel that knocked my socks off (figuratively). I saw on Goodreads that he has another fantasy series. I'm definitely going to be getting that book so I can buy it and enjoy it.

World After by Susan Ee
Series: Penryn & The End of Days #2
Genre: Angels, Young Adult, Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 314
Published by Skyscape on November 19, 2013
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In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose? 

This book, although a bit slow at first, ended amazingly. I just felt like there wasn't enough. Raffe wasn't present for the majority of the book, but the appearances that he did make made his final appearance even more impacting. This book wasn't as strong as Angelfall, but it was amazing nonetheless. There were twists and turns that I never expected, which I loved. (I hate guessing the plot by the end of the book. I'm big on the whole "reveal" thing at the end of books.)

The characters were constructed carefully and flawlessly. Penryn is very relateable with the way that she's afraid of her sister as well as her yearning for Raffe and the truth. Raffe's sword is a big deal in World After, and its name Pooky Bear is just wonderful. I loved this sequel so much, and I think it's well worth the read.

Lindsay goes into more depth about her reasoning for loving this book in her review, which you can check out here. And you can also check out her review for book one, Angelfall, here. 

Origin (Origin #1) by Jessica Khoury

Origin by Jessica Khoury
Series: Origin #1
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 394
Published by Razorbill on September 4, 2012
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Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home―and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.

Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin―a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.

Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost.

I read the first 116 pages of this book out loud to my family and their Australian friends on Black Friday while we were driving around, and let me tell you, I enjoyed reading out loud a lot because it forced me to slow down and process each and every sentence separately and understand it for what it is. It took me a lot longer to get that far (I could've finished Origin that day, but instead I only made it through 1/4 of the book), and I sort of appreciated that.

The first thing I realized that I didn't like about this book was the romance between Eio and Pia. Now, don't get me wrong, Eio was awesome and Pia was a bamf, but I just felt like they shouldn't have fallen in love. And if they did fall in love, I doubt they would've fallen in love in such a short span of time. What was it? Three, four weeks? I'm sorry, but a month and they fall in love...that just doesn't seem realistic to me. I have to admit that Eio was incredibly sweet, and even though their love was rushed, that boy--ahem, man--made me swoon.

The second thing I realized that I didn't like about Origin was the fact that the entire thing was very anticlimactic. The majority of the book is set on Pia wanting to know the catalyst for elysia, the plant that produced the liquid that was used to create the injection to make a person, after five generations, immortal. And when Pia discovered the catalyst, I didn't feel very shocked or awestruck. No, I hadn't guessed the ending, but I just felt like the way that Khoury decided to go with how the injection was created was very halfassed and not very surprising. The entire book, I spent knocking my head against the wall, figuratively, trying to think of ways that the injection could've been created. It's just that by the end of the book, I had wanted so badly for the catalyst to be something surprising and cliffhanger-worthy, but...it wasn't.

But those are the only two things that I didn't like. Everything else? Amazing! That's why I still gave this book four stars. I loved Pia's character. She was distinguishable, and that intrigued me so much. She had a distinct voice, as did the other characters, and she was real because she had motivation for her actions; they weren't spontaneous and not expected. Pia was a calculated girl, and everything she did came down to a science. And when she did do something out of character, she justified it in her own way. And everything came down to her being a scientist and wanting to know the truth, to seek knowledge.

Eio didn't have as strong as a voice, and he didn't exactly have a very high character arc, but he still maintained a distinct voice. He could say something without the speaker tag, and I'd know that it was him just because of the way he spoke to people as well as Pia. The same goes for Pia's mother, Uncle Paolo, Uncle Antonio, Aunt Harriet, etc. The characters were my favorite part of Origin.

The overall plot was great, too. The science aspect was clear and was very easy to follow. Like I said at the beginning about how it was anticlimactic, the beginning was very interesting, and I was compelled to read more. Although the ending was...unique...I don't regret reading Origin. At all. This book had a lot of potential as a plot, and I think that Khoury, although the big surprise could've been better, executed the idea quite well.

I'd recommend this book to my friends. In fact, three are already going to be borrowing it! I definitely recommend this book to anybody who liked adventure, animals, science, boys, or just the wild in general. This book isn't fantasy, though. Everything that occurs in Origin could very well happen in real life, which is something that I particularly enjoyed about this book.

Khoury's new book, Vitro, comes out next year, and I can't wait to get my hands on it once it gets released! I'm sure I'll love it just as much as I loved Origin.

Tori's Review: Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 291
Published by Feiwel & Friends on October 2, 2012
Date Read: August 30, 2013
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And girl created boy…
In the beginning, there was an apple—
And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.
Just when Eve thinks she will die—not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy.
Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect... won’t he?

Tori's Review: World War Z by Max Brooks

World War Z by Max Brooks

Series: None
Genre: Horror, Zombies, Science Fiction
Rating: ★
Pages: 342Published by Crown in September 12, 2006
Date Finished: August 7, 2013
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The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.
Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.

Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, “By excluding the human factor, aren’t we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn’t the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as ‘the living dead’?”
Note: Some of the numerical and factual material contained in this edition was previously published under the auspices of the United Nations Postwar Commission.

Tori's Waiting on Wednesday: Cress by Marissa Meyer

Cress by Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles #3
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Pages: 560
Published by Feiwel and Friends on February 4, 2014

Rapunzel's tower is a satellite. She can't let down her hair - or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. 

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker – unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. 

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

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