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