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

Book Review:The Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken

Title: The Darkest Minds ( The Darkest Minds #1)
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publication Date: December 18th 2012
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 488
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a series: Yes

Plot: 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.

Reading period: March 13, 2015 - March 24, 2015

Review:

This book had been on my to-read for a long time before I finally decided to read it and I'm glad I did. We follow the story through the eyes of the main character, Ruby, locked up in a working camp since the age of 10. The setting, at first,  is a bit disturbing. These working camps where all the children have been locked up, reminds us of the concentration camps during World War II, a reminder of what human beings are capable of when they follow a dark path.

With a flashback we find out that a mysterious disease has hit all the children in America. The kids who survive the disease develop an ability and they are classed with colours based on how dangerous the ability is: green, blue, yellow, orange and red.

After six years in a camp, Ruby manages to escape with the help of a woman. But Ruby doesn't trust her and she runs away. She meets other kids who have escaped from their camps, Liam, Chubs and Zu. Together they travel to find a safe place for all kids. East River. But nothing is like it seems.

The reading is very enjoyable and Alexandra Bracken does a great work exploring the human's mind. How would we behave in those circumstances? You think you're a good person until circumstances force you to make a tough and not so ethical decision.

Ruby goes through a lot of character growth. It's not easy being trapped for six years in the same non-fulfilling life, trying to hide who you really are and being afraid of what you can do. When she escapes she meets new people, tries to connect and interact with other kids and to embrace her ability.

The only think I didn't like about the book was the romance between Ruby and Liam. For once I would like to read a book with a strong independent young woman who doesn't need a love story in her life, but can stay true to herself. Since Ruby had spent most of her adolescence in a camp with girls, it would have been okay for her not to fall in love with Liam. I didn't think it was necessary in the first book of the series.

If you love dystopia novels mixed with science fiction and a hint of a psychological novels, this is the right book for you. I've already read the whole series and I can't wait to tell you more!

RATING:

  

Dystopia Reading Challenge 2015

Okay. You must know that my favourite genre in the last few years has been Dystopia.

So here's a challenge for me this year :D

My personal challenge goal will be Leader, which means reading 19+ dystopia or post-apocalyptic books in 2015. 

I will keep you posted!

Books read so far:
01. Partials - Dan Wells 
02. The Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken 
03. In Time - Alexandra Bracken 
04. Never Fade - Alexandra Bracken 
05. Spark Rise- Alexandra Bracken 
06. In the Afterlight - Alexandra Bracken
07. Red Queen- Victoria Aveyard 
08. Red Rising - Pierce Brown 
09. An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir 
10. Alive - Scott Sigler 
11. Fragments - Dan Wells
12. Ruins - Dan Wells
13. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline ( Review to come)
14. Departure - A.G. Riddle 
15. The Winner's Curse - Marie Rutkoski ( Review to come)
16. Golden Son - Pierce Brown 
17. Number Game - Rebecca Rode 
18. The Eye of Minds - James Dashner  ( Review to come)
19. Cinder - Marissa Meyer