Tag: YA

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Firelight: Sophie Jordan

I’ve had this book on my Kindle Reading List for quite some time. The bloggysphere loves this author and this book and so I’ve wanted to read it, but just was waiting to feel “in the mood” to read about dragon people.

How did I feel about it? I liked it!

Have you read this book? What did you think?

Summary: Jacinda is extraordinary–even for a draki (descendants of dragons who can shift into human form): she is a fire-breather. Unique and invaluable to her “pride,” the 16-year-old is kept on a short leash, and it has already been ordained that she will mate with the alpha male, Cassian. Jacinda’s determination to do things her own way finds her nearly captured by dragon hunters, but a surprisingly kind young hunter named Will allows her to escape. Rather than suffer the pride’s punishment for her daughter’s risky behavior, Jacinda’s mother decides the family should flee to live among regular humans. Masquerading as a typical high school student would bury Jacinda’s draki nature until it died out. When Will turns out to be a classmate, Jacinda finds that her inexplicable attraction to him keeps her feel of fire and flight alive. Being near a hunter is the most dangerous choice Jacinda can make, yet her desire for him–and need to preserve her inner dragon–cannot be ignored. This distinctive twist on the popular supernatural romance theme will appeal to fans of the genre, even if a lack of resolution at this story’s culmination may frustrate some readers. “Twilight” fans ready to move beyond vampires will jump right in.

Reading level: Young Adult Paperback:
352 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (September 6, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061935093

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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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Wither: Lauren DeStafano

Now this is a great dystopian novel (which is one of my favorite genres).

All about what would happen if humanity’s life span dramatically shurnk due to all our “progresses” in science.

What would it do to the social makeup of our lives if everyone was only living 20 years? How would we keep the human race surviving?

Great book! I totally recommend it!

Amazon Summary:
When scientists engineered genetically perfect children, everyone thought it would ensure the future of the human race. Though the first generation is nearly immortal, a virus causes all successive generations to die early: age 20 for women, 25 for men. Now, girls are kidnapped for brothels or polygamous marriages to breed children. Rhine is taken from her hardscrabble life and sold with two other girls to Linden Ashby. Though they live in a palatial Florida home surrounded by gardens and treated like royalty, the girls are sequestered from the outside world, and Rhine longs to escape. Her growing affection for her sister wives, her pity for Linden, and her fear of Housemaster Vaughn, Linden’s manipulative father, keep her uncomfortably docile, until she falls for servant Gabriel. 

  • Hardcover: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing; 1 edition (March 22, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9781442409057
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City of Fallen Angels: Cassandra Clare

This is the MUCH anticipated 4th book in the Mortal Instrument series. I totally loved this series so much and obviously I was looking forward to reading this one.

It definitely did not disappoint and I think it was a great progression.

It also has a great twist and ending, which of course sets up for more books.

I wish these authors put books out quicker…. sigh.

Five stars and recommend!


Amazon Summary:
The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.
But nothing comes without a price.
Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her. His mother just found out that he’s a vampire and now he’s homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side—along with the power of the curse that’s wrecking his life. And they’re willing to do anything to get what they want. Not to mention that he’s dating two beautiful, dangerous girls—neither of whom knows about the other one.
When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.
Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels. 

  • Hardcover: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; First Edition edition (April 5, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1442403543