Review: Wither

Wither (The Chemical Garden #1)
Lauren DeStefano
Post apocalyptic dystopia

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. 

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can't bring herself to hate him as much as she'd like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband's strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape - before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

Hi all. Back from insane exam season for a quick review (:

Since 2011, when this book was all over the blogoshpere, I couldn't wait to read it. I picked it up after a hard week expecting a cool, Divergent-y dystopia to take my mind off things.

Boy was I wrong. 

Wither was DARK. Truthfully you can deduce that from the blurb, but lots of books advertise themselves like this so I didn't think much of it. I was scared and creeped out, for practically the entirety of the book, so on that front it was a total success - just not if you were looking for something light. 

I LOVED the character complexity in the story. Jenna and Cecily felt real, and I came to love each girl and her tragic story. I did not know what to think about Linden, which I think was the desired effect for our clueless captor. And of course, Housemaster Vaugn gave me chills. 

The writing, too, was pretty flawless. Everything flowed quickly and thrillingly. The trapped feeling of being stuck in a glorious prison came across strong. All that was sick and wrong with the so-called 'marriage' was aptly described in way that was obvious to the reader but normal to Rhine, who grew up used to this world. I would have given Lauren DeStefano an A if not for some gaping worldbuilding problems:

WHY, if girls are so valuable for breeding, would the ones Linden rejected be killed and not sold to someone else? WHERE are the authorities in all this- they're running orphanages but oblivious to when said orphans are sold for marriage? HOW exactly did the world senselessly wipe itself out? WHY would North American women suddenly become victims in the legal system after World War III? If society is going to have a major regression like that, you're going to have to explain it. 

All in all, I still don't know how I feel about Wither. I think that had I read it knowing what to expect and at the right time I would have been raving more. As it is, I wasn't in the right state of mind for the story when I read it, and it would have been better with more explanation of the backstory. Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: The Revenge of Seven

The Revenge of Seven (Lorien Legacies #5)
Pittacus Lore
Science Fiction

The have killed four of us.
They will not rest until we are all dead.
They will not stop until your planet is theirs.
They think we are broken.
We will not be defeated.
We are all that stands in their way.
We know secrets they thought hidden.
We have power they never expected.
The time has come for them to fall.


The Garde have suffered the ultimate betrayal: Number Five has allied himself with the Mogadorians, killing Eight and helping the Mogs to abduct Ella from the safe house. Now the fight for Earth's survival has just become that much more impossible.


The Garde may not have time to mourn their fallen ally, but they'll make sure to avenge him. And help is at hand from the most unlikely of sources: Adam, a Mogadorian, has turned his back on his people. He might just be their lifeline, but are the Garde repeating past mistakes by putting their trust in him?

You can read my review of The Fall of Five  (Lorien Legacies #4) here.

As you can see in my above review, I absolutely adored The Fall of Five and the series in general. However, The Revenge of Seven, in contrast, was a let down.

Here's the thing - unlike what I hear about The Fifth Wave, The Lorien Legacies isn't really all that action-adventure-science-fiction-y. I Am Number Four was cool because of its backstory, and the whole alien-falls-in-love-with-human-girl pitch. I loved The Fall of Five purely because of the hilarious cracks and awesome characters.

But now, the writers remembered that, you know, since this IS an alien invasion story, there needs to be, well, an alien invasion.

And they're not as good at writing that.

They played the same card they did in all the other installments - lots of build up then end the book. The whole plot was fairly predictable. Sarah was more or less out of the picture, so the love story that up until now had distracted me from the fact that it took 5 books to reach the alien invasion was gone. Six and Sam kept saying they were NOT going to be lovey mushy like John and Sarah but instead they were a whole different cliche - the No-I-Shouldn't-Form-Attachments-Because-People-Die-In-War one. Yawn.

The things I did like:

- Ella's POV- you GO girl! It is so easy to forget she's 12.

- John being a leader. You, sexy, you. 

- Adam the Mogadorian- he's cool, respectful, and useful. Great addition to the crew. 

- In general, understanding the Mogadorians. Ella's time with Setrakus Ra FINALLY explains a lot of things you've been wondering about for a while. 

- As usual, Nine. His lines make the book(:

All in all, still a pleasure to read, but not nearly as much as the previous one. I will, of course, finish the series, because, well, the Garde are just that cool. Still highly recommended. 
Rating:

Happy reading!
Esty

Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society (The Mysterious Benedict Society #1)
Trenton Lee Stewart
MG sci-fi, adventure

"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" ad attracts dozens for mind-bending tests readers may try. Only two boys and two girls succeed for a secret mission, undercover and underground into hidden tunnels. At the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, the only rule is - there are no rules.

The above blurb really doesn't do this book justice. It's been a long while since a middle grade series that's new to me managed to delight me like this one did. 

The Mysterious Benedict Society features 4 kids, each utterly genius and awesome in totally different ways. I loved that, because it really highlighted how different people have different types of intellignce and how each one can save them. The villain was scary, the plot moved quickly and told me only what I strictly needed to know about the people and places, leaving me thirsty for more. 

The chapter titles were adorable, the tone was like Raold Dahl ish mixed with like Narnia and Lemony Snicket- light but old-fashioned, the kind that a both kids and adults will find addictive and well, mysterious! Everything about this novel just came together beautifully.

And the best part? I got to be totally surprised!! As all veteran readers know, read too much of a certain genre and it becomes difficult to catch you off-guard, let alone completely throw you off. That happened to me twice near the end of the book. Needless to say, I'm ridiculously happy :-) 

I know they're young, but I'm holding out for a Reynie-Kate romance in the future. Hey, Percabeth started when they were 12, too. Rating:

I'm sure you all read about the Kathleen Hale scandal. All I'll say about it is that I know we're better than that as a community (readers, writers, bloggers). Let's put a stop to slander, stalking, identity stealing, and remember to be careful on the internet!
Love,
Esty

Review: Through the Ever Night

Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #2)
Veronica Rossi 
Dystopia

It's been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don't take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe's precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?

You can read my review of Under the Never Sky here. As you can see from the above review, the first time I read Under the Never Sky I liked it but wasn't overly impressed. I recently reread it and I thought it was AWESOME! Why the change of opinion? I HAVE NO IDEA. 

And then I read Through the Ever Night and for the first time like, EVER, book #2 was not only on par with book #1, it was BETTER. Veronica Rossi? KUDOS. You succeeded where even JK Rowling failed.

The plot: THICKENS. Delightfully complex. The story continues through Aria's and Perry's POVs but in this installment they spend time in different places, so you have two things going on at once and delicious tantalizing cliffhangers at the ends of chapters.

Characters: Aria becomes BADASS and Perry makes me drool. Need I say more?
Yes.
ROAR.

Pacing and writing were perfect. Marron and Delphi are STILL not explained, but other things are. 

THE FEELS. Dear God, I was laughing and crying and dying and freaking out for the majority of the novel. 

Cover comments: You have no idea how much self control I had to exercise to not enlarge this picture to the maximum Blogger allows. Yum. Hello, sexy. 

GET ME BOOK 3 RIGHT NOW. 
No. Get me Roar and Liv (book 1.5) right now. 
Rating:

Review: The Fall of Five

The Fall of Five (The Lorien Legacies #4)
Pittacus Lore
YA Science Fiction

The Garde are finally reunited, but do they have what it takes to win the war against the Mogadorians?

John Smith—Number Four—thought that things would change once the Garde found each other. They would stop running. They would fight the Mogadorians. And they would win.

But he was wrong. After facing off with the Mogadorian ruler and almost being annihilated, the Garde know they are drastically unprepared and hopelessly outgunned. Now they’re hiding out in Nine’s Chicago penthouse, trying to figure out their next move.

The six of them are powerful, but they’re not strong enough yet to take on an entire army—even with the return of an old ally. To defeat their enemy, the Garde must master their Legacies and learn to work together as a team. More importantly, they’ll have to discover the truth about the Elders and their plan for the Loric survivors.

And when the Garde receive a sign from Number Five—a crop circle in the shape of a Loric symbol—they know they are so close to being reunited. But could it be a trap? Time is running out, and the only thing they know for certain is that they have to get to Five before it’s too late.

The Garde may have lost battles, but they will not lose this war.Lorien will rise again.

God, I waited sooooooo long for this book. I have been in love with this series ever since I Am Number Four. I recommend it to EVERYONE.  

This is going to be a short review, for the simple reason of I HAVE NOTHING TO CRITICIZE. Reading this novel was the funnest experience I've had since summer break- as in I had this big, goofy smile on my face for the entire week I was reading it. To emphasize-

Classmate: "We're learning a fairly depressing subject. WHY DO YOU LOOK SO HAPPY?"

Me: THE GARDE ARE PLAYING CAPTURE THE FLAG AND NINE AND FOUR ARE CAPTAINS AND THEY KNOW EACH OTHER SO WELL THAT THEY'RE PREDICTING EACH OTHER'S MOVES AND THEN IT SWITCHES POV AND YOU SEE THAT THE FIRST PERSON WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT AND SARAH AND MARINA ARE DISTRACTING FOUR AND EIGHT BY SMILING FLIRTATIOUSLY AT THEM AND GOD THIS IS SO MUCH FUN KILL ME NOW.

All I can add to the above is say that this was just one of my favorite scenes- the entire book was incredible. A bunch of powerful teenagers hanging at a totally decked out bachelor pad in Chicago. I dare you to not enjoy every minute of it. 

The only thing? The ending will make you go WHAT OMG NO HOW-
Rating: 


Love,
Esty

Review: The Host

The Host 
Stephenie Meyer
Dyastopia/Sci Fi

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.

Hi all. Sorry I haven't been around much this week- it's been a holiday so celebrations and vacation.  But of course I found time to read and have just finished this AMAZING  but monstrosity of a book (in a good way. I just mean it's huge:)). 

First of all, let me start off and say that even if you HATED Twilight you HAVE to give this book a chance.  Because while yes, Bella is a pain in the butt,  Stephenie Meyer more than makes up for her with  not one but TWO  courageous and selfless heroines. Both Melanie and Wanderer majorly impressed me with their acceptance and eventually friendship of one another, their ability to love deeply but not unreasonably, the things they both did and were willing to do for their family and loved ones. 

Another thing that this had going for it was the originality. Aside from the Lorien Legacies (which I adore)  this is the only YA book featuring alien invasion of Earth in recent years (at least that I know of. If you have more, tell me!) and it was so different from anything out there- I had no idea what to expect as the plot progressed. Also, the souls weren't trying to destroy Earth,  rather experience it,  which gave the story a whole new direction.

As for the Stephenie Meyer staple- the love triangle. I am happy to announce this was nothing less than A LOVE-FREAKING-RECTANGLE.  It wasn't that simple.  But there were four people in three bodies who all loved each other and it wasn't always requited. Now I know what you're thinking. This could have been a literary catastrophe.  But who better than Stephenie Meyer, who invented the mother of all love triangles,  to tackle this? It was GENIUS.  I loved it.  It caused some heartache, but I am glad to say I wasn't sure of who loves who and how it was going to turn out until passed halfway. And even then,  I couldn't be sure of the ending until I got there.  ( A VERY GOOD THING)

Which brings me to my last point. The ending.  I'm happy to say I couldn't predict it until Wanderer herself decided upon it, and even then, the epilogue came with a mostly surprising twist. I say 'mostly' because I had a hunch something like that was going to happen, but wasn't sure and there was no foreshadowing in which to back myself up. You see, I always feel that authors have a signature way they like to end books and have yet to come across an author who has two drastically different endings (I'm talking about final endings.  As in, the end of a series or standalone novel), so according to my belief, something like that should happen. But it was skillfully hidden and if not for that notion that is my personal opinion (which proved to be right in this case!) I would never have called it out.  Grade: 95%

Review: NEVERMORE (Maximum Ride #8 AND LAST)

Nevermore (Maximum Ride The Final Adventure)
James Patterson
middle grade adventure

First, how are you all? I just sprained my ankle... no dancing or running for two weeks. Quite upsetting. On the bright side, it's almost spring break. Anyway, I apologize for my absence. Plan to checkout everyone's blogs soon enough:)

Maximum Ride and her faithful friends stand ready to face the two greatest threats that humankind has ever known--now combining forces in an unbeatable plot to destroy life as we know it once and for all. And this time, the enemy truly can't be stopped.

The danger mounts just as Dylan has finally worked his way into Max's heart--and just as her beloved Fang unexpectedly returns to the flock. An explosive confrontation between the two boys with a claim to Max's heart ensues, and the entire world hangs in the balance.

In this powerful and moving finale to James Patterson's epic fantasy series, fans will finally get the answers they've been waiting for--and an ending full of shock, surprises, and the greatest conclusion you never saw coming.

SPOILERS FOR THE PREVIOUS MAXIMUM RIDE BOOKS- SPOILER FREE FOR NEVERMORE

I can't even begin to describe how excited I was for this book. I was debating how best to get it shipped to me when I was overjoyed to find that the library got it.

And, of course, it was amazing. 

You know those books that it really doesn't matter what's happening because you're too busy smiling goofily at your favorite characters (like Percy Jackson or Artemis Fowl. Even Cassie Clare's books.. )? That's what Maximum Ride is for me. The genius of this series in my opinion is how the story isn't about random things that happen to a bunch of characters (sicknesses, an enemy bent on killing them all, some crisis or another). The plot is moved along mainly by the the personalities of the characters. The flock are all so different from one another but alike in a family kinda way. They've been through so much and you just want to cut them a break but realize that trying to save the world and doing their own thing while being chased by crazy scientists is what they do best. I was happy and laughing almost the whole time, except for the bits where I was torn between Dylan and Fang. And about that...

SHE MADE A LIST. 
It goes on for two more pages. IS THIS NOT THE MOST BRILLIANT THING YOU'VE EVER SEEN??? This is what Max does instead of crying around like a lot of other YA heroines do these days. Now, imagine if the girls in all the other triangles made these lists between Edward and Jacob, Gale and Peeta, Will and Jem, Will and Cassian etc... (God, I could go on all day. That's not exactly a good thing.) 

ANYWAY, this list made my life. HUGE PROPS to Max for this. Goodness, I love her. So ya, Nevermore was amazing.



****BUT**** 
GAWWWDD THE ENDING!!! I won't spoil anything but, IT WAS HALF GENIUS HALF AWFUL. What I mean is, is that the ending was genius. But the END of the ending was horrible (you'll have to read it to see what I mean;)). It left me with my mouth open going WHHHHAAAAATTTT?? See, usually, that's a good thing. But there was so much that wasn't addressed. I was left with so many questions, so many 'what about...????' s. There were 8 books FULL of subplots, characters, hints, cryptic messages, voices and lots of them weren't explained. IMPORTANT things.

Also, I was under the impression that somehow it's all supposed to tie back to saving the world. I mean, that's what the whole series was about, no? Except that it sorta did, sorta didn't. (GOD I want to tell you everything). You'll have to see what I mean. 

But the whole thing was STILL SO BLOODY BRILLIANT. Before it, well, ....... (sorry but YOU'LL HAVE TO SEE) and after it I realized how James Patterson could give Shakespeare a run for his money. Because lemme tell you, the Bard himself never wrote a tragedy that was a happy ever after at the same time (once again, READ IT AND YOU'LL SEE WHAT I MEAN).

So if all the capitals weren't enough to convince you, READ NEVERMORE. Or if you haven't yet, start Maximum Ride. Grade: 99% FOR THAT DARN ENDING THAT NEARLY KILLED ME.  
-Esty

Review: Fearless

Fearless
Francine Pascal
YA/Fantasy-ish


Gaia Moore is brilliant and beautiful. She’s trained in three kinds of martial arts, has a reflex speed that’s off the charts, and can break codes in four languages.

She’s also missing the fear gene.

All Gaia wants is to be like everyone else. Instead, she’s left wondering about her past, her missing family . . . and the unavailable boy she’s falling for. But everything changes when she learns that someone is hunting her down for her special skills, and they’ll do anything to get her to.

But Gaia isn’t worried.

She is FEARLESS.


Yeah, it's about as awesome as it sounds :) BUT it had some problems. What do I mean?

PRO:
There are some really SICK (and I mean that in the best possible way) characters in this book that will keep you hooked. Gaia Moore is right up there with all your favorite kick-ass heroines. She has some awesome skills and never lets any emotion get the better of her (she can't feel fear, but she isn't an emotionless bot or something. She feels happiness, sadness, loneliness, pity, excitement etc..). And her best friend?? HOT COOL GUY IN A WHEELCHAIR. Why is that so freakin' amazing, you might ask? Because in what other book are there handicapped characters that the point of the book isn't their disability?! He's brave (as in, not lacking fear like Gaia, rather, he overcomes it) and cute and confident (but shy when it comes to Gaia- he develops a crush on her) and funny and smart and just such a sweetheart you'll find it hard not to love him. The only minor flaw in his character is that he tends to play the part of a devoted sidekick a little bit but it really isn't a bother.

CON:
Naturally, can't have such a skilled protagonist and no fights now can we? Gaia battles gangs of people trying to kill/capture her while she tries to figure out why. I liked the fighting scenes, but this part of the plot with all her scheming enemies kind of fell short with me. When the reason she's being hunted is explained I was pretty disappointed. It was just not believable. And the identity of the mastermind behind these schemes becomes REALLY predictable and REALLY cliche when you figure it out (which, if you're an experienced reader, will be early on).

PRO (at least for me; this one isn't really everyone's cup of tea) (HA it rhymed!!) :
Personally, I usually like it when authors switch POVs or first/third person. It provides insight and diversity
to the story and most of the time my favorite character isn't the main one so I look forward to his/her take on everything. Fearless was no exception. I'm warning you that there are a lot of switches so if that doesn't work for you this probably isn't your book. With this method we got to hear fascinating snippets of Ed's (see above HOT WHEELCHAIR BOY) story and Sam's and Heather's thoughts (more on them in a minute). Also, we get to understand her family situation a little better (you'll see what I mean if you read it- don't want to give too much away!).

CON:
Do you believe in love at first sight? No? Well... are two cases of that here. Now if you do, this won't be a con for you so just scroll on down but, I imagine most people don't. So Gaia, who I sang her praises above, falls in love with Sam Moon for NO REASON WHATSOEVER. They never had a full conversation but they are both wholly obsessed with each other. Make of that what you will. As for Heather- she is the supposed shallow, popular arch enemy of our heroine who is a social pariah (what's new?). Except this time, you can't hate her. This isn't Lana (Princess Diaries) or Marcie Miller (Hush, Hush) who picked on our narrators since childhood and have been making their lives miserable for years. Gaia meets Heather by accidentally spilling coffee on her and leaving without an apology. Heather then spots her with Sam (her boyfriend) and her ex. She then walks in on Heather in a situation you do not want to be seen in, and later does something else to her that's bad enough to loathe that person for life. Gaia didn't do any of those things out of bad intent and she had reasons but all the same Heather had every right to hate her. Besides, thanks to Sam's and Ed's POVs we know she is actually a good person who has struggles of her own, so I didn't justify Gaia's dislike for her and her portrayal as the evil queen bee.

Note- this edition of Fearless is actually the first three volumes out of a series of 36 (!!) books. If you decide to read Fearless, get this edition. Not enough happened in each one on it's own.
Grade: 75%

-Esty