The Third - Abel Keogh + GIVEAWAY

Hey guess what!?  We're giving away an

autographed copy of this book! 

See below for details!

Summary:  When Ransom Lawe, a recycler in the Pacific Northwest, finds out his wife is pregnant with their third--and therefore illegal--child, he's forced to choose between the government who proclaims a desire to save the planet and his hope for a place where his family can live in freedom.  But with the Cencus Bureau Sentinels closing in on his wife and unborn child, Ransom's choice will either save his family or tear them apart forever. (Summary from book - Image from abelkeogh.com - Book given free for review)

My Review:  I know what you're thinking.  Another dystopian novel?  Really?  Are you ever going to stop reading these?  Nope.  Never.  I love them.  The seemingly utopian society. The twisted morality. The character's struggle to survive.  They just, well, complete me (or something along those lines).  So, learn to deal with it.

Most dystopian novels begin in a outwardly perfect society before events uncover a seemy underbelly, but The Third skips over all that and drops you directly into a horrifying world where children are seen as a nuisance, and worse, expendable.  Ransom Lawe lives in our world, in 2065.  People are near starving, and third children are ripped from their mothers bodies by a tyrannical government bent on saving mother earth and controlling the population. 

I don't want to reveal much, but this story was disturbing and intense.  I am the mother of three young children and rarely find time to read during their waking hours, but after a few chapters I was desperate to read more.  All I can say is thank heavens for preschool...and naps...or I might have gone insane. 

I'd also like to give a nod (or a gigantic round of applause) to the author, who manages to keep this story free from the sex and language that seem to accompany other books.  While there is some violence, it is of the hand-to-hand combat variety and tame enough for an older YA reader. 

The Third tied up some loose ends, but there is much more of the story to be told.  As soon as I finished, I contacted the editor to confirm that there was another book and the author even let me read the first chapter (which is sure to torture me for a while).  I look forward to reading the next two books in the series when they are published.

My Rating:  4 Stars

For the sensitive reader:  Some hand-to-hand violence between characters, and one scene of violence towards an infant at the beginning (more of a "putting the child in danger" situation).

Sum it up:  An intense and evocative ride.

Read the first chapter or learn more about Abel Keogh here.

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Eligibility: This giveaway is open to US/CAN residents only.  It will end on  May 31st at 11:59 PM.  The winner will be chosen randomly, posted publicly and contacted swiftly to arrange shipping.  Good luck!

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Delirium - Lauren Oliver

Summary:  Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. 

I wonder whether the procedure will hurt.  I want to get it over with.

It's hard to be patient.  It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet.

Still, I worry.  They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness.  The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.  (Teaser from book jacket)

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They say that the cure for love will make me happy and safe forever. And I’ve always believed them.

Until now.

Now everything has changed. Now, I’d rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

(Teaser from harperteen.com - Image from goodreads.com)

My Review:  I haven’t been able to get this book out of my mind for the last couple of days. It’s no secret (or it shouldn’t be by now) that I’m a fan of dystopian fiction and this one snagged my attention from the few teasers that I had read about it.

Lena can’t wait for the surgery will make her immune to the world’s deadliest disease, amor deliria nervosa, more commonly known as love. She wants to be happy again -- free from the constant threat of contamination and able to forget the pain she feels from her mother’s suicide. The cure is her chance to start over and she is counting the days until her procedure. That is, until she meets Alex and learns the truth.  Her world is not as perfect as it seems and the “cure” is not a gift.

Can I just step outside my reviewing persona for a second? You know, the one where I try to sound all uber-smart and professional. I can? Oh, thank heavens. Sometimes that persona is ex-haust-ing.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun. It was romantic. It was interesting. I recommend it if you are a fan of light YA dystopian fiction, especially if you like some spicy-but-not-too-spicy romance thrown in. While Delirium does fall prey to the occasional cliché description of love (e.g. heat, floating, explosions of color), for the most part, I was too busy reading to roll my eyes. Lauren Oliver has written a book that is both emotionally charged, exhilarating, and captures the overwhelming intensity of first love. Lena’s story held my attention the entire time and occasionally made my heart race.  I finally had to make myself put it down around 3 AM so I wasn’t a complete ogre the next day.

To be clear, this book is not Fahrenheit 451 or The Giver. Few books are. Delirium has been compared to Matched, another recently released (and reviewed) young adult novel with a romantic theme, but is significantly more exciting and sophisticated. Both books focus on the romantic element more than any other part of the plot, but because Delirium treats love as a disease, it skillfully weaves together the lighter subject matter and the more horrific elements of society without taking away from either part of the experience.

One of my favorite features of the book was the the statements from experts on the deliria, and excerpts from The Book of Shhh, The Comprehensive Compilation of Dangerous Words and Ideas, and other sources, that headed each chapter.  These little tidbits, while completely fictional, were very interesting and gave more insight into the mentality of the Lena's world and added depth to the story. I was also glad that it took Lena a while to come to terms with her feelings and make certain decisions – that she didn’t chuck it all for love at the very first opportunity (ahem…Twilight). For some reason, that made her struggle, and the entire story, seem more real. Also, Alex only takes his shirt off in an actual emergency and, thankfully, Lena does not wax poetic about his abs (though it’s totally implied) which for YA novels, these days has got to be some kind of record.

Delirium ends at a frantic pace and with a gutsy finish that I loved, but not everyone will appreciate. Normally I check books out at the library, but I’m glad that I purchased this one and will not be selling it to any used bookstores. I will definitely be reading the sequel, Pandemonium, when it is released.

My Rating: 4.25 Stars

For the sensitive reader: A few widely-spread cases of profanity (including a couple f-words that came out of nowhere and in rapid succession) and a vaguely sexual scene where certain items of clothing come off.

Sum it up: A pure pleasure read.

The Water Wars - Cameron Stracher

Summary:  Welcome to a future where water is more precious than oil or gold...

Hundreds of millions of people have already died, and millions more will soon fall--victims of disease, hunger, and dehydration.  It is a time of drought and war.  The rivers have dried up, the polar caps have melted, and drinkable water is now in the hands of the powerful few.  There are fines for wasting it and prison sentences for exceeding the quotas.

But Kai didn't seem to care about any of this.  He stood in the open road drinking water from a plastic cup, then spilled the remaining drops into the dirt.  He didn't go to school, and he traveled with armed guards.  Kai claimed he knew a secret--something the government was keeping from us...

And then he was gone.  Vanished in the middle of the night.  Was he kidnapped?  Did he flee?  Is he alive or dead?  There are no clues, only questions.  And no one can guess the lengths to which they will go to keep him silent.  We have to find him--and the truth--before it's too late for all of us.  (Summary from book - Image from barnesandnoble.com  - Book given free for review)

My Review:  Wow. Doesn't that cover just take your breath away? I did a little dance when I received this book in the mail because, like the rest of the world (including you), I tend to judge a book by its cover, at least initially, and couldn't help but set aside the rest of my books and dive right in to this one.

I enjoyed the fundamental structure of this book – its basic plot, setting, and characters. Cameron Stracher creates a combination of urban decay, sun-baked desert, and futuristic technology as he tells the story of Vera and her brother Will, who are struggling to survive in a world that has been drained of its natural resources. Chased by water pirates, environmental terrorists, and greedy corporations, they scour the parched earth for their lost friend, a boy with the mysterious ability to find water.

While this book had an interesting premise, it was not without its flaws. It's fast pace frequently felt so rushed that I wasn’t able to fully absorb any of the secondary characters, emotions, changing settings or events before they had blown past. Consequently, Vera’s relationships with Kai and, especially, Ulysses developed so quickly that they didn’t feel authentic. Overall, the story felt thin, like I was reading along the surface of a great story that could have delved deeper, but did not.

This novel has a strong environmental theme about the importance of conserving our natural resources and caring for our planet in order to avoid long-term and devastating consequences. It also implies that natural resources should belong to the people as a whole and not to individual governments. The idea that the world could be plunged into a war for Earth’s water resources was morbidly fascinating and all too possible, which left me wondering “Could this really happened, and what would I do if it did?” While I tend to dislike YA books that push an obvious agenda, an attempt to cultivate a sense of environmental responsibility in today’s youth is hardly worth complaint.

The Water Wars has been hailed as a “rousing adventure story in the tradition of The Hunger Games.” This is an exciting promise, but ultimately an optimistic one. It was an interesting YA read, but it has neither the heart nor the teeth of The Hunger Games and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment that despite its fascinating premise The Water Wars didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars (A younger reader might not notice or care about some of the things I did and rate this higher).

For the sensitive reader: This book contains slightly graphic descriptions of death.

Sum it up: While this dystopian YA novel wasn’t quite as psychologically compelling or complex as The Hunger Games, it was an admirable and entertaining attempt.

Matched - Ally Condie

Summary: In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices.  It's hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate.  So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one...until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.  Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared follow--between perfection and passion.  Matched is a story for right now and story-telling with the resonance of a classic.   (Summary from book - Image from www.allysoncondie.com )

My Review:  There used to be more than one hundred songs, one hundred works of art, and one hundred poems. That was before the Society destroyed the rest -- burned them all -- in an attempt to create a simple and egalitarian civilization. Cassia’s life is simple, perfect in fact, until a technological glitch in the Matching program, and the consequences that follow, cause her to doubt the government that keeps her safe. Soon she is forced to choose between the life she has always known and a life without guarantees…with someone she loves.

Matched probably won’t go down in history as an epic work of fiction, but it reminded me of a lighter version of some of my favorite (mostly YA) dystopian novels: The Hunger Games, The House of the Scorpion, The City of Ember, Uglies, and most especially 1984, The Giver, and Fahrenheit 451. While these books vary in their particulars, they all follow the journey of a character, content (or at least resigned) to conform until something happens that causes them to question their designated place and the power of the government that holds the reins. Most include mildly dark subject matter or controversial themes that speak to our fears for the future. In these areas, Matched is no different. The shared structure with all these novels led to a certain amount of predictability, but the details are what set this novel apart. Ally Condie’s spin on a standard plot was different enough to retain my interest and the addition of one of my favorite poems was icing on an already tasty cake.

Matched fit well into the young adult category (12+) and could slip easily into children’s fiction if it weren’t for a romantic element that isn’t usually found in that genre. The writing style was incredibly easy to read, perhaps a little too easy, but I was impressed with Condie’s ability to write a squeaky clean romance that was actually interesting*. If I had a glass box to sit in so that my children wouldn’t climb on me, I could easily have finished this book in an afternoon. Alas, I am fresh out of glass boxes, and it took me a week to read. Once I got some quiet time, I finished in one sitting.

I understand that Matched was created for the younger set of young adults, and is fairly perfect for them, but I wish it had been designed and written for an older audience. As a YYA novel, it lacked the richness of language and description that would have put it over the top (for me). I also had a horrible time with the name Xander and could not stop picturing Xander Harris from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (in his less attractive years). It killed the mood on so many occasions, which now that I think about it might have been the point.

Overall, I had fun with this book. It isn’t anywhere near the level of Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, or 1984, but those who like the Uglies Series or City of Ember, might find something to entertain. Personally, I am not happy that I have to wait until November 2011 to read its sequel, Crossed, and November 2012 for book three.

*Let’s admit it. Pride and Prejudice aside, sometimes they are just boooooring.

My Rating: 4 Stars

For even the most sensitive reader: Have at it.  There is some very mild thematic material that comes across much worse when I type it (e.g. euthenasia, genetic engineering, governmental tyranny) than it actually is in the book. 

Sum it up:  A futuristic tale of love, sacrifice, and a young girl who would not go gently into that good night.

The House of the Scorpion - Nancy Farmer

Summary:  Matteo Alacran was not born; he was harvested.  His DNA came from El Patron, lord of a country called Opium--a strip of poppy fields lying between the Unites States and what was once called Mexico.  Matt's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish.  Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby.  He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster--except for El Patron.  El Patron loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself.

As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patron's power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards.  Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive.  But escape from the Alacran Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect.  (Summary from book - Image from www.kdl.org)

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Mindy's Review:  The House of the Scorpion is a twisted, but brilliantly written, futuristic tale set in Opium, a strip of land between the US and Aztlan, the country formerly known as Mexico. It centers on a young boy named Matteo who discovers he is, in fact, the clone of El Patron, a sadistic drug lord and Opium’s despotic ruler. Treated first as a prisoner, then an animal, and finally an outcast prince, Matteo eventually realizes the horrifying reason for his existence. He was made to be a walking, talking, breathing, feeling, organ donor and there is nothing he can do or say to escape it. If you have ever read The Giver by Lois Lowry or watched The Island with Ewan McGregor, you will understand what I mean when I say that this book is a close cross between the two of them -- with a Hispanic flair.

This novel has won twelve awards*, most notable among them, the National Book Award, the Newberry Honor Award, and the Michael L. Printz Honor Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. If that isn’t enough to persuade you to read it, then maybe the fact that I devoured it will.

Nancy Farmer writes a variety of characters with remarkable ease. Matteo’s controversial creation makes him a target of hatred and suspicion for most of El Patron’s household, but his innocence and determination to survive make it easy to connect with him as a character. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book with a male protagonist that pulled me so strongly into the story. In addition to a wonderful cast of supporting characters (good and evil), Farmer creates an exceptional villain, El Patron, with enough kindness to make you feel his betrayal, and a dark side that is black as pitch.

The House of the Scorpion touches on serious themes – the value of human life, the ethical implications of cloning, illegal immigration, addiction, and familial relationships. Farmer takes many of the concerns that are prevalent in today’s society and pushes them to the next level. Basically, this book is answers the question “what would happen if…?”.

My only real complaint about this book was that one of the character’s feelings seemed to swing rather abruptly with little or no explanation. It happened far too easily considering the circumstances, and I wasn’t satisfied with the author’s attempt to move the story past this obvious flaw.

When I read a book with the intention of reviewing it for this blog, I usually keep a pen and paper handy to jot down a note or two and keep track of my thoughts and impressions while reading. This time I was too engrossed to pick up a pen until the story drew to its’ unpredictable and satisfying conclusion.

Her Rating: 4.5 Stars (for a YA)     For the sensitive reader: While this book does contain darker themes of murder, mind control, drug addiction, and slavery, they are always portrayed in a negative light.  There is very little, if any, profanity (though there is some of the made-up variety).

Sum it up: A riveting, futuristic thriller with interesting characters and a great pace.

*According to Wikipedia.

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Kari's Review:  Gripping from start to finish, this book has a similar feel to the Hunger Games series.  There isn't really a romance, but there are a lot of violent acts and ideas--not that the violent acts are written in grotesque detail, as they're not, but that the ideas themselves are gruesome.

It's hard to fathom, but when you think about the drug world and all its atrocities, you can't help but realize this could actually happen at some future date.  It's something that seems quite possible with all the drug trafficking that exists and the demand between countries for illegal substances.

When I finished reading, I found myself thinking of Matt, his chaotic and painful life, and considering all the ways around the obstacles he faced. I enjoyed the futuristic US and Mexico relationship and the new border between the two created by a drug empire. The idea of clones and brain tampering for making drones was also fascinating. The book has so much to discuss I think I might recommend it for my book club. It's an older YA book. I think many of my students would enjoy this by the end of 8th grade.
Her Rating: 4.5 Stars    For the sensitive reader: There is violence, not detailed, but very realistic. There is also some swearing although most of it is made up swear words (e.g. 'crotting').

Sum it up:  A controversial story, sure to make you think about what the future could hold.

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Average Rating: 4.5 Stars

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Heir Apparent - Vivian Vande Velde

Summary:  In the virtual reality game, Heir Apparent, there are way too many ways to get killed--and Giannine seems to be finding them all.  Unless she can:

get the magic ring,

find the stolen treasure,

answer the dwarf's dumb riddles,

impress the head-chopping statue,
charm the army of ghosts,

fend off the barbarians,

and defeat the man-eating dragon,

she'll never win.  And if she doesn't win, she will die--for real this time.  (Summary from amazon.com - Image from goodreads.com )

My Review:  My aunt recommended this book and I picked it up in the hopes of escaping from all the depressing books I’ve been forcing myself to read lately. I loved the idea of a virtual reality adventure game, primarily because I have a secret passion for PC adventure games like King’s Quest, and a virtual reality one would be amazing. Yes, I am a geek. Are you just figuring that out?

When Giannine gets a gift certificate from her father (well, his secretary anyway) to enjoy Rasmussem enterprises virtual gaming experience, she decides to make the best of a less than thoughtful birthday gift and cash it in. When a serious malfunction occurs mid-level, Giannine finds herself stuck in the game with only her wits to save her. Heir to a coveted throne, unwelcome by her siblings, and trapped in hostile territory, she must figure out whom to trust and whom to use in order to successfully complete the game, before time runs out and her real life ends.

Heir Apparent has a Groundhog Day feel to it, as Giannine must repeat the entire game with each fatal misstep. I enjoyed this particular quirk and the variations it created in the story, but it did start to wear thin towards the end. I was glad when the author began to skip certain parts so that I didn’t have to relive each detail every time Giannine had to start over. Regardless, I think that most kids would be amused by her flippant attitude, some humorous twists, the concept of virtual reality gaming, and the chance to imagine themselves in Giannine’s place.

The ending of this book flopped for me. Apparently, there is a secret way to win the game that I thought was a cop out, and the games mysterious maker was very young-adult-cliché. None of Giannine’s family issues were resolved and the story just stopped. I swear, one minute they were wrapping things up and the next minute.

(Yeah, like that. Kind of annoying, isn’t it?!)

While I enjoyed this book's creativity and think it will fare well as a fun children’s fiction novel (ages 10 and up) I was more than a little disappointed at what I felt was a lackluster finish.

My Rating: 3 Stars (for an adult). For the sensitive reader – One instance of biblical swearing and quite a bit of vague-ish head lopping.

Sum it up: An interesting premise, with humorous delivery, but lacking an adequate conclusion.

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

I think it only fitting that we begin Banned Books Week by reviewing one of the most popular books ever written about censorship. Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 in the basement of the UCLA Library in the spring of 1950. He paid just under ten dollars or so in dimes to rent the typewriter and it took him nine days to write the first draft. Since that day, over 4.5 million copies have been printed, devoured, and revered by book lovers around the world. In quite possibly one of the world’s most ironic objections, Fahrenheit 451 was challenged because of its’ use of some biblical swearing (of the H and D variety) and because, at one point, a German bible is defaced.

To this I can only respond: Seriously people? Seriously!?

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Summary: Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires…The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning…along with the houses in which they were hidden. Guy Montag enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames…never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid.

Then he met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think…and Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do! (Summary from book – Image from amazon.com)

My Review: I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love books to the point of distraction. There is something about the great ones -- the world they create and emotions they evoke that hold me transfixed until well past any decent sort of bedtime. In particular, books speak to me in a way that only Ray Bradbury could explain:

“Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores. It has features. This book can go under the microscope. You’ll find life under the glass, streaming past in infinite profusion. The more pores, the more truthfully recorded details of life per square inch you can get on a piece of paper, the more ‘literary’ you are. That’s my definition, anyway. Telling detail. Fresh detail. The good writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies. “

This book has pores. It is alive.  Put it under the microscope and you'll see.  On the surface, this book tells the story of a man who didn’t even know he wasn't happy -- didn’t even know anything was wrong, until something happened to open his eyes. Take the time to focus and you’ll find an insightful commentary on society’s obsession with electronic media, the instant gratification it offers, and the subsequent effect on individual expression and intellectual thought. Bradbury’s novel encourages contemplation of the world,  while theorizing about the dangers, impossibility, and ultimate stupidity of trying to make everyone in society happy with the realities of life. If that sounds boring to you, don’t worry, it wasn’t. Montag’s frantic search for what has been lost is as riveting and emotionally compelling as it is relevant.

This book didn't make me comfortable. It didn’t make me particularly happy either, but it demanded and willingly received my full and active participation. In short, Fahrenheit 451 made my brain sizzle, and in such a good way that I want to shout it from the roof tops. READ. THIS. BOOK. Now. Go get it*. I’ll wait. Let me know what you think.

My Rating: 5 completely un-edited Stars.  For the sensitive reader: Some instances of biblical swearing (of the H & D variety) and one part where someone tears a page or two off a Bible. Honestly, I didn’t think it was that big a deal.

Sum it up: As unsettling as it is predictive, Fahrenheit 451 will knock your socks off.

*Get the edition with the afterword and coda. The first gives further insight into Fire Chief Beatty’s character and history, and the second speaks more to the issues of censorship. Both were like party gift bags—not essential, but desirable nonetheless.

A final word from the author: “In sum, do not insult me with the beheadings, finger choppings, or the lung-deflations that you plan for my works. I need my head to shake or nod, my hand to wave or make into a fist, my lungs to shout or whisper with. I will not go gently onto a shelf, degutted, to become a non-book.” (Coda)

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

This is the third book in The Hunger Games Trilogy.

Summary:  My name is Katniss Everdeen.  Why am I not dead?  I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed.  Gale has escaped.  Katniss's family is safe.  Peeta has been captured by the Capitol.  District 13 really does exist.  There are rebels.  There are new leaders.  A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it.  District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol.  Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans -- except Katniss. 

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem.  To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust.  She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.  (Summary from book - Image from www.suzannecollinsbooks.com)

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Mindy's Review: If you’ve read The Hunger Games, and Catching Fire, nothing short of giant tsunami is going to keep you from reading Mockingjay. As with the first two, the final book in this series is a firestorm of human emotion, disturbing twists, and heart-stopping action. Its exploration of humanity and the horrors of physical and psychological warfare are stunning (both literally and figuratively).  I felt equally captivated and repelled by Suzanne Collin’s brilliant but brutal storyline and her fearless decimation of characters. It was almost physically impossible to stop reading. At 2 am, I’d think, I’ll stop at the next chapter and get some sleep. And I would (stop), for about .23 seconds, but before I knew it my eyes were halfway down the next page, and I wasn’t in the least bit tired.

As for the ending, without spoiling it, I can tell you that a) I didn’t see it coming b) I think that it was the only way it could have ended and c) it felt right. Sorry, anything else and I’d be getting hate mail for spoiling it. That’s all you get.

Her Rating: 4.75 Stars    For the sensitive reader:  Mockingjay, is much more violent than its predecessors as catastrophic violence reaches into the general population. I’m not sure that I would recommend this book as a younger “YA” read (or indeed the series, knowing how it ends) without reading it first myself.

Sum it up: The perfect end to a disturbingly wonderful series.

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Heather's Review:  Mockingjay didn't immediately grab me as the first two books in The Hunger Games Trilogy had. The characters had hardened, which, while in sync with the storyline, created a bit of disconnect. It took a quarter of the book for the hook to completely take hold. From that point on the novel was impossible to disengage from. Though this book was more gruesome than the others it as hopelessly addicting as the previous two. The last hundred pages were read with my stomach in knots. I was sure that Collins was going to botch the ending, in turn ruining the entire series. Yet her brilliant imagination came through as one surprise after another popped up. While the story didn't end happily ever after(thankfully) it was utterly perfect. I was able to close the cover completely satisfied, yet with a desire to read the entire trilogy over again. Way to go Suzanne Collins!

Her Rating: 4.75, not as good as the first but darn close

Sum it up: A strong ending to a creative and gripping trilogy.

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Kari's Review:  Mockingjay was a painful read. I kept forcing myself to read faster in hopes the story would evolve to a more similar feel of the first two. I realize it is realistic and that Collins had a strong message she wanted to send: no one wins in war. Even knowing that it doesn't change my reaction. The ending is something that would actually happen therefore this book deserves a higher rating than 3 stars. But, in connection with the previous two books, because it was so rooted in reality, the story was just so, so painful. If it had been historical fiction, I may have felt differently being based on real life events. With all the war in the world right now it makes sense why Collins would write such a poignant and moving story and yes, even to end it this way. I just wish there was more of the old feel from the first two.

I cried in the last chapter, and not just a brief tear to the eye cry. It was a full, chest-aching, heart-wrenching kind of cry. I think that shows what a brilliant writer Collins is and what she can evoke from the reader--these are not real events, nor are they real people, but I cried like they were. Am I glad I read them? Yes. Will I re-read the first two? Definitely yes. Probably not the last though, unless to clarify the speed reading I did to know the answers during the first read.

Her Rating: 3.5 stars--I just wish it had more of what the first two books did so well.

Sum it up:  A raw look into what war really does to a people and more intimately the individual.

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Kim's Review:  When I read The Hunger Games I was a newbie to the YA world. It is one of the novels that opened up that genre to me. Catching Fire was eagerly anticipated, and I thoroughly enjoyed it as well. I feared that Mockingjay would leave me wanting, as so many 3rds in trilogies do. This was not the case.

Collins absolute passion for this story shines through the pages of the third novel. Her intimate knowledge of her main character, Katniss, brings her character even more vividly to life than the previous two books. I felt that the author was enjoying this story as much as her fans and wanted to taste the twists and turns just as we did. The "love triangle" thing, or whatever you choose to call it, brought a emotionally resonating tone to the whole book. It was an undercurrent, but strong enough to pull you into the feelings and desperation of this very YOUNG girl. It is truly hard to remember sometimes that this girl is 17, that her competitors were, at times, much younger. The capacity that Collins creates for these characters echo much more adult feelings and emotions. At 17, I was not worrying about such things as starvation, competing for my life, and saving the entire futuristic world.....but hey, perhaps that is just me.

Her Rating: 5 stars. And the genre as a whole gets 5 SHOOTING stars, for giving the young adult readers something to obsess about besides vampires.

Sum it up: Hello, my name is Kim, and I am a Hunger Games junkie.

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Average Rating: 4.5 Stars

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The Reapers are the Angels - Alden Bell

Summary: For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can't remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks. (Summary from book cover - Image from macmillan.com - Books given free to review)

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Pay attention, because we have a little surprise for you!

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Mindy's Review: I am stunned (nearly) speechless by every aspect of this book--the writing, the characters, the plot, every shred of everything. Good thing I can still type, eh?

Dramatic and gritty with a unique, inescapable voice, The Reapers are the Angels is a brilliant story, enhanced by characters that burrow into your skull, and woven together with splinters of bone and rivers of blood. Bell’s exquisite prose runs in striking contrast to vivid images of death and decay. His idiosyncratic grasp of the English language allows him to use the words ain’t and palaver in the same sentence without damaging the authenticity of his characters. Haunted by a past she cannot change and hunted by both the living and the living dead, Temple is a force of nature--fury and endless wonder, death and life personified--in her search for redemption in a horrifying world.

This morning I finished reading, closed the book, let out a big sigh of relief/contentment/sadness and, from the length of my exhalation, realized I must have been holding my breath for half the book. In the past two years or so, I’ve reviewed over 145 books for this blog and I have never read a book like this one. It is gorgeous. It is disgusting. It is just so good. I’m fairly certain it has ruined me for many books to come.

Her Rating: 5 Stars. For the sensitive reader: If you cringe at images of roiling maggots, mangled viscera, or fecal ooze, you probably shouldn’t read this book. Seriously, don’t even think about it. Back away slowly and go pick up something by L.M. Montgomery. Now. This book contains a few brief sexual encounters, occasional swearing, and an incredible amount of gore. It’s possible I’m still in shock and minimizing the extent of the carnage. Don’t you dare say I didn’t warn you.

Sum it up: If you are looking for a book to suck you in, mind, body, and soul, chew you up, and spit you back out again, run to the store and get this book*.

*But please, for the love of Alden Bell, read the above “My Rating” section before you do.

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Daniel's Review: As a reader, I mentally file my favorite works of fiction into two broad categories. Great Literature requires careful attention but can subtly remold your head and heart, changing you forever. Light reading, however, may spark your imagination and tantalize your palate, but seldom fires your soul. Unfortunately, books involving zombies always seem to fall into the latter category.

Not any longer.

One page into The Reapers Are the Angels, it was clear that this was a book that belongs on a shelf with Hawthorne, Dostoevsky, and Calvino. Beautiful images, carefully-crafted phrases, perfectly-balanced nuances--clearly, the work of a skilled writer. By the end of the first chapter, I was seeing through the protagonist’s eyes and tasting the flavor of her thoughts as she regretfully smashed in a zombie’s head with a rock.

Before long, the zombies showed up in force, and I was lost in Bell’s grand and awful vision of a world in ruins. Never has a post-apocalyptic wasteland been so lovingly and dreadfully spread out. But the true action of this book doesn’t come from the countless hordes of entrail-chewing revenants. Rather, it was the living who horrified, disturbed, and even inspired me.

Like the best zombie stories (to which it seems somehow wrong to compare this book), the undead here serve to highlight the depravity and soul-deadness of their as-yet-undecayed prey. Unlike its gore-soaked literary forebears, however, The Reapers Are the Angels lives up to the promise of its title and shows how beauty and redemption come, not in the absence of horror and evil, nor even by overcoming or conquering them, but somehow through them and in harmony with them. A paradox, perhaps, but it’s such complexities and their transcendence that sets great books apart from pulp page-turners.

His Rating: 5 stars. Not for the faint of heart on account of horrific images, which are only partially due to the zombies.

Sum it up: A moving meditation on life and death, beauty and horror, and the meaning of them all (with more zombies than you can shake a shotgun at).

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Are you as excited about this book as we are? If so, you'll be delighted to know that TOMORROW we'll be posting a GIVEAWAY with THREE chances to win
your own autographed copy!

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Santa Olivia - Jacqueline Carey

Summary: This is no pity in Santa Olivia. And no escape. In this isolated military buffer zone between Mexico and the U.S., the citizens of Santa Olivia are virtually powerless. Then an unlikely heroine is born. She is the daughter of a man genetically manipulated by the government to be a weapon. A "Wolf-Man," he was engineered to have superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and senses, as well as a total lack of fear. Named for her vanished father, Loup Garron has inherited his gifts.

Frustrated by the injustices visited upon her friends and neighbors by the military occupiers, Loup is determined to avenge her community. Aided by a handful of her fellow orphans, Loup takes on the guise of their patron saint, Santa Olivia, and sets out to deliver vigilante justice--aware that if she is caught, she could lose her freedom...and possibly her life. (summary from back of book - image from sfsite.com)

My review: I’ll be fairly brief with this one. I could have given this book a really high rating. It had a well-paced, captivating plot and a variety of intruiging characters, but it got to the point where, in good conscience, I could no longer read it. I gave it a very good effort, but there is only so much cursing, and sex (of all kinds) that a girl like myself can take before she decides there are better places to spend her time. I’ll be selling this one to a used bookstore where, perhaps, someone who is far less particular might have themselves an, uh, interesting time.

My rating: 2 Stars

Sum it up: Ultimately, it just wasn't my thing.

Extras - Scott Westerfeld

Summary: It's a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. "Tech-heads" flaunt their latest gadgets, "kickers" spread gossip and trends, and "surge monkeys" are hooked on extreme plastic surgery. And it's all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of American Idol. Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.

As if being fifteen doesn't suck enough, Aya Fuse's rank of 451,369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. But Aya doesn't care; she just wants to lie low with her drone, Moggle. And maybe kick a good story for herself.

Then Aya meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secretive of it. Aya wants desperately to kick their story, to show everyone how intensely cool the Sly Girls are. But doing so would propel her out of extra-land and into the world of fame, celebrity...and extreme danger. A world she's not prepared for. (Summary and image from Powells.com)

My Review: Westerfeld sure has a way of depicting peer pressure and the teen world accurately. Aya is a typical 'non-popular' girl. If you've ever been there, not wanted to be on that side of the social sphere, you can totally relate to her pain and desire to change her social status. What I liked was how she realizes that it isn't all it's cracked up to be. I believe this is the case with most popular groups--unless the person is shallow enough or the people in the group truly are good friends regardless of their status in the environment.

One of my favorite aspects of Westerfeld's books is his ability to take you into a world that is like ours, but just enough different that you can fathom living like that. The buildings, the cameras, the tv personalities, are all so believable. I can only imagine that in the future popularity will depend upon the number of hits (whether from the internet or tv) a person's page gets. Creepy if you ask me. I don't want a camera on my life.

The discussion of your self-worth not depending on your social status is one very pertinent to Young Adults. There is so much you could do with discussions and this book.

I must admit that by the end of this book, I was ready for the series to be over. I was definitely sick of Tally, so having a new protagonist was nice. But, I am done with the theme. The books are worth reading, but I do think ending on this one was crucial to not killing the series.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

In a phrase: A girl who learns that life isn't just about being the most recognizable person, but about real relationships and things deeper than popularity.

Specials - Scott Westerfeld

Once again, do not read this summary unless you've read the first two books, Uglies and Pretties. The summary alone will ruin the previous books for you.

Summary: "Special Circumstances"

The words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then Specials were a sinister rumor — frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast. Ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally's never been ordinary.

And now she's been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.

The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more.

Still, it's easy to tune that out — until Tally's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same. (Summary and image from Powells.com)

My Review: By the end of Pretties, I was kind of bored of the whole ugly/pretty dilemma. This book took on a totally different feel. Tally was different. For that, it hooked me.

As a teacher and as a friend of someone who's cut herself, this book has objectionable subject matter that to be left unaddressed by an adult would be irresponsible. I would NOT have my child--boy or girl--read this book with me talking with them about the content. Eventually the message gets across that cutting is bad, and definitely not necessary to life. But, to have a child read this--and especially if they did not finish the book--without some dialogue about the realities of cutting is imprudent. But, it's realistic. I'm not the type to sugar coat the world or life because I think that will protect a child. I believe information is power. And because of this, I believe talking and allowing kids to read about subject matter that has real life issues is important. That's not to say I'm going to throw every book with things that are objectionable at my child. I just think that if it's something they're interested in reading, and you know the issues, it is a good way to educate your child (and yourself).

WARNING: SPOILER!!!

The characters, by this point in the story, are dear to the reader. So when they kill off Zane, it just hurts. I realize that life is sometimes this way: people we love die. It just didn't set right. It felt like it left Tally a shell with little purpose to her life except to prevent the world from becoming what it once was. And while that's a great purpose to her life, it's unfulfilled in a deep, loveless, and family-life level.

Ok, Spoiler Over

Tally's super...well, everything (strength, senses, speed) along with her struggle to fight against the programing they did to her brain is an interesting topic for discussion. Many people fight obsessive thoughts and actions. There are others who fight thoughts of superiority or the opposite, inferiority. I think these are all great discussion topics, especially with teens.

The book did end a little hollow for me. It really is the end of the series in the sense of the main characters. The next book, Extras, has a different protagonist and a really different plot. Still, I think this book was better than Pretties, but not as good as Uglies. Uglies is what gets this series off to the rip-roaring start that makes the rest of the books so enjoyable.

Rating: 4.25 Stars A book I couldn't put down, but not one I'd recommend to everyone. I liked it quite a bit though.

Sum it up in a phrase: A girl's fight against inner demons--not her natural vices this time--and her drive to save humanity from power hungry individuals out only for themselves.

Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

WARNING: Do not even ATTEMPT to read this review if you haven't already read The Hunger Games. Even reading the SUMMARY will SPOIL IT for you.

Summary: Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 Tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. AFter all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely . And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol--a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the distrcts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying. (image from risingshadow.net - summary from book jacket)

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Mindy's Review:

Suzanne Collins. I hate you. You know why.

This book begins where Hunger Games left off. Katniss and Peeta have returned home to District 12. Only they no longer live in the Hob, but in the Victor's Village where they are given every luxury that life in the Districts has to offer. As the dreaded Victory Tour approaches, Katniss begins to get wind of something--rumors of uprisings and discontent among the districts. Something has happened and whatever it is, the Capitol doesn't want anyone to know. They'll do anything to stop it. What the Capitol does to quell public discontent is horrifying, truly, and it'll make you....I better stop there.

I have so many comments to make that would utterly ruin this book for anyone who hasn’t read it but I will attempt to control myself. I will say this --I LOVED IT! I thought it was better than it's predecessor in a lot of ways. I enjoyed the character relationships, the action, suspense, and intrigue and the story made me loathe the Capitol on a whole new level.

I was gripped by this book from the second I sat down. My kids most likely hate me. If one of them wasn't in school right now I'd likely be voted "World's Most Inattentive Mother". There are so many suprising twists in this book that just when I thought I’d recovered from one, Collins would throw something else in the mix and all I could do was sit there helplessly, turning page after page.

If you even remotely liked The Hunger Games you should READ THIS BOOK.

Her rating: 5 Stars. I think of this as a 16+ YA novel – mostly because of the brutality of the subject matter. Dissenters are shot in the head and, like the last book, it gets messy.

Sum it up: Way better than I imagined it would be. This is how you write a book.

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Heather's Review: After a stunning debut in Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta have returned, along with many of the other beloved and despised characters from the first book, The Hunger Games. This time survival seems to hinge on Katniss and Peeta proving their love for each other but it’s a love that is only true for one of them. Pulling it off will mean living life within a concocted fantasy. Failing will mean putting all their love ones in unavoidable danger. If you think this will be merely a heart-wrenching love story you’re in for a big surprise. All I can really say without giving away the plot line is that this is SO much more than a love story. This is a suspenseful novel full of twists and turns that will leave the reader guessing until the end. It’s another very intense novel on many various levels. Trust me, once you have begun this book you will not want to put it down.

The only letdown within book two is the ending, (actually I’m still fuming over it). This story essentially dropped in mid-air. There is no questions that another book is to follow but I didn’t feel like this book was complete in and of itself and I have to say I am disappointed in that. I can’t stop thinking of how just another few pages would have left the reader much more satisfied. I must, however, admit that I am counting the days until the next book is released.My

Her Rating: 4.5 Stars, an ending like that just doesn’t deserve 5 stars

Sum it up: Suzanne Collins has done the near impossible, which is to write a sequel that I loved as much as the first. Please don’t make me wait another year for the next one.

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Kari's Review: I could NOT put this book down. Suzanne Collins moves through the storyline at such a clip that you know something big is going to happen in almost every paragraph. It was so hard finding a stopping place. I felt she developed the characters even deeper, which was perfect. I don't know how she did it, because there is a lot less emotional dialogue in this book, but she has made Peeta (in my mind) even more of a perfect guy than Edward in the Twilight series. I also felt like I related so much more to Katniss than any other female protagonist I've read. She is such a believable character to me: flaws, a good heart, good intentions, but somehow messes things up even when she's trying not to. I appreciate her lack of desire to get caught up in trivial things, distracted by what doesn't matter, or drawn in by frivolties of life--make up, hair, clothing, etc. I can't say I'm exactly like her, but I relate on a some level to this disconnect. Haymitch's character was also delightfully explored. And honestly, I can't believe I used the word delightfully with the name Haymitch, but it's how his character grew on me that makes this description fit.

There were so many twists and turns in the storyline you could never predict exactly what the author was going to do. I had a vague idea how the ending might resolve (which it didn't completely because there's a third book, whoohoo!), but how she got us there was a complete surprise. I will not ruin the story for the reader here. You just have to read this series.I also loved the issues brought up in the book: Humanity, weighing odds as well as less of two evils, family and sacrifice, power and deception. I also fully appreciated that while this is a Young Adult book and it doesn't have swearing of any sort, it is as enjoyable for an adult as it is for a teen.

Her Rating: 5+ Stars

Sum it up: Continuing the ride that is Katniss' life: being a pivotal piece in a nation's possible revolution against tyranny.

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Kim's Review: I have been waiting a long time to read Catching Fire, sequel to Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games. Keeping pace with, and occasionally even outrunning, it’s predecessor, Catching Fire throws you back into the tumultuous life of Katniss Everdeen, a 17-year-old girl who miraculously survived the Hunger Games in book one. Collins renews the Twilight-esqe love triangle, giving the book an increased emotional depth that I feared would be hard to sustain throughout the series.

The feeling that I got from Catching Fire was that Suzanne Collins, who occasionally hinted at what happened in The Hunger Games, felt confident enough not to spend a chapter summarizing the novel. In essence, she didn’t allow the reader to cut corners—they would have to pick up the first book to get the whole story. The two books create a storyline that needs to (deserves to) be read from start to finish.

Her Rating: 5 Stars

Sum It Up: Just go BUY them! You’re going to want them sitting side by side on your bookshelf. Can’t wait for the next book….

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Average Rating: 4.875
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Pretties - Scott Westerfeld

Read Kari's review for the first book in this series, Uglies. And for the love of Pete, do not read this review if you don't want to know what happens in the first book.

Summary: Gorgeous. Popular. Perfect. Perfectly wrong.

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted. But beneath all the fun — the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom — is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life — because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive. (Summary and image from Powells.com)

My Review: Despite all her hard work, Tally still ends up with the cosmetic and mind altering surgery the rest of her hometown community undergoes. It was part of the plan, but the principle of the matter was to not get the surgery. Tally is doing what she can to make up for giving away the location of the Smokies, compromising the safety of everyone who had worked so long and hard to stay hidden.

It seems Tally's most consistent vice is betraying those she cares about most. In this book she resolves to make up for it. After receiving the surgery, a message is delivered to her that sparks her distant memory. This leads her on a new mission: to reveal the truth about the pretty-making surgery. She is also the guinea pig for a reversal pill counteracting the mind-altering surgery.

As usual, Westerfeld masterfully throws in many twists, turns, angst, mistakes and miscommunication that makes the book more than a trite novel. Tally has faults, but she's also endearing because underneath all her actions is a desire to do what is right. Perceptions of betrayal are also realistically portrayed, because in the teen years this tends to occur in female relationships at some point, and over some boy.

The power-hungry Specials are out for Tally. The depth of the Specials isn't fully explored in this book, which is what drives the reader to pick up the third in the series. I have to admit the description of the Specials is enough to give anyone the creeps--extra strength, speed, almost indestructability and the creepy sharp features and nails. It makes you wonder what kind of people would purposefully give almost an entire nation a labotomy while at the same time painting a vivid picture of what that person would really be like. A little author help in the reasoning processes there.

This book doesn't end the series, so again it is left open for The Specials. I can't say Pretties was better than Uglies because the Uglies really hooks the reader and sets the stage for the rest of the series. Pretties is probably my least favorite, but overall is still a good book. It would just be my least favorite of the four books.

Again, the vernacular is there again in this book: Tally-wa, dizzy-making, bubbly, etc. I'll say it again. Despite creating a realistic world of teen language, it is VERY annoying after a while.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Sum it up in a phrase: More thought-provoking material about control, betrayal, friendship, beauty, the complexities of love, and power.

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

Read Kari's review of the sequel, Pretties.

Summary: 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. (Summary and image from Powells.com)

My Review: I had a hard time putting this book down once I was vested in the characters. Right from the start it transports you back to your teen years when all that seems to matter is how you look, that you belong, and are having a fabulous time. Tally wants badly to join her childhood friend with all the other Pretties. This strange world in the future gives every 16 year old--boy and girl--massive cosmetic surgery making them intensely, captivatingly beautiful. While this gets rid of the advantage naturally beautiful people have, it also takes away all individuality.

What is left out, when the kids are informed of the surgery beforehand, is that something else, something sinister is being done--I'm not telling you what that is here: you have to read the book. Tally finds this out rather by accident. And then she is thrown into a world she didn't know existed and a quest she didn't know she believed in.

There are many themes to this book that are great to discuss with kids and I think with adults as well. I'd recommend this series for a book club. There are themes of what true beauty is or is not, power and how power corrupts, control and how we are controlled, society and what makes a society good, media and how it shapes thinking, etc.

One part of the book that makes it both unique and annoying is Westerfeld's creative dialect made realistically of Teen vernacular. Tally is eventually called Tally-wa. Everything is pretty-making, or bubbly, or many other adjective-driven, valley-girl sounding slang. While this makes the book seem very teen realistic, it's VERY annoying by the end of the series.

My warning to parents: I'd probably say this book is for an older Young Adult, or one that can handle older themes. The book throws kids into the world of partying and drinking quickly as this is a norm of life once the surgery is performed. The message is a good one despite this: drinking and partying is a mindless way of life. I'm still not comfortable with many middle school age kids reading this book unless drinking and partying is already a normal part of his or her life--and yes, there are many that this is the case. For high school students, I feel, this is a very applicable read. In addition, the subsequent books after Uglies go into darker themes. Therefore, if you're not wanting your teen to delve into those subsequent books, it may be best not to get them started on this one until they're older.

As I just mentioned, there are 3 books following this one so the ending is purposefully left open. As an aside, Uglies was probably my favorite.

Rating: 4.5 Stars Almost a 5 stars, but lacked just a little of that 'I adore you' aspect to make it so.

Sum it up in a phrase: Definitely a social commentary book aimed at teens about what really matters: beauty or what's beneath your skin.

The City of Ember - Jeanne DuPrau

Summary: Lights shine in the city of Ember—but at the city limits the light ends, and darkness takes over. Out there in the Unknown Regions, the darkness goes on forever in all directions. Ember—so its people believe—is the only light in the dark world. And now the lights of the city are beginning to fail. Is there a way to save the people of Ember? No one knows. But Lina Mayfleet has found a puzzling document, and Doon Harrow has made discoveries down in the Pipeworks. With these clues, they start their search. (Image and summary from here)

My review: When Doon and Lina were both assigned jobs in Ember that neither of them wanted, they switched. Simple as that. Now, each is trying to master their new jobs while struggling with the ever-increasing blackouts that plague Ember. When the lights die, there is no other light. Their entire world is dark. Doon feels he must do something and is trying to desperately find a way out of the city and beyond the darkness. Lina becomes his ally, and is increasingly worried for her family and by the strange messages that are being passed around the city. When Lina and Doon receive an vital piece of information that seems to hint at a way out of Ember, they embark on an adventure to save the city, and themselves before the lights go out forever.

When I first read this book, several years ago, I was immediately (and pleasantly) reminded of The Giver. I think it was the concept of a mysterious "community" and job assignments. Anyway, I was afraid that it was going to turn into a knock-off, but was pleasantly surprised by how the author worked it all out. I loved how this book held mysteries but allowed the reader to try to figure out clues before Lina and Doon are able to. When the characters encountered objects they had never seen before and described them with new eyes, it was fun to be able to guess what they were and then wait in anticipation until Lina and Doon figured it out.

I truly enjoyed this book and feel that it is appropriate for all ages. I think that kids will be attracted to the adventure and mystery of it all and will feel as if they are part of the adventure.
The ending allows for closure, but really hooks you into reading the next book, The People of Sparks. I have recommended this book to many adults who have really liked it and even asked to borrow the rest of the books in the series (to be read, no matter what anyone else says, in this order): The City of Ember, The People of Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood, The Diamond of Darkhold.

My rating: 4.5 Stars.

Sum it up: A fun, clever, and adventurous read for boys and girls alike.

The Giver - Lois Lowry

Summary: Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community.

When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

My review: Jonas has always been like everyone else--well, almost. He dresses the same, lives in a family unit just like everyone else, and always strives for precision of language. Sameness is, after all, very important to the Community. But Jonas has almost unheard of eyes and an inquisitive spirit that cannot be repressed. When he is assigned a special job in the Community with its own special rules, Jonas light-colored eyes begin to notice things. Something is wrong—very wrong. The more Jonas knows, the more he understands, and the less he likes what he is seeing.

Marketed as a young adult book, The Giver can be read on many different levels. It is at a 4th grade reading level but I first read this book my junior year in high school and it has been one of my favorite books ever since.

I can’t explain the many ways that I simply love this book. It is enchanting and eery at its' very center and there are moments of revelation that stun me each time I read its' pages. Lowry’s writing is masterful but simplistic—a single turn of phrase is so full of meaning and not a word is wasted. I buy used copies every time I see them so that I can give it away to the surprising number of people who’ve never read it before. If you haven't read this book - you must. Now.

My rating: 5 Stars - all exactly the same proportions. Some darker themes that might not be understood by younger children.

Sum it up: A fantastic read! One of my all-time favorite books for young or old.