Review: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds #1

Release Date: December 18^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 488

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Source: ARC from BEA

GR - Amazon - BD - Chapters

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control. 

 Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.  

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.  

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

Wow. What a disturbingly amazing world. Alexandra Bracken created a strong world, and if there is one thing you can’t say is lacking, it’s the back-story. She gives us enough information to get a good understanding of the world and of the reasons why it becomes what it is. Alexandra Bracken really took us on an emotional rollercoaster ride, keeping us on the edge of our seat. The premises of the novel was one of the main reason why I wanted to read this book so badly, since it sounded like the kind of book I would love, and I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed. It felt new and fresh, and it was really addicting. It will even please some of you who are starting to get bored of dystopian.

The story follows Ruby, a young girl who has been stuck in a “rehabilitation camp” for the last six years. This gave her certain strength, but also a weakness. Thanks to everything that has been said about people like her (orange) and what she has seen of others like her, she sees herself as a monster, and she fears what she is. Having been in the camp for so long, she doesn’t know what is going on in the world outside the walls of the camp. I have to say, I really liked seeing her grow because of what she discovers on the other side, and because of everything she has to do to survive. By the end of the book, she has to face some difficult choices that will change her.

Along her way, she meets a group of kid like her, and she joins them on the road. The group had some really interesting characters and I liked seeing them with Ruby. Zu was so cute, and you really can’t help but want to protect her, to see her be okay. Then, there is Chub. He is the one that doesn’t accept Ruby at first, the one who is skeptical about the things she tells them. I like that there was at least one character who was cautious about the appearance of a new girl, as they are on the run. I think most people in their situation wouldn’t have been 100% welcoming. Finally, there’s Liam. He is the kind of character that gives you hope in their world, as he is the one who wants to see the good in people. The four of them together created a group with an interesting dynamic, and it was one of my favorite parts of the book.

The Darkest Minds was an excellent start to a series that promises a lot. This dystopian is dark and addicting, and I can’t wait to see where Alexandra Bracken will take Ruby and us in the next novel.

About the Author:

From GoodReads

Alexandra Bracken wrote Brightly Woven as a birthday present for a friend, and the story grew and flourished during a year of unpredictable, wild weather. A native of Arizona, she is a recent graduate of the College of William and Mary, where she majored in History and English. She now lives in New York City.

Her Website

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Review: Beta by Rachel Cohn

Beta by Rachel Cohn

Annex #1

Release Date: October 16^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 304

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Source: ARC from BEA

Elysia is created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen-year-old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of a teenage clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to exist.
Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air induces a strange, euphoric high, which only the island's workers--soulless clones like Elysia--are immune to.
 At first, Elysia's life is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, who should want for nothing, yearn. But for what, exactly? She also comes to realize that beneath the island's flawless exterior, there is an under-current of discontent among Demesne's worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care--so why are overpowering sensations cloud-ing Elysia's mind?
 If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When her one chance at happi-ness is ripped away with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive.
 
The first in a dazzlingly original science fiction series from best-selling author Rachel Cohn, "Beta "is a haunting, unforgettable story of courage and love in a cor-rupted world.

Wow! Way to throw you a hell of a twist at the end, Rachel Cohn. I’m impressed. What was supposed to simply be a book to keep me entertaining while I was waiting for my dad ended up being a book I simply couldn’t put down. I liked the story, I like the critique that can be seen in the story, and I liked the idea behind the book. To me, it felt more than just a pretty story. There’s a message in there, for those who want to find it (or I’m just reading way too much in this book…)

I found Elysia really interesting. There are a great variety of characters, and I think they help understand the world the story is set in. The other clones share what really goes on with them, the importance of their enslavement in a way. That’s what the clones are for after all. The family she is brought in help us understand how differently a clone can be treated. Some treat her as a normal person; other just treat her as a toy for them to do as they please. When it comes down to Tahir’s relationship with Elysia, it was both interesting and strange. Without giving too much away, I was left with a couple of questions regarding Tahir’s real motives. And of course I can’t forget about Alex, who we can’t be completely sure if he wants Elysia or Astrid’s image.

As much as I liked the book, I have to say that there are a few things that made me really unsure. One comes from the finale twits, which kind of goes against what we were told earlier. Other than that, the book just was a great read. It was easy to follow, interesting, and simply addicting. There’s just so many things that got me hooked; the story, the characters, the world, and all the element of critique that can be seen. It is crazy scary to imagine that we could maybe arrive to that world one day, where we clone people for our own pleasure.

Review: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Release Date: August 2^nd, 2011

Number of Pages: 282

Publisher: Hyperion books CH

Source: Bought + BEA

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen.The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.And there are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

This book really caught my attention from page one. There is something beautifully eerie about what is going on in this book. I have to say that this book made me fall completely for Victoria Schwab’s writing. You get the feeling while you’re reading that every word, every sentence was so carefully chosen, to give you the desire experience. The world simply sucks you in, as the description easily bring everything to life,

I really liked the characters, especially Lexi. She was ready to whatever she though was right to do, so she could save the children. It didn’t matter that everyone around her forbid her to do anything. She had to do it. She was one of the rare characters that looked like they were really trying to save them instead of simply pointing fingers. Of course, I can’t forget about Cole. I love their interaction; there was such a great balance between the personalities of those two characters. The was enough mystery about Cole to keep me intrigued in who he really was, and made me curious as to what’s to come. There is something a little haunting about him; it simply makes him that much more addicting.

The novel is simply addicting. There’s this fairy tale vibe going on that is so intriguing. After all, not that many novels can give you the feeling of being one of those fairy tales we grew up it. Even the books inspired by fairy tales don’t always have the vibe that can be so addicting. Of course, the writing has a lot to do with my love for this book. There are few books that really make me fall in love with the words as much as the story, and this one is one. I’m already dying to read more from her. If you’re looking for a haunting modern fairy tale, this one is for you.

Waiting On Wednesday: Disney-Hyperion Edition

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine. It is an opportunity for us to show books we can't wait to get our hands on.

So, this week,I decided to do a Disney Hyperion edition, as there are simply so many of there books I'm waiting for. I have to say, it was really hard to only choose three to be in this post. Here they are:

False Memory by Dan Krokos

August 2012

Miranda wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory. In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her. Except Peter, a boy who isn't at all surprised by Miranda's shocking ability.
Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn't easy--especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can't remember loving. Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run. Suddenly her past doesn't seem to matter...when there may not be a future.
Dan Krokos' debut is a tour-de-force of non-stop action that will leave readers begging for the next book in this bold and powerful new series.

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

October 2012

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett’s unique ability to travel through time and space brings him into Anna’s life, and with him, a new world of adventure and possibility.

As their relationship deepens, they face the reality that time might knock Bennett back where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate—and what consequences they can bear in order to stay together.

Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, TIME BETWEEN US is a stunning and spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new talent in YA fiction.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

January 2013

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous—it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

Both False Memory and Time Between Us are books I wanted to get at BEA and didn't manage to get. The Archived is one of the book I've been dying to read since I first heard of it, since it sounds amazing and I adore Victoria Schwab's writing.

Waiting on Wednesday: Beta by Rachel Cohn

 Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine. It is an opportunity for us to show books we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week, I'm waiting for:

Beta by Rachel Cohn
Release Date: October 16th, 2012
Disney Hyperion

In a world constructed to absolute perfection, imperfection is difficult to understand—and impossible to hide.

Elysia is a clone, created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen year old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of teenaged clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to be created.

Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air there induces a strange, euphoric high that only the island's workers—soulless clones like Elysia—are immune to.

At first, Elysia's new life on this island paradise is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, the most privileged people in the world who should want for nothing, yearn. And, she comes to realize that beneath its flawless exterior, there is an undercurrent of discontent amongst Demesne's worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care—so why are overpowering sensations clouding Elysia's mind?

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When Elysia's one chance at happiness is ripped away from her with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive.

I've been curious about this book since I first heard of it. Can't wait to get my hands on it! 

Review: The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

Seven Realms #1

Release Date: October 6^th, 2009

Number of Pages: 506

Publisher: Hyperion Books

When 16-year-old Han Alister and his Clan friend Dancer encounter three underage wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea, he has no idea that this event will precipitate a cascade of disasters that will threaten everything he cares about.

Han takes an amulet from one of the wizards, Micah Bayar, to prevent him from using it against them. Only later does he learn that it has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. And the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back

Han’s life is complicated enough. He’s the former streetlord of the Raggers—a street gang in the city of Fellsmarch. His street name, Cuffs, comes from the mysterious silver bracelets he’s worn all his life—cuffs that are impossible to take off.

Now Han’s working odd jobs, helping to support his family, and doing his best to leave his old life behind. Events conspire against him, however. When members of a rival gang start dying, Han naturally gets the blame.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna has her own battles to fight. As heir to the Gray Wolf throne of the Fells, she’s just spent three years of relative freedom with her father’s family at Demonai Camp—riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Now court life in Fellsmarch pinches like a pair of too-small shoes.

Wars are raging to the south, and threaten to spread into the high country. After a long period of quiet, the power of the Wizard Council is once again growing. The people of the Fells are starving and close to rebellion. Now more than ever, there’s a need for a strong queen.

But Raisa’s mother Queen Marianna is weak and distracted by the handsome Gavan Bayar, High Wizard of the Fells. Raisa feels like a cage is closing around her—and an arranged marriage and eroded inheritance is the least of it.

Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. With the help of her friend, the cadet Amon Byrne, she navigates the treacherous Gray Wolf Court, hoping she can unravel the conspiracy coalescing around her before it’s too late.

I finally read The Demon King, a book I had been excited to read for a while. I did enjoy it, but I sadly didn’t love it. I don’t know if I was just expecting too much from this series, but I felt like there was a little something missing to live up to its reputation.

One of the things I really liked about the book was the dual point of view. I found it interesting to get both Raisa’s and Han’s point of view. It thought Raisa was an interesting character. She was strong, forceful, and I liked that she was able to made up her own mind. She can be a little annoying when she wants her way, but it is easy to understand why she was that way. After all, she is a Princess, and she will be soon Queen. Han was interesting to me mostly for his interaction with the clan and his family. I found it great to see him be good when his past was full of mistakes. The characters were well written in my opinion. They felt so complete, and they were so easy to either love, or love to hate.

It took me a while to really get into the novel. I can’t really explain why the story couldn’t hook me. Still, once I was addicted, I couldn’t stop reading. I really enjoyed the writing and, of course, the world Cinda Williams Chima created. One thing I have to say is even if you have trouble getting into the story, give it a try. It really got a lot better the more I read.

I hadn’t read that many high fantasy novels. I did enjoy this book, but this series won’t become my favorite series. Still, fan of high fantasy will enjoy this book. Overall, it is a great and interesting world, 

Review: Ditched: A Love Story by Robin Mellom

Title: Ditched: A Love Story

Author: Robin Mellom

Series: None

Release Date: January 10^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 288

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Source: NtGalley

High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. So she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her.

Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat handle first.

Ian, who knew exactly when she needed red licorice.

Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom.

And then ditched her.

Now, as the sun rises over her small town, and with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven, Justina must piece together — stain by stain on her thrift-store dress — exactly how she ended up dateless. A three-legged Chihuahua was involved. Along with a demolition derby-ready Cadillac. And there was that incident at the tattoo parlor. Plus the flying leap from Brian Sontag's moving car...

But to get the whole story, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. And discover if losing out at prom can ultimately lead to true love.

Filled with humor, charm, and romance, Ditched: A Love Story by debut novelist Robin Mellom will have readers dreaming of love on their own prom nights.

I was a little uncertain about this book. It seemed like a really fluffy and funny book, but I still feared it would be a really superficial story. In the end, I did enjoy it. It was simply fun, entertaining and it got me laughing from beginning to end.

Now, there was one main thing that slightly annoyed me. Justina was such a mess, sometime in a funny way, but sometime in a “I’m gonna really punch you if you keep acting this stupid. Seriously.” Way. She simply jumped to conclusion so fast. She also was a little over the place. Ian was always so sweet and so nice with her, yet she can’t seem to trust him. I really thought Ian was an amazing guy, to amazing for her at some point. He was a little too amazing some time, making him a little almost too unrealistic, but I still enjoy reading about him.

The story was simply fun and cute. I love all the hell Justina was put through, simply because she created most of it by not trusting Ian. That’s simply nice to see a character being put through this kind of prom hell when they are the one creating the mess. Everything that happens to her is hilarious, well from an outside perspective. It reminded me of a sitcom.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Yes, it wasn’t perfect, but it was a great light and fun read. I really enjoyed it, and I can’t wait to read more from Robin Mellom.