Book Review: Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates

Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟 (3 stars)
Publisher: Ecco

It was thoroughly miserable existing in this hellscape with Adriane/Mary Ellen.

Book Review: The Power by Naomi Alderman

The Power by Naomi Alderman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher:  Viking

Summary:  In The Power the world is a recognisable place: there's a rich Nigerian kid who larks around the family pool; a foster girl whose religious parents hide their true nature; a local American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But something vital has changed, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power - they can cause agonising pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world changes utterly.

This extraordinary novel by Naomi Alderman, a Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year and Granta Best of British writer, is not only a gripping story of how the world would change if power was in the hands of women but also exposes, with breath-taking daring, our contemporary world. 

Book Review: Bannerless (Bannerless Saga #1) by Carrie Vaughn

Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin

Summary:   A mysterious murder in a dystopian future leads a novice investigator to question what she's learned about the foundation of her population-controlled society. Decades after economic and environmental collapse destroys much of civilization in the United States, the Coast Road region isn't just surviving but thriving by some accounts, building something new on the ruins of what came before. A culture of population control has developed in which people, organized into households, must earn the children they bear by proving they can take care of them and are awarded symbolic banners to demonstrate this privilege. In the meantime, birth control is mandatory.

Book Review: The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher:  Entangled: Teen


Summary:   After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual. 

This year, it is my turn. 

My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power. 

Book Review: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher:  Feiwel and Friends


Summary:  Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive. 

Book Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher:  Ember


Summary:   This haunting story centers on Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he's given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community.

Book Review: Free to Fall by Lauren Miller

Free to Fall by Lauren Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher:  HarperTeen


Summary:  Fast-forward to a time when Apple and Google have been replaced by Gnosis, a monolith corporation that has developed the most life-changing technology to ever hit the market: Lux, an app that flawlessly optimizes decision making for the best personal results. 

Review: Caste

Caste by RaeLynn Fry

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



More like a 3.5. I liked this one but I must admit that some things were predictable & it could use a good editing polish (hopefully the author will be able to do an update that at least changes the many instances of "gate" where she really means "gait" & "Hughes's" instead of "Hughe's" & "conscious" was used when "conscience" was meant once or twice as well). The word usage gaffes were the most deterrent to story flow & each time they took me out of the moment. The story itself is, overall, a good one & I enjoyed reading about Karis & her quest to save Ajna. There were some things that happened far too easily for her & one glaring one was the pretty much insta-love with Ethan. I'd already bought into her feelings for Kavin being real because that's how it was laid out in the beginning, so I couldn't really invest in Karis/Ethan when the main of the story between them takes place over the span of about a week. Having Mr. Singh throw in his support behind the couple at the end, didn't sell me either. Karis got over Kavin, her Pair, whom she'd known all her life & says that she truly loved even before they'd been paired, in a blink. He was cast out into the Further, not dead & was part of her reason to want to strike back at The Corporation but she didn't think about him much. Ethan's declaration of eternal love... m'kay. I'm still pulling for Kavin to be saved. Karis/Ethan can be together but I just don't care.

Still, at least there was more to this story than the "love" & that's where it shined mostly. The reveal of Ethan's identity was the most predictable element & seemed almost interminable as the story progressed & Karis remained clueless. I quite enjoyed the bits of Neech shown, from the factory where Karis & Journey work to the Black Market. The Masquerade in Dahn was well done & where one of the most compelling interactions in the entire story takes place, between Akin & Karis. The action picked up a bit somewhere after 70% & the momentum was good until the end, even if some things happened too easily for the characters or others were simply not even explained. The final play was good & I look forward to the next book, but I was disappointed that none of the characters even considered that would happen (I don't even know why any of them were keen to participate in the Jatis after everything that they now knew).

Overall, a good story that I'm interested enough in to continue with the series. I'm glad this was in my via Amazon Recommendations.



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Review: Pure

Pure by Julianna Baggott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



4.5 stars for this one. My usual criteria for rating a book five stars is that it captured me so deeply that I'd read it again. I don't come across those reads very often but Pure is almost one of those.The writing was evocative & atmospheric and made it one of the most well done dystopian novels I've read. It also was one of the best modern YA novels I've ever read. Everywhere there are hallmarks of taking flight to freedom. A boy named nicknamed Partridge. Pressia's mechanical pet Freedle. Lyda's wire bird. The birds forever fused to Bradwell's back. Partridge's mother's swan pendant & card with their messages. The theme isn't heavy handed & just flows quietly along in the story as the characters from inside & outside the Dome struggle with the idea.

Also this is not a world populated by perfect pretty main characters or those who'll be fixed by some wave of the hand to become aesthetically palatable. Radiation & being forever fused to organic & non-organic things sort of negates that whole thing & I really liked that. When I came across this book, I read that Pressia (the female main character) had a doll head fused to her hand & knew that I needed to read this. It doesn't take long into the story to realize that as fusings go, Pressia & her grandfather are pretty lucky. I have to admit that I was impressed by the description of the Dusts, Beasts & Groupies, the Mothers & Special Forces. And as those in control inside the Dome, their worldview is nastily warped with the Return to Civility. The road taken to achieve it is flat out barbaric & it's not any more able to be overlooked than the physical damage those outside the Dome have. As I read, I could see the beauty of the survivors on the outside. I'm still looking for the same in those in control of the Dome dwellers. This is a place that I was fascinated to read about but I don't know that I'd want to see this as a movie. This is a world that's difficult to look at. The beauty of a scar as a symbol of survival is a powerful thing but watching people fused with window frames, glass shards, cell phones, earbuds, other people, appliances, trees and all manner of other things, just works better for me on a page.

Anyway, the general thrust of the story is Pressia & her need to escape OSR as she's turned sixteen & Partridge (Ripkard?) bailing the Dome to go on a search for the mother he believes is alive outside. They meet up, things go not entirely as expected & the quest to go up against the establishments will ensue & play out over the course of a few books so no tied off story here. There are explanations given about what led up to all this (a merging of politics, religion & social beliefs) & I was impressed that so much detail was given. In the end, it left me wanting to know so much more about Partridge's parents & everything else leading up to the Detonations. Willux is of course, flawed but I couldn't also help but hold annoyance with Aribelle for practically writing off Sedge & just focusing on Partridge for code disruption. I didn't find the reason she did it wholly satisfying but I know it's supposed to absolve her of a bit of culpability. I wasn't expecting any huge resolution & very much tempered my expectation that I would find out what the hell happened that led to the day of the Detonations. What happened to the existing government? The rest of the globe? Hopefully those will be covered a bit in the rest of the series.

I very much liked the interaction of Bradwell & Partridge. They had good banter & bicker moments. At times, I was more interested in their part of the journey than I was in Pressia's (El Capitan did make for an engaging addition to the story though). Lyda turned out not to be a one off character but her part of the story, while interesting, was very slow going. To be fair, she has fewer entries than the others. Sedge's fate was so underscored in the beginning that I figured he had taken a different path. It was only a matter of time until that was revealed. I worked out the twist about Pressia as well, but I didn't feel it was a flaw in the narrative.

All in all, I'm glad that I read this book. It wasn't a very quick read for me as the images tended to stick in my mind & I wanted breaks along the way. I need to get the next installment from the library soon because I need to know what's next.



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Review: World of Shell and Bone

World of Shell and Bone by Adriana Ryan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I came across this book in my Amazon recommendations & the title & cover caught my eye. I downloaded the sample & as soon as I'd finished reading it, I bought the book. I had to know where this was going to go. I am happy to say that I enjoyed where it did go & I've found out that there's going to be another book to follow, so I'm looking forward to that.

There were some things that didn't seem very fleshed out & the progression of time was hard to get a handle on (save one instance where the fact that two weeks have passed is mentioned at the outset of a chapter). There certainly was no insta-love between Vika & Shale & it is shown that they do have feelings that are deeper than the original matching of them but to have refer to him as the man she loves was a bit jarring. Up to that point, she had never made any sense of her feelings & expressed mostly wonder at them. She lives in a society in which there are no "boyfriends" & no opportunity to have crushes on the opposite sex, so I didn't know how she made that leap. It's never even established that she's had a girlfriend so that she has some knowledge of experience with romantic love. Still, that .

Vika also seemed to pick up a few "skills" out of nowhere (driving the bus) & was strangely lacking in others. She's given a pistol but has no knowledge or experience using them, yet it is not a concern in any way to her or thought that she should maybe ask someone how to use it (how she gets it back after Drew takes it from her is also a mystery). We're told often that the matriarchal society in which she lives is one that sees men as inferior & inherently dangerous physically but it does not appear that any of the women have taken the time to learn basic skills of self-defense, just in case. I had to wonder how that planned infiltration & takeover of China is really going to go down successfully. Part of me loved that after repeated situations that turned more complex & not quite what was told to her, Vika had an openness & willingness to trust that remained. It seemed nice even if it were also foolhardy. Just as a facet of self-preservation, I wanted her to be more critical & circumspect & not keep thinking that things would just work out. I wanted her to be a planner & take on more of her own agency to reach her goal instead of relying on what others told her. But, this is just the first book & she grew quite a bit, so I temper my expectations.

Even so, there were many moments that I found fascinating, endearing & memorable. Vika's interactions with her mother, Mica & Ceres are all wonderful & the characters shine. I almost felt some sympathy for Vika's mother when she's rendered as the poster child of futility in their society. I never stopped wanting to know more about Mica because his appearances were always reminders that his life has been as much a mystery to Vika as it is to me. I was just glad Ceres turned up alive & Vika found her and their interactions were truly special. The scene where Vika braids Ceres's hair & the other girls with flowers really struck me as beautiful. I really wanted some vicious retribution to come Moon's way early on (she was a great character) & it only increased when she reappeared at the end of the story (though how she goes from administrative code enterer at BoTA to qualified for heading up a group of acid hose toting Maintenance workers sent to clear up the "secret" camp in the desert many hours outside of Ursa is still a mystery. Moon displayed calculating vitriol & opportunism not leadership & trustworthiness.) The ending isn't a typical cliff-hanger & could serve as a good ending to a stand-alone story but it did leave me wanting to see what will happen next in Vika & her companions' journey.



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Review: Beyond Shame

Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Dystopian erotica novel. I did like the setting but I kept wanting to know more about the world Noelle came from. Eden sounded like an interesting place & we're given mentions & clues but nothing really substantial to really set the place. Maybe that will come in the rest of the series. For the most part, this story takes place in the place outside of the utopian enclave city Eden & is mostly a sex fest. There's nothing wrong with that (it's fairly hot) but I was looking for a bit more substance in the world building. Because that wasn't what is given, I must admit that I had a bit of a difficult time connecting to Noelle fully & her moments of internal conflict. She'd think to hedge for a second & blush at the scandal of her feelings (or at least scandal & scorn that would have applied in Eden) but that never prompted hesitation in her actions once she fell in with the O'Kanes. While that was fun, it was a little hard to take whatever stifling life she had in Eden leading up to her exile, seriously. She shrugged it off mostly so I couldn't care about it much no matter how many times it was referenced. Just because it's repeated that it was oppressive & sheltered & a sham, doesn't make it real. But I never stopped wanting to care more deeply & so I kept reading. I thought Noelle & Jas definitely had sexual chemistry but I didn't feel romance between them. I'm not sure I was supposed to get romance from them, so I didn't find that a hinderance to my enjoyment.

This is definitely good for a fun, quick read. Definitely read it if you're looking for something steamy. Not so much for the world-building & deep character development. I'd likely read the next in the series because I'm interested in where this is going & of course, am curious to know more about Eden.



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Book Review: Word and Breath (Wordless Chronicles #1) by Susannah Noel

Word and Breath by Susannah Noel

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Summary:   Riana has learned how to stay out of trouble. She spends her days studying written texts in the government’s Office of Readers, and she spends her nights taking care of her sick sister. She always—always—follows the rules. Despite her low profile, she has mysteriously become a target. Someone has kidnapped her sister. Someone else is trying to kill her. And someone has sent a Soul-Breather to beguile her out of her secrets. 

Her help comes from the mythic leader of an underground rebel movement. A man who used to be her friend. A man who has silently loved her for years. He disappeared from her life without a word, and now he expects her to trust him again.

Just Finished Reading: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have had this book gathering dust on my shelf for an obscene amount of time. In truth, I put off reading it because there are so many other books on my "To Read" list & when a push back happens, it's the YA novels that take it for the team. I'm glad to say that this was very much worth the read.

I know that everything to be said about this book & the entire series has likely been said, but I cannot let it go without saying that what struck me most & I find I am most interested in is, the Capitol, its inhabitants & how this entire society has devolved into this place we're transported too. Katniss as the narrator, took my breath away sometimes because she had a way of relating the matter-of-factness of some things & a seeming complacency for others. She could see inherent unfairness in the way things were set up to the advantage of the Capitol but didn't seem to bear any in her own district for not being the sorts to band together & offer assistance to one another in dire situations (her family almost starved to death when her father died & she knows that others have met that same fate). It struck me as an interesting study in "Us vs. Them". The same is touched on with the Avox girl, that Katniss recognizes.

Panem is a rough place all around. The feeling of helplessness is used as a weapon to wear people down & fear is used to keep people in their own district & not inclined to venture out to others for information or banding together. The Capitol must have great intimidation PR because the fences aren't electrified 24/7 but people haven't crossed in masses to meet.

As to the games themselves, I admit to feeling uneasy as I read this because I felt like a spectator (& of course that's the point). But, I am not a watcher of reality television. I haven't the fortitude for it. It makes me nervous, uncomfortable & I have a tendency to feel embarrassed for others & like I'm seeing something I shouldn't. Simply put, I'm an atrocious gawker. I don't want to see humanity at its worst & the idea of the Hunger Games or Flesh Fair (from the film A.I.) all playing out while people sit and watch, placing bets & having parties nags at my psyche. That said, I will read the remainder of the series because I need to know how this society resolves & characters reconcile.



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Book Review: Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Summary:   One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior's society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions. Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she's determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.