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Black River Falls by Jeff Hirsch

10/28/2017

 
Black River FallsBlack River Falls by Jeff Hirsch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A virus that broke out in the town of Black River Falls on October 16th completely wiped out the past and all memories of those who were infected. The town is now quarantined and under control of the National Guard, and 17-year old Cardinal Cassidy, one of the few who weren't infected by the Lassiter virus, is living in the mountains, looking after a group of children who are orphaned. He is joined by Greer, a former bully (who has no recollection of that period of his life) who is now his best friend. When a private security corporation decides to take over the quarantined area and the librarian reveals some clues as to the origin of the virus, Card has some tough decisions to make.

Questions are raised such as who are we without our memories, and do our memories matter if we can't share them with others? What could have been a really interesting look at the human psyche and what makes us who we are falls short. Written as a letter to Card's brother, the first half of the book moves very slowly. Card is mostly introspective, angsty, and boring. The second half moves more quickly, but it ultimately isn't enough to make me care.

Recommended for gr. 9-12.

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Gifted by H.A. Swain

10/22/2017

 
GiftedGifted by H.A. Swain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set about 75 years into the future, Gifted is the story of a society that is divided by class. Only the rich (Plutes) can afford a surgery that gifts them with creative talents. In general, the Plebes live a very limited, difficult existence. Zimri is a Plebe who happened to be born with the ability to sing. Even though it is illegal, Zimri holds concerts and broadcasts her music at night after working at the warehouse (similar to Amazon) during the day. Orpheus is the son of the music mogul who invented the ASA surgery and who has made the unauthorized performance of music illegal. Unlike the spoiled rich friends that he surrounds himself with, Orpheus doesn’t want to have the ASA operation, and happens to meet Zimri as he is running away. As he gets to know Zimri and her Plebe existence, Orpheus begins to realize how unfair their society is, and the two join forces to try to change things from within.

I truly enjoyed the subversive tone to this book. Topics such as society’s idolization of entertainers; copyright and ownership of music; consumerism and our obsession with next-day delivery; and the disappearance of the middle class are explored. Even more refreshing is a dystopian novel that stands alone and has a bona fide ending that is satisfactory.

Recommended for gr. 7-12.

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Forged (Taken #3) by Erin Bowman

11/3/2015

 
Forged (Taken, #3)Forged by Erin Bowman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gray Weathersby and the rest of the rebels have joined forces with the Expats with the hopes of bringing down the Franconian Order. The problem is that the Order has begun creating Forgeries that are almost impossible to detect, and the threat of betrayal is ever-present.

This is not a stand-alone book. I had to read the first two books in the series before I could read and review this one. It is a decent series, overall, but I did find the main characters, Gray and Bree, to be one-dimensional at times. The love triangle wasn’t terribly believable, and the premise was a bit far-fetched at times. Still, I enjoyed Forged more than the first two books in the series because the plot was definitely more action-packed and the author made some bold—I mean, BOLD—choices that I had to absolutely respect. Forged was a good ending to a decent series, so I would recommend it for gr. 7-12.

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In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken

3/10/2015

 
Picture
In this third book of the Darkest Minds trilogy, Ruby and the rest of the survivors of the attack on L.A. are on the run with their prisoner, the president’s son Clancy Gray. They are hoping to use him as leverage with his mom, who is the only one who possesses a possible treatment for the kids who have developed psionic abilities.

Even though I hadn’t read the first two books in the trilogy, I was able to pick up the plot line and figure out what was going on. I was, however, surprised at how slow and tedious the book was at times, since third books are generally action-packed. I found Ruby to be extremely annoying and far too obsessed with events in the past that she blamed herself for. Furthermore, for someone who was supposedly aware of Clancy’s dangerously powerful mind manipulations, I found it unrealistic that he could have manipulated her mind for so long without her knowledge. Ruby’s relationship with Liam was not well fleshed out, and I found the Liam-Cole rivalry to be forced.  I did enjoy the premise, but dystopian plot lines in general are becoming old.

Recommended as optional purchase for gr. 9-12. 

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

5/11/2014

 
Ignite Me (Shatter Me, #3)Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First impressions: 3rd book is better than the first book. That NEVER happens! Loved this conclusion, but I secretly hope there are more books to come in this series.

Official review: In this third book of the Shatter Me series, Juliette has been rescued from sure death by Warner, the son of the leader of the Reestablishment and the man who tried to kill her. As Juliette gets to know Warner, she discovers that he is not an evil monster, as she had previously believed. When she learns that her friends from Omega Point are, for the most part, still alive, Juliette brings Warner into their group. Plans to take down The Reestablishment commence, stronger than ever, in spite of initial jealousy and opposition from Adam.

What a transformation from the first book to the third! The weak and fearful Juliette of Shatter Me has disappeared, and a powerful and fearless Juliette has taken her place. Until I read this series, I have never enjoyed the third book in a series more than the first. I love the fact that everything I disliked about Juliette from the first two books has been completely obliterated by the third book. Juliette turns out to be a YA heroine to be reckoned with, and that alone makes me want every teenage girl to read this series.

Highly recommended for gr. 9-12.

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The Darkest Path by Jeff Hirsch

5/11/2014

 
The Darkest PathThe Darkest Path by Jeff Hirsch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In a dystopian future, the U.S. Government is at war with a militant religious group known as the Glorious Path. Six years ago, Callum Roe and his younger brother, James, were captured by the Glorious Path and forced to join the group. While working in the kennels one day, 15-year old Cal discovers a stray dog named Bear, and ends up killing the commander who wants Cal to train Bear to be a vicious attack dog. Forced to leave James behind since James has been brainwashed by the twisted teachings of the Glorious Path, Cal is now on the run, trying to get back to his parents in New York.

I didn’t expect to like this book, but I really did. It is filled with all of the action and adventure that you would expect, but the love and compassion that Cal showed Bear was unexpected, as were some of his other choices along the way. The novel raises questions about religious fanaticism, loyalty in a world gone mad, and maintaining your humanity when everyone around you is trying to strip it away.

Highly recommended for gr. 7-12.

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Feedback by Robison Wells

7/9/2013

 
Feedback (Variant, #2)Feedback by Robison Wells
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Benson and Becky have escaped from Maxfield Academy. Becky was injured in the escape, so Benson seeks help at the first town they encounter. Much to his dismay, Benson discovers that the town is just an extension of Maxfield Academy and the inhabitants are all too familiar. Will they ever truly be able to escape Maxfield Academy and the twisted world-takeover plans contained within?

I had not read the first book, Variant, so it took me awhile to figure out what was going on. I had heard glowing reviews about Variant from students, so I was surprised that Feedback didn’t excite me the way I thought it would. Sometimes second books seem to act only as a bridge from the first book to the third, and I have a feeling that Feedback suffers from that phenomenon. The series could absolutely end with Feedback, but I believe there will be a third book. I will probably not read it.

Recommended as an optional purchase for grades 7-12, however libraries that own Variant will want to purchase the second book to put their patrons out of their cliff-hanging misery.


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The Death Cure by James Dashner

3/11/2012

 
In this final book of The Maze Runner trilogy (although there is a prequel coming in August 2012), WICKED (World in Catastrophe, Killzone Experiment Department) wants to stop lying and playing twisted psychological games with the Maze and Scorch survivors. They need everyone’s cooperation to help complete the final blueprint for the Flare’s cure. In order to do that, though, they need to give the subjects their memories back, but Thomas and some of the others don’t trust WICKED enough to give them yet another opportunity to mess with their brains. Thomas, Newt, Minho, Brenda, and Jorge escape to Denver to join forces with The Right Arm, a revolutionary group whose mission is to destroy WICKED. When it becomes apparent that the Flare has taken over most of the population and that The Right Arm may be as insane as the organization they are trying to destroy, Thomas finds himself once again struggling with questions of right vs. wrong, good vs. evil, and greater good vs. individual rights.  

As was the case with the other two books in this series, The Death Cure raises more questions than it answers. I was left scratching my head, wondering if the author deliberately left the ending ambiguous in order to open the door for either a fourth book or a spin-off series, or if he wanted to leave us feeling frustrated and filled with questions. I wasn’t expecting a happily-ever-after ending, but it would have been nice to have some closure. 

Recommended for grades 9-12. For more information, visit James Dashner.

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

11/13/2010

 
In Life As We Knew It, Miranda’s life was forever altered after a meteor hit the moon and knocked it out of orbit, causing earthquakes, volcanoes, loss of power, and food shortages. The Dead and the Gone introduced Alex and Julie Morales and described their struggle to survive after the meteor strike. In This World We Live In, the Morales’ show up at Miranda’s house along with Miranda’s father, stepmother, baby half-brother, and another man, Charlie. Miranda and her family are already feeding one more person—Syl, the girl that Matt met and married while on a fishing expedition with Jon—but they welcome the needy newcomers. Alex is determined not to overstay his welcome. His plan is to take Julie to a convent in New York and then travel to Ohio to enter a monastery, but those plans are disrupted when they discover that the convent no longer actually exists. When a new disaster strikes, life is altered yet again, and both groups need to decide what to do next.

I had been so anxious to find out what happened to Miranda and her family, but this sequel left me feeling dissatisfied. There are gaping holes in the story and a lot of things are left unexplained, but the worst is the ending. Readers are once again left wondering what will happen to Miranda and her family. There may be another book, but at this point readers might be losing interest. The relationship between Miranda and Alex seems forced and unbelievable, and Miranda’s decision at the end of the book regarding Julie is bizarre and terribly out of character. I recommend it for people who have read the first two books in the series, but readers need to be warned in advance that they will not receive any sort of closure with this latest installment.

Recommended with reservations to gr. 9-12.

Mockinjay by Suzanne Collins

11/13/2010

 
Taking up where Catching Fire left off, readers learn that District 12 has been bombed to oblivion and all of the surviving residents have been relocated to the underground world of District 13. Katniss’ mother, sister, and best friend Gale are among the survivors, and while Katniss is grateful for that, she feels increasing guilt for Peeta’s abduction as well as for the destruction that has been wreaked upon the Districts by the Capital. As the Districts pressure her to become their Mockingjay in every sense of the word, Katniss finds herself struggling with her new reality. As Katniss and her team get closer to infiltrating the Capital, the more futile everything seems, and readers find themselves asking the same questions that Katniss asks: Where do you draw the line when you are at war? What should you be willing to do in the name of justice? At what point do you begin to ask yourself what is right and what is wrong?

Many have claimed to be disappointed in this final book of the Hunger Games trilogy, but I was not. It was definitely darker and more violent than the first two books, and many of the most beloved characters were killed, but war is like that, isn’t it? Those who seem the most disappointed in the novel tend to focus on the outcome of the love triangle, but for me that was never the main focus of the trilogy. The epilogue, I admit, was a little much, but it does leave readers with hope…something that is lacking throughout the rest of the novel. I can’t say that I loved Mockingjay, because it was so sad and dark and painful, but I loved the series and I don’t think it could have realistically ended any other way. Please leave me a comment if you disagree. I’d love to hear other opinions.

Highly recommended for gr. 9-12.
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