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