Still Forms on Foxfield

Book Details:
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 213
Publication Date: 1980
Why I read it: I like the author
Grade: C

The plot:
Fleeing the final war that would destroy Earth's civilization, a small group of Friends--Quakers--found refuge on the uncharted planet they named Foxfield. Somehow they managed to survive, with the aid of the bizarrely gifted native life-form, the Commensals--and, even more extraordinarily, they kept up the practice of their gentle but demanding beliefs. Then, after nearly a century of silence, Earth contacted them--human civilization had miraculously survived the war and had spread out to the stars, flourishing to an undreamed-of richness. And the Friends of Foxfield were a part of it--whether they agreed or not.

My review:
I've read a couple other books by Joan Slonczewski, and really liked what I've read so far. So since I've had this sitting on my shelf for a few years, I figured I'd better pick it up. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I believe this was her first novel, and she has definitely improved (although she hasn't written anything recently), but Still Forms on Foxfield left a lot to be desired.

To start with, I just kept waiting for something big to happen, something that would surprise or excite me, and it never came. The ending kind of fizzled out, and I was left feeling like I had just wasted my time. There were times when I found my attention wandering, specifically when dealing with the Commensals, who I just never understood. They were the planets indigenous, alien (at least to the humans) lifeform, and I couldn't get a feel for them. I couldn't picture what they looked like, the science behind what they were doing, how they lived. None of it made any sense to me, and it felt like the author kept going into detailed scientific descriptions about them, which is fine if you're a biologist or really into science, but I'm neither of those things. It really took me out of the story.

I also didn't feel like there were any characters to root for. Allison, the main character, was okay, but it seemed like she always just went with the flow. The whole thing was just so blah, with very little excitement for being a clash of the cultures type novel. There were some interesting things, but they seemed to be few and far between, and I just wish they had been explored further. I don't think I would recommend this one, but I would very highly recommend A Door Into Ocean by the same author. It's one of my favorite science fiction novels.

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Mockingjay

Book Details:
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Page Count: 390
Publication Date: August 24, 2010
Why I read it: 3rd in series
Grade: A+

Cover thoughts:
I love this cover. The colors are great, I love the picture of the mockingjay. The only thing is, why do publishers or authors or whoever does the cover design think that Stephenie Meyer's opinion is a good thing to put on there? I mean, really.

About the author:
Suzanne Collins is the author of the Hunger Games trilogy and The Underland Chronicles. She is amazing, and you can check out her website here.

The plot:
I don't want to give away spoilers for this book or the previous two, so I'll just say here that this is the third and final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, and it blew me away. If you've not yet read The Hunger Games, get off the computer immediately and go buy the whole trilogy. And then read it. I'm not kidding around here.

Characters:
Oh, Katniss, I really love you, but you break my heart. How you are not a puddle of goo on the floor by the end of the series, I'll never know. I love the characters in these books. I must admit that I've always been Team Gale, but this book for me was really all about Katniss. And Finnick a little bit. Okay, a lot. I loved Finnick. But so many of the characters in this book were broken down and at the end of their rope. It was hard to read at times. There were times when I had to put the book down so I could cry for a little bit. And there were times when I was literally sobbing.

Setting:
This series is set in the future in what used to be the United States. Collins has created an amazing world here, although definitely not one that I'd like to visit anytime soon. Or ever.

Notable quotes:
"You're still trying to protect me. Real or not real," he whispers.
"Real," I answer. - "Because that's what you and I do, protect each other."

"Is that why you hate me?" I ask.
"Partly," She admits. "Jealousy is certainly involved. I also think you're a little hard to swallow. With your tacky romantic drama and your defender-of-the-helpless act. Only it isn't an act, which makes you more unbearable. Please feel free to take this personally."

Read this if you're in the mood for: the best book you've read in a long time. But first read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.

Continue or part ways? In case I haven't made it clear, I loved this book. No, it wasn't perfect, but after waiting for this book all year, I wasn't disappointed at all. I'm only disappointed that I read it so fast and now I'm done. I don't want to read anything else right now because I'm afraid nothing will measure up. I haven't read the Underland Chronicles yet, so I'll be getting to those when I get a chance, and I'll definitely be reading anything else Collins writes.

Trickster's Girl

Book Details:
Genre: YA Science Fiction (kind of)
Page Count: 288
Publication Date: Jan. 3, 2011
Why I read it: netgalley review copy
Grade: D+

Cover thoughts:
I don't really like this cover. I think it's pretty boring, and I think so much more could have been done with the cover illustrating the story.

About the author:
Hilari Bell's website is here. She was a librarian who achieved her dream of becoming a writer.

The plot:
This book takes place in the future--I think about 2098. Kelsa's father has just died of cancer, and she is devastated because they were very close. The night she buries her father, a mysterious boy appears. He is the Native American trickster, Raven. He keeps trying to get her to believe in magic, and when he starts doing a bunch of magic stuff, including shapeshifting, she finally starts to believe. He tells her the world is dying, and she is the one who needs to save it. So they set off on an adventure from Utah to Alaska, stopping at points along the way to do some healing. Also, the author got tired of writing this book, and gave it the biggest non-ending ending I've ever read.

Characters:
Kelsa was okay. I didn't hate her, but she was just kind of there for me. Same with Raven. They just weren't terribly exciting, and there was a big emotional disconnect throughout the whole story.

Setting:
This is Earth in the future. There has been some biological terrorism against trees in South America, which is spreading. Also, there is a lot more security, there are border patrols from state to state instead of country to country. Cars run on electricity instead of gasoline. Nothing terribly imaginative or different.

Notable quotes:
"I like the churches God made better," he'd told Kelsa one autumn afternoon, gesturing to the towering peaks around them, the sweep of meadow and sky.

Read this if you're in the mood for: a story set in the future, with kind of a dystopian feel. If you're a big environmentalist, you might like this because it talks a lot about how humans are ruining the earth.

Continue or part ways? I read The Goblin Wood by Hilari Bell and really, really liked it. The writing in this one actually wasn't terrible, I just felt like it was a little sloppy. I will give Bell another try in the future, but I'm not sure if I'd read the next Raven book, which isn't due out until 2012 anyway.

The Last Christian

Title: The Last Christian
Author: David Gregory
Genre: Christian Science Fiction
Page Count: 416
Why I read it: received review copy from the publisher
Grade: B

Synopsis:
Missionary daughter Abigail Caldwell emerges from the jungle for the first time in her thirty-four years, the sole survivor of a mysterious disease that killed her village. Abby goes to America, only to discover a nation where Christianity has completely died out. A curious message from her grandfather assigns her a surprising mission: re-introduce the Christian faith in America, no matter how insurmountable the odds.

But a larger threat looms. The world's leading artificial intelligence industrialist has perfected a technique for downloading the human brain into a silicon form. Brain transplants have begun, and with them comes the potential of eliminating physical death altogether—but at what expense?

As Abby navigates a society grown more addicted to stimulating the body than nurturing the soul, she and Creighton Daniels, a historian troubled by his father's unexpected death, become unwitting targets of powerful men who will stop at nothing to further their nefarious goals. Hanging in the balance—the spiritual future of all humanity.

My review:
I got behind on my review reading, and to be honest, I put off reading this book because I wasn't sure I'd like it or be in the mood for it. The story was so different from what I was expecting, and moved at a fast pace that made it very hard for me to put down. I don't find that too often with Christian fiction. I found the plot to be very believable, and can actually see a future like the one in this book, especially where Christianity is virtually gone in America.

Abby was an interesting character, especially being from a remote tribe and never having lived in the modern world. I would have actually liked to read more about her and her experience living with an indigenous people, but I guess that would be a different story than what the author wanted to tell. Although I liked Abby well enough, sometimes it was hard to figure out exactly why other characters were so drawn to her, because it wasn't coming across in the story very well, to me.

This is truly one of those books that will bring up questions and would be great for book group discussion. What is the nature of a soul? Would it be a good thing to live forever? What would be the consequences? Could Christianity die out, and why? I enjoy books like this that cause me to think beyond when I close the last page.

To read an excerpt and for other information and extras, click here.

The Pack - Review by Kaitlyn

Title: The Pack
Author: LM Preston
Genre: Sci Fi/ Fantasy
Page Count:316
Why I read it: received review copy
Grade:B

Synopsis:
Shamira is considered an outcast by most, but little do they know that Shamira is on a mission. Kids on Mars are disappearing, but Shamira decides to use the criminals most unlikely weapons against them, the very kids of which they have captured. In order to succeed, she is forced to trust another, something she is afraid to do. However, Valens her connection to the underworld of her enemy, proves to be a useful ally. Time is slipping, and so is her control on the power that resides within her. Yet, in order to save her brother's life she is willing to risk it all.

Kaitlyn's review:
I think that this was a good book, it had some gripping parts in it, some, less gripping. I liked how each character had a lot of personality. I think that this was a good story, but some parts could have been left out. It had a lot of action, but it wasn't constant action which is kind of a good thing because you don't always want constant action.

Some of the things that were likable about this book is the descriptions. The descriptions were good enough that you could easily picture what was going on, what the characters look like, what the characters act like, and even the scenery. I also liked some of the fighting in it. It was a good story and if you look deep enough into it you can see a few good morals.

Some of the things I didn't like so much is like the slower parts. Some of the slower parts were just like the parts that were repeated in a way. Like the parts that happen then ended up needing to happen again, it is kind of hard to explain.

Some things that I noticed were:
This book was written in third person, because I like to write books I have noticed that this is an easier way to write. I think it sounded good third person. It was narrated well enough that you could tell what the person would have said if it were written in first person.

This book had a lot of facts and opinions about Mars. The description of Mars sounded just about right. So there was a lot of facts about looks. But the opinions were mainly about what it might be like if people lived there, like what stores were there, what things were built there, and all that sort of stuff.

The people were a lot like us. They can make friends easily they aren't always independent and that sort of thing. They seemed to have personalities that a lot of us have. They even look a lot like we do by the way the author described them. The only difference is that they are going through some different things then us, like all of there children missing.

This is a good book. I would recommend this book to people who like Mars, fantasy, action, romance, and all that sort of stuff. This book can relate to teens like myself even, it has family problems where you feel unloved and it even has some of the pains that adults may go through. If you like any of the things that I listed, then you should definitely try this book.

Unwind

Title: Unwind
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Page Count: 335
Why I read it: sounded interesting
Grade: B-

Synopsis:
In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them.
Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.

My review:
Unwind has an interesting, if unbelievable, premise, and was good enough to keep me reading for an entire afternoon until I finished it. There were parts that I could actually see happening. I could see this country coming to another Civil War (or the equivalent) because there is so much hatred on both sides of the two party system. What was not believable was the "Bill of Life", which was what the entire story was based on, that wouldn't have been acceptable by either the pro-life or the pro-choice sides.

But, if you can ignore that, the story is fast-paced with lots of varied characters. It was told from rotating points of view between characters, with third person narration. That way I never got tired of a certain character, which was nice.

I think this would be a great book for a book group, because there are lots of discussion possibilities here. Lots of moral questions raised--it would make for a great discussion.

The Host

Title: The Host
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 400 too many (619)
Why I read it: Recommended by Felicia
Grade: D-

Synopsis:
The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. But Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves--Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.--From publisher description.

My review:
WARNING: Rant ahead. I really disliked this story, but I understand that there are plenty of Stephenie Meyer fans, and I won't hold that against you if you won't hold this negative review against me. :)

How is Stephenie Meyer a published author? I ask you, how? She cannot write. She blathers on and on for 600+ pages, and still doesn't manage to tell a compelling story.

I hated the main character. Hated! I have never read a more hypocritical, self-righteous character than Wanda/Wanderer. Of course, I blame the author for inconsistency. How does it make any sense for a supposedly peace-loving, good, kind alien species to conquer world after world, murdering entire species? And this is the kind of character I'm supposed to root for and fall in love with? One that over and over calls humans monsters, and talks about how horrible they are, all the while living in a body that is not her own, that she stole. While her species is systematically murdering the human race? And the humans are monsters? Is this supposed to be entertainment?

Let's suppose that someone who is stronger than you moves themselves into your house. Not only do you not want them there, but you're expected to just leave. In fact, the person who moved into your house is annoyed that you're still there. Why are you still there? It's their house now. But, because you refuse to leave, you're stuck living in a tiny closet, with no way to communicate with the outside world. But see, the person who moved into your house is really nice. Really, really nice (except for the fact that she stole your house). So all your neighbors and family start to love her. And they start to think that she has as much right to live in your house as you do. Even though as long as she's there, you'll only ever be able to live in the tiny closet with no outside contact. But heck, you might as well love her too. Cause she's so nice and she's such a good person (except for the fact that she stole your house, and also she thinks that murdering entire species over and over on various worlds is perfectly acceptable, but besides that she totally hates violence--killing is okay, as long as you do it nicely).

I could even take all that if the story wasn't so mind-numblingly boring. There is just not much going on, but we get to read every detail of it. Every single detail. The characters are flat--there's no one to root for or even care about, because all we get to hear about is what Wanda thinks, and whether or not everybody likes Wanda. That's how we could determine who the good guys and bad guys were, of course. Whether or not you love Wanda. If you distrust or dislike the alien parasite who has taken over and suppressed a human body and mind, well, you're obviously a bad guy in this story.

I don't think I'll be reading anything else that Meyer writes. Sorry, fans, but she's just not for me.

Candor

Title: Candor
Author: Pam Bachorz
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Page Count: 256
Why I read it: sounded good
Grade: C

Synopsis:
Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got them all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape Candor, Florida before they're transformed into cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor, and Oscar's carefully-controlled world crumbles.

My review:
When I first saw the description for this one, I was excited for what I thought would be another great dystopia book, with moral conflicts and lots of action. And it really wasn't any of that.

The story moved fairly slow. I think so much could have been done with the setting and the idea, but there was a lot of unfulfilled potential here. I thought maybe at least it would get exciting, but it never did, and there was very little pay-off in the end for slogging through the boring.

I didn't care for the main character. I found him unsympathetic, and there weren't any other characters I could like. I wanted so much more from this story, and it wasn't at all what I was hoping for.

The Carpet Makers

Title: The Carpet Makers
Author: Andreas Eschbach
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 300
Why I read it: heard it was good
Grade: C+

Synopsis:
Since the time of pre-history, carpetmakers tie intricate knots to form carpets for the court of the Emperor. These carpets are made from the hairs of wives and daughters; they are so detailed and fragile that each carpetmaker finishes only one single carpet in his entire lifetime. This art descends from father to son, since the beginning of time itself.
But one day the empire of the God Emperor vanishes, and strangers begin to arrive from the stars to follow the trace of the hair carpets. What these strangers discover is beyond all belief, more than anything they could have ever imagined...

My review:
I'm having such a hard time rating this book. Andreas Eschbach has created an amazing world to explore in The Carpet Makers. Unfortunately, he fails to really explore it. It reads like a bunch of short stories set in the same world, sometimes connected, and other times I can't really figure out what the point of a certain thread is.

There really is no character development. Not enough time is spent on any character or setting to really get the full story, before we've moved on to other characters, sometimes never to return.

On the other hand, the world was fascinating. I kept reading because I wanted to know how it all tied together, and at the end it did come together somewhat, but for me it was underwhelming, and I was ultimately disappointed. This writer is good, for sure, but I feel like there could have been so much more story told, so many more things to develop and explore, and it just never got there.

I would read more by this author, but I'm not sure if any other of his books are translated into English. This one was not heavy at all on the science, and could be enjoyed by fans of any genre.

The Gardener

Title: The Gardener
Author: S.A. Bodeen
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Page Count: 232
Why I read it: ARC tour
Grade: A
Publication Date: May 25, 2010

Synopsis:
Mason has never known his father, but longs to. All he has of him is a DVD of a man whose face is never seen, reading a children’s book. One day, on a whim, he plays the DVD for a group of comatose teens at the nursing home where his mother works. One of them, a beautiful girl, responds. Mason learns she is part of a horrible experiment intended to render teenagers into autotrophs—genetically engineered, self-sustaining life-forms who don’t need food or water to survive. And before he knows it, Mason is on the run with the girl, and wanted, dead or alive, by the mysterious mastermind of this gruesome plan, who is simply called the Gardener.

My review:
This is the kind of YA that I really like, and should probably stick to. It's the kind that brings up so many questions and morality issues, and it really makes you stop and think. Or at least, you'll take time to think about things after you're done, because you definitely won't want to stop reading this one. It's a page turner for sure.

My one complaint on this book was that it was way too short. I wanted more story, and felt like we were just getting started. There is a lot more story to tell here. It was hard to get a great feel for the characters, mostly because it's told in first person narration, so we only ever get to know what Mason is thinking, and it's really the other characters who are the most interesting, and who have the most to tell us. I would have like to see this story in third person narrative, told from different perspectives. But I guess no book is perfect. It would be nice to read more books set in this world, but it's unclear if this is a start of a series.

I would highly recommend this one, and will be looking for more by this author.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Title: The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Page Count: 265
Why I read it: sounded good
Grade: B-

Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a year-long coma, and she's still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it. Her parents show her home movies of her life, her memories, but she has no recollection. Is she really the same girl she sees on the screen?
Little by little, Jenna begins to remember. Along with the memories come questions—questions no one wants to answer for her. What really happened after the accident?  

My review:
This book had a fairly predictable plot.  I don't think I was really surprised once while reading it, and I know I was supposed to be.  Still, the writing was pretty good, and I liked it enough that I wasn't bothered by the predictability.

The characters were okay, but we really only get to know Jenna in this novel, and the other characters are not fleshed out at all.  It's just a journey of self-discovery for Jenna, and that's pretty much it.  She does have interactions with other characters, but even those seemed to be interactions to help us understand who Jenna is, and not who anybody else is.

I'd recommend this for a quick read, especially if you like YA books.  This book was eerily similar to Skinned by Robin Wasserman--so many plot points were the same, except the stories seemed to go in totally different directions.

The Line

Title: The Line
Author: Teri Hall
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Page Count: 219
Why I read it: sounded good
Grade: D+

Synopsis:
 An invisible, uncrossable physical barrier encloses the Unified States. The Line is the part of the border that lopped off part of the country, dooming the inhabitants to an unknown fate when the enemy used a banned weapon. It’s said that bizarre creatures and superhumans live on the other side, in Away. Nobody except tough old Ms. Moore would ever live next to the Line.
Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel’s dad died in the last war. It’s a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help.
Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?

My review:
This one started out painfully slow.  When I stop reading just so I can roll my eyes, it's never a good sign.  There is so much world building, and so little dialogue that it was hard to keep reading.  And the dialogue that was there was just more world building.  Things picked up slightly around page 80, but for the size of this book, that just wasn't quite good enough.

I need a better balance of action, dialogue, and narration in my books, so this one didn't satisfy.  The action was all packed in to the last 50 pages or so, and the whole book was just so uneven.  Not only that, the ending is so abrupt that it feels like there should probably be another couple hundred pages.  It's the first of a series, so that's why, but I'm not at all a fan of any series that is really just one long book.

The plot is intriguing, though, and the idea for the story is a good one.  It just wasn't executed as well as I would have liked.  The characters lacked depth, and suffered in the face of all the world building.  Did I mention there was a lot of world building?  All this being said, I will probably read the next in the series.  The author has potential, even if the writing felt a bit amateur, and I feel like the series can only go up from here.  All in all, I'm not sure I would recommend this one.

Life as We Knew It

Title: Life as We Knew It
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Page Count: 337
Why I read it: Looked good
Grade: A

Synopsis:
It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver's license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda's voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbors stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over.

My review:
I'm not even sure I want to tell you how many times I cried while reading this book.  We'll just say it was a lot, and leave it at that.  Life as We Knew It is bleak, it's depressing, it's sad, and it was the most captivating book I've read in a really long time.  I read late into the night, and only stopped reading when I was so tired I couldn't stay awake.

When I read the description for this book, it seemed interesting enough, but I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did, or for it to make me feel as much as I did.  I've often thought of how things would be, or what I would do if there was a natural disaster I had to deal with, but I only thought in terms of a few days or a week or so, never what I would do if it lasted months. 

The characters were real, and even though I thought I might get annoyed with the main character, especially since the book was told in diary form, but I didn't at all.  I really liked her.  The secondary characters were good, though, even though there weren't very many of them for the bulk of the story.  The only thing is, I thought at times that her friend Megan, who was deeply religious was almost silly in the way she was portrayed sometimes.  If I'm honest, I think I would have reacted to the situation very much as her friend Megan did, and I don't think it's as crazy as the book made it seem.  Although to be fair, the story is told through the diary of Miranda, and she probably did think her friend was crazy.

This book was excellent, and I highly recommend it to anyone, no matter what genre you usually read. 

Dull Boy

Title: Dull Boy
Author: Sarah Cross
Genre: YA science fiction
Page Count: 308
Why I read it: looked good
Grade: B+

Synopsis:
What do you do if you can deadlift a car, and you spend your nights flying to get away from it all? If you’re fifteen-year-old Avery Pirzwick, you keep that information to yourself. When you’re a former jock turned freak, you can’t afford to let the secret slip.
But then Avery makes some friends who are as extraordinary as he is. He realizes they’re more than just freaks—together, maybe they have a chance to be heroes. First, though, they have to decide whether to trust the mysterious Cherchette, a powerful would be mentor whose remarkable generosity may come at a terrible price.


My review:
Anyone who has read my blog for any length of time knows that I really love superheroes.  So it should come as no surprise that I really enjoyed this book.  It seemed to get off to a bit of a slow start, but for the most part it was just really fun.  There honestly wasn't a whole lot going on in this book.  It makes it hard to review a little bit.

The characters were likeable enough, even though I couldn't really relate to any of them.  I would like to have superpowers, but sadly I don't.  I think it would have been interesting to have some other POV's besides just Avery's.  With some of the characters, I just couldn't quite figure out their motivations.

I would probably recommend this book to YA readers.  It's a fast, fun read that will keep you entertained for a few hours.

Gone

Title: Gone
Author: Michael Grant
Genre: YA Science Fiction/Fantasy
Page Count: 558
Why I read it: It sounded good
Grade: B

Synopsis:
In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.
Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.
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 chosen, 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 disappear just like everyone else...

My review:
Gone definitely had an interesting premise.  It's another one of those books that you think about when you're done reading, and it also sparked a good discussion with my 12 year old.  I asked her what she would do if everyone over the age of 14 disappeared, and it was interesting to hear her answers.

There were a lot of characters in Gone, with author going so far as to start listing them a couple times.  Like: "On this side, there was Sam, Astrid, other kid, other kid, other kid, other kid, other kid, and other kid."  The problem was that, even though there were lots of characters, there wasn't a whole lot of variety.  It seemed like the kids were either very, very good or extremely bad with no morality whatsoever.  I believe there was just one character who struggled with what side he was on, but I found him so unlikeable that I didn't care about him at all.

But the story was well-written enough that I could get past my few problems with the book.  Any book that I can finish in a day that's 558 pages has to be pretty good, even if it is YA and is a fairly easy read.  Once again, we have a book that doesn't really have an end.  You HAVE to read the next book if you want to find out what happens.  Fortunately the second book is already out, so nobody has to wait around for it.  Also fortunate is that the book was good enough that reading a second book isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I would recommend this one to fans of YA literature.  Be aware that it's pretty violent and hard to read at times.

The Maze Runner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Page Count: 374
Why I read it: looked good
Grade: B-

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 black. 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 they could remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, 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’s arrival. But the next day, a girl springs up—the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. And more surprising 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 be able to 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.

My review:
When you have a book that's all about build up, you better deliver something really awesome at the end.  There has to be a pay-off, or all the unanswered questions and the feeling lost throughout the story isn't worth it.  James Dashner failed to deliver something really awesome.  At the end, I still really had no idea what was going on.  I don't care if it's the start of a series.  I hate it when authors try to force you to read the rest of their books.  Just write a good book, and readers will keep reading your books.  It's simple.

All that said, Dashner is a good writer.  The plot, if a bit frustrating, was very intriguing and different.  I kept turning pages, wanting to read more, so there were definitely good things about the book.  There was just so much build up, and when authors do that, I expect something really great at the end, but there was really just nothing.  My mind wasn't blown.

I would probably recommend this to YA readers.  Also, if you're looking to get your young adult son to read, this might be a good one.

Crashed

Title: Crashed
Author: Robin Wasserman
Genre: YA Science fiction
Page Count: 440
Why I read it: 2nd in a series
Grade: B

Synopsis:
In this follow-up to "Skinned," Lia becomes swept up in the idea of being a revolutionary after she joins Jude and his roving gang of mechs. But as plans escalate, she starts having second thoughts. How many people--mechanical and organic--is she willing to hurt to protect her freedom?






My review:
This one started off a little slow, but the pace soon picked up, and after that it was pretty action packed.  I liked this one better than the first in the series.  I felt like there was more to the story than just a girl feeling sorry for herself, surrounded by a bunch of jerks.  In this book, she still seemed to be surrounded by a lot of sarcastic, mean people, but she seems to be finding her place.

This book brings up a lot of ethics questions.  What does it mean to be human?  What makes a person a person?  It's interesting to think about, and I like books that make me think about things that I otherwise probably wouldn't even be considering.  I would recommend this series.

Feed

Title: Feed
Author: M.T. Anderson
Genre: YA science fiction
Page Count: 236
Why I read it: Sounded good
Grade: D

Synopsis:
For Titus and his friends, it started out like any ordinary trip to the moon - a chance to party during spring break and play with some stupid low-grav at the Ricochet Lounge. But that was before the crazy hacker caused all their feeds to malfunction, sending them to the hospital to lie around with nothing inside their heads for days. And it was before Titus met Violet, a beautiful, brainy teenage girl who has decided to fight the feed and its omnipresent ability to categorize human thoughts and desires.



My review:
Huh.  I don't even know what to say about this book.  It felt like the author was trying too hard to be funny and clever, and it just didn't work for me.  Like the line about the truffle being undervalued.  Not only was it unfunny in the book, it was equally unfunny in the "about the author" blurb.

Also, I was really, really annoyed with the slang.  I can't handle the way these YA authors are imagining how they think kids are going to be talking in the future.  It's obnoxious.  I know kids do have slang, and they swear, but if my kid was this stupid, I'd give them a good smack upside the head.

But the worst part about this novel was that it wasn't just the kids that talked this way.  It was the adults too.  The doctors, the president.  Everyone.  It wasn't a brilliantly written book, or a good satirical look at the future of America, it was just stupid.

I guess I had stuff to say about the book after all, and the last thing I'll say is that I really wouldn't recommend this one.

Ripple Effect

Title: Ripple Effect
Author: Paul McCusker
Genre: YA science fiction
Page Count: 204
Why I read it: I don't know
Grade: C

Synopsis:
 In book 1 of the Time Thrillers Trilogy, all Elizabeth wants to do is run away, but when her world is turned upside-down and inside-out in an unexpected and bizarre time warp, all she wants to do is return home. But will she find the faith to uncover the truth and make her way back to her own reality?







My review:
This book was pretty much just okay in every way.  It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't good.  It felt like the author got an idea of something to write about, and then without really thinking things through and developing the idea, he wrote a book.  Most of the time his "science" didn't even make sense to me, and I had a hard time figuring out what on earth he was trying to say.

The writing also felt a bit stilted, and I just wasn't very impressed.  I don't want to leave only negative thoughts on the book, so I will say that I thought the idea itself, of alternate reality time travel was interesting.  I just wished it would have been a little more developed.  I guess this is the first in a trilogy, and I think it has potential, but I won't be continuing.

Skinned

Title: Skinned
Author: Robin Wasserman
Genre: YA Science fiction
Got it from: Library
Why I read it: Looked good
Grade: C+

Synopsis:

Lia Kahn was perfect: rich, beautiful, popular. Until the accident that nearly killed her.

Now she has been downloaded into a new body that only looks human. Lia will never feel pain again, she will never age, and she can't ever truly die.

My review:
I really liked the idea of this book.  It wasn't really like anything I've read before.  It was interesting enough that I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened.  I think the biggest problem I  had was the lack of likeable characters, and that it was just so darn depressing.  Depressing is not really what I'm going for at this time of year.

I also had a hard time understanding the motivations behind some of the characters' actions.  It just didn't ring true, or even make sense some of the time.  And when I got to the end, I was thinking, "That's it?"  I realize this is the start of a trilogy, but I wanted more from it.  From the whole book, in fact.  I will continue on in the series, because I'm curious to see where it goes.  I would reservedly recommend this one, to fans of YA science fiction or futuristic novels.