The Jewel

The Jewel
(The Lone City #1)
Amy Ewing

My rating: ★★★

ISBN: 978-0062235794
Publisher: HarperTeen
Date of publication: September 2, 2014
Age: Grades 10 and up
Genre: Dystopian, Fantasy

Themes: slavery, surrogacy, choices, pregnancy, political intrigue

Violet Lasting is up for auction as a surrogate. With her esteemed skill in Augury (power to change shape, color, and growth), she is quickly purchased by one of the royals, the Duchess of the Lake. Now living in The Jewel, she is quickly immersed in the back-stabbing, intrigue, and cruelty behind the wealth and opulence. Practically a slave,  When she meets a man also under the Duchess' thumb and falls in love, their illicit relationship will cost both of them dearly.

Generally speaking, the story was a suspenseful and intriguing enough to keep me reading through to the end, trying to find out what will happen. The political intrigue running rampant through the book creates excellent drama and suspense. The Duchess is a fantastic character with a mysterious past; as we see the reasons behind her motivations, bit by bit as the story progresses, the questions build. Violet, however, was less impressive, with random spurts of pure rebelliousness and sudden obedience that didn't always make sense. And the romance? It could've been better. It's very sudden and unsupported, and rather disgustingly juvenile.

Ewing definitely came up with a unique (maybe slightly weird) idea: royals can no longer sustain their own pregnancies but a doctor discovers a genetic quirk conveniently amid the pubescent lowest class that makes for excellent surrogacy. Teenage surrogates. I'm still a little weirded out. The doctor appointments, especially (really, you had to mention the stirrups?). Pros and cons, my friends. You can decide whether or not to read for yourself.

Warning: Explicit Content
Sexuality

Find it at your library or on Amazon

Atlantia

I interrupt regularly scheduled programming for this: Happy Book Birthday! A special review for a recent release. (This post was meant to be published yesterday, but you get the point...)

Atlantia
Ally Condie

My rating: ★★★

ISBN: 978-0525426448
Publisher:
Date of publication: October 28, 2014
Age: Grades 7 and up
Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction

Themes: Dystopic society, corrupted government, underwater, family, relationships

Rio has dreamed of real air, real dirt, and sky. Instead, with the unexpected desertion of her twin sister, Bay, and the death of her parents, she is stuck. She is trapped in the underwater city of Atlantia, originally built to save humanity from the pollution and dangers Above. All alone, she hides the secret of her siren voice, and searches for a way to escape to the sunshine. In the process, she uncovers other secrets about her mother's death, her sister's decision, and the corrupted system of the Divide.

The story is captivating, albeit not completely unique (it vaguely reminded me of City of Ember). How it's written... Well, Condie's writing style can be very methodical. So, on the one hand, you get a good picture of the setting and characters. But on the other, it can be slow and redundant. It took some time to really get going. As for the characters? I especially admired True, the romantic interest in the story. He was selfless and hiding some fascinating secrets. Rio, as a character, was rather depressing and did not seem to evolve enough. She comes off selfish and woe-is-me. Overall, I do like it. It's up to you if you want to read it.

Find it at your library or on Atlantia

Monument 14

Monument 14
Emmy Laybourne
(Monument 14 #1)

My rating: ★★

ISBN: 9780312569037
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Date of publication: June 5, 2012
Age: Grades 9 and up
Genre: Dystopian/Apocalyptic

Themes: natural disasters, apocalypse, order, community

First the deadly hail fell, and the school bus driver crashed through the Greenway to save the students. Then, a massive earthquake hits, destroying the nearby chemical weapons plant. With deadly poisons leaking into the air and water, the 14 students seal themselves into the department store and struggle to maintain some semblance of order. But how long will they be trapped inside? Is there anyone left to save them?

Put 6 teens, 2 pre-teens, and 6 little kids in a ginormous department store, and you’re going to get some major drama. Tedious drama. Dragging drama. Sure, there are some exciting scenes, and the characters are good (Josie was awesome). Yes, they’re facing the end of the world; angst is to be expected. But I’m not won over. It’s not my style. That being said, perhaps teen readers can better relate the angst of the teenage characters.

Warning: Explicit Content
Sexuality

If you really want to, find it at your library or on Amazon

The One

The One
Kiera Cass
(Selection Trilogy #3)

My rating: ★★★

ISBN: 9780062059994
Publisher: Harper Teen
Date of publication: May 6, 2014
Age: Grades 8 and up
Genre: Romance

Themes: Love, caste hierarchy, reality television, Post-Apocalyptic America, royalty

The final installment of the Selection Trilogy, America Singer is with the last few the competitors for Prince Maxon’s hand in marriage. Having (finally) determined her true feelings for him, she wants to be the one. But with growing unrest from the southern rebels, the competition becomes more perilous. (Sounds a lot like the second one, eh?)

I’m just going to get to the point. If you read the first two, then yeah, you’ll need to read this book. But if you’re reading this review to determine whether or not to read the series, than I am here to tell you: DON’T. My goodness, I am very upset with this author. She took the easy way out at the end. Not only that, but the squabbles between Maxon and America are the most juvenile, teenage-angst-y arguments I’ve ever read. Picture me saying “UGH.” A lot. I don’t know if I can recommend this book…even though I’m obviously invested in the story, I’m so upset. Just UGH.

Check out my reviews for the other books in the series: Book 1 and Book 2.

Warning: Explicit Content
Some sexuality

If you really want to, find it at your library or on Amazon

The Elite

The Elite
Kiera Cass
(Selection Trilogy #2)

My rating: ★★★

ISBN: 9780062059963
Publisher: Harper Teen
Date of publication: April 23, 2013
Age: Grades 8 and up
Genre: Romance

Themes: Love, caste hierarchy, reality television, Post-Apocalyptic America, royalty

The middle installment of the Selection Trilogy, America is among the last six competitors, or the elite. However, the closer she gets to Maxon, the more she fears the crown. And what about her feelings for Aspen? How could she possibly choose between the two? With a growing number of attacks from rebels, she must decide soon since her own safety is at stake.

This is definitely a middle book: it drags, it doesn’t really seem to have its own plot, and it could have easily been condensed into the other two books. Overall, it was a bit hard to read in that America’s indecision and angst over the whole competition becomes tiresome. The characters are shallow, too, flip-flopping in ways that don’t make sense. Cass needs give them better depth.

Check out my reviews for the other books in the series: Book 1 and Book 3.

If you really want to, find it at your library or on Amazon

Love in the Time of Global Warming

Love in the Time of Global Warming
Francesca Lia Block

My rating: ★

ISBN: 9780805096279
Publisher: Henry Holt
Date of publication: August 27, 2013
Age: Grades 9 and up
Genre: Romance

Themes: apocalyptic disaster, GLTBQ, retelling,

Awards: YALSA Top Ten (2014), American Library Association Rainbow List Top 10 (2014) 

In this retelling of Homer’s The Odyssey, Penelope is left seemingly alone in Los Angeles after disaster strikes the country. However, as she finally leaves the house, she encounters cyclops, giants, witches, and other such fantastical beings. Meeting up with a few other survivors, Pen begins her journey to find her family.

I don’t really know what to say. Like, I even had a hard time writing the summary, because there’s just too much competing for attention in this book. It is such a mishmash of genres, themes, stories that…my brain hurts. Let me touch on a few: Global Warming is killing the earth. But the disasters were actually caused by a mad scientist who created giants and stuff. Yet, Pen has elemental powers. Oh, and she’s homosexual and falls in love with a transgender. And it loosely follows The Odyssey (which it makes a point of mentioning SEVERAL times throughout the book). But it is only 240 pages. Yeah. I really don’t recommend this. At all. Apparently, it’s the first in a series, but I’m not even going to worry about it.

Warning: Explicit Content
Sexuality

If you really want to, find it at your library or on Amazon

Defiance

Defiance

C. J. Redwine

(Defiance #1)

My rating: ★★

ISBN: 9780062117175
Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Date of publication: August 28, 2012

Age: Grades 8 - 12

Genre: Dystopian

Themes: post-apocalypse, fantasy, dystopian society, romance, tyranny, missing person

Rachel’s father, Jared, has gone missing on his latest courier mission, so the tyrannical Commander must declare him dead and put the 15-year-old girl under a new protector—Logan McEntire, Jared’s apprentice and Rachel’s once upon a time love interest, until he rejected her. Both are furious at the new set up, but Rachel doesn’t really care; she thinks her father is alive and will go to any lengths to get past the walls of Baalboden and its misogynic society to search for him. Logan is determined to protect her, as is his duty and—he soon discovers—his love.

Commander Chase, cruel and powerful, however, has other ideas for the two of them. Outside the walls of the city is a fire-breathing monster, and Chase knows that Jared may have found a way to control it. Rachel and Logan are forced to work together to stop the commander, discovering heartbreak and romance along the way.

While the plot is very dramatic and driven, the teenage angst can be a bit much. Redwine focuses a lot of her writing on emotions, and most of them are depression, hatred, anger, etc. etc. It’s repetitive and wordy; it gets tiresome. The Commander is evil, just because, and does not seem to have much depth. The love Logan starts to feel for Rachel seems to appear from nowhere, quite suddenly, too. And I really thought the fire-breathing monster was just a bit too much. There are better dystopic fiction books available.

Delirium

Delirium

Lauren Oliver
(Delirium #1)

My rating: ★★★

ISBN: 9780062112439

Publisher: Harper

Date of publication: August 2, 2011

Age: Grades 8 and up

Genre: Dystopian

Themes: Dystopian society, love, forbidden relationships

Lena is 95 days away from her procedure, the procedure that will cure her of anor deliria nervorsa, more commonly known as “love.” The disease can drive people to madness, hurt, breakdowns, and violence, so it must be eradicated. Lena is especially anxious to have it done since it didn’t work on her mother—even after three tries—and she committed suicide. However, she a meets a boy and is disturbed to find that she seems to enjoy the symptoms of the disease. Could the government be wrong about love? She soon discovers just how much the government is hiding.

Think Romeo & Juliet in a post-apocalyptic America and you’ll get the gist of this novel. It's pretty predictable. Still, it is an interesting concept for a story—I mean, how could you live without love? The government in this story is convinced it’s safer to be without. It’s fascinating to think about the repercussions of such a thought. The characters are enticing. So read if you like; I probably won't read the rest of the series, though.

Warning: Explicit Content
Language

Son

Son

Lois Lowry
(Giver Series #4)

My rating: ★★★

ISBN: 9780547887203

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Date of publication: October 2, 2012

Age: Grade 6 to 10

Genre: Fantasy

Themes: Dystopian society, mother/son relationship, searching, trading

Claire was assigned the role as birth mother in her society, but something went wrong when she gave birth to her first child. He's taken away and she's reassigned in society, but her vague memory of him lingers, and she's determined to find him. She determines his identity, but he's soon stolen away and escapes society with Jonas. She follows, but an accident, culture changes, and an encounter with a very dark, evil being that threatens her search. Will Claire find her son?

This book was divided into three parts and, in turn, lent itself to three different stories. At times, it seemed to drag, but was very thoroughly developed. The element of fantasy or magic that was introduced was a bit of a surprise for a book set up as a dystopia, but the plot development made it fit. As a series, I liked it well enough.

The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave

Rick Yancey
(5th Wave #1)

My rating: ★★★★

ISBN: 9780399162411

Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons

Date of publication: May 7, 2013

Age: Grade 8 and up

Genre: Science Fiction

Themes: Alien invasion, destruction of human race, epidemic, warfare

Awards: 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults (YALSA).

After the 1st wave, all power on Earth was fried with a single electromagnetic pulse. After the 2nd wave, any city within 60 miles of a coastline was underwater. After the 3rd wave, only those with an immunity to the plague remain. With the 4th, it is clear not every human is what they say they are. Cassie knows that she can trust no one if she wants to survive. But she needs to rescue her little brother and Evan Walker may be her only hope. Can she really trust him? Is he even human? And what exactly will happen in the 5th wave?

While there was a sense of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "War of the Worlds," this novel was a fantastic exploration into the mindset of the desperate human. Cassie now faces life and death decisions, where six months earlier, she only needed to worry about who was asking her to prom. It's heart-wrenching and well-written. The plot does slow a bit in the middle, while waiting for the worse to happen, but the ending is well worth it.

Warning: Explicit Content
Language
Some sexuality

The Selection

The Selection
Kiera Cass
(Selection Trilogy #1)

My rating: ★★★★

ISBN: 9780062059932

Publisher: Harper Teen

Date of publication: April 24, 2012

Age: Grades 8 and up

Genre: Romance

Themes: Love, caste hierarchy, reality television, Post-Apocalyptic America, royalty

America Singer does not want to be part of the pool of possible wives for the prince. There's someone at home she wants to marry, even though he is a caste below her. But when he urges her to join, just because of the possibility of fame and fortune, she puts in her application. Thousands of girls enter and only 50 are chosen to actually meet the prince; she probably won't get picked anyway. But the day comes and her name is called, and she meets Prince Maxon. Little did she know just how personable, loyal, and honest he is. Plus, as part of the competition of a lifetime, she now lives a life of luxary at the palace, being filmed for all the country to see. Could she really return to her old life? Even if she is constantly in danger of a rebel attack?

This definitely brings to mind the popular show "The Bachelor" along with a bit of Hunger Games for good measure. Yet, the narration was engaging and it was easy to love America's character. She's funny, yet true to her heart, bringing in a sense of depth and honesty. This book was truly entertaining and I am waiting eagerly for the sequels.

Check out my reviews for the other books in the series: Book 2 and Book 3.