Article 5

Chilling! I could feel the cold running up my spine as I read the premise for this book and I didn't feel disappointed.

"In the three years since the war ended Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs-like food stamps and hand me down clothes and how to pass the random home inspections by the Federal Bureau of Reformation. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow. That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And whats worse, one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings..the only boy Ember has ever loved."

What a wonderful ride this was. Imagine a world where stringent religious codes change on a day to day basis; such as not being able to hold hands with the opposite sex are enough to get you arrested or even worse killed. This is the world we enter in Kristen Simmons debut novel. Our heroine and her mother get arrested when the Federal Bureau of Reformation of "religious police" come and arrest her mother for not being married and having a child out of wedlock. Although, their family was originally safeguarded. Thanks to the changing whims of the powers that be, Ember gets sent off to a Religious camp of sorts where girls are "reprogrammed" to live and breathe the puritanical ideals of the State until she escapes in search of her mother and the belief that they will be reunited again. Ember is our heroine and although she starts off as a naive and somewhat whiny teen, you see her grow and mature in her will to not be captured and in her dream to survive in this religious oppression in order to reunite with her mother, and have their family once again become whole. Enter the love interest, or former neighbor, Chase Jennings, broken by the militia he represents and slowly but surely protect his former crush, and help her survive against all odds in a corrupted system that is oppressive. I love the rocky relationship they have and the barriers they need to fight against together in order to come to some sort of understanding. The book is action packed, and you really buy into the police state atmosphere. I really liked the characters and their flaws. I found myself tossed about with plot twists that were so unexpected that my interest was captured from beginning to end. You really do not know where our characters will end up and the ending is so unexpected that you feel for our heroine. Grab a copy of this dystopian gem, I promise you will really find a worthy book that will take you on a never-ending thrill ride.

After Obsession

"Aimee and Alan have secrets. Both teens have unusual pasts and abilities they prefer to keep hidden. But when they meet each other, in a cold Maine town, they can't stop their secrets from spilling out. Strange things have been happening lately, and they both feel that something-someone is haunting them. They're wrong. Despite their unusual history and powers, its neither Aimee or Alan who is truly haunted. Its Alan's cousin Courtney who, in a desperate plea to find her missing father,has invited a demon into her life and into her body. Only together can Aimee and Alan exorcise the ghost. And they have to move quickly before it devours not just Courtney, but everything around her."

I like creepy novels about the paranormal. I was also a fan of Nora Jones, Need series, so when I found this book on my many book seeking hunts, I figured I had nothing to lose. It is has a nice quick pace that draws you in and a hint of mystery that makes you try to unravel what the deal is in this sleepy Maine town. There are plot twists to keep your interest and add a dash of demon possession and voile, you have a hard time putting down the book. I ended up reading it in a couple of hours. I found it to be quite entertaining. I liked the supernatural twist, the teen angst, and the angry demon a.ka. The River Man, looking for revenge and causing all kinds of havoc and deaths within our unsuspecting town. With that said, there are parts that seem to be a bit unreal, I mean our heroine is dating her boyfriend for years and then she dumps him like a cold sack of potatoes when he goes all bipolar on her thanks to the demons influence. We have some Native American lore that is interspersed within the novel and the fact that we have a hero who represents the Navajo culture, is quite different. Is this book, an absolutely must get...not really in my opinion, but if you want a quick, easy read and like getting spooked a bit then you won't be disappointed. I found the relationships a bit unbelievable, but I'm a cynic in this department, and the relationship between the cousins seemed a bit rushed. Even so, if you come across this novel, take a chance, you will be left entertained even if some parts don't quite mesh that well.

Under the Never Sky

I'm in love. Veronica Rossi's first novel, Under the Never Sky is definitely a must read. I still feel my heart palpitating from the excitement of this dynamic novel, something I haven't felt since the Hunger Games trilogy.We first meet Aria, one of our main characters living in Reverie, a dome enclosed community of technological and genetically advanced humans. Each resident, has a smarteye or mini computer eye patch which helps them connect to a virtual world where they interact with their peers and pass away their time, away from the dangers of the outside world beyond the dome. There are many domes, but only a chosen few get to live the pampered life of a dweller. Outside in the real world, are different tribes of savages, or people who reside without the advancements of the dome dwelling citizens. Our savages strive for survival against disease and the Aether, a strange electrical, atmospheric storm that is always present and causes destruction among the different regions. Each tribe had a blood-lord or ruler with some type of special ability to sense the dangers for his tribe, and has a pledge of allegiance from its members to fight on the tribes behalf and support the lord in his decisions for the greater good of his people.Throw in a duplicitous villain and the encounter of Aria, our naive residing dweller with a dose of a bad boy savage, named Perry and the story gets off to a speedy start of plot twists, survival and a mission of sorts with two unlikely allies who to work together in order to achieve what they both are looking for. I love the relationship that develops between the two main characters and how our heroine slowly comes out of her shell and learns the skills to survive in the outer world, without the help of technology. Add some cannibals to the mix, and you have a book chock full of adventure, science fiction, fantasy, and thensome. I was so happy when I finished the book that my only question is, please tell me the author is going to write a sequel! I really bought into the world Rossi created, and truly feel that any one who reads this book is for quite a ride.


"Since she's been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she's seen men murdered. This was worse. Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland-known as the Death Shop-are slim. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild- a savage-and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile-everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive.Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky."

Scored

Having finished my prior book and short blurb, I have moved on to my latest book title of interest, Scored by Lauren McLaughlin. Once again, I find myself moved towards futuristic novels with a chilling and disturbing premise. I suppose it must have something to do with the cold winter days. My book choices seem to reflect my mood lately, as I look out my window and see a bare, frost-ridden landscape. Chilling you to the core, much like my choices lately. Our newest heroine is Imani LeMonde, and we meet her in a world where your every action is tracked and nothing goes unnoticed. Welcome to surveillance at it's most acute, where your freedom is nonexistent, thanks to camera's watching and analyzing your every move. Your future if you are not wealthy enough to purchase your way into college, depends on your score. The higher the score, the more scholarships you can get to better schools which lead to more job opportunities, and a better future.
No one knows how your score is determined, but everyone knows you need to score in the 90's to be in the scholarship territory. There are a few important rules to follow to help you improve yourself in order to attain a high score, but nothing is set in stone. Your score also dictates your peer group, but every time your score changes, so do your friends. Thus setting up a certain caste system based on numerical value.  Within the novel, we also have the unscored, kids of the wealthy who don't need to bother with the system, or people who refuse to adhere to the rules thus damning themselves to a future without respect or value in this number based society. Taking place mostly within a school, where we see this caste system work its magic in terms of the non-existant interpersonal relationships, Imani Lemonde is challenged by a set of circumstances to question everything she has been taught to believe in. I love the premise, and the story started out promising and then it slowly began to plod along with ethical arguments regarding the system and the have and have nots. I wasn't really thrilled with the ending either, it seemed a bit unfinished, I think because everything began to get caught up in this whirlwind atmosphere of us versus them. Even with the issues, I felt detracted from the novel, I would still suggest it to anyone who loves YA fiction, to read it. It certainly is an interesting idea and a chilling future of what could be.

Forbidden Love

"Lochan and Maya have always felt more like friends more than siblings. Together, they have stepped in for their unreliable, alcoholic mother to take care of their three younger siblings. The stress of their lives, and the way they understand each other so completely has brought them closer than any two siblings would ordinarily be. So close that they have fallen in love. Lochan and Maya know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue, and yet, they are powerless to stop what feels so incredibly right." 


Deviating from my dystopian crusade, I came across this book by an Australian writer, Tabatha Suzuma; Forbidden. Let me begin by stating that this book is not for everyone, as the subject matter is quite serious, I'm talking physical and emotional abuse as well as sibling incest. This not a happy go lucky book, but a really dark and depressing setting for our novel. Therefore, be warned, if you cannot handle this type of social taboo then move right along because this book is not for you. If, by chance, you want a really moving read, and can get past this, you will find a really well executed novel about the consequences of actions and its affects on the people within your life. After getting over my own initial feeling of unease regarding the subject of incest, what I found, was a profoundly moving story of two young adults who were thrown in a circumstance beyond their control, and then dealing with the fall-out. Lochan is the elder brother, who has a serious social phobia, making him unable to talk to his peers other than his sister and younger siblings. Viewed as a freak and social misfit in school, he tries to shoulder the responsibility of cooking, cleaning, and paying bills, along with the support of the next oldest child, his sister Maya. Both act as surrogate parents for the family and pretend to live a normal life in lieu of their irresponsible mother, so social services is not called. Their biggest fear is that someone becomes aware of the true home situation, and causes their family to be separated. Tumbling headlong into this novel and unable to put it down, I admit, I cried, and found myself shocked and absolutely distraught at the outcome. The author really makes the unfairness of this family's situation come to life.  She does a wonderful job of allowing the reader feel the pressure of dealing with the reality of trying to raise and keep a family together when the people who are supposed to, check out of your life and abandon you emotionally and financially. The plot moves at a good pace and you are drawn to the characters and really buy into them emotionally, which makes the ending resonate with anyone who has a sense of compassion.

A Million Suns

"Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it ruled by chaos. It has been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she see's the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision-no more Phydus no more lies.
But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to find out the truth about life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motions hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart."


Lately, I find myself gravitating to Dystopian YA fiction. There have been so many good books coming out lately in this genre, that it is quite refreshing to always have quite a bit of reading choices. It was in one of my many dystopian seeking jaunts, that I discovered Beth Revis's first novel, Across The Universe. I could not put down the book until I completely devoured it. I found it was absolutely riveting, and thought provoking in some ways. Imagine my happiness, when the sequel, A Million Suns became available. Of course, I wanted to know what happens with Amy and Elder, the two main characters in this series, while they travel to an Earth like planet on the ship Godspeed. Along with a large crew who was previously controlled by a drug, Phydus to help maintain the the necessities for our space traveler's survival. What happens when people have the ability to think for themselves, complete disarray and fear based rumors churning out of control, that's what.  Friends turn on one another, and everything is not quite what it seems in what seems to be in an atmosphere ripe with deceit and anarchy. The plot moves along and the story is still action based, but I have to say that compared to the original, this book did seem to be a little harder to read through and maintain your attention. After a few chapters, I'll say midway in the novel, there I was getting a deja vu feeling of whininess from some of the characters that began to grate on my nerves. I suppose this was a necessary element to keep the plot moving. Looking for a scapegoat to blame their unhappiness on, the focus of their anger was Amy, an earth born girl who not only looks different but was cryogenically frozen until she was awoken early by Elder. Can you love someone when you feel that you have no choice? What does it really mean to be a leader, and what can you do when everything you know and are familiar with is not as it seems. Can people really deal with changes in their surrounding and leaving everything they know behind? I will not ruin the story for you, but if you like mystery, a touch of romance, all contained within a dark cloud of impending doom, then this is the story will entertain you.  I still enjoyed the novel regardless of the few issues I personally had, and Beth Revis will take you on a futuristic trip where the possibilities are endless. When her final novel comes out for this trilogy, rest assured I'll be waiting in line to see what type of outcome the series will have. If you have a chance, go grab a copy and read it, you won't be let down with the continuing adventures of our dynamic twosome.