Stung by Bethany Wiggins

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Feb 032014
 

StungStung (Stung #1)

Author: Bethany Wiggins

Publisher: Walker Books/Bloomsbury

Published: April 2013

Hardcover/Paperback/Kindle/ebook: 304 pages

Genre: YA Dystopian

ISBN# 978-0-8027-3418-1

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: checked out from my local library

Summary (Goodreads)

There is no cure for being stung.

Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right.

Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark.

Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall.

Review

Stung opens with Fiona, aka “Fo,” waking up in her bedroom, but things are not the same. Everything looks old. Faded. Abandoned. She soon realizes she is not alone in the house and finds herself running for her life. She is hungry, thirsty, and lost in a world that should be familiar but is far from what she remembers.

Fiona must rely on strangers to help her understand what is happening until she is captured by the militia and finds herself a prisoner. The others are afraid of her, the level ten “beast.” They are expecting her to turn on them at any moment. Even the camp’s “Guardian,” her former neighbor Dreyden Bowen, is nervous and jumpy despite the electronic shackles on her arms and legs.

As time passes and Fiona proves to Dreyden that she isn’t an insane monster, memories begin to surface regarding events leading to the current state of the world. With everyone after the valuable honey they can get from turning Fiona in to the fighting pits or the lab, she and Dreyden decide to make a run to the haven of Wyoming. Unfortunately, things don’t go to plan.

I really enjoyed Shifting, Bethany’s first novel, so I was excited to read Stung. My curiosity was piqued from the beginning, wondering how Fiona got outside the wall and into her old bedroom. There is some good suspense right at first and it pulled me in. The descriptions of the tunnels and Arris/Arrin are effective. The unpleasantness of Fiona’s situation is easy to imagine, which means you probably shouldn’t eat while reading parts of Stung.

I liked Dreyden, though he wasn’t kind at first when he expected Fiona to rip him apart. It was confusing when his brother was talked about or present though, because they were both addressed as their last name “Bowen,” even in Fiona’s head. I think it would have been easier to have her consistently think of them as Dreyden and Duncan in her thoughts.

The story kept my interest. I wanted to know more about events leading up to the current situation, and the occasional memory/flashback provided that. It wasn’t until near the end that a few things gave me pause. They could be considered spoilers, though. If you want to read them, highlight that area between the dashed lines below.

—-

After the fighting in the pit was interrupted by Dreyden, things started feeling rushed, almost in a “let’s-hurry-and-wrap-this-up-in-a-bow” way. It’s possible that all the work and struggle leading up to that point made it seem like the finish was a little too easy. Maybe it’s just me. Probably it’s just me. For that as well as the your-kisses-are-keeping-him-alive thing that felt out-of-the-blue. It does kind of go with the Sleeping Beauty twist, but I didn’t really like how that suddenly came about. It almost felt….cheesy. And I really hate saying that, because the rest of the book wasn’t anything close to cheesy.

—-

I will be reading book two, Cured, scheduled for release on March 13, 2014. I’m looking forward to another look at the post bee-extinction world. Watch for my review of Cured in the coming weeks. Recommended for adults and teens ages 15+ who enjoy YA Dystopian.

Content:

Language: There may have been one mild swear word, but I don’t think there were any more than that

Sexual: Kissing, no graphic descriptions; no sex; one character refers to a woman’s breasts as “knockers”

Violence: Fighting; gun use; threats with and use of a knife; a few characters are cut and shot; fighting match in a pit; descriptions of injuries; character deaths

Drug use: None that I can remember, besides treating wounds

Visit Bethany:

WEBSITE | BLOG | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS

Find Stung:

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The End Begins: Sudden Darkness by Margot Hovley

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Mar 072013
 

suddendarknessThe End Begins: Sudden Darkness

Author: Margot Hovley

Publisher: Covenant Communications

Published Date: September 2012

Softcover; 162 pages

Genre: YA DYstopian

ISBN# 978-1-60861-144-7

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: free review copy in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary

“Brothers and sisters, may I have your attention,” President Green said into the megaphone. I held my breath. What would he say next? At that moment, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d said the moon was scheduled to turn to blood next Tuesday night. “As you know, alarming events are unfolding. People are scared and confused. Life as we have known it will never be the same, it seems.”

The news has been filled with stories of tragedy and turmoil. But world events like the recent bombings in London seem far removed from eighteen-year-old Amelie Hatch’s quiet life in Zillah, Washington. She’s content with the predictable pattern of her life—school, friends, work. But when Amelie’s father leaves on a mysterious Church assignment, concerns escalate as the family is left with few answers.

Then, in the span of moments, Amelie’s world erupts in chaos. Terrorists have attacked the US power grid. There is no electricity. Vehicles have ceased working. The nuclear facility at nearby Hanford is compromised, and radiation may be flooding the area. Without the guidance of their father, Amelie’s family faces a monumental task at the request of the leaders of the Church: members of their stake have been asked to walk to zUtah, where they will find safety in Zion.

Fleeing her home and the life she knows, Amelie sets off on the arduous journey toward the refuge of Utah. There is danger around every corner as the group faces gunfire, kidnapping, and new terrorist threats. And as she finds herself drawn to two very different men, Amelie recognizes a more personal peril—she’s in danger of losing her heart.

Review

Amelie (pronounced ah-may-lee) is an 18-year-old senior in a small high school in Zillah, Washington. She lives on a farm, loves music, plays piano, and works hard despite her leg that was crippled in a devastating injury as a little girl. Her father leaves town on a business trip, and other than a visit from local celebrity Ryan Cook, Amelie’s life in Zillah is nothing out of the ordinary.

Until the night the power goes out.

When Amelie and her family are instructed to pack up necessities and prepare to leave Zillah for Salt Lake City, UT, her life changes in a way she never expected. The tanks in the Hanford nuclear facility are leaking, the government is in chaos, and an EMP has wiped out electricity and communications. To make matters worse, she and her family must make the trip without their father.

I was quickly pulled into the story. After the power goes out and the situation is revealed, I started wondering about what my family and I would do in similar circumstances. I was suddenly aware of how much I need to work on our emergency preparedness.

I liked Amelie, though sometimes she was too hard on herself. She’s a strong female character, not flighty or flirty. I admired her determination to walk the distance, despite the pain and discomfort from her leg. She’s an easy character to sympathize with, and I experienced every emotion she did. Other than a few phrases Amelie used that felt more like something her grandma would say (ie, “dratted boy”) I enjoyed her voice and read the book in a single sitting.

This was a story that made me think, but was also suspenseful enough to keep me turning pages. Several things happen that I won’t spoil here. I’m hoping this is a series because I’m curious to know what happens in this post-attack America. I wonder if other groups of Saints from around the West were called back to Salt Lake City. How was it for them? Did they encounter the same issues Amelie’s group did?

Readers looking for a clean YA Dystopian novel with suspense and bit of romance will enjoy Sudden Darkness. Don’t be surprised if you feel the urge to update your 72-hour kit after reading it.

**Interesting tidbit: The day after I finished this book I read on a news site that officials had discovered multiple tanks leaking nuclear waste in Hanford, WA. I had never heard of Handford before reading Sudden Darkness and then eerily there was news about the leaks the next day. Creepy!

Visit Margot Hovley:   BLOG  |  TWITTER  |  GOODREADS

Find Sudden Darkness:  AMAZON  |  DESERET BOOK  |  SEAGULL BOOK 

 

Erasing Time by C.J. Hill – Blog Tour and Giveaway

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Oct 082012
 

Erasing Time

Author: C.J. Hill

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Published Date: August 2012

Hardcover; 368 pages

Genre: YA Science Fiction/Dystopian

ISBN# 978-0062123923

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: received an uncorrected paperback ARC in exchange for an honest review

*** See giveaway details below! ***

Summary

When twins Sheridan and Taylor wake up 400 years in the future, they find a changed world: domed cities, no animals, and a language that’s so different, it barely sounds like English. And the worst news: They can’t go back home.

The twenty-fifth-century government transported the girls to their city hoping to find a famous scientist to help perfect a devastating new weapon. The same government has implanted tracking devices in the citizens, limiting and examining everything they do. Taylor and Sheridan have to find a way out of the city before the government discovers their secrets. To complicate matters, the moblike Dakine has interest in getting hold of them too. The only way for the girls to elude their pursuers is to put their trust in Echo, a guy with secrets of his own. The trio must put their faith in the unknown to make a harrowing escape into the wilds beyond the city.

Full of adrenaline-injected chases and heartbreaking confessions, Erasing Time explores the strength of the bonds between twins, the risks and rewards of trust, and the hard road to finding the courage to fight for what you believe in.

First Line

It was as good a day as any to plan treason.

Review

I’ve always had a thing for time-travel stories. Maybe it’s the science geek in me. I know there are laws of physics that have to be dealt with and that it’s generally accepted as a bad idea all around, but I love the idea of time-travel anyway.

Erasing Time is set in the year 2447, far enough in the future that the English language is almost unrecognizable to people from the “twenties,” and the country has fractured into self-regulating domed cities who war with each other from time to time.

The technology in Traventon interested me. For instance, the government tracks its citizens with crystals implanted in their wrists. When someone sits down at a table to eat, their health statistics are displayed on a monitor. Most people proudly wear badges that display their “rank” in the city, based on wealth, position, health, and family relations as well as ratings from friends.

Yet, with all of this technology, including the Time Strainer that pulled twins Sheridan and Taylor into the 25th century, language is still a barrier. Echo and his father, Jeth, are historians who understand and speak the 21st century version of English and serve as translators for the government and the twins.

Soon, Sheridan and Taylor discover that they can speak openly about escape in front of Echo and Jeth without them understanding by using idioms. For example, they can “chew the fat” about how hard it would be to “flew the coop,” etc. I found this particularly entertaining and it made me realize just how much we use idioms in every day speech.

There were other contrasting aspects that I found interesting. For example, appearances seem to be everything (numerous hair colors and styles, make up in varying degrees of intensity and design) and yet their laser guns are simple black boxes. They despise the flesh-eaters that hunted animals into extinction yet there are all types of meat substitutes on the menus attempting to recreate the flesh-eating experience.

I think a book club could have a lot of fun discussing all of these little idiosyncrasies of this new “modern” society, not to mention the “Dakine” and “Doctor Worshippers.” It’s these “Doctor Worshippers” that make me want to keep reading the series. I’m very curious to know more about them.

While I did figure out a few things ahead of time it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. I found Erasing Time to be a quick read, one that kept me turning pages and left me looking forward to more.

You could win a copy of Erasing Time! Must be 18 years of age. US residents only. See details on the Rafflecopter entry form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Jul 162012
 

The Eleventh Plague

Author: Jeff Hirsch

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Published Date: September 2011

Hardcover; 278 pages

Genre: YA Dystopian

ISBN# 978-0-545-29014-2

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: free review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary

In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing–and their lives–forever.

First Line

“I was sitting at the edge of the clearing, trying not to stare at the body on the ground in front of me.”

My Review

The Eleventh Plague intrigued me from page one. Stephen and his father bury his grandfather, the man who didn’t hesitate to punish the slightest mistake with his fists yet kept them alive after the Collapse following an attack from China and the release of P11, also know as the Eleventh Plague. Stephen is conflicted, not sure how to feel about being free of the man who knew how to survive but made his life so miserable.

Stephen’s world is one full of danger and uncertainty, of struggling and salvaging to survive. Before he has the chance to adjust to life without his grandfather’s beatings, his father falls and Stephen is suddenly shouldered with the responsibility of caring for his injured father and finding a way to keep them alive. When they are discovered by a group of men, Stephen agrees to let them bring his father with them to their “city” to be cared for by their doctor.

I was fascinated reading about Stephen’s reactions to being inside a house for the first time, his struggle to adjust to life in a community, and his curiosity about Jenny, a Chinese girl who insists on rebelling against everyone and everything. I liked Stephen, but Jenny takes getting used to. She is blunt, bitter, and a fighter. When Jenny and Stephen play a prank on the leader of the town, there is a misunderstanding and the citizens find themselves at war.

The Eleventh Plague is a well-written, page-turning story that is disturbingly believable. I haven’t read much YA Dystopian, so I don’t know how it compares to others in the genre. I liked that the book didn’t end the way I thought it would. I find myself wanting to know more about this city and other areas in the United States after the Collapse. I don’t know if it is part of a series, but I would definitely read a sequel. I think that 14-16 year-old boys would probably really like this book.

Content

A few swear words; no sex (just kissing & not much at that); some violence (a battle); one scene in which the teens drink home brew around a lake and the main character takes a sip then declines offers of more.

Visit Jeff Hirsch: WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Find The Eleventh Plague: GOODREADS | AMAZON

 

Variant by Robison Wells – Combined Review

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Combined Reviews
Nov 032011
 

Variant

Author: Robison Wells

Publisher: HarperTeen

Published Date: October 2011

Hardcover; 356 pages

Genre: YA Dystopian

Reviewed by: Shanda, Sheila, and Mindy

FTC FYI: purchased with own money

Shanda’s Review

Variant begins with Benson, a 17-year-old foster kid who has moved from home to home since he was five, as he is dropped off at Maxfield Academy. Benson is excited, hoping that this is his opportunity for a quality education. It doesn’t take long for Benson to realize this school is not what he thought it was and he wants out.

I have heard people mention both Lord of the Flies and Ender’s Game in reference to Variant. I haven’t read either of them, so this review will be free from any comparisons to those books. My experience with what is considered YA Dystopian is limited to The Hunger Games (which I loved) and The Maze Runner (not as much), as well as Matched and Possession, so I will also not be comparing Variant to other YA Dystopian-type novels as a genre.

What I will tell you in this review is how I felt about this long-awaited novel by Robison Wells as a 30-something mother who is looking for entertaining and clean books for both herself and her teenager to read.

I would hand Variant to my (nearly) 14 year-old daughter without hesitation. If my nephew was a little older, he would get a copy for Christmas this year. Maybe I’ll buy one for him now anyway and give it to him in a couple of years.

I started to read Variant and didn’t put it down, even for dinner. I found the writing smooth and engaging. Both the characters and the story were intriguing to me. I appreciated the lack of swearing, both traditional and “made-up.” (There was one instance of “b—-rd” after a character is killed, but that is all that I can remember.) There is violence but it never felt excessive or pointless to me. There is no sex or gratuitous content.

There is desire. Desire for freedom, something Benson never really appreciated before. For friends and acceptance, things he didn’t know he would like having so much. For normalcy, which takes on an entirely different meaning halfway through the book.

Thinking back, there is nothing that I “tripped” over or that pulled me from the story. I had no problem suspending a little belief about foster kids disappearing from the system with no one noticing. Stories like that have been in the news several times in the past few years. I hear about a number of run-aways each year as well.

I really liked Benson and the other Vs, especially Jane, Mason, Curtis and Lily. The other key characters were easy to like or despise depending on your position.

There is a scene with Benson, Jane, Dylan and Laura that is seriously intense. I’m pretty sure I read it with my mouth open in shock. What followed was a twist I did not see coming.

I found the ending to be an effective cliff-hanger that definitely made me want more but did not leave me overly-frustrated at having to wait for the sequel.

I give Variant 5 stars out of 5 for going above and beyond what I expected, which honestly was a lot.

Young adult fiction is the genre I am the most picky about after being disappointed in content and quality several times. I don’t read much YA so I am thrilled to have enjoyed Variant as much as I did. I recommend Variant to teenagers (boys AND girls) as well as adults.

Sheila’s Review

Benson Fisher is looking for a brand new start at a brand new school. He is not prepared for what awaits him when he gets there. Strange happenings are occurring at Maxfield Academy where the students are running the school, with no adults in sight.

From the very beginning you realize that Variant is not going to be like other books out there. I found I was drawn in from the minute he pulls up to the front doors of the school. Students standing at the windows are screaming at him, making this a very strange welcome to a new school. Oh yes, later Benson finds out it had been a warning for him to run while he had the chance.

From this point on it is such a wild ride. Every day, Benson finds more and more weird things about the school. He also plans every day how he is going to escape. The people that he thinks he can trust, he finds their friendship is all a facade.

Variant leaves you guessing through the whole book. I can guarantee that you will not guess about nor believe some of the things that are revealed. The end IS as shocking as everyone has been saying.

This book is such a great mix of a dystopian theme and a surprising dash of sci-fi. The writing is clean and the characters are distinct. I can’t wait to find out where the story will go from here. It all reminds me of mice in a cage running through tubes, they never realize that they are not getting anywhere. Is this what Benson is going to find out? If you are curious as to what I mean…well, you are just going to have to read the book.

It is a five star, totally fantastic YA book that I will read again and again.

Mindy’s Review

I need to say this first—Variant blew me away. I loved every page. I started on a Saturday afternoon and finished that night.

Variant starts off very strong and doesn’t let go until the last sentence. Even then I was left with my mouth open. This book is so well-written. The characters, whether good or bad, were amazing. The surprise twist had me screaming and saying, “No way this is happening!” My husband was teasing me while I read because I had my hand to my mouth and gasped many times.

Benson Fisher is headed to Maxfield Academy. He wanted this school to be the ticket out of his disappointing life. He couldn’t have been more wrong. As soon as he arrives at school, he knows something is wrong. Immediately when the gates open, two kids try to run to freedom.

Benson doesn’t know what to think when he meets Becky who explains how things works at the school. No teachers. Students attend classes on weird subjects and earn points. Benson finds out from Isaiah that he is “expected” to join a gang—The Society, Havocs, or the V’s. Each gang is in charge of certain jobs at the school. Benson chooses the Variants. He tries to escape, making quick enemies of Dylan and Laura from the Society. He eventually makes friends in his gang, but escape is always in his mind.

I don’t want to give anything away so I’m going to stop there. So many amazingly cool things happen, your jaw will be dropping, too. It is violent in spots, so younger readers beware.

5 out of 5 stars. Absolutely superb. Smooth writing and non-stop action.

 

 Have you added Variant to your to-read list yet?

 

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Hillary's Reviews
Feb 242010
 

Hello dear ones-
It’s your favorite Wednesday blogger here. Today, we’ll chat a bit about “Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins, book two of “The Hunger Games” series.
After our last podcast (this past Friday), we had a bit of a discussion of “Catching Fire” and what we thought of it. I had just finished it, so we had some stuff to say about it:
Here’s what Shanda said:
“I think Peeta is hotter in the second book”
Sheila:
“Katniss’s hair is boring in the second”
Hillary:
“Literarily speaking I would say that Suzanne achieved the climax of the series (so far) in book one and book two takes an unreasonable amount of time for it to reach interest for the reader”
Okay. So it didn’t really go that way at all.
So what really happened was more like this:
Shanda:
“I liked book two even more than book one”
to which Sheila and I stared at her for a second and said, “really?”
Shanda, you’ll have to post here what it is you liked more about book two more than one, because quite frankly I didn’t go to bed until 4am, so I don’t have a clear recollection of that night.
Sheila and I both agreed that book two started out really slow, and seemed really predictable. Now, remember slow is not always bad, it’s just slow. Predictable is bad, which is why I actually did put it down for about two weeks until my husband finished it and said,
“Cinna has really cute costumes in this book, I think you’ll like it.”
Okay. That’s not what he said. He said, “I think you should finish it. It has a totally surprising ending.” I said ” well, okay.” He wanted me to add that there are little details that if you catch give you clues as what’s to come, but frankly sometimes I am a bit too impatient for little details.
And about two hours later, I had the book finished. I stopped at chapter 14, ironically about the time when it really picks up, and as my hubby was grumpily doing our taxes, I was done.
I actually am not going to say much more about “Catching Fire” because I think it would give too much away, I will just say this. If you really, really really liked book one, be patient and don’t give up on book two because there are some HUGE surprises and it REALLY makes book three look appealing and I can’t wait for it!
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