Tag: Book of the Week

Book of the Week-Landry Park

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I am so very excited to share this week’s Book of the Week. It was incredibly enjoyable book and I love sharing an author’s debut novel! Check it out!

Landry Park by Bethany Hagen

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GoodReads / Barnes and Noble / Amazon / Book Depository

Genre:

Young Adult, about it Dystopian, Romance

Part of a Series?:

I believe its the first book of a series :)

You May Like if You Liked:

The Selection by Kiera Cass, Legend by Marie Lu

Age Recommendation:

13+

Plot Summary:

From GoodReads:

In a fragmented future United States ruled by the lavish gentry, seventeen-year-old Madeline Landry dreams of going to the university. Unfortunately, gentry decorum and her domineering father won’t allow that. Madeline must marry, like a good Landry woman, and run the family estate. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers the devastating consequences her lifestyle is having on those less fortunate. As Madeline begins to question everything she has ever learned, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself and David at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty – her family and the estate she loves dearly – and desire.

My Review: 

This book immediately caught my eye when I saw it in the bookstore. One, I had no idea who the author was, nor was her name even the slightest bit familiar. Two, her cover is so noticeable! Its absolutely gorgeous and so dark and mysterious looking. I kept seeing it all over the place and so finally, I decided to buy it.

And I am so glad that I did.

The thing about dystopian novels is that they start to kind of run together. They have the same sort of basis and so it can be difficult to make yours stand out amongst the rest. The thing about Bethany’s novel that really caught me that instead of being told from the point of view from someone at the bottom of the food chain, knowing something needs to change, she told the story from someone at the top, and someone at the very top.

Madeline is the heiress to Landry Park, the center of this new United States. Her ancestor invented a sort of power source that kept them afloat before the Eastern enemies could completely take them over. This has left the Landry family with incredible power, incredible wealth and incredible estate, and Madeline is set to inherit it all. She is comfortable. She has servants, and food and pretty clothes at every corner. Her primary objective in life would be to find a husband and produce an heir. Like a princess. But her actual objective is to go to university and be educated.

And I think this is what really makes Bethany’s novel so strong, in my opinion. She has a very wealthy character, one who really has no reason to want things to change and yet she puts her on the path to believing that the world she lives in is wrong and that it does need to be change. And while I love the physical strength of a female character (Katniss, Tris, June, etc), I love that Madeline is strong in her own right, using her intelligence. Instead of heading down to a punching bag every day or shooting arrows with her bow, she wants to learn and learn and use that intelligence for better. I think that’s a very powerful thing. Sometimes I think people forget that a character doesn’t have to be an actual fighter to be an incredibly strong character, and Madeline is a prime example of that.

But I also just love the world that Bethany has created. I really admire the authors that include the rest of the world. I know sometimes its hard to do that, because the society is so controlled, they really have no access to outside information, like in THG or Divergent, but I love when its addressed. It’s one thing to make one country of many fall apart but to address that the same sort of things happened all over the world is awesome, and I love that. I love that she gave the U.S. that vulnerability and that they lost part of their states (though my beloved state is part of that…). I think if something were to truly happen that would send us into a sort of dystopian state, I think the world would be chomping at the bit to get a part of this huge country so I appreciated that she sort of…wrote the history the way I think it would happen.

And it was just beautiful. The houses, the dresses, the parties, the scandal. All of that sort of thing. This is supposed to be future us, but as you read it, you feel sort of regressed. The idea of the debut, and choosing a husband that could secure your future, or the future of your family and their finances. Women being used a financial tool. It seemed familiar and it was almost sort of scary, like we could regress in the future. But as much as it was so hard to watch, it was also like a car accident, you couldn’t look away. While people are starving, getting sick from the radiation, not even citizens in this new world, you are watching Landry at this incredibly lavish parties with these carefree, selfish people and it makes you turn the page to see what she’s going to do about it.

Also, I truly love the secondary characters that Bethany creates. I won’t say too much because their natures are revealed throughout the story, even to Madeline, so I don’t want to ruin that. But I enjoy mostly getting to know David and Cara and their roles in all of this. You think you know both of them when you meet them, and they keep you guessing the whole novel and I still feel like there is so much more to know about them.

The Last Word

This is one of the longest reviews I’ve written and there’s a reason for that. This book makes me want to talk. It makes me want to get into discussion and talk about it and I love that. I love a book that can make me laugh or cry or curse the world but I do truly love a book that can make me think, and set the wheels in my brain in motion, and I think this book can do all of those things. It has the mystery, it has the hints of rebellion, it has aching romance (seriously, my heart literally ACHES for Madeline at times), it has the intrigue, it has it all, and it really makes me want to burst into discussion right after. It would make a seriously amazing book club pick.

So pick up a copy of Bethany’s debut novel and watch out for an interview with her VERY soon!

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Blog Tour: Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith Review and Giveaway

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Welcome to the special edition of the Book of the Week today, order as part of the Grasshopper Jungle Blog Tour! Below you’ll get a synopsis, cost a trailer, a review, and a giveaway! So keep on reading and enjoy!

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith 

This title will be released on February 11th 2013. This review is based on an advanced reader’s copy provided to me for an honest review. This in no way, shape or form had any influence on my review or opinion. 

GoodReads / Barnes and Noble / Amazon / Book Depository

Genre:

Young Adult, Contemporary, Science Fiction

Part of a Series?:

No

You May Like if You Liked:

I can’t even do this. This book stands on its own. Do you like to read? Then read this book.

Age Recommendation:

16+

Plot Summary:

From GoodReads:

Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the storyof how he and his best friend , Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises in small-town Iowa.

To make matters worse, Austin’s hormones are totally oblivious; they don’t care that the world is in utter chaos: Austin is in love with his girlfriend, Shann, but remains confused about his sexual orientation. He’s stewing in a self-professed constant state of maximum horniness, directed at both Robby and Shann. Ultimately, it’s up to Austin to save the world and propagate the species in this sci-fright journey of survival, sex, and the complex realities of the human condition.

You can also view the trailer here:

My Review: 

I can’t even begin to describe what this book is. Its hard to even know where to begin because this book is unlike anything that I have ever read before. This book is absolutely incredible and if you don’t pick it up on February 11th, you’re going to miss out on it.

I was gifted an advanced reader’s copy of this book, thanks to Amy Del Rosso, who is the host of this blog tour, and I am so incredibly appreciative for that. I’ve been trying to get my hands on that book ever since I first heard of, after I become so obsessed with Andrew Smith. I was determined to get one and I did. When I read the publisher’s letter in the beginning, my excitement increased. She said her immediately response was “holy shit.” She also says if her language bothers you, you definitely should not continue with reading the book. And she was right.

This book is NOT for the faint of heart. There is foul language, and a lot of mention of sex and masturbation and all of that sort of thing. But every bit of this novel, this random smorgasbord of contemporary and science fiction and coming-of-age story, is so real and genuine. There is so much going on in this book, that sometimes it seems hard to keep track.

You are following the narrative of the main character, Austin. Now Austin seems to be a normal teenage boy, dealing with the issues of girls, sex, school, friends and all of that. He has sex on the brain all the time but that sounds about right for a teenage boy. But in between his struggles with sex, and his feelings for his girlfriend and his best friend, he also tells you the history of his Polish roots, and the history of his family. It seems to be sort of nonsensical, kind of random, but the slow build up of his family history plays such a large part later.

There is also the creeping story of science fiction laid down in it as well. Its so subtle, so slow, but perfect. I spent so much of the novel feeling so confused but in such a great way. I couldn’t fathom how all of the different elements would fit together but it did. Every scene of the novel felt like a red herring. Everything felt like a distraction from something else to keep you confused and guessing until the very end. When all the different stories like Austin’s sexual confusion and his family history and the large bugs all start coming together…I just couldn’t put it down. The story was breathtaking and exciting and so mind blowing.

This book is not for the faint of heart. There is foul language, no holding back on talk of sex and masturbation, and the boys are constantly getting in trouble. This is definitely for those mature enough to handle this. If you aren’t looking for that type of book, I am sorry, but please pass on it. If you’re looking for something so utterly unique and brilliantly written, then please pick up a copy of this book and dive in. You won’t regret it. Where else can you read a book that has a family history, a twisted and turbulent romance, a coming-of-age story, and a bunch of abnormally large, murderous praying mantis on the loose? You won’t find it anywhere else. It sounds absolutely nuts, I know, but trust me! This book is brilliant. Its one of a kind. I have a hard time describing it to others because its just so utterly unique. Sometimes all I can manage to get out of my mouth is “But…but…but its just so amazing!”

There’s nothing like this book. Read it.

Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

Recommended or Not?:

READ THIS. That’s all I’m going to say!

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Now for the fun stuff!

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the reviews and fun all over the blog tour, at all of these seriously amazing blogs!

February 3rd – The Midnight Garden | The Story Siren
February 4th – Good Choice Reading | Bookish
February 7th – Scott Reads It | Live to Read
February 10th – Alice Marvels | The Society
February 11th – Lexi Swoons | A Reader of Fictions
February 12th – Roof Beam Reader | Forever Young Adult
February 13th – The Compulsive Reader | Books and Bling
February 14th – Book Chic Club | The QQQE
February 17th – JeanBookNerd | Ticket to Anywhere
February 19th – Anna Reads | Word Spelunking
February 20th – Books With Bite | What A Nerd Girl Says
February 21st – Wastepaper Prose | LRB – Guest
February 24th – We Are Word Nerds | Cabin Goddess
February 25th – Ex Libris | Cari’s Book Blog | A Good Addiction
February 26th – YA Reads | The Young Folks
February 27th – Novel Thoughts | Fangirlish

And a giveaway too. Don’t miss out on this. If you can get your hands on a copy of this book, you are a lucky gal or guy. It is absolutely fantastic and you’d be a fool not to read it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Much thanks to the host of this blog tour!

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Book of the Week-Scarlet

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Hello, all my friends! How are you on this glorious Friday? I’m doing well! I had a GREAT Thanksgiving.

My boyfriend and I decided this year that we would do our own Thanksgiving, forgoing the stress of trying to attend all four possible Thanksgivings with our various family members. I’m house sitting right now, so I even have a house available to do so. Jon’s brother, Chris, decided he was into the idea as well, and so the three of us planned it all out. Chris is a full vegan, I’m a pescatarian and Jon eats anything and everything so we were able to get specialized too! I made my very first tofurkey ever and it was SO good. I rocked it. We had a ton of food, and I’m stuffed and happy.

Now its time for a nice relaxing weekend! I hope all of you are safe and all that this weekend. Its a crazy shopping weekend and I’m not going anywhere near it haha. I stay in bed, in my nice cozy house, with my trusty laptop during this weekend. I’m a fan of Amazon Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday deals across the board. They’re awesome, and you don’t even have to leave your house! Brilliant!

Speaking of Amazon Black Friday deals, there are a TON of them in movies! I saw movies like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, Twilight and X-Men First Class, and all kinds of nerd movies for really cheap! And Blu-Ray too! Definitely go check it out :)

Now, moving on! It’s a day late, but here it is: this week’s Book of the Week review. If you haven’t had a chance to read my review of Marissa Meyer’s first book, Cinder, you can read it here!

Now for Scarlet!

Scarlet  by Marissa Meyer

GoodReads / Barnes and Noble / Amazon / Book Depository

Genre:

Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fairy Tale Re-telling

Part of a Series?:

The second novel of The Lunar Chronicles

Please note, while there will be NO spoilers for Scarlet in this review, there will be spoilers for the first novel, Cinder. You may read the review for that book here. 

You May Like if You Liked:

Honestly I’m not sure. But if you’re a YA fan, and a science fiction fan, you should read it. Even if you’re not partial to science fiction, you should read it.

Age Recommendation:

12+

Plot Summary:

From Good Reads:

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison–even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive. 

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

The Review:

I am blown away by the amazingness that is this book. I was recommended Cinder by my friend Erin, who runs That One Geek Girl, and it took me a long time to read it. Not because it was awful or hard to get into BUT because I was busy with school and the upcoming holiday and finding a new job and all that fun stuff. But I did finish it, eventually, and I absolutely loved it. I got my hands on Scarlet ASAP and I just finished it on Thanksgiving, while making my delicious tofurkey.

Marissa Meyer takes the story that she has created in Cinder and just multiples it, makes it broader, and takes her world and makes it more widespread, and its incredible. She introduces two very important new characters in Scarlet and Wolf (and also Captain Thorne), but instead of detracting from the story, it just adds to it, builds it, and makes it more intricate and more complex and even more exciting than it already was. Seriously. She takes the story that she’s created and doubles it. Just when you kind of think you know what direction things are going in, she steps in, shakes her head (and probably laughs at your crestfallen face) and switches courses so fast that its a wonder that you don’t have whiplash.

I absolutely love that she continued with the fairy tale angle. I’ve always known these fairy tales, because, well, I’m a girl and I grew up with Disney movies like most kids do. But I also just recently took a Children’s Lit class in school, and we did a TON of work on the old school fairy tales. When reading Cinder, I loved the comparisons between the familiar Charles Perrault tale and the novel. I loved that she took the basics of the story, and built them into her own, and twisted them. It was done beautifully.

Then she introduced Scarlet, the wolf, and Scarlet’s grandmother, Michelle. The tale of Red Riding Hood is SO apparent int his book, which I absolutely, totally love but its done so flawlessly. Its weaved in so naturally that it doesn’t feel like its forced. The transition between Cinder’s Cinderella story and Scarlet’s Red Riding Hood story and the combination of the two just fits so well. You hardly notice that they’re colliding until the impact and its amazing. It really is. I love seeing the themes of the old story, like the sexual themes and the innocence and all of that, but translated into a much stronger character like Scarlet. Because let’s face it, women were always weak and needed to be saved by a big strong man in these old folk tales.

Plus, I think Marissa really knows her story. She really takes this story and builds it from page one of the very first book. Sometimes I feel like people write their series as it goes, without really thinking of the past, present and future. You have to be aware of the entire scope of the series in order to write it. She definitely does that. The interweaving of the first two books, and presumably the third, is just beautiful. Things that didn’t seem important or felt unanswered came up in the second book, perfectly, and often times, through Scarlet’s point of view. She connects these two girls and their stories as if this is just the way it is, its always been like this. I love that they are brought together, two very different girls, but both strong and determined, both fighters. Its awesome. She creates great characters. She takes Cinderella and Red and makes them SO much better, and stronger and smarter. Its fantastic.

I could go on and on and on about this book but then I’d be wasting your time. If you haven’t gotten involved in this series yet, definitely do it. If you’ve read Cinder and haven’t read Scarlet, what on earth are you waiting for? You’re going to SPEED through this book and then lament that Cress is still 66 days away. Sigh. But we’re a patient bunch, aren’t we? So get out there and read! The links to buy it are above, and you know you want to! Its a beautiful science fiction novel with mystery and action and romance and twists and turns, moments that make you laugh and cry, and they are stories that remind you of the classic stories you loved as a kid, with a little bit of a kickass twist.

Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

Recommended or Not?:

Definitely! This book blew me away. If you thought the first book was good, you’re going to think this one is even better. I guarantee it. I canNOT wait until Cress comes out, and to find out what happens next!

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I hope you enjoyed this week’s Book of the Week! Don’t forget that you can check out old posts here!

Happy Reading!

Book of the Week-Catching Fire

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In spirit of the release of Catching Fire in theaters tomorrow (or for some of us, viagra 100mg today), pharmacy I decided to do an oldie for the Book of the Week.

Okay, I also haven’t read anything new this week. I know. Its awful. I’m trying to catch up, and I’ll have book reviews up soon, I promise! I just gotta get back in the groove!

But until then, let’s talk about Catching Fire, and why I think its the best book in the trilogy. Don’t forget to see the movie this weekend; it is SO amazing. You can read my review of the movie here.

Catching Fire  by Suzanne Collins

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GoodReads / Barnes and Noble / Amazon / Book Depository

Genre:

Young Adult, Dystopian

Part of a Series?:

The second novel of The Hunger Games Trilogy

You May Like if You Liked:

The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth, The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu

Age Recommendation:

14+

Plot Summary:

From Good Reads:

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 districts 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.

In Catching Fire, the second novel in the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before…and surprising readers at every turn.

The Review:

This is the strongest book in the trilogy, easily. We’ve had the world established in the first novel. We know Katniss and Peeta and the world they live. We understand the cruelty of the Capitol and the heads of Panem, and President Snow and the Gamemakers. We know all this. The Hunger Games is a great book, something that grabbed me from the very first page.

But Catching Fire takes it to a whole new level. For one thing, the entirety of Panem grows in this novel, which opens our eyes even more to the cruelty of President Snow and his government. The Victory Tour shows us all the various different districts, and I love that. I think that this is where Katniss really begins to see what effect she had, and that her effect isn’t necessarily a bad thing. All she’s ever known is District 12 and the small amount of time she spent in the Capitol. Seeing the other districts only fires her up more.

I also love that we meet so many new important characters in this novel too like Johanna and Finnick and Plutarch, and people like that. Not only does it open us up to new victors besides Haymitch, but we see how the Games have effected other people as well. Plus its good to meet characters that you can get attached to like Katniss and Peeta. My favorite character in the entire series is Finnick Odair and he’s introduced in this novel.

The Games! The Games in this novel just takes it to a whole new level too. It was scary enough in the first book, but at least Katniss seemed to feel almost at home. She knows woods; she can’t hunt and she can take care of herself. Not only is she in the unfamiliar territory of the jungle but the arena also has that clock twist to it, which is awful! A new horror every hour? No thank you! Crazy killer monkeys, jabberjays that sound like your loved ones being tortured and poisonous fog? Its insanity.

I think the most important part of this book though is Katniss’ transformation. She goes from being focused only on herself, her familiy and her own survival (which is NOT a bad thing at all) to being concerned about so much more. She becomes concerned with Peeta, and Haymitch, and her prep team, and Cinna. She even begins to be concerned about the other tributes, even though they’re trying to kill her. Remember who the real enemy is.

Lastly, I think this book has one of the BEST cliffhangers ever. I remember reading it and wanting to throw the book across the room. How could this possibly be happening? What? What?! WHAT? I couldn’t handle it. Luckily enough for me, Mockingjay was coming out within a month, and I didn’t have to wait too long to find out. But an epic cliffhanger, and they nailed the cliffhanger in the movie, just an FYI.

Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

Recommended or Not?:

Of course. And I recommend seeing the movie too, which is out in theaters tomorrow!

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I hope you enjoyed this impromptu, last minute Book of the Week, and that you’ll head out to see the movie and that you enjoy it just as much as I do!

Happy Hunger Games and May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor!

Book of the Week: 3:59

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Last week, illness I had the chance to meet the awesome author Gretchen McNeil again. I have had a chance to read her book Possess but her brand new book, 3:59, had just released. She had talked it up at the Ontario Teen Book Fest in May so I was definitely ready to dive into this novel.

The wait was worth it, and I definitely am glad that I picked up this book, and you will be too!

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

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GoodReads / Barnes and Noble / Amazon / Book Depository 

Genre:

young adult, science fiction, thriller

Part of a Series?:

Nope

You May Like if You Liked:

Unremembered by Jessica Brody, Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Age Recommendation:

This is a new feature on the Book of the Week. As most of the reviews I do are YA, and YA is starting to break apart into YA and NA, and that sort of thing, I will be recommending an appropriate age for the books. Keep in mind this is MY personal recommendation and it varies on the maturity of the reader. 

12+: Mild Violence

Plot Summary:

From GoodReads:

Josie Byrne’s life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she’s betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can’t get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo’s life is everything Josie wants: she’s popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they’re just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo. 

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo’s perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo’s boyfriend, he hates her. Jo’s mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

From master of suspense Gretchen McNeil comes a riveting and deliciously eerie story about the lives we wish we had – and how they just might kill you.

The Bad:

I honestly just wish it would have gone on longer. I really wanted to get to know the characters more and really dive into the differences between Jo and Josie, and the different parents and Nick and all of that. I think that I wanted more character exploration in this book. I am so used to books that are multiple books in a series that I was surprised to have a story wrapped up in one book and I had to tweet Gretchen to make sure that this was just one book. So I think maybe if I go back another time around, I may find more to the character development than I saw the first time around because I was prepared for it to happen so fast.

The Good:

Okay, first off, I have to really give Gretchen a round of applause for pulling this off. Currently I’m writing a novel where I bounce back and forth between the past and the present, with the same group of characters, and its been really tough for me. But I can’t imagine having to write two parallel universes with characters that have to be the same, except with small differences. That sounds like a headache to me, and I know that it can’t have been easy to write and I seriously applaud her for that.

And I think that’s what really makes this book so intriguing and addicting at first, because you’re so curious at the small details and at the mystery that it builds. You know that each side is different but its interesting to find out exactly how each one is different. I think that Gretchen really is so subtle with creating each side, that you are caught right off the bat, because you’re just dying to know what is going on. We figure out that there are two different worlds, with these two girls that look exactly alike, and yet we don’t know anything else. I don’t know how many other people were so apprehension and a little scared when Jo and Josie decide to switch so easily. They don’t know anything about each other’s worlds and they jump so easily to switch places. That is insane! But I think that’s what’s great. We aren’t told everything so we’re clutching the pages in excitement as these girls take on the unknown.

I also love how intelligent Gretchen made these characters, especially Josie and her friend Penelope. I think it took a lot of research and some brain power for Gretchen to have this wrapped up in so much physics. My head was reeling at all of the physics talk but she both made it incredibly confusing and mind boggling but made it so it was totally believable that this sort of thing could exist. I really think its great that Gretchen made her characters so intelligent and capable of understanding these kind of phenomenons. A few days ago, it was discussed at a book event that, in YA literature mostly, strength in a female character is literal physical strength and the capabilities of being physically strong. I think that there is something to say when a character is incredibly smart and is able to save the day with the intelligence she wields.

Oh, and I am just going to say this: Gretchen’s ability to create two parallel Nicks, one who is sleazy and awful and you want to punch in the face, and the other who you won’t to throw against the wall and make out with, is awesome. That’s the magic of this book, that she is able to create all these doppelgängers and you are able to feel so differently to each one because of those subtle differences.

Lastly, I really enjoyed the story, especially since it wasn’t at all what I expected. I knew that it was science fiction, but I thought it was mostly going to focus on the idea of those two worlds existing, but what really comes forward from that is so surprising and super fun. Its all thrilling and scary, and I literally was breathing heavily because I didn’t know what was going to happen next. I was terrified. If a movie was made of this book, I would probably hide under the covers, and watch it with it was in the middle of the day, and the sun was shining. The story is exciting, unexpected and addicting. One minute you’re in a romance, the next in a drama and then its action packed. It has everything that a YA sci-fi novel needs, with that little added twist of thrill and it was fun to read.

Rating:

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Recommended or Not?:

Definitely. Gretchen is fun to read, and it was worth the time, even just for the unexpected twists and turns that kept happening in the book. Every time I felt like I had figured it out, I was totally wrong, and the book went veering in another direction. Definitely pick up this book, and head out to meet Gretchen, who is doing a TON of events soon!

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I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of the Book of the Week. Stay tuned in soon for more book reviews and a special guest interview with Gretchen herself!

Happy Reading everyone!

Book of the Week-The 5th Wave

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Last week’s Book of the Week was Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, viagra 60mg a book that left me feeling like I could never recover. It was an absolutely beautiful book, order and I just didn’t know how to keep moving on past that.

But books are my life, visit this and I read fast, and of course, I keep reading. I’ve read about six books since then. But none of them were really fitting for the Book of the Week. Some of them were textbooks, even, but hey, I count those for my reading goal. I read them, they’re books, they count.

Anyway, I was reading today, in between class and homework, and I just finished this week’s (belated) Book of the Week not even twenty minutes ago, as I’m writing this.

And I feel like I’m in the same position I was in last week, while writing the review for Fangirl. I’m floored right now. I honestly don’t know what book to read next on my ever-growing pile of books because I’m afraid I’m going to be stuck inside the world of this book for a long time. So with that, I now present to you:

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

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GoodReads / Amazon / Barnes and Noble 

Genre:

young adult, science fiction

Part of a Series?:

Yes. It is the first novel of a planned trilogy. The title of the second novel was recently revealed to be: The Infinite Sea

You May Like if You Liked:

James Dashner’s Maze Runner trilogy, Marie Lu’s Legend trilogy

Age Recommendation:

This is a new feature on the Book of the Week. As most of the reviews I do are YA, and YA is starting to break apart into YA and NA, and that sort of thing, I will be recommending an appropriate age for the books. Keep in mind this is MY personal recommendation and it varies on the maturity of the reader. 

13+: Violence, Death, etc.

Plot Summary:

The Others have come. We’ve made movies, we’ve written books, we’ve talked about aliens coming to our world for so long, but now they are  here, and it is not what we expected.

The first wave is complete darkness.

The second wave is a knock out, earthquakes, tsunamis, taking out country after country.

The third wave is the plague, the disease that wipes out 90% of the surviving population.

The fourth wave is The Silencers, the aliens that come down and hunt the remaining humans.

Cassie is trying to survive. She lost her mom to the third wave, her father to the fourth wave. Her brother was taken, and she made him a promise to come and find him, and she will do anything to not break that promise. She can’t trust anyone, though she feels like she’s the last human on earth.

Until she meets Evan Walker. Evan Walker, who saves her life, and takes care of her. Evan Walker who is gentle and affectionate and, yes, good looking. Evan Walker, who is absolutely determined to help her. But Cassie can’t trust anyone, and who knows what more is coming…

The Bad:

The book is multiple points of view. Mostly you get Cassie, but you also get Evan, Cassie’s little brother Sammy, and another character by the name of Ben. I really liked this about the story. I did. I think you are able to get multiple perspectives to the story this way, to see people draw conclusions about the same thing in different ways. Its brilliant. So you’re wondering what my beef is then, right?

There’s no distinguishing between the characters at first. There are different “parts” but that doesn’t necessarily mean a different point of view from the previous and it also sometimes takes a few paragraphs to realize who is narrating and then you kind of have to go back and reread the paragraph, knowing who the character is. I may have been the only person in the world that had this issue but it wasn’t a huge, back-breaking issue. It was more, like, okay, not one hundred percent sure whose head we are in right now…And with a science fiction novel, you’re already trying to keep up with this complicated world that the author has built anyway, so its more brain work to try and figure out who is speaking before its blatantly obvious and its not always apparent at first.

The Good:

There is so much good that I don’t know where to start.

Rick Yancey is brilliant. I just discovered tonight, while perusing GoodReads and his website to do this post that this is NOT his first novel, and now I’m dying to check out his other novels, because this novel literally blew me away. I’m floored. Dumbstruck. Paralyzed. Unable to move on to another fictional world because I am so stuck into this. Sometimes it takes me a bit of time to recover from a novel, but I’m a power reader. I have a blog to run, I have to move on. I am also trying to read 200 books this year, so that’s difficult too. But now I look at my ridiculous pile of books to read, and I can’t even decide what to read next.

I’m big on world building. If you’re going to write a novel that is fantasy or dystopian or science fiction, you better build your world well, because then everything else tends to fall into place. Sometimes, you can have the greatest story and some kickass characters but if the world isn’t built well, I just don’t buy into it. So with a science fiction like this, where aliens are finally coming to earth, it has to sell me. I have to believe it. And I do. Its OUR world, its the world we know, but transformed and its so easy to buy into the new technology that the aliens  bring, its easy to buy into the horrifying things that they do. Its really easy to buy into the world that Rick Yancey has created. He makes everything subtle and yet huge at the same time so you feel the familiarity of our world, but you also feel the incredible impact that this arrival has brought to it. It also felt so incredibly real that sometimes you almost have to remind yourself that you’re in a book, not real life, and sometimes you do wonder if its possible. It doesn’t feel like science fiction, it feels REAL. That’s how perfectly Rick Yancey builds this world.

I mentioned the character points of view earlier in the “bad” section. I only disliked the fact that I would be confused on who exactly was speaking at the moment. I actually really loved the multiple points of view. Granted we only get a couple of them once or twice, and we mostly focus on the points of view of two characters but I love that because it really connects you closer with the characters. I love Rick Yancey’s characters. Again, with the realism. They aren’t perfect, you know? They’re teenagers, survivors in this ridiculous world, and they are strong, there is no denying that but they aren’t perfect and I love that. They work hard, they make mistakes, they are constantly, always fighting for their lives. Its hard work and nothing comes with ease. I love being inside their heads because the different characters like Cassie or Evan or Ben or Sammy are all so different and they’re seeing things differently and you get to see that along with them. I love that one character will discover something way before another character, and you kind of watch as two scenarios in two different places head toward a collision and seeing both of those points of views, with the others unaware of it, is exciting.

Which brings me to the story itself. This is a long book. It is not a short book that you can tell yourself you’ll read in one day, unless you’re like me and you read ridiculously fast. Its 457 pages and its a not a small 457 pages. This is a huge book, and with long books, you better have a good story or people are going to give up.

This is so completely untrue of this novel. This story is gripping from the very first moment you begin in to the very last page, when you flip it back and forth, wondering, if you somehow missed something because there is NO way that is the end of the book. (Boy, was I relieved when a simple Google search ensured me that there are more books to come…) This story is gripping, its full of action but even when there isn’t action going on, the tension is so tight, and its so palpable and it leaves you clutching the pages with excitement. The multiple points of view gives you so many different perspectives on what is going on, and yet, you still have NO idea what is going on. Its a mystery piled up on top of ten other mysteries, which are buried amongst a bunch of other mysteries and questions. The book is full of questions and as soon as you think you have one answered, another one pops into its place. Sometimes I would pause for a moment, to sort of see how many pages I had left, and I would think, “there are so many more pages, there is still so much more that could happen to these characters.”

I literally could go on and on and on about this but I won’t. I’ll leave you with this: this book is amazing. Its an outstanding example of what a young adult science fiction book should be. Well, its an outstanding example of what any science fiction book should be. It has the mystery and the tension and the excitement and the action and it throws in the little bit of romance, and its perfect. Its a shining example of what young adult literature can be, and as I continue my fight for the acceptance of YA, I will definitely use this as an example. Its a fantastically written novel with a compelling storyline, addicting characters and it’ll leave you absolutely breathless.

Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

Recommended or Not?:

YES! Stop reading my blog NOW, and go find this book. Go to your bookstore, order it online, download it onto that ereader, just do it NOW. You won’t regret it in the slightest. I regret leaving it in my book pile for as long as I did. Its worth the money, the time and the crazy emotional ride. Go. Now.

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I hope you all enjoyed this week’s edition of the Book of the Week!

If you haven’t already dashed off to go read The 5th Wave (which you should have), check out some of the previous Book of the Week reviews here.

Happy Reading!