The Crown

The Crown

by Kiera Cass

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.

from GoodReads

Review:  Since I read the other 4 books in this series, I found that I had to read the conclusion to the series.  This book was cheesy.  Really, really cheesy.  I read the first couple as guilty pleasure reads but this one was just too much.  Either I overlooked the writing style in the other books or this one is much more poorly written.  I still didn't like Eadlyn.  She is flat and unrealistic (I know that princess stories are not mean to be realistic but she was just too unbelievable).  The men in the Selection were too good to be true.  Everyone seemed to fawn over Eadlyn and I just didn't understand why.  I would recommend not reading this series past The One.  Stop with America's and Maxom's ending.

Rating: 2.5 stars

The Blondes

The Blondes

by Emily Schultz

Genre: Distopian Fiction

Synopsis: The Blondes is a hilarious and whip-smart novel where an epidemic of a rabies-like disease is carried only by blonde women, all of whom must go to great lengths to conceal their blondness.

Hazel Hayes is a grad student living in New York City.  As the novel opens, she learns she is pregnant (from an affair with her married professor) at an apocalyptically bad time: random but deadly attacks on passersby, all by blonde women, are terrorizing New Yorkers.  Soon it becomes clear that the attacks are symptoms of a strange illness that is transforming blondes-whether CEOs, flight attendants, students, or accountants-into rabid killers.

from the book jacket

Review: Being blonde myself, the cover and description of the book caught from a table in the library as I walked by.  This book seemed quirky and light, something is right up my alley.  I tried to read the first chapter but time seemed to jump around and I didn't know who the characters and it really threw me off from enjoying the book.  So I put it down for a couple weeks.  Once I reread the first chapter a couple times and forced myself to get past it, I started to understand more of what was going on and there was less time jumping.  I kept reading because I thought something would happen.  Once the attacks started to happen there was a little bit more action but still not enough for me.  Hazel spent most of her time moping about the married professor, Karl.  There were quite a few unanswered questions in the story that I wish we knew the answers to.  There was just too much lacking in this book for me to like it.

Rating: 2 stars

Seveneves

Seveneves

Neal Stephenson

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): An exciting and thought-provoking science fiction epic—a grand story of annihilation and survival spanning five thousand years.

What would happen if the world were ending?

A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.

But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain . . .

Five thousand years later, their progeny—seven distinct races now three billion strong—embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown . . . to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.
 
Review:  The premise of this book was fascinating - what would happen if the people of the world found out that it was going to be destroyed in two years?  The majority of the story focuses on how engineers jury-rig the International Space Station to be able to support enough people to continue the human race.  While this section was well-written, interesting, compelling and somewhat plausible, I thought there was too much focus on technical space engineering, and not enough on the emotions of the main characters.  This section ended too abruptly for me, just at a time when I was getting really interested in how the remaining survivors would manage to survive longer.  The last quarter of the book skips ahead 5000 years, and giving a glimpse into how humanity has managed to survive, and how they attempt to return to Earth.  I would have preferred more information, more emotion from the characters, and more believability.  And again, the ending was too abrupt.

Rating: 3.5 stars

The Heir

The Heir

by Kiera Cass

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

from GoodReads

Review:  I didn't realize that there was going to be a fourth book to The Selection series.  The first ones were guilty pleasure reading books for me and since I was going on vacation and didn't want anything too involved, I knew this would be the right book for me.  I read this book fairly quickly as it stuck to the same light reading as the first three books.  This story is about Maxom's and America's daughter, Eadlyn, who goes through a Selection because her parents are trying to make people forget about their problems.  Eadlyn does not want to go through a selection and she shows her disdain by not taking the process or the men seriously.  She is a self centered, immature and whiny and not the most pleasant of main characters.  I wasn't a fan of reading about her.  Luckily at the end she seems like she is going to mature in the next book (of course, there has to be a next book because the story leaves us hanging).  I will read the next book(s) because I want to know what happens to this next selection.

Rating: 3 stars

Ready Player One

Ready Player One

Ernest Cline

Genre:  Dystopian Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune — and remarkable power — to whoever can unlock them.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved — that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt — among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life — and love — in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?
 
Review:  I suspect that this will be my favorite book from 2015.  In fact, I wish I hadn't read it, so I could go back and have the pleasure of reading it for the first time all over again.  This book was just FUN.

Most reviewers say this book will be a hit for anyone who was a teenager in the 1980s or anyone who plays video games or anyone who is a huge pop culture fan.  And I can see why people would say that; this book is about a dorky boy who spends most of his time in a video game obsessing about the video game and movie culture of the 1980s.  But I don't fit in any of those categories, and I still loved it.  It would certainly help to know what video games are, and to have seen some of the popular 1980s era movies, but you don't have to be a 40 year old video game addicted man to enjoy this book.

There were a few sections that were a little preachy and a few sections that were a little slow and included too much detail.  But for the most part, the story moved quickly, the characters were delightful, and the plot was engaging.

Becky, I don't know if it's your kind of book, but Brian might like it.

Rating: 5 stars

In A Perfect World

In A Perfect World

Laura Kasischke

Genre: Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): This is the way the world ends...

It was a fairy tale come true when Mark Dorn—handsome pilot, widower, tragic father of three—chose Jiselle to be his wife. The other flight attendants were jealous: She could quit now, leaving behind the million daily irritations of the job. (Since the outbreak of the Phoenix flu, passengers had become even more difficult and nervous, and a life of constant travel had grown harder.) She could move into Mark Dorn's precious log cabin and help him raise his three beautiful children.

But fairy tales aren't like marriage. Or motherhood. With Mark almost always gone, Jiselle finds herself alone, and lonely. She suspects that Mark's daughters hate her. And the Phoenix flu, which Jiselle had thought of as a passing hysteria (when she had thought of it at all), well . . . it turns out that the Phoenix flu will change everything for Jiselle, for her new family, and for the life she thought she had chosen.

From critically acclaimed author Laura Kasischke comes a novel of married life, motherhood, and the choices we must make when we have no choices left.
 
Review: This was an unusual apocalyptic novel because the pandemic part is mostly in the background.  Instead, the novel focused primarily on an ordinary woman, her relationship with her new stepchildren, and her ability to make do during a mysterious flu.  Pandemic novels terrify me, because I can so easily imagine a global pandemic spreading across the the real world, but I am strangely drawn to them to learn how people cope in tragic and terrifying circumstances.  Usually, the main characters turn into heroes, but I loved that Jiselle seemed to just float along and do the best she could - exactly how I think most people would react.  The romance between Jiselle and her handsome pilot husband Mark wasn't nearly as interesting as the struggle she went through with her stepdaughters.  And I thought the lack of explanation around the Phoenix flu was a little unrealistic; surely someone would have been able to figure out and publicize how it spread, at least. 

Rating: 4 stars

Red Rising

Red Rising

Pierce Brown

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads):  Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow-- and Reds like him-- are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity' s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society' s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Review:  OK.  This book has a rating of 4.16 on Goodreads, and has been compared favorably to The Hunger Games, which means that there was a good chance I'd love it.  But I found it bloodydamn boring, gory and unrealistic.  The beginning was quite interesting - a civilization of slaves on Mars mining for the upper classes, but the catch is that they don't know they're slaves.  There's a little romance, a very little character building, some drama, and then BAM.  Off into crazy sci-fi land. Cursing?  Way too much.  Completely changing the main character's body, including skeleton, heart, muscles and all that?  Too unrealistic, even for science fiction or dystopian fiction.  The writing style?  Not mine.  Sentences?  Too choppy.  Reviewers seem to think that the middle and end are gripping and fantastic, but I just couldn't get that far into it.

Rating: abandoned

Graduation Day

Graduation Day

by Joelle Charbonneau

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  With the United Commonwealth teetering on the brink of all-out civil war, this is the moment to lead that the gifted student and Testing survivor Cia Vale has trained for.

Having discovered the brutal truth behind The Testing, she has vowed to end it once and for all.  As Cia plunges through layers of deception and danger, she must risk the lives of those she loves most and gamble on the loyalty of her lethal classmates.

The stakes are higher than ever-lives of promise cut short or fulfilled; a future ruled by fear or hope-in this electrifying conclusion to Joelle Charbonneau's epic Testing trilogy.

Ready or not...it's Graduation Day.

From the book jacket

Review: Something was missing in this book and I can't pinpoint what it was.  But there was something that didn't hold my interest.  There was lots of build up to the end mission but it was a lot of talk and planning and Cia trying to figure out what was the truth.  At times I was really confused by what Cia was struggling with.  Perhaps it was too much of Cia being charged with solving the whole Commonwealth's problem even thought she was just the youngest student on campus (which we are reminded of constantly).  While there was a satisfactory ending and an explanation of why things happened, I still didn't buy into why Cia had to be the one to solve everything.  I did enjoy the whole series and I would recommend it as a quick, dystopian trilogy.

Rating:  3 1/2 stars

Independent Study

Independent Study

by Joelle Charbonneau

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  With her brutal Testing experience forgotten thanks to a government-issued memory wipe, seventeen-year-old Cia Vale is eager to begin her studies at the Commonwealth's elite University, as is Tomas, the boy she loves.

Their bright futures are threatened by the past,  however, when violent nightmares that feel more like memories force Cia to question reality and the true motives lurking behind the friendly faces of her classmates.

Embarking on a forbidden course of study that could get her killed, Cia delves into the Commonwealth's darkest secrets.  What she learns changes everything...

The Testing was just the beginning.

Review:  I enjoyed this book as a sequel to The Testing but it wasn't as action filled as the first book.  This book continued to raise questions for me regarding the underlying basis of the book: killing off the best and brightest of the colonies' youth to find the best leaders.  This just doesn't make sense when there aren't that many people who remain in the Commonwealth.  But just try to ignore that while reading!  This book is a good set up for the next book but it doesn't come to a satisfying conclusion.  It almost seems that this book was meant to be longer perhaps even as long as the second and third book put together!  Luckily I have the 3rd book in my hands to read right away.  Cia is a very strong heroine in this book but sometimes she just seemed too intelligent and too able to solve problems that no one else could.  She seems a little unrealistic.  I am still enjoying the series and I can't wait to find out how it concludes.

Rating:  3 1/2 stars

The Testing

The Testing

by Joelle Charbonneau

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same? 

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career. 

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one. 

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

From GoodReads

Review: Here is another book in the young adult dystopian fiction genre that is part of a trilogy.  I've read some reviews and some people think it's a rip off from Hunger Games.  I could see similarities but that didn't make the book any less enjoyable.  It didn't make me know what was coming.  I liked the premise of the story but there were some holes for me.  The students chosen for the Testing have to go through rigorous deadly exams to weed out people who may not be the best leaders for their community but I couldn't figure out why that was necessary as all the people accepted into the University after the Testing didn't go on to lead the country-they were scientists, teachers, researchers, etc.  You would think the best and brightest from each colony should all be accepted to the University and then after completing coursework, they go through a testing process to find their best jobs.  But then there wouldn't have been much of a story to this book!  I appreciated Cia's intelligence in this book and her ability to adapt to situations.  I also appreciated the description of the world and how it came to be its present state.  I look forward to reading the next 2 books in the series.

Rating: 4 stars

The One

The One

by Kiera Cass

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  The Time has come for one winner to be crowned.

When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, American never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown-or to Prince Maxon's heart.  But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grown more and more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose-and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

From the book jacket

Review:  Luckily this book was much better than the second book in the trilogy.  America and Maxon were not whiny characters and they seemed to have grown up by this book.  Thank goodness!  I am quite pleased and satisfied with how this trilogy ended.  I didn't want the fairy tale to end.  I did feel that some of the secondary characters changed in this book and I didn't believe their transformations.  They seemed a little contrived to me.  Some of the storyline seemed contrived as well.  But overall it was a good, light, fast read that successfully ends the trilogy.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

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

To read my review of The Elite, click here.

The Death Cure

The Death Cure

by James Dashner

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  Thomas knows that WICKED can't be trusted.  They stole his memories and locked him inside the Maze.  They forced him to the brink of death by dropping him in the wilds of the Scorch.  And they took the Gladers, his only friends, from him.

Now WICKED says that the time for lies is over.  That they've collected all the data they can from the Trials and will rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission: to complete the blueprint for the cure for the Flare.  But Thomas must undergo one final test.

What WICKED doesn't know, however, is that Thomas has already remembered far more than they think.  And it's enough to prove that he can't believe a word of what WICKED says.

The time for lies is over.  And the truth is more dangerous that Thomas could ever have imagined.

From the book jacket

Review:  This was a satisfying final to The Maze Runner trilogy.  It just wasn't as exciting or action packed as the first two books.  This one answered all the questions that I still had after reading the first two and I feel that the series ended realistically.  The pace of this book was quite slow and there wasn't too much of a story.  Clearly there needed to be another book after The Scorch Trials to answer questions and to wrap the story up but I would really like to have seem more meat to this book.

Rating: 3 stars

Messenger

Messenger

by Lois Lowry

Genre: Juevenile Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  He carried messages for [the people].  It was his job.  He thought that when it came time to be assigned his true name, Messenger would be the choice.  He liked the sound of it and looked forward to taking that title.

But this evening Matty was not carrying or collecting a message...He headed to a clearing he knew of, a place that lay just beyond a thick stand of bristly pines...He needed privacy for this thing he was discovering about himself: a place to test it in secret, to weigh his own fear for what it meant.

Six years earlier, Matty had come to Village as a scrappy and devious little boy.  Back then, he liked to call himself "the Fiercest of the Fierce," but since that time, Matty had grown almost into a man under the care of Seer, a blind man whose special sight had earned him the name.  Now Matty hopes that he will soon be given his true name, and he hopes it will be Messenger. But strange changes are taking place in Village.  Once a utopian community that prided itself on its welcome to newcomers, Village will soon be closed to all outsiders.  As one of the only people able to safely travel through the dangerous Forest, Matty must deliver the message of Village's closing and try to convince Seer's daughter, Kira, to return with him before it's too late.  But Forest has grown hostile to Matty too, and he must risk everything to fight his way through it, armed only with an emerging power he cannot yet explain or understand.

From the book jacket

Review:  This book started out slowly.  It took me a while to become interested in the storyline.  Matty is a character who we met in Gathering Blue so there is a connect between this book and the last book.  I liked the community that Matty lived in but there just wasn't enough of a plot.  Nothing really happened in this book.  There was some action at the very end but that was about it.  At least I didn't end this book wanting to know more.  I'm satisfied by how this book ended.

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

To read the review of The Giver, click here.

To read the review of Gathering Blue, click here.

Coda

Coda

by Emma Trevayne

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  Deep in an abandoned basement, Anthem signs of truth and freedom with his illegal underground band.  Yet on the surface and under watchful eyes, Anthem is unable to resist the call of the Corporation's addictive, mind-altering music tracks, even as he knows they are used to control him and his fellow citizens.

When tragedy strikes close to home, Anthem realizes that defying the Corp comes at a deadly price...and the stakes of preventing his brother and sister from being claimed by the government drug are worth every heart-pounding second.  The key to the revolution might lie with the girl Anthem loves, but will he trust her enough to let her join the fight?

from the back of the book

Review: This book was slow to start but it finally picked up.  I had trouble understanding some parts and at times I was unclear as to what happened.  All of a sudden I would realize that something happened but I didn't remember reading about it!  Perhaps I wasn't reading carefully enough or perhaps things weren't explained well enough.  The writing wasn't quite fluent enough for me.  The story was intriguing with how citizens were controlled by music and music was a drug that they were addicted to.  But there was something about this story that wasn't gripping enough.  There wasn't a lot of action until about two thirds of the way through the book.  This book is certainly different that a lot of the dystopian fiction books in regards to what the world looks like.  This is supposed to be part of a series and I may read more but this book's end left me content.  I wasn't left hanging which I am thankful for.  

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Gathering Blue

Gathering Blue

by Lois Lowry

Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  "Mother?"

There was no reply.  She hadn't expected on.  Her mother had been dead, now, for four days, and Kira could tell that the last of the spirit was drifting away...Now she was all alone.

Left orphaned and physically flawed in a civilization that shuns and discards the weak, Kira faces a frighteningly uncertain future.  Her neighbors are hostile and no one but a small boy offers to help.

When she is summoned to judgement by The Council of Guardians, Kira prepares to fight for her life.  But the Council, to her surprise, has plans for her.  Blessed with an almost magical talent that keeps her alive, the young girl faces new responsibilities and a set of mysteries deep within the only world she has ever know.  On her quest for truth, Kira discovers things that will change her life and world forever.
From the book jacket

Review:  First off, I don't see how this is a sequel to The Giver.  It has nothing to do with it.  It's a completely different village/community.  There is a totally different story line.  If you are expecting to know more about what happens to Jonas,  you will be sorely disappointed.  If you look at this book as a stand alone book, it's a decent book.  I didn't think this book was as thought provoking. I figured out the twist well before the main character did (I had to remind myself that this a young adult-or even younger audience book than that).  There was a lot of description in this book and not a lot of action.  The end left me wanting more and I sure hope that the next book in The Giver series tells me more about this community.

Rating:  3 stars

To read the review of The Giver, click here.

The Scorch Trials

The Scorch Trials

by James Dashner

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end.  No more puzzles.  No more variables.  And no more running.  Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back.  But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy.  They had food, and shelter, and safety...until Teresa triggered the end.  In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland.  Government has disintegrated-and with it, order-and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim...and meal.

The Gladers are far from done running.  Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial.  They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks.  And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder-does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind?  Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?
From the book jacket

Review:  I really enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed the first book.  We get answers to questions and we start to understand a bit more about the society who created these trials and why these children are participating.  But you won't have all your questions answered-there are plenty of unanswered questions and I have been told that most are answered in the third book.  This book is full of action, suspense and drama and is quite the page turner.  There are some disturbing events as the story is fantasy and set in a futuristic world where terrible things have happened.  You have to be prepared for that going into the book.  There was a twist that I wasn't expecting and I didn't like because it changed my opinion of one of the characters whom I had previously really liked.  I am looking forward to seeing where the series goes next.

Rating: 4 stars

To see my review of The Maze Runner, click here.

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner

by James Dashner

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name.  He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is.  His memory is empty.

But he's not alone.  When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade  All they know is that every morning, for as long as anyone can remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened.  Every night, for just as long, they've closed tight.  Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift.  And no one wants to be stuck in the Maze after dark.

The Gladers were expecting Thomas' arrival.  But the next day, a girl is sent up-the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade.  And more surprisingly yet is the message she delivers.  The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might find their way home...wherever that may be.  But it's looking more and more as if the Maze is unsolvable.

And something about the girl's arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different.  Something is telling him that he just might have some answers-if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind.

From the back of the book

Review:  Seeing as how I have read quite a few young adult dystopian fiction books recently, it's hard not to compare books and series.  This book was different in the fact that the main character was male.  I almost had to give up on this book after 20 pages because I was utterly lost and confused and perhaps the author did that on purpose so that you know how Thomas feels being taken to the Glade with no memories-even memories of some language.  I am not a fan of books where I don't know what on earth is going on-Dashner has created his own slang and curse words that are used over and over again in the first 20 pages and part of the time I had no clue what people were talking about.  Luckily, I stuck with the book because it became so much more intriguing.  The concept of a society of young men who have figured out how to survive and how to meet their needs was very intriguing.  The maze and the purpose of the maze was definitely captivating.  The book was full of action but it was also a little horrifying and suspenseful.  Be prepared to be a little disturbed.  The book is fast paced and you will definitely not want to put it down.  You do need to be ready to get into the series though as the end lets us know a little bit more but whets our appetite for the next book.

Rating: 4 stars

Champion

Champion

by Marie Lu

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  He is a Legend.

She is a Prodigy.

Who will be Champion? 

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position. 

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything. 

With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

From GoodReads

Review:  I read this book in less than 1 day which means it was captivating and a page turner!  I couldn't wait to find out how the Republic was going to defend itself against the Colonies and how June and Day were going to help.  This was a very satisfying end to the trilogy-the ending was written so beautifully and emotionally.  It really tugs at your heart. This book had some romance in it like the others but perhaps a bit more than the others.  We can't have a young adult dystopian trilogy without romance, can we?   This series overall was fantastic.  I think one of the things I liked so much about these books was the lack of teenage angst.  June and Day are young-14 and 15 in the first book I believe but yet they don't act like teenagers. They are smart and critical thinkers.  That could be a criticism of the book because it is a young adult novel but I credit their maturity to the society that they are raised in.  Kids couldn't be kids for a long time.  They had to grow up after the Trials at age 10 or 11 (I can't remember the specific age).  One of the things I liked specifically about this book was getting to see how other people in the world lived.  It was fascinating to see how other societies developed after the great flood.  I would highly recommend this series to anyone who liked other young adult dystopian fiction series-you may even find that this one is your favorite! 

Rating:  5 stars

To see my review of Legend click here.

To see my review of Prodigy click here.

Unravel Me

Unravel Me

by Tahereh Mafi

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis:  Tick tick tick tick tick it's almost time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point.  It is a place for people like her-people with gifts-and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam.  But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

Haunted by her past and terrified of her future, Juliette knows that in her present, she will have to make some life changing choices.  Choices that may involve choosing between her heart-and Adam's life.

From the book jacket

Review:  I could not wait to finish this book and that is not a good thing.  I got so bored with this book and I just couldn't keep reading it.  I almost abandoned it after about 380 pages but I figured I might as well finished it.  The last book, Shatter Me, ended with me wanting to find out what happens next.  This book did not end that way.  I can't read another book where the figurative language takes over and turns one paragraph into pages of metaphor after metaphor.  I also can't read another book with more cross outs.  The last book started out with a lot of figurative language and cross outs but got better so I had hoped that this book would be better but it was definitely NOT!  The first half or more of this book was just a romance between Juliette and Adam and less about the powers they have and the resistance that they were planning.  There was hardly any action in this book and a lot of pity parties.  I will most definitely not read the third book.

Rating:  1 star

Prodigy

Prodigy

by Marie Lu

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis: After escaping from the Republic's stronghold of Los Angeles, June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place.  With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the pair joins a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and who offer them passage to the Colonies.  The Patriots have only one request-June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It's the chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.  But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she's haunted by the choice ahead.  What if Anden is a new beginning?  What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood?  What if the Patriots are wrong?

From the book jacket

Review:  Oh my, I highly enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to read the conclusion to this series!  I really enjoyed the first book of the series but I liked this one better.  Now that we know the characters, there can be more action.  The characters and their relationships continue to develop but we don't need to know all their background again like we did in the beginning.  In this book you really get to see what the 2 warring nations are-the Republic and the Colonies.  You know much more about them and how they became to be.  I always like when my questions are answered!  The assassination plot was full of action and was quite a page turner and you really didn't know what was going to happen.  Then when June and Day venture into the Colonies you learn about the other part of the former USA are living and how it is so different from the Republic.   I was surprised by the twist at the end and like I said before this book left me wanting to rush out right now to get the third book.  I can't wait to see how this series finishes.

Rating: 5 stars