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Variant

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Book: Variant by Robison Wells

Publishing Info: Published by HarperTeen; 373 pages; Hardcover

Goodreads Summary: Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape–his only real hope for survival–may be impossible.

This book was really creepy.  But also really good.

Everything is very mysterious, and just when you think you have it figured out, you realize you don’t.  The school?  Totally weird, because there are no adults, and around 70 kids, by themselves, trying to figure everything out.  It doesn’t seem like anyone knows what’s going on, but if they do, they’re really good at lying about it.

Trust no one is the perfect tagline for this book, because you really don’t know who to trust.  With people who are some combination of android and human (or a very human-like android), and others who are determined to follow orders at any cost, it’s no wonder Benson isn’t sure if he can trust anyone.  It’s very suspenseful, and I was on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen.

The school itself seems to be huge, and can hold a lot more than the 70 or so students living there.  Everyone knows a little, and yet they know nothing at the same time.  For a book that’s the first in the series- which I didn’t know until I got to the end of the book- things were pretty resolved.

As much I love female narrators, it was nice to see a male protagonist.  He was funny, and I could actually relate to him a little.  He’s one determined guy, and his quest to leave Maxfield after realizing that he made a mistake (and that there’s something hinky going on) was rather interesting.  He seems to be the only who cares and is willing to do something about it.  The other characters were interesting, and they all had their role to play.

The ending!  Oh.  My.  God.  What a cliffhanger!  I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.  October seems like so far away.

It gets a 4 out of 5.  I was kept guessing, and it was a hard book to put down.

Unwind

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Book: Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Publishing Info: Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing; 335; Paperback

Goodreads Summary: The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child “unwound,” whereby all of the child’s organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn’t technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

This is an interesting book.  I really liked it, but at the same time, I was oddly disturbed, especially when you see an unwinding towards the end of the book.

I wasn’t sure about the book at first, especially with the multiple points-of-view.  By the end, though, it all came together.  And the different narrators worked really well, because it shows different aspects of the society.

The storking laws were really interesting- you can leave your newborn on someone’s doorstep and they have to keep it, unless you get caught.  And the whole idea that you can retroactively “abort” a child- taken directly from the Bill Of Life at the beginning of the novel- is completely interesting and yet so not what I expected.  That at 13, kids can be unwound, and their organs donated to people who need it…it’s amazing that Shusterman managed to come up with an idea like this.

Shusterman has taken issues like organ donation, abortion, and when life should begin and end and written them in a really interesting and easy to understand way.  I can see so many parallels to what’s going on right now, with debates over reproductive rights.  It’s very thought-provoking.

Shusterman doesn’t come out in favor of any one side; he keeps it as middle ground as possible, with unwinding happening between the ages of 13 and 18.  It’s very well-written, and he handles all of the different issues incredibly well and with a lot of care.  It doesn’t feel forced, and not only is the storyline/plot well-done, but the characters are amazing too.

They were very much real, and could be anyone you know.  They had a past, present and future, and not once during the entire novel did I think about how anyone (or anything) was a cliche of some sort.

My biggest complaint was that things ended a little too nicely, and it felt a little out of place.  But at the same time, it definitely set things up for the sequel.  I can’t wait to read it once it comes out this year.  Although the gap of 5 or so years is a little weird when it seems like books in a series come out every 6 months to a year.  It stands well on it’s own, and while you wonder what happens to everyone at the end of the book, it’s also something you can figure out on your own too.

It gets a 4 out of 5.  I really liked the world that Shusterman created, and I really want to know more about the 2nd Civil War.

The Silenced

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Book: The Silenced by James DeVita

Publishing Info: Published by Laura Geringer Books; 504 pages; Hardcover

Goodreads Summary: In a world filled with sanctions and restrictions, Marena struggles to remember the past: a time before the Zero Tolerance Party murdered her mother and put her father under house arrest. A time before they installed listening devices in every home and forbade citizens to read or write. A time when she was free. In the spirit of her revolutionary mother, Marena forms her own resistance group–the White Rose.

This is a chilling dystopian novel that leads readers to question the very essence of their identities. “Who do you think you are?”

This book was a little scary.  Not in a horror kind of way, but in a that can totally happen again sort of way.  It’s horrifying, and while you don’t see any violence, it’s implied that it does happen.

It’s narrated by several different people, which works really well for this novel.  You get to see the different sides, and how different people react to what’s going on.  There’s an author’s note at the end, saying that the book was inspired by a resistance group in Nazi Germany called The White Rose.  I wondered if DeVita drew inspiration from the Holocaust, because there were quite a few parallels.  But at the same time, it’s something I could see happening today, so I guess some things don’t really change.  Plus, things like closing the border and imbedded data chips make it even more relevant than it already is.

It’s very thought-provoking, and you can’t help but wonder if you’d be able to fight such a government, or if you’d just go along with it so nothing would to you or your friends and family.  Everyone at Marena’s “school” wears the same uniform, and they all have short hair.  In essence, everything is done to ensure they don’t have an identity, and their sole purpose is to do their duty to the government.

I give it a 4 out of 5.  It wasn’t completely amazing, but still worth reading.

The Fault In Our Stars

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Book: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Publishing Info: Published by Dutton Books; 318; Hardcover

Goodreads Summary: Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs… for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

I finally read A Fault In Our Stars, and I am so glad I did.  The hype surrounding The Fault In Our Stars is so deserved.  It was funny, but it also makes you cry.  Once I started crying, I couldn’t stop.

It is so beautifully written, and the characters came alive.  They felt so real, and even though I’ve never had cancer, I felt like I knew exactly what they were feeling.  It was refreshing to see cancer patients that aren’t your stereotypical cancer kids.  You know, the ones that find the meaning of life, and are all strong and brave because of their illness and start their own foundation so they have a legacy?  These are not those kids.  While there’s nothing wrong with the standard portrayal, it’s nice to see kids who want to be normal, but aren’t.  It’s nice to see kids that aren’t super-focused on their disease and how they can change the world.  As Hazel would say, this is not a Cancer Book.

Do Hazel, Augustus and Isaac wonder and worry about the people they’ll leave behind and their mark on the world?  Of course, but it doesn’t seem to consume them the way you’d expect.  I don’t know if this makes any sense (and it seems horrible to write) but she is just a kid who happens to have terminal cancer.

All that aside, I loved the relationships between the characters, and how Hazel’s favorite author was not the man she expected.  I loved that I can’t get Hazel or Augustus out of my mind, and that I could relate to them so well.

I give it a 5 out of 5.  This is a very special book, and it’s on the short list of books that will stay with me for a long time to come.

I’m Not Just Reading

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Since I posted a ton of book reviews last week, I thought I’d talk about other stuff for once.

I don’t really do that anymore, mostly because posting book reviews are often easier to post, as opposed to coming up with other topics.  Seriously, sometimes I just stare at the screen and have no clue what to blog about.  I really need to brainstorm ideas, that way I’m not just staring at the screen, wondering what to write about.  Plus, I like talking about stuff other than books, so I’ll be working on that.

I’ve almost starting writing stuff!  Seriously, I’ve gotten very close to opening up one of my novels and starting writing.  Will this be the week I start writing again?  Stay tuned to see if I actually do it.

I’ve been playing the Sims for a while now.  Not a lot, although probably more than I think.  It seems like they fixed that weird glitch in world adventures, so they can actually go on vacations and not come back as a double.  Plus, stuff is still there and doesn’t disappear.  I’m not sure if I’ll ever get the expansions packs, since there seem to be rumours of problems/glitches with the other ones.  Maybe when the next version of the sims come out?  Although the biggest factor is the prices, because in comparison to the Sims 2, the Sims 3 is expensive.  Eventually, I’ll get around to it.  I think.

I’ve been cooking…more cooking than baking, which is weird.  Because I love baking.  Actually, I’ll probably do that since I feel the need to bake a loaf of bread.  And chocolate chip cookies.  Because they make everything better, and chocolate chip cookies are my favorite.  Speaking of food, I should probably make something.

T.V.!  It’s been a while since I’ve talked about it.  I’m sad to see that this is the last season of House, but at the same time, I think it’s time for it go off the air.  Pan Am has already had it’s season finale, and I have a feeling that it won’t be coming back.  But I hope it does.  And apparently Terra Nova had it’s season finale back in December or something.  Which I didn’t realize until a few weeks ago.  I thought maybe they were on hiatus or cancelled or something.  Everything else that I watch is pretty much the same, and I’m enjoying everything.  I really liked the 200th episode of NCIS, and how things might have turned out.  I wasn’t sure about it at first, but by the end, I loved it!  At this point, I’ve given up on Revenge and Person Of Interest, because I keep forgetting to watch it.  I feel like I’ve mentioned that already, so I’m sorry if I have.  But if I haven’t, then I’ve pretty much given up on it.  Maybe I’ll get around to it eventually.

I can’t think of anything else, so have a great day!

Another Random Playlist

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The other day, I decided that I needed another playlist.  And I thought I’d share some of the songs on it.

  • In This Divide by Azam Ali: I came across her website on stumble upon, and listened to this song.  Her music seems to be a mix of Middle Eastern and electronic.  Some of her songs are in English, and others are not.  I like that she blends genres so well.
  • Miss Invisible by Marie Digby would be on there.  I like it, and I think it’s something that everyone can relate to.
  • A bunch of songs by Sara Haze would be on it.  Nothing else needs to be said, because I will do whatever I can to work her into as many playlists as I possibly can.
  • Losing My Religion by R.E.M.  I love this song!  No clue why, but this song is on the list!  There’s something very comforting about this song.
  • Champagne Supernova by Oasis: It’s my other favorite Oasis song (because who doesn’t love Wonderwall) and it’s a good song.  It always makes me smile.
  • Shiny Happy People: by R.E.M.: It’s called Shiny Happy People, how can you not like it?  Song title aside, it’s another favorite song of mine.
  • Uncharted by Sara Bareilles: I think I love the music more than the song, but overall, another song that I like.  This song always makes me smile.
  • Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldean: No playlist is complete without country music!  This song has been out for a while but it’s one of my favorites.  It’s a fun song, and fun songs are good.
  • Something To Believe In by Parachute: I’m a big fan of Parachute, and I love this song.  It makes me happy, and always puts me in a good mood.

So that’s the playlist!  I think I’m in a U2 and Santana kind of mood, so be on the lookout for posts about them in the next few weeks.

Spells

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Book: Spells by Aprilynne Pike

Publishing Info: Published by Harper Teen; 359 pages; Hardcover

Goodreads Summary: Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger–and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.
When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?

Spells is an interesting book.  It’s the sequel to Wings, and while it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, it wasn’t completely amazing either.

First of all, David and Tamani.  I don’t like either of them, and I have no clue why Laurel is interested in either of them.  Tamani and David not liking each other got old really fast, and by the end of the book, I totally hated both of them for forcing Laurel to choose between them.  Granted, she didn’t help either, because she kind of led Tamani on, and she wasn’t completely honest with David.  I think it’s cool that she wants to keep her life as a fairie and her life in the human separate, but at the same time, it wasn’t working.  Tamani seems to have some kind of plan…for something, and I’m curious about what this plan is.  I’m pretty sure it involves Laurel somehow.

Tamani and David were really irritating.  Tamani declares his love for Laurel, and it is a little unfair to Laurel, because she is (was?) with David.  She doesn’t remember the time when they were friends, but like I said, she wasn’t helping either.  But at least she realized what she was doing at the end- or least, she seemed to figure out.  For her, though, it meant David needing some time apart, because she snuck off to see a festival.

I liked Avalon.  It was mentioned in Wings that her old house was the gateway to Avalon, and in Spells, we actually get to see Avalon.  It’s not your traditional Avalon, but there are markets, an Academy, and all sorts of other things.  If Avalon were inhabited by fairies, you would end up with Pike’s version of Avalon.  She does incorporate Avalon as seen in Arthurian legend- I’m glad that she didn’t completely ignore it.

I loved the hierarchy of fairies in Avalon, and I really want Laurel to go back so we can see more of Avalon.  I loved the way Pike described it, and hopefully we’ll see more of it in the next book.  The customs, the way of life, and the fact that fairies bloom are really interesting.  She really does know how to make fairies interesting.

It gets a 3 out of 5.  I liked it, but it wasn’t spectacular.

How’s It Going?

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I’ve been doing a terrible job of keeping everyone updated on how my theme for the year is going.

I’ve been doing okay with it, and complimenting myself is getting a little easier.  I’ve managed to do a different one everyday, and writing them down helps with that.  As for the doing one nice thing everyday, it’s something I’m still struggling with.  And I tend to do the same things over…writing them down really helps with that.  Brainstorming things will help, and maybe I can pull them out of a hat or something so it will be more random.

Let’s see…I exercise…like once a week.  So that’s not going well at all, but on the plus side, I’m cooking and eating yummy food!  I’m drinking a lot of water, And I’m still journaling.  I’m thinking about stuff, but I’m trying not to focus on it too much, which is working a little more than I expected.

I can’t really think of anything else that’s going on with it, especially since I haven’t really been focusing on it like I should be.  But I am doing enough- I’m trying not to feel guilty about because I am working on it.  At least I’m not feeling as guilty about it as I normally would be.  I’ll be back tomorrow, so enjoy your Saturday!

Wings

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Book: Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Publishing Info: Published by Harper Teen; 294 pages; hardcover

Goodreads Summary: Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful–too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

Wings is another fairy story, and I liked it.

It was a typical fairy novel, in the sense that she’s around 15 when she found out.  She was placed with her “family” when she was 3, so it was nice to see she wasn’t a changeling.  And fairies in this book are more plant-like!  It was refreshing to see such an interesting twist on fairies, instead of going with the stereotypical fairies most books have.  I can believe that fairies are more plant-like, bloom, and have children by pollination.

At first I wasn’t sure about Laurel, because all she did was complain about how she wanted to be home-schooled instead of going to a public school.  As it wore on, she (thankfully) got less annoying.

And no novel is complete with a little love triangle.  I can honestly say that I don’t like either guy.  Tamani knew Laurel before she was placed with her parents, and they were even best friends…before she was given a potion to forget that part of her life.  He was annoying and his focus on her friendship with David got to be really annoying.  As for David?  He wasn’t very developed in this book, and I get the feeling he only wanted to help her because she was the new girl.  Is it too much to ask that at least one of them be mildly interesting?

It gets a 3 out of 5.  I liked the twist on fairies, and it was a pretty easy read.