The Elite

The Elite

by Kiera Cass

Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis: Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

From GoodReads

Review: I really liked the first book of the series, The Selection.  (You can read Marcie's review here.)  It was such a good guilty pleasure read.  It was the royal version of the Bachelor but in a dystopian world.  Definitely meant for young girls.  But how could you not get into it?  I was hoping this one would be just as good but sadly it was not.  America and Maxon really started to bug me in this book.  America become so much more wishy washy about her feelings between Maxon and Aspen.  She was played by whoever was with her.  America's actions were very rash and she really did make some very bad decisions because she didn't stop to think.  In this sense she seemed much more juvenile than she did in the first book.  She is just 17 so perhaps she's acting more her age in this book than in the first but I liked her better in The Selection.  Maxon also made terrible decisions without regard for America's feeling and he seemed to take advantage of his situation much more than in the previous book.  I'm not sure why he acted the way he did, it seemed out of character.  This book seemed to be leading us more into a possible revolution or change in society that will take place in the third book (that is my guess) but there really wasn't much action.  I still read this book in less than a day and had a hard time putting it down, so it was captivating enough.  I'm not dying to read the next book though.

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

To read Marcie's review of The Selection, click here.

Delirium

Delirium

by Lauren Oliver

Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis: 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.

From GoodReads

Review: The synopsis doesn't really tell you what this story is about so let me tell you.  In the future, society discovers the secret to getting rid of war and violence-get rid of love.  If there is no love, there can be no hate and no conflict.  The United States closes its borders and cures everyone of love.  You can only be cured at the age of 18 so before that time, girls and boys are kept separate and they are not allowed to intermingle at any point.  There is a curfew that must be adhered until you are cured.  This is the story of Lena, a girl who can't wait to be cured and is quite scared of getting the disease.  Needless to say, things happen that make her think twice about whether the cure is a good idea or not.

This book had an interesting premise but I had a hard time thinking about it being a mother.  I can't imagine a child growing up without hearing the words "I love you" and that made me very sad.  I also can't imagine being a parent and not feeling love for your child.  But this is fictional, so I had to get over that!  Once I stopped thinking about that concept, the book was easier to read.  This book is not full of action and reads a lot like a love story.  The end does leave you interested in the next book and what happens but I didn't think this book was stellar-it was just OK.  Marcie assured me that the next book is much better so I will keep reading.

Rating: 3 stars

To read Marcie's review on Pandemonium the second book in the series click here.

Inferno

Inferno

by Dan Brown

Genre: Thriller

Synopsis:  In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.

Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered.

From GoodReads

Review: It took me a while to get into this book.  I tried to read the first several pages a couple times before I finally went on.  I was really confused by the beginning.  I've never read Dante's Inferno so maybe that threw me off in the beginning?  Or perhaps I just wasn't in the right mind set to get into the book.  But after a few tries, I got hooked!  If you like Dan Brown's other books, you'll like this one.  It follows the same premise as the other stories that Robert Langdon must solve a series of cryptic clues to avert a major disaster and he's the only one in the world who knows enough about the topic and can decode the clues in order to solve the crisis.  I'm not implying that it is a bad book, I'm just saying that this book follows the trend of his other 3 Robert Langdon books.  It kept me reading and I definitely will read his next book if and when he writes one.  This one has a big twist at the end that I was not expecting and that made me want to finish the book as quickly as I could.  This is a great quick read that will get you turning the pages as fast as you can.  As always, there are plenty of descriptions of buildings and other items that you can just skim through to make the book go even faster!  I did feel that this one had more flowery and superfluous descriptions than the other 3 books.  I also felt that this one was a little contrived at places as if Dan Brown was trying to neatly tie up loose ends and was trying to make everything fit.  It seemed a big calculated. I did appreciate that I had been to several of the locations that appeared in the book so that I could visualize where Langdon went and what he saw.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

The Queen of Water

The Queen of Water

by Laura Resau and Maria Virginia Farinango

Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Realistic Fiction

Synopsis: Born in an Andean village in Ecuador, Virginia lives with her large family in a small, earthen-walled dwelling.  In her village of indigenas, it is not uncommon to work in the fields all day, even as a child, or to be called a longa tonta-stupid Indian-by members of the ruling class of mestizos, or Spanish descendants.  When seven-year-old Virginia is taken from her village to be a servant to a mestizo couple, she has no idea what the future holds.

Virginia quickly grows accustomed to the conveniences and luxuries of mestizo life.  But promised pay and visits to her family are quickly forgotten, as is her bosses' pledge to send her to school.  Beaten and told that the sold purpose of indigenous girls is to serve, Virginia must fight to hold on to her spirit and humor.  She teachers herself to read and write and performs science experiments in secret.

When Virginia's only friend betrays her, she must gather her courage and escape.  But once she's found her freedom, will Virginia-now a teenager caught between cultures-also find a place where she belongs?

In this poignant novel based on a true story, acclaimed author Laura Resau has collaborated with Maria Virginia Farinango to recount one girl's unforgettable journey to self discovery.

From the book jacket

Review:  This book is amazing!  It's remarkable because it is based on a true story.  Virginia is an actual person who recounted her childhood to the author Laura Resau.  As I read the book, it was hard to believe how Virginia kept her spirit throughout the trials of her non existent childhood but she did and she very much triumphed and rose above her situation.  I am truly amazed at her bravery and her positive attitude in spite of being beaten regularly and hiding from her boss for fear of being taken advantage of when she got older.  Her motto was "querer es poder" which translates to "to want is to be able to" or "to want is power."  She kept this motto in her head as she overcame so many obstacles.  Virginia definitely is very intelligent and quite the entrepreneur.  She figures out what she wants and she finds a way to achieve her goals.  As you are reading you can't help but cheer for Virginia when she makes her decisions. It took her a while to stand up for herself but she was 7 years old when she was given to the mestizo couple. I also love reading about the culture in Ecuador between the mestizos and the indigenas.  The author is able to capture the environment and the people in Ecuador.  I would highly recommend that you read this book.  It is a quick read and one that won't disappoint!
Edit: I'm not sure why this book is a young adult novel.  It is definitely for everyone to read, not just teens.  It also is very much like a memoir but the author does create dialogue and also invents some details.  Names have been changed as well so it is not technically a memoir.

Rating: 5 stars

Is This Tomorrow

Is This Tomorrow

by Caroline Leavitt

Genre: Women's Fiction

Synopsis:  In 1956, when divorced, working-mom Ava Lark rents a house with her twelve-year-old son, Lewis, in a Boston suburb, the neighborhood is less than welcoming. Lewis yearns for his absent father, befriending the only other fatherless kids: Jimmy and Rose. One afternoon, Jimmy goes missing. The neighborhood in the era of the Cold War, bomb scares, and paranoia seizes the opportunity to further ostracize Ava and her son. Lewis never recovers from the disappearance of his childhood friend. By the time he reaches his twenties, he's living a directionless life, a failure in love, estranged from his mother. Rose is now a schoolteacher in another city, watching over children as she was never able to watch over her own brother. Ava is building a new life for herself in a new decade. When the mystery of Jimmy's disappearance is unexpectedly solved, all three must try to reclaim what they have lost.

From GoodReads

Review:  I liked this book in the beginning.  I put it down after a while and picked up another book and then had a hard time getting back into this book.  There wasn't enough plot to this story to make it that interesting.  What you read in the synopsis is about all that happens in the book and the synopsis makes it sounds like there is a great mystery but there really isn't.  After Lewis and Rose get older the book has even less action than the beginning.  Things that happen seem to fall into place a little too neatly.  Characters reappear and yet there seems to be no need for them to come back.  The story becomes a little too contrived for me at the end.

Rating: 2 stars

Defending Jacob

Defending Jacob

William Landay

Genre: Mystery

Summary (from Goodreads):  Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.

Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.

Award-winning author William Landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisis—a suspenseful, character-driven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control.

Marcie's Review: Wow!  I'm not normally a fan of courtroom dramas, but I couldn't put this one down.  It reminded me a lot of Jodi Picoult's books - and in fact, didn't she write a similar book about a child accused of murder?  It's written from the perspective of the father, who seemed to live in denial.  But that's the point of this book - would you be able to believe your child is capable of a terrible crime, and how far would you go to protect him whether you thought he was guilty or not?  Given the amount of foreshadowing and the structure of the book (frequent flash forwards to another trial), the reader knows there is going to be some kind of big surprise towards the end, and there certainly is.  I was left unsatisfied, yet intrigued, by the ending.

Becky's Review:  I was repeatedly told that I would enjoy this book and that I should read it so I checked it out at least twice but ended up never reading it.  Finally I checked out the audiobook version and listened to it on my way to work.  The person who read the book was outstanding and really gave personality to the characters.  I was captivated by the story and it was hard to turn it off at times.  I needed to know whether Jacob was guilty or innocent and I wanted to see the case resolved but I felt like I was left hanging at the end.  I wanted answers to be much more clear cut.  There were some other little things through the book that bothered me and made the book less realistic for me such as Jacob's age and how he was treated.  But overall I really enjoyed the story.

Rating: 4 stars

Gone

Gone

by Michael Grant

Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Dystopian Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears.  Gone.  Except for the young: teens, middle schoolers, toddlers.  But not a single adult.  No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents.  And just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television.  No way to figure out what's happened.  And no way to get help.

Hunger threatens.  Bullies rule.  A sinister creature lurks.  Animals are mutating.  And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents-unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers-that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world.  Sides are being chose, a fight is shaping up.  Townies against rich kids.  Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless.  And time is running out: On your birthday, you will disappear just like everyone else.

Review: This is a well written young adult book.  At first I thought it was a little young for me but once the characters had to start dealing with the fact that all adults were gone, they seemed to grow up a little.  The storyline is addicting and you can't help but keep reading.  There are terrible things that happen in this book, some that bothered me more than others, but you have to keep in mind that the oldest kids in this book are just under 15 years of age.  Some of them made amazingly mature decisions but many of them acted like 14 year olds!  I was hoping the end of the book would be a great ending but it wasn't.  I found out after I finished the book that this is the first book of 5!  Yikes!  Now I have to read the next 4 books but I'm on a waiting list for the 2nd.  I don't like getting into a series without knowing it's a series!  But overall I did like this book, it's different than the other dystopian fiction books that I have read and that's good because some of them were getting a little redundant.

Rating: 4 stars