Series Tracker

A-Z Challenge

New Personal Challenge for 2016. I'm going to read books following the alphabet. 

Title: the first letter in the title of the books (not the title of the series) should correspond to a letter in the alphabet. Letters Q, X and Z can be positioned anywhere in the title.

Ashfall - Mike Mullin

Bond of Venom and Magic (A) - Karen Tomlinson 

C

Darker Shade of Magic (A) - V.E. Schwab 

E

Forget Tomorrow - Pintip Dunn

Games of Lives (The) - James Dashner

Hidden Oracle (The) - Rick Riordan

I

J

Killer - Sara Shepard 

Last Star (The) -  Rick Yancey

Morning Star - Pierce Brown

N

One Hundrer (the) - Kass Morgan

Passenger - Alexandra Bracken

Q

Rebel Spring - Morgan Rhodes 

Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys

Truthwith - Susan Dennard

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

Winter - Marissa Meyer

X

Y

Z

Dystopia Reading Challenge 2016

2015 is nearly finished and it's time to think about 2016 reading challenges. I've had fun with this challenge this year and I want to try it again since I like reading Dystopian Novels. 

I want to try and reach Leader level that's reading and reviewing 16+ books! Yeah!!!

Books read so far: 

The Game of Lives - James Dashner
Winter - Marissa Meyer
The 100 - Kass Morgan
Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
Forget Tomorrow - Pintip Dunn
Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard
Morning Star - Pierce Brown
Ashfall - Mike Mullin
Ashen Winter - Mike Mullin
The Gender Game - Bella Forrest
Queen Song - Victoria Aveyard
The Last Star - Rick Yancey
A Torch Against the Night - Sabaa Tahir

Let it be December!!!

So, December is finally here!!!

I can't wait for the holidays. I love Christmas and between one Christmas movie and another, baking cookies and Christmas presents  I would like to read a lot of books before the end of 2015.

Sorry I was AWOL in November. I had a very busy month and I couldn't keep up with the blog. 

In November I read:

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard The Sword of Summer: A long title means that Rick Riordan is back with a new series. If you were used to the Greek and Roman Mythology with his two previous series, you will find this story strange. There are really some weird legends in Norse Mythology, but the book was great.

Four: A Divergent Collection :  This was the last book I had to read of the Divergent Series. I chose it as my copy cat book challenge.

15 Minutes: This was a free ebook on Amazon. Really good. If you love time travelling books, you will like this one. I think it's still free on Amazon. And book 2 and 3 are already out.  

Heir of Fire: The third one in the throne of Glass series. I loved the first two in the series, but I found this one a bit boring. Too many different characters to follow. 

Five Seven Five: I received a free copy of this book from the author for an honest review. You will find it here

Book Review: Five Seven Five - C.E. Wilson

Title: Five - Seven - Five
Author: C. E. Wilson
Publication Date: November 20th 2015
Publisher: C.E. Wilson
Pages: 200
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of the Boy with Words

Plot: Take only what can be used. Take only what won’t be missed. The Creators are watching all of us.

White Frost lives in a world cloaked in darkness and ignorance. While most people in her society are content to live in fearful peace, White’s cousin brings her words from the mysterious Unknown. Strange collections of written words that tease her that there may be more to the world than candlelight and dank hallways.

But when tragedy strikes, White can no longer rely on the words to give her solace. She must discover what lies beyond the only world she’s ever known… no matter the cost.

Eventually, White finds her way to the skies and there she discovers that the tantalizing clues of her words are only pale reflections of the massive and wondrous world above. Colors she never thought possible. Blinding light. And an impossible being who may or may not be the Creator of it all.

But this information comes at a price White Frost is not sure she can pay.

White’s hunger for knowledge proves to be her greatest strength and weakness as she strives to learn more. But as she learns, she has to wonder – is there such a thing as too much information? And what will happen as it brings her closer to a being who could destroy everything she’s ever known?

Reading Period: November 27, 2015 - December 2, 2015

Review

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This book turned out to be something I didn't expect, I was surprised by the different outcome the story took at about one third of the book. So if you read the first chapters and you can already imagine how the story is going to be, I can assure that it will be completely different.

The story is written in the first person point of view and it's told through the eyes of White Frost, a girl who has lived her entire life underground with her community and has never been outside. Going outside it's a privileged (or a curse) that only the Chosen Ones have. Her cousin is one of the Chosen One and in his expeditions outside into the Unknown to get supplies for the community, he brings back to White pieces of paper with words written on them. Words like rain, green, blue sky...   Words that White doesn't  understand because she has never seen them.

And her curiosity and her thrive for knowledge will take her outside of the safety of her walls. But what will she find in the Unknown?  Will she meet the Creators? Mystical beings that have created her people, or so she have been told her whole life. 

The book is well written. The pace is good and the end leaves you wanting more. There's a bit of romance, if you like love story. But I think the story really makes you think about the power of words and knowledge. Could you understand what a word mean if you have never seen the object or colour? If you have always lived without seeing the blue sky or the rain or the green grass, what would be your reaction when you discover them?

No one can answer the question: Where do we come from? But if someone gave you an answer, would you accept it without question it or would you try to find the truth yourself?

This is a great YA that makes you reflect on all this, I really recommend it. 

The story continues in a second book.

RATING

O is for October!

October is here! That means a lot of reading during the rainy days, curled up under a warm blanket while drinking hot chocolate.... and Halloween!!!

I'm not a fan of Horror, so no scary books for me this month. 

I'm currently reading: Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine. It's the first book of the Great Library series. I'm about 150 pages into it and it's quite good. Practically the Great Library of Alexandria was never destroyed and the Library is this powerful organisations that controls knowledge and books. 

Another book on the list is Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. It's the second book of the Lunar Chronicles series. I read the first one in September and I'm trying to catch up for the release date of the 4th and last book of the series. 

The book of the month for one of my YA groups is Six of Crow by Leigh Bardugo .I'm curious about it. Everyone is excited because the all read the previous series from this author The Grisha trilogy, but I still need to read it.

I'm really excited about the new Rick Riordan's series Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard !!! I love Percy Jackson's series and even more the Heroes of Olympus and I love Norse Mythology so I can't wait for it! Tomorrow!!! \o/
I hope it's better than the Kane Chronicles which I didn't like so much.

So many books on my list and so little time...

But I'm happy to say that I read all the books on my September list plus others, including the Martian. by Andy Weir. I saw the movie as well last Saturday so soon I will publish the review for both!

Do you like horror? Are you planning to read scary books this month?

Happy reading everyone!!!

Book Review: Cinder - Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: January 3rd 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 400
Link to Goodereads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of the Lunar Chronicles

Plot: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Reading Period: September 11, 2015 - September 16, 2015

Review:

I knew this series was very popular among YA readers, but I've always put it off because I wasn't really convinced.... a cyborg Cinderella?!

But  after months of debating and deliberating, I read the first book.... I made the right decision!!!

I really like it! So much that I read the other novellas: Glitches , The Little Android and The Queen's Army in just one day!

Okay, so the book is a retelling of Cinderella's story in a more futuristic and dystopian way. Cinder, is a mechanic and a cyborg. She lives in the futuristic  New  Beijing with her stepmother and stepsisters.

Since she is a cyborg she is considered a second class citizen. Cyborgs are used as experiments to find a cure for a deadly illness that has invaded the planet. One days she meets Prince Kai and they fall in love,

They are a lot of things involved, an intergalactic possible war with Lunar, the inhabitants of the Moon, the virus, cinder's discovery which wasn't really of a surprise. You can image it right for the beginning. I don't know if it was intentional or I've read so many of these books that nothing is unpredictable anymore.

Overall it's a very enjoyable book, well written, dynamic characters. I'm glad I finally picked it up and read it. Now, there's the rest of the series!Lol

RATING

Book Review: The Iron Trial - H. Black & C. Clare

Title: The Iron Trial
Author: Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
Publication Date: September 9th 2014
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 299
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of Magisterium

Plot: Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial.

Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.

All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.

So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing.

Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.

The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .

Reading Period: September 03, 2015 - September 04, 2015

Review:  

I must say that I hadn't heard of this series until it appeared as book of the month in two book clubs in Goodreads. 

The Iron Trial is the first book of the Magisterium series. It is classed as middle grade book. In fact the language and story are easy. 

I read different conflicting reviews about it. A lot of people didn't like it because they said it was too similar to Harry Potter.   I can see the similarities with Harry Potter, but the story is unique in its own way. Yes, there are three main characters (two males and a female), an enemy similar to the Dark Lord, a school of magic, but the end will surprise you and you will find out the main character, Callum, isn't exactly the Chosen One.

Personally, I really enjoyed. I read in a couple of days and it was a quick easy going read. 

I know the second book just came out, I hope I'll be able to read it soon.  I also hope it will become a movie. A must read for fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson

RATING

Book Review: Numbers Game - Rebecca Rode

Title: Numbers Game
Author: Rebecca Rode
Publication Date: March 10th 2015
Publisher: Diamond Patch Press
Pages: 417
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of Numbers Game

Plot: Treena is nervous for Rating Day. A single number will brand her forever—a valuable citizen, or a pathetic waste of space. Her top-Rated boyfriend is confident their scores will coincide so they can attend the academy together. But when the big day arrives, her true number shocks everyone. 

To get her life and boyfriend back, she must go undercover and expose a military spy. Doesn’t sound too hard, except that someone wants her dead. And then there’s Vance, the mysterious soldier with a haunted past and beautiful brown eyes. Together, they discover a dark numbers conspiracy, one that shatters the nation’s future. Treena must join up with Vance if she is to survive the dangerous game of numbers—and the terrible war that rages within her heart.

Reading Period: July 29, 2015 - August 02, 2015

Review

This book came to my attention because I needed the letter N for the ice-cream challenge in a reading group. I'm so glad it did!!! This  book is amazing!

If you have read The Testing Series by Joelle Charbonneau  (if you haven't, you really should because it's a great not well known dystopian trilogy) you will love this one!

So, at Rating Day everyone who has reached the age, is rated and assigned a number which will establish where they fit in society. The higher the number the better is your life. High numbers are green and the lowest numbers are red. Treena and her friends have prepared for this day. Treena has done everything right, so even if she's nervous, she shouldn't have any problems. 

Imagine the shock when she receives a low rating, one of the worst in history!

Treena does everything in her power to find out what happened, why did she receive a low score? She will even go undercover as a spy and meet Vance, a mysterious soldier, who will help her in her task and they will discover a dark secret. 

Like I said, if you love dystopian novels, like DIVERGENT or THE GIVER, you will enjoy this one. I really hope more people would read it and it says it's the first one in a series but there's still no news for the second book. 

I know that dystopian novels all seem a bit the same: female heroine, love triangle, nemesis in power, different class in society and so on... but you should really give it a shot!

 RATING 

Book Review: Alive - Scott Sigler

Title: Alive
Author: Scott Sigler
Publication Date: July 14th 201
Publisher: Del Rey
Pages: 368
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of  The Generations Trilogy

Plot: From New York Times bestselling author Scott Sigler comes something utterly new: a gripping sci-fi adventure trilogy in the vein of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner. A group of young adults awake in a mysterious enclosed space with no knowledge of who they are or how they got there…and an indomitable young woman must lead them not only to answers but to survival.

A young woman awakes trapped in an enclosed space. She has no idea who she is or how she got there. With only her instincts to guide her, she escapes her own confinement—and finds she’s not alone. She frees the others in the room and leads them into a corridor filled with the remains of a war long past. The farther these survivors travel, the worse are the horrors they confront. And as they slowly come to understand what this prison is, they realize that the worst and strangest possibilities they could have imagined don’t even come close to the truth.

Reading Period: September 06, 2015 - September 11, 2015

Review

This one was not on my books of the month list, but at a Goodreads group they had a buddy read planned and since it was on my TBR list, I decided to join in.

I don't really know what to say about this book, it wasn't what I expected. Since it said that it was for the fans of HUNGER GAMES, DIVERGENT and THE MAZE RUNNER I thought for certain that I was going to love it, instead it left me empty.

The author specifically asks not to reveal too much of the book in the reviews since it might spoil the plot and the different twists in the story. So I'll try to keep it vague.

The beginning is similar to the Maze Runner: a young woman wakes up inside an enclosed space, similar to a coffin, with no memories on who she is or where she comes from. She's not alone. Some coffins have alive people and they have no memories as well, and other have bodies. 

The group has to try to understand who they are and where they are while the battle for survivor and fight among them to decide who's the leader.

There are a couple of surprising twist during the story, even if some were not really believable, but I never connected with any of the character, not even the with the main character M. 

Some images of death were really disgusting so if you are very sensible I wouldn't recommend it.  

If others books left me wanting more, this one didn't really satisfy me. It is classes as the first one in a series, but I really think it could end like it did. 

I'll have to think about continuing the series. 

RATING

  

Book Review: An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir

Title: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publication Date: April 28th 2015
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 446
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of An Ember in the Ashes

Plot: 

Laia is a slave. 

Elias is a soldier. 

Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. 

Reading Period: May 06, 2015 - May 12, 2015

Review

This one was a book of the month for a Reading group. 

After reading the first part of the book I didn't know what to make of it. If I was going to like or not. The setting was great. It reminded me of the Ancient Roman society and I liked the details.  In the second part of the book I was finally enjoying it more. But as I was going through the pages I kept wondering how it was going to end all, and when I arrived at the last page I found out... it wasn't. there's not a real ending. When I read this it was classed as a stand alone novel. fortunately it got picked up as a series.

The main characters are Laia and Elias and we alternate their POV.  Laia is a scholar who is in search of her brother ans she ends up as a slave in the Academy. Elias is a Mask, the academy commander's son. They are both trapped in a life they don't want. They will help each other to get free.

What I had trouble picturing are the masks. The students at the Academy have to wear these masks that in time will become one thing with the face. It's a strange concept.

There is strong violence too. Maybe the same level of Red Rising and Golden Son.  There is some romance, in right amount.

Overall is a good YA fantasy novel, although some parts seemed incomplete. I guess since the author didn't know if she was going to continue the series, she might have rushed some parts.

The second book is scheduled to come out in April 2016.

If you have liked Pierce Brown's series. You might like this one too. For now I'm keeping my initial rating. I'll wait for the second book to make a more concrete opinion.

RATING

Book Review: Departure - A. G. Riddle

Title: Departure
Author: A.G. Riddle
Publication Date: December 4th 2014
Publisher: Riddle Inc.
Pages: 318
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: No

Plot: Harper Lane has problems. In a few hours, she'll have to make a decision that will change her life forever. But when her flight from New York to London crash-lands in the English countryside, she discovers that she's made of tougher stuff than she ever imagined.

As Harper and the survivors of Flight 305 struggle to stay alive in the aftermath of the crash, they soon realize that this world is very different from the one they left. Their lives are connected, and some believe they've been brought here for a reason.

In addition to Harper, several other passengers seem to hold clues about why Flight 305 crashed. There's:

Nick Stone, an American on his way to a meeting with The Gibraltar Project, an international group dedicated to building a dam across the Strait of Gibraltar and draining the Mediterranean.

Sabrina Schröder, a German scientist who has unknowingly sealed the fate of half the flight's passengers.

Yul Tan, a Chinese-American computer scientist who has just made the breakthrough of a lifetime: a quantum internet capable of transmitting more data, farther, faster than ever thought possible. His invention, however, does much more than he ever dreamed possible.

With time running out to save the survivors of Flight 305, Harper and Nick race to unravel the conspiracy that crashed their plane. As they put the pieces together, they discover that their decisions have already doomed one world and will soon determine the future of ours.

Reading Period: June 23, 2015 - July 06, 2015

Review

Okay, I have to admit that I picked up this book because in one of my Goodreads Groups there was a challenge where you had to choose an ice-cream flavour and spell the flavour with the titles of books. I need the letter D and I found this book.

It helped that 20th Century Fox acquired the rights of the book and Departure will become a movie. 

This book was a lovely surprise to say that it wasn't on my list. Original story and original characters.

I don't want to say too much about the plot because I don't want to spoil it for you. The twists and turns of the plot it's something you have discovered page by page.

I can tell you that there are two timelines and that they are beautifully intersected. It is not your typical airplane disaster!!!

The narration is alternated between different characters and all of them will have to reflect on those choices they made or have to make and the repercussion they will have in the future. 

I really recommend it as a great read. Maybe not before taking a plane! :P 

RATING

  

Book Review: Golden Son - Pierce Brown

Title: Golden Son
Author: Pierce Brown
Publication Date: January 6th 2015

Publisher: Del Rey

Pages: 464
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 2 of  Red Rising Trilogy

Plot: With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown’s genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation.

Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within.

A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices. 

Reading Period: August 12, 2015 - August 16, 2015

Review:

By reading the first book this year, I only had to wait a couple of months before reading the second book. Boy, I wish I didn't have to wait until next year for the third book, because if the first one didn't have a big cliffhanger this one does. So If you're interested in reading it, I suggest you wait to a closer date to the publication date of the third book. 

The book is still divided into 4 parts. We learn that there's a 2 years time jump from the end of the first book. 

Darrow has bee accepted in the ArchGovenor Augustus's family. He is training in the art of War at the Academy and he is seen as hero. That is until he loses the last battle, the ArchGovenor wants to excommunicate him from his family and the rivals Bellona want his head.  

Darrow doesn't know who to trust. He hasn't heard from the Sons of Ares and he is losing everything he has fought for. I love the complexity of the character. He isn't good, but he isn't evil. He just takes the decisions that will help his cause. 

The manipulation, the dramatic turn of events, conspiracies that would put the GAME OF THRONES to shame. You won't be able to put the book down!

And like I said before: THAT CLIFFHANGER!!!

RATING

Book Review: Red Rising - Pierce Brown

Title: Red Rising
Author: Pierce Brown
Publication Date: January 28th 2014
Publisher: Del Rey
Pages: 382
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series:  Book 1 of Red Rising Trilogy

Plot: The Earth is dying. Darrow is a Red, a miner in the interior of Mars. His mission is to extract enough precious elements to one day tame the surface of the planet and allow humans to live on it. The Reds are humanity's last hope.

Or so it appears, until the day Darrow discovers it's all a lie. That Mars has been habitable - and inhabited - for generations, by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. A class of people who look down on Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.

Until the day that Darrow, with the help of a mysterious group of rebels, disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside. But the command school is a battlefield - and Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda.

Reading Period: January 29, 2015 - February 10. 2015

Review

Red Rising is a little bit darker than the books I'm used to read. There's a lot of violence and it can be gory in some points, but the story is very compelling and you will want to continue.

It is divided into 4 parts.

In the first part we meet Darrow. He is a red, the lower class in Mars. He and his people are slaves without knowing it. They believe that the work the are doing in the mines, living underground, is for the future of humanity. That their work will make Mars habitable for future generations. They are guarded by the Greys and their leaders are the Golds who have names and aspect of Roman Emperors and Empresses.

In the second part Darrow discovers that the world is a lot different. Mars is habitable, it has been for a long time. The Reds are just slave labours while on the surface there are Greys, Browns, Greens, Pinks, Blues... each class with a different job in society.

With the help of a group of rebels, Darrow goes through a painful and long procedure that changes him into a Gold. He infiltrates the command school in other to gain position among the Golds.

That's when the part three starts and it as similarities to Hunger Games. The school becomes a battlefield. Sons and Daughters of Gold families must fight to the death against each other to conqueror and graduate. 

This book is for young adults, but it can be read by adults but I wouldn't let a kid under fifteen years old read it. There are some trigger warnings; bullying, sexual assault and rape, violence.

It's a must read for fans of HUNGER GAMES, ENDER'S GAME and DIVERGENT.  It is a great mixture of dystopia, sci-fi, a bit of romance and thriller.

RATING

September is here!

Hi everyone!

September is here again and the holidays are over. At 30 years old I'm still waiting for the letter from Hogwarts... it never arrived! :( 

Maybe next year!

I hope you had a great holiday and if you didn''t go away that at least you had time to rest. 

As for my holidays I went to the UK for two weeks. I visit my grandmother in York and then I visited Bristol, Bath and Cardiff! All beautiful places!

I managed to read a lot of books this summer. Reviews will be here soon. 

At the cinema I went to see Ant-man. I'm a big Marvel Films fan and I never miss one. After the great movie of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Ant-Man was a little different, but it was good. Especially in 3D.

The other movie I watched at the cinema was Jurassic World. 20 years since I was the first Jurassic Park. Better technology, better dinosaurs, but the story line is similar. All together it was okay.

So, I'm member of a few Young Adult groups on goodreads.  A few challenges along the way.
Here's the list of books I'm planning to read this month:

The Iron Trail by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black
This is the first book of the Magisterium series. It's on as the book of the month for a couple of my reading groups.

A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J Mass
This one seemed to be the book of the summer.I'm currently reading the second of Sarah J Mass's other series Crown of Midnight  of the Throne glass series.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
This is the first one of the Lunar Chronicles. Everyone I've heard loved this series and I'm curious to see how it is. Let's see if I'm late for the party.

Three for now, I can't decide what to add next. I've got the third one of the Throne of glass Series. This summer I read The Eye of Minds by James Dashner. I  really enjoyed and I would like to read the second one before the third one comes out in November.

Have you read any of these books? Did you like them?
Let me know your thoughts and if you have any suggestions!

Happy reading everyone!

Book Review: In the Afterlight - Alexandra Bracken

Title: In the Afterlight ( The Darkest Minds #3)
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publication Date: October 28th 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 535
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Yes

Plot: Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. With them is a prisoner: Clancy Gray, son of the president, and one of the few people Ruby has encountered with abilities like hers. Only Ruby has any power over him, and just one slip could lead to Clancy wreaking havoc on their minds. 

They are armed only with a volatile secret: proof of a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of IAAN, the disease that has killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others like her with powers the government will kill to keep contained. But internal strife may destroy their only chance to free the "rehabilitation camps" housing thousands of other Psi kids.

Meanwhile, reunited with Liam, the boy she would-and did-sacrifice everything for to keep alive, Ruby must face the painful repercussions of having tampered with his memories of her. She turns to Cole, his older brother, to provide the intense training she knows she will need to take down Gray and the government. But Cole has demons of his own, and one fatal mistake may be the spark that sets the world on fire. 

Reading Period: May 25, 2015 - May 31, 2015

Review:

So, here it is, the end of The Darkest Minds Saga.  It is always bitter sweet when you reach the last book of a series. Finally you know how it ends, you have reached, hopefully the happy ending, but on the other hand you will have to say goodbye to the characters that you have learned to love.You will no longer read about their adventures.

Like always, the writing was exceptional. Great attention to details, constructive dialogues, dynamic plots. You're hooked from the first page.

I don't want to give too much away. Let me just say that the original band is back together. There are new characters and old enemies. Conflicts will rise about how to deal with the rehabilitation camps and the government. Some will want a more direct and violent approach and others a more subtle way. Ruby will be right in the middle of the conflict.

You won't be disappointed if you like happy endings. I would have loved a few more pages as an epilogue, but a short story will be out in October hopefully with some questions answered.

I really enjoyed this series, I can't wait the read the author's next series Passenger which will be out next year.

RATING

Book Review: Sparks Rise - Alexandra Bracken

Title: Sparks Rise (The Darkest Minds #2.5)
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publication Date: September 2nd 2014
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 110
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Yes

Plot: Sam didn’t think things could get worse at Thurmond rehabilitation camp. Then the Reds arrive. Everyone assumed the kids with firepower had been killed years ago. Instead they were taken away, brainwashed, and returned as terrifyingly effective guards. To her horror, Sam recognizes one of them: Lucas, the one spark of light in Sam’s dark childhood. Lucas has a deadly secret–he beat the brutal training that turned his fellow Reds into mindless drones. When Sam defends herself against an attack by a vile PSF guard and faces a harrowing punishment, Lucas must risk his everything to save her. 

Reading Period: May 04, 2015 - May 06, 2015

Review:

This is the second novella of the series. We go back to Thurmond rehabilitation camp  with Sam, Ruby's friend before she accidentally wiped her memory. 

This is darkest novel of the series so far. We didn't really see what life was at the camps when Ruby escaped. How human beings can do evil things under certain circumstances. Sam lives goes on in the camp. It isn't easy since she has to deal with a cruel PSF guard harassing her. Then some new guards show up. They are Reds, the most dangerous PSI. They have been brainwashed, they only exist now to serve. No emotions, no thoughts. 

All expect Lucas, Sam's childhood friend. He managed to resist, deceived them so they wouldn't break him. But he risks everything to save Sam. 

 Sam and Lucas soon become interesting characters and.... SPOILER....my heart broke when they managed to destroy Lucas.

RATING

Book review: Never Fade - Alexandra Bracken

Title: Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2)
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publication Date: October 15th 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 512
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Yes

Plot: Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster. 

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her. 

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

Reading Period: April 28, 2015 - May 04, 2015

Review:

I didn't think I could love this one more than the first one, but I was wrong. This was a great continuation from the Darkest Minds and an incredible exploration of the human mind. 

Okay, I hope you've read the first book, if not this review might be spoiler!

We left the first book with Ruby erasing Liam's memories and her joining the "Children's League". The second book is definitely more action packed. We've got a lot of more characters, Ruby is now part of a team of special kids working for the Children's league to overthrow the government and close the detention camps. We have Vida, a strong loyal female character who has trouble to trust new people. Jude, a young optimistic boy full of energy. Cole, Liam's charismatic older brother.

We still have the characters we got to meet and love in the first book, Liam, Chuck, the only one missing is Zu, who we've learned in the short novella before this book, is in an adventure of her own. Clancy returns and with him a series of troubles.

Never Fade is all about power, friendship and believing in yourself. It will keep you at the edge of your seat.

Strongly recommended!

RATING

  

Book Review: In Time - Alexandra Bracken

Title: In Time (The Darkest Minds #1.5)
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publication Date: July 16th 2013

Publisher: Disney Publishing Worldwide

Pages: 89

Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Yes

Plot: Gabe's life has been devastated in the wake of the economic crash. The only option left for someone like him to escape his tragic past is to leave his small town behind and to attempt to become a skiptracer. This already almost impossible task is made all the more difficult by his first score, a young girl who won't speak, but who changes his life in ways he could never imagine.

Reading Period: March 23, 2015 - March 29, 2015

Review:

This is a short novella between book 1 and 2 of the Darkest Minds series. At first it was a bit slow, not because the writing is bad (it isn't really, I love Alexandra Bracken's style) but because you left the first book getting attached to the characters and then you find someone new! Who is this guy? 

This guy is Gabe. Gabe was too old to be affected by  the disease, but too young to be an adult. His only chance to survive is to become a bounty hunter. They travel across the country to capture kids who have being affected by the change. Gabe has spent the last years convincing that the he hated children. They ruined the economy, they ruined his future, if they hadn't got sick, the devastation in America would have never happened. It's easier to not think of them as children, but as animals. You will feel less guilty about capture them and send them to camps. At least that's what he thought! What happens when you start to care? 

This novella shows how the people not affected by the change live. What's happening while Ruby and Liam and the others are trying to escape and live a life?

After a few pages, you come to love Gabe especially after he encounters a familiar face, someone we got to know and love in the first book.

Overall it's a nice short novella that helps you understand the world our protagonists are living in.

RATING

Book Review: Ruins - Dan Wells

Title: Ruins (Partial Sequences #3)
Author: Dan Wells
Publication Date: March 11th 2014
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 464
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Yes

Plot: Kira, Samm, and Marcus fight to prevent a final war between Partials and humans in the gripping final installment in the Partials Sequence, a series that combines the thrilling action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Blade Runner and The Stand.

There is no avoiding it—the war to decide the fate of both humans and Partials is at hand. Both sides hold in their possession a weapon that could destroy the other, and Kira Walker has precious little time to prevent that from happening. She has one chance to save both species and the world with them, but it will only come at great personal cost.

Reading Period: June 17, 2015 - June 21, 2015 

Review:

Can people stop fighting, put aside all their differences and hatred if it means their salvation?

Partials can't survive without humans and humans can't survive without partials.

Would that be enough?

This is a great conclusion of the Partial trilogy. The thing that I liked most is that Dan Wells is not afraid to make things bad for the characters. When you read a book or watch a film and there's bomb about to blow off, or someone is sick or one of the characters is about to die, you think "of course the will disable the bomb in time. Of course they're not going to die... of course..." But in this case the author is not afraid to take some risks and not having the expected happy ending.

One of the things I didn't really care for in the series was the love triangle, but that was solved in a good and quick way, as it should have been. I read dystopian novels for the action and the psychological   implications, not for the love drama.

A couple of surprises in the way and maybe a few slow chapters , but all together a very exciting book with the introduction of new characters.

I also love that we have more different point of views, until all the characters meet.

I'm very glad I've took the time to read this trilogy, I recommended to anyone who is a fan of dystopia!

RATING

Book Review: Fragments - Dan Wells

Title: Fragments (Partial Sequence #2)
Author: Dan Wells
Publication Date: February 26th 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 576
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Yes

Plot: Author Dan Wells is back with the sequel to the sci-fi blockbuster Partials, which Pittacus Lore called a "thrilling sci-fi adrenaline rush, with one of the most compelling and frightening visions of Earth's future I've seen yet."

After discovering the cure for RM, Kira Walker sets off on a terrifying journey into the ruins of post-apocalyptic America and the darkest desires of her heart in order to uncover the means—and a reason—for humanity's survival.

Dan Wells extends his richly imagined, gritty world and introduces new memorable characters in this second instalment in the Partials Sequence.

Reading period: June 07, 2015 - June 16, 2015

Review:

As much as I liked the first book, this second one of the series was a bit disappointing. We left  Kara embarking on a journey after she had successfully cured a baby from RM but the cure can't be replicated. She wants answers of her origins (she was raised as a human but she discovered that she's a new model of partial)  and a permanent cure for both RM and Partials expiration date.

Kara travels thought Lowe Manhattan, where she meets a new character, Afa who doesn't really have a defined role. She then crosses the toxic wasteland of the Midwest util she reaches Denver.  

The first half of the book is very slow. I like that we have the point of view of different character working on different parts of the US, but it takes a lot of time for the story to pick up pace.

Dan Wells is very good a describing the devastated cities and the damaged done to the environment, but the plot loses a bit of its drive.

Finally the book starts to get interested in the second half. There is a turning point in Kara's journey and even the other characters at home set off to a quest themselves.    

I wish I could have give it a higher rating, but the book was really long and maybe some things weren't really necessary to the development of the plot. It is a good transitional book from the first one to the third one which I'm reading now so I can complete the series.    

RATING

Book Review: Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard

Title: Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publication Date: February 10th 2015
Publisher: Orion
Pages: 383
Link to GoodReads: Here
Part of a series: Yes

Plot: The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of

those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

Reading Period:  March 03, 2015 - March 10, 2015

Review: 

Joining the YA Dystopian Book Club in Goodreads gave me a lot of opportunities to read books that I might not have picked up at first. I'm glad I did.

Red Queen is a great début book by Victoria Aveyard.  At first when I read about the society being divided into Reds and Silver I thought "Oh no, it's going to be like Red Rising, why is it popular among writers today to divided society into colours?" So, I was a bit sceptical during the first chapters, But Victoria writing is so good and the story so compelling that I immediately got involved with the characters and plot. The author creates this new world to the minimal detail, you can really imagine in your head every scene.

This is a book about power and how to rise to the challenge. Mare is a heroin but she is also flawed. She doesn't know who to trust in this new word, and she often gets involved with the wrong people and makes mistakes along the way. 

If you loved Hunger Games and Divergent you will love this new dystopian fantasy.  There are a lot of plot twists, surprising revelations. palace life, power games, betrayals, magic.  

I don't know how much to say without spoiling the book. To really understand why people love it, you must read it. Personally I can't wait for the second book and even before that the short novella that Aveyard has promised us. 

“Rise, red as the dawn.” 

RATING

Book Review: Partials - Dan Wells

Title: Partials ( Partial Sequence #1)
Author: Dan Wells
Publication Date: February 28th 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 468
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Yes

Plot: For fans of The Hunger Games, Battlestar Galactica, and Blade Runner comes the first book in the Partials Sequence, a fast-paced, action-packed, and riveting sci-fi teen series, by acclaimed author Dan Wells.

Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. But sixteen-year-old Kira is determined to find a solution. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that that the survival of both humans and Partials rests in her attempts to answer questions about the war's origin that she never knew to ask.

Playing on our curiosity of and fascination with the complete collapse of civilization, Partials is, at its heart, a story of survival, one that explores the individual narratives and complex relationships of those left behind, both humans and Partials alike—and of the way in which the concept of what is right and wrong in this world is greatly dependent on one's own point of view.

Supports the Common Core State Standards 

Reading period: February 13, 2015 - February 20, 2015

Review:  

Being a Battlestar Galactica fan, I was curious about this series. Then, because of the YA Dystopian book club in  GoodReads I had the chance to read it.

Some of the concept are very similar: because of a global war, the Humans create advanced organic beings to use as soldier, Partials. Then the Partials start a war against humans because they want more rights ans be independent. 

The story is set years after the war, there are only a few hundreds thousand humans left since a virus RM wiped out most of the human population and babies die after a few hours or days. 

The main character is Kira, a young 16 years old med student, who wants to find out a solution. That's how she meets Samm, a Partial and discovers that nothing is how they taught her it is. 

The characters are well developed and the action is full-packed. The setting is very realistic if you think about the technology advancement and all the ethic debates around it.

Oh, and there's a surprising (or not so surprising) twist.  

I'm currently reading the second book of the series. I'll post a review about it soon. 

  RATING