Tag: four stars

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Birthmarked: Caragh O’Brian

This was one of my more favorite books I’ve read in 2011. It may be because I had a baby and the protagoinist is a midwife? I’m not sure, but I enjoyed the book. It took a bit to get going, but once it did, I really enjoyed the characters and the dystopian world they live in.
The second book in the trilogy comes out next month and I’m really excited about it!
I will give it 4 stars and recommend it!

Summary: It’s been 300 years since Lake Michigan became Unlake Michigan; the “cool age” is only hazily known to residents of Wharfton, a small village that sits alongside the walled city of the Enclave. Gaia is 16 and works in Western Sector Three with her mother delivering babies, “advancing” the first three per month to live a better life inside the city. It’s a wrenching routine Gaia doesn’t question until her parents are mysteriously arrested by Enclave authorities. Gaia’s rescue attempt is fraught with peril—the burn scar on her face marks her as a “freak” who would never be allowed into the Enclave’s exclusive gene pool—and soon she herself is tossed into a cell with other female physicians. Although the setup suggests speculative fiction, O’Brien’s concerns are corporeal; her impulsive and spirited heroine (who even resists, yes, romance) is the kind readers adore. The facts behind inbreeding and the numerous birthing scenes will give this an added appeal to science-minded teens. Continual revelations push this toward an ending that hints at more to come.

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Square Fish (October 11, 2011)
  • Language: English
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Delirium: Lauren Oliver

I had heard a lot about this book as it really made the rounds in the blogging circles as the author/publisher wanted to get the buzz out.

That said, I sort of hesitated to read it because it seemed a little blah.

You guys know that my genre of choice is Young Adult Dystopian Fiction, and this is right up that alley, but the premise of a society that cut out the emotional section of their brains at 18 seemed a little silly to me.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Not the best I’ve ever read, no. But I enjoyed it and it kept my attention and actually had me wanting to read the sequal. SO?

I give it a wobbly 4 stars (though it’s more of a 3.5 stars) and I do recommend it.

Summary:
Lena Haloway is content in her safe, government-managed society. She feels (mostly) relaxed about the future in which her husband and career will be decided, and looks forward to turning 18, when she’ll be cured of deliria, a.k.a. love. She tries not to think about her mother’s suicide (her last words to Lena were a forbidden “I love you”) or the supposed “Invalid” community made up of the uncured just beyond her Portland, Maine, border. There’s no real point—she believes her government knows how to best protect its people, and should do so at any cost. But 95 days before her cure, Lena meets Alex, a confident and mysterious young man who makes her heart flutter and her skin turn red-hot. As their romance blossoms, Lena begins to doubt the intentions of those in power, and fears that her world will turn gray should she submit to the procedure. In this powerful and beautifully written novel, Lauren Oliver, the bestselling author of Before I Fall, throws readers into a tightly controlled society where options don’t exist, and shows not only the lengths one will go for a chance at freedom, but also the true meaning of sacrifice

  • Hardcover: 448 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins (February 1, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061726826
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I Am Number Four: Pittacus Lore

I was a bit skeptical about this book for some reason. I have NO idea why.

But it’s been on my “Kindle Reading List” for quite some time. It definitely has mixed reviews, but I was always somewhat drawn to the storyline.

Well I finally bit the bullet and read it and… I loved it!

I thought it was a great book. Sort of Superman meets Terminator meets, well I don’t know. But I thought it was a good read and kept me thoroughly entertained. I’m really looking forward to book two.

I totally recommend it and give it 4 stars.

Amazon Summary:
John Smith has just arrived in Paradise, Ohio, just another stop in a string of small towns where the 15-year-old has been hiding out from the Mogadorians. Those terrifying aliens are hellbent on destroying him and the other nine Loric children who have sought refuge on Earth. The Mogadorians are picking off the surviving kids in numerical order. The first three are dead and John’s number is up. Will his Legacies, his defining super powers, develop in time for him to fight against the enemy? I Am Number Four is a breathless page-turner of a sci-fi novel that will have readers rooting for the teen alien who must unleash his fire power to save himself, his human friends, and the planet. This is the first of a slated multi-book series that, judging by this first book, will help reinvigorate a traditional YA genre that’s grown a bit light on strong character development. So, gear-up sci-fi fans, the battle for Earth is on and there’s a new kid in town.

  • Hardcover: 480 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins; Mti edition (January 4, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9780062026248
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The Passage

So this book was referred to me by Penny when I wrote the tweet:

And she did not disappoint! First off, this book took me several days to finish because it has almost 800 pages. LOVE it!
It’s this sort of end of the world because of a nasty virus that makes people sort of like vampire/zombie crazy people. But it spans like over 100 years and has such an in depth story. I really enjoyed it and totally recommend it to people who like this type of genre. It also is the first of a trilogy, so I’m really looking forward to the rest of them.

4 stars and yes, recommend it.

Amazon Summary:
Fans of vampire fiction who are bored by the endless hordes of sensitive, misunderstood Byronesque bloodsuckers will revel in Cronin’s engrossingly horrific account of a post-apocalyptic America overrun by the gruesome reality behind the wish-fulfillment fantasies. When a secret project to create a super-soldier backfires, a virus leads to a plague of vampiric revenants that wipes out most of the population. One of the few bands of survivors is the Colony, a FEMA-established island of safety bunkered behind massive banks of lights that repel the virals, or dracs—but a small group realizes that the aging technological defenses will soon fail. When members of the Colony find a young girl, Amy, living outside their enclave, they realize that Amy shares the virals’ agelessness, but not the virals’ mindless hunger, and they embark on a search to find answers to her condition. PEN/Hemingway Award–winner Cronin (The Summer Guest) uses a number of tropes that may be overly familiar to genre fans, but he manages to engage the reader with a sweeping epic style. The first of a proposed trilogy, it’s already under development by director Ripley Scott and the subject of much publicity buzz

  • Hardcover: 784 pages
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books; First Edition, First Printing edition (June 8, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0345504968
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The Lost Saint: Bree Despain

This is a follow up to The Dark Divine and if you liked that book, than you’ll definitely like this one.

It goes into more detail with the story and more character development. It also ends in a cliff hanger, so they’ll definitely be a number three book, so woohoo!

4 stars and recommend

Amazon Summary:
The non-stop sequel to The Dark Divine delivers an even hotter romance and more thrilling action than Bree Despain’s first novel.  Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi.  She gave her soul to the wolf to save him and lost her beloved mother.  When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do.  She must become a Hound of Heaven.  Desparate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot – a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero.  But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel begins to crumble.  Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace becomes prideful in her new abilities – not realizing that an old enemy has returned and deadly trap is about to be sprung.  Readers, ravenous for more Grace and Daniel, will be itching to sink their teeth into The Lost Saint.

  • Hardcover: 416 pages
  • Publisher: EgmontUSA (December 28, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1606840584