Category: Speculative Fiction
Fever by Lauren DeStefano
Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.
Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago – surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.
The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous – and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion…by any means necessary.
In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price – now that she has more to lose than ever.
I actually sort of liked the first book, Wither; enough to give it four stars. But unfortunately, Fever didn’t do so well. It suffers from severe Book 2 Syndrome.
I hate to say it after liking the first book, but Fever is just plain boring. Rhine and Gabriel run away and get caught in a creepy brothel-carnival before again escaping into the city to find Rhine’s brother Rowan. There’s a little bit of action in the end and we finally find out what those stupid June Beans from the first book were all about, but that’s it. It’s a slow pace for a book that’s only a little over 300 pages and that’s why it seems like it’s much, much longer. Face it: the plot is just boring and the pacing was too slow.
So let’s talk about characters. Rhine and Gabriel didn’t really change all that much from the first book. Rhine got a tiny bit more cynical, but that’s essentially it. She really has no character development in Fever; she just sort of reacts to events unfolding around her like she pretty much always has. And I hate that in a particularly spoiler-y situation, she still hasn’t learned to keep her mouth shut and stop herself from blurting out the wrong things. Rhine lacks subtlety, as she always has. Gabriel is just sort of your Generic Male Love Interest, there to protect her whenever she needs it and to make out with her but obviously never have sex with her. He looked like he was almost a good character in the first book, but he’s pretty one dimensional in this one.
What about world-building? Well, unfortunately, we learn nothing further about why the genetic modification in children left them with a decreased life expectancy and a horrible new way of life once society realized that. The older generations are still trying to hold it together and the younger generations are essentially contributing to the anarchy of society by not really caring what they do because they’re going to be dead soon anyway. We get to see vague flashes of the people in power, which is fine, but I really would have liked for there to be a little more information about the science of Lauren DeStefano’s world. It doesn’t have to be hard science fiction, but some information would have been nice, even if it were just mentioned in passing.
Essentially, except for the last few pages, Fever was a rather boring disappointment. The next book Sever has potential, but I really wish that DeStefano hadn’t dropped the ball so bad on her second book in the trilogy. It’s a textbook case of Book 2 Syndrome, unfortunately. I’m still probably going to end up reading book 3 despite that, but I am seriously having doubts about this trilogy right now.
I give this book 2/5 stars.
Twell and The Army of Powers by Kate O’Leary
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Twell lives in the new world of Como, and has always neglected her telekinetic gifts, desiring to be ‘normal.’ Her biggest drama in life is having to be genetically partnered with a boy she doesn’t know or love by her next birthday. Unfortunately she loves her best friend, who loves the girl she hates most, and Twell is left frustrated & heartbroken.
When Twell is requested alongside several other teens to develop her skills for the protection of Como, she reluctantly agrees to the training, and finds herself thrown into all sorts of mental and physical challenges.
Handsome, charismatic Jonaz, is gifted with the power of healing. According to Twell he’s an infuriating prat who delights in provoking her. But first impressions have always been her downfall.
When Como is attacked, life as Twell knows it is changed forever, with devastating consequences. With no choice but to fight, Twell risks her life to protect those who have survived, coming up against unexpected dangers she could never anticipate. Will she survive, and if so will she be matched to a stranger when the one she is growing to love is destined to another?
[Full disclosure: I was provided a free paperback through the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
In the first chapter of this book, I was filled with dread. It seemed like your typical catty teenage drama book with only a little bit of science fiction and a dash of dystopia. Then at the end of the chapter we learn that the leadership of Como, the Governing Body, chooses who you are matched with as life partners based on your genetics. Pretty terrifying, huh? There’s also the fact that every citizen wears a wristband that brings them updates from the GB and allows them to monitor everyone, everywhere. That’s even more terrifying.
Twell is a complicated character. She’s judgmental but at least she’s eventually willing to revise her judgments and act like a real human being rather than a super catty teenager. To her credit, she does grow quite a bit as a person as the book progresses, but there is a lot of angst to get through in the beginning. And to be fair, I’d be pretty angsty too if a government controlled my entire life like it does on Como. Twell’s interactions with the other characters are fascinating and I’ll admit she is a sympathetic character, particularly after tragedy strikes in the later half of the book. So I can’t really diss her or Kate O’Leary’s character development; it’s pretty good.
My only real criticism of Twell and The Army of Powers is the fact that the writing is unpolished. I don’t mean it’s bad or has lots of typos, but it feels like there’s a little more maturity needed on the part of the author to pull off those super emotional scenes. Part of the problem is that this is a first book so of course it’s going to be rough. But the other part is the fact that Kate O’Leary sometimes doesn’t let her characters speak for themselves. Whenever they say something that is clearly meant in one way she still adds an explanation after their dialogue that feels unnecessary, even in a book aimed at younger readers. It gets a little distracting at times but I believe Kate O’Leary’s writing will only improve with the sequel (especially considering that heart-wrenching cliffhanger).
So aside from a little bit of rough writing, this book is actually quite good. It’s not reliant on just one trope but it’s rather a mash-up of quite a few sci-fi and dystopian tropes into one unique, well thought-out world with realistic characters. I’d recommend it for younger teens, although there are some scenes of violence.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
Perfected by Kate Jarvik Birch
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
As soon as the government passed legislation allowing humans to be genetically engineered and sold as pets, the rich and powerful rushed to own beautiful girls like Ella. Trained from birth to be graceful, demure, and above all, perfect, these “family companions” enter their masters’ homes prepared to live a life of idle luxury.
Ella is happy with her new role as playmate for a congressman’s bubbly young daughter, but she doesn’t expect Penn, the congressman’s handsome and rebellious son. He’s the only person who sees beyond the perfect exterior to the girl within. Falling for him goes against every rule she knows…and the freedom she finds with him is intoxicating.
But when Ella is kidnapped and thrust into the dark underworld lurking beneath her pampered life, she’s faced with an unthinkable choice. Because the only thing more dangerous than staying with Penn’s family is leaving…and if she’s unsuccessful, she’ll face a fate far worse than death.
For fans of Keira Cass’s Selection series and Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden series, Perfected is a chilling look at what it means to be human, and a stunning celebration of the power of love to set us free, wrapped in a glamorous—and dangerous—bow.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
This is another book where I honestly don’t know where to start because there are so many things wrong with it. I’ll try my best, though.
Okay, so the premise of Perfected is that genetically perfect humans are being engineered and sold as pets. This is not quite stupid but so ridiculous my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I realized that Kate Jarvik Birch was tone-deaf about things like politics or social movements. I would have believed this premise had she actually done some decent world-building instead of just setting this in what seems to be the present. There’s a lot of problems with setting it in the present but I’ll start with the main one: the American people would never again accept slavery.
Yes, there is illegal slavery all around the globe, even in the United States. But for it to be ingrained into the legal system as actual legislation when the government can’t even pass the simplest bill right now? That’s ridiculous. It would be political suicide in this current culture to even mention something that might possibly be resembling slavery, let alone outright slavery of human beings. No one can even agree on genetically modified food, for crying out loud! How do you think making designer babies would go over in the next five years? And for them to be made into slaves? Yeah, right.
Like I said, I would have been more lenient with the premise of the books had the author done her work and did some real world-building. I could have understood maybe slavery coming about after some catastrophic events that reshaped the American social and political environments forever. Something like a world war, perhaps. At least then it would have an aura of possibility. But as it is, saying that the legislation got passed simply because of corporate donations and pressure is so simplistic it’s insulting to the readers. I’m Canadian and I understand that it’s not that simple in American politics, even with outrageous amounts of money.
It doesn’t take a cynical reader like me to realize that young, beautiful girls being bought by wealthy old men is a recipe for sexual slavery. It’s alluded to in the novel and is revealed as the reason Ella’s predecessor was removed from the home but it’s never really explored or even presented realistically. The fact that Ella doesn’t even know what kissing is beggars belief when these girls are trained to go into the homes of wealthy men. Add that to the fact they’re sold into prostitution when they’re no longer cute and you have to wonder why the ‘breeders’ (the people who create these girls) don’t have them spayed (their word, not mine) in the first place or at least teach them basic sex ed. Yes, I know they’re kept naïve and innocent but some things are just too unrealistic.
Okay, even if I ignored all of the things wrong with Kate Jarvik Birch’s premise and world-building I still wouldn’t be a huge fan of this book. Ella has been bred and taught to be compliant so she makes a ridiculously boring narrator. She’s not interesting and not even really that sympathetic. Penn, just don’t get me started on him. One minute he hates the sight of Ella the next he’s got his tongue in her mouth. Ugh. I really, really, really hate Insta-Love.
The plot is moderately paced but there are absolutely no surprises. Of course the previous girl got pregnant with the Congressman’s child and was killed. That’s why his wife was so opposed to getting a new ‘pet’. Of course Penn and Ella try to escape and claim refugee status at the Canadian border. There were no real twists or turns to the plot and I don’t think you have to be a cynical reader like I am to figure out what’s going to happen in the end. Mind you, it ends on sort of a cliffhanger so they can make a franchise out of this if it does indeed become the new Chemical Garden series or The Selection.
Don’t be fooled by pretty covers, folks. It’s not worth it.
I give this book 1/5 stars.
After the End by Amy Plum
(Cover picture courtesy of Amy Plum’s website.)
She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.
World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They’ve survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.
At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.
When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.
Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she’s trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free paperback from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]
A post apocalyptic book that isn’t actually a post apocalyptic book? No Insta-Love? Just a hint of magic? If any of these sound interesting, you’ll like After the End.
I began reading this book with low expectations. In the beginning it seemed like your pretty typical YA novel but then Amy Plum put some very interesting twists in to throw readers for a loop. Even though the blurb spoils the big reveal, it’s still kind of a shock to learn that Juneau’s whole life has been a lie. Her elders have lied to her for years and now suddenly she has to cope in a modern world she’s only read about in outdated encyclopedias.
Juneau and Miles are both three dimensional characters that are very, very different. Miles at first seems like your typical spoiled rich boy, but as he spends time with Juneau I like how he sort of grows out of that attitude and tries to do things for himself. Juneau thinks Miles is an idiot for not knowing how to do these things but eventually accepts that he is knowledgeable too, just in a different way. As you’ve probably guessed by now they fall in love but it’s by no means Insta-Love and there are a lot of hurdles along the way.
The plot was surprisingly fast-paced. It’s not a one-sitting book, but it is the kind of book you want to sneak away to read as often as you can, even if it’s only a couple of pages at the time. I would have liked some more description in some places, but Amy Plum’s writing is still excellent and she has a good sense of how to balance action and description. The points of views also change between Juneau and Miles at a more natural rate so it doesn’t feel like Amy Plum changed points of view just for the sake of dragging the plot along.
Basically, this is not your typical post-apocalyptic book and because of that (and the cliffhanger ending) I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa
(Cover picture courtesy of (un)Conventional Bookviews.)
VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS
Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster?
With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.
MONSTER
Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.
In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I seriously had my doubts about Julie Kagawa being able to end her Blood of Eden trilogy well. It’s a very complicated world with more problems than you can count so how could she possibly come to a satisfying conclusion? Even when reading it I had my doubts but I didn’t need to. Julie Kagawa pulled it off once again.
I’m seriously impressed. With that horrible cliffhanger at the end of The Eternity Cure I was very anxious about getting my hands on the final book. Allison is still brooding from Zeke’s death and she’s turning into the monster that her brother Jackal is, the kind of vampire Kanin tried to prevent her from becoming. I can’t go into much detail without some major spoilers but let’s just say Allie’s true colours show through when she finally decides what kind of vampire she wants to be.
The plot is insane. There are so many twists and turns that I could barely keep up. Some were completely unexpected whereas others were fairly predictable but overall it was an exciting, surprising plot. The ending wasn’t abrupt in the way that some authors end trilogies, but instead there was a nice detailed epilogue that gives you an idea of what will happen to this horrifying world of humans, vampires and rabids. There is, of course, a little ambiguity left but I was satisfied by the fact that most loose ends were tied off.
As usual, the characters were amazing. Allie changed so much over the course of the story and we learned quite a bit about Kanin and Jackal. All the characters that the plot centered around were well-developed and I really connected with them on a deeper level compared to the previous books. I was honestly very surprised about how connected I felt to the characters because I haven’t been emotionally involved in a book for at least a month now. It was a nice change.
Basically, if you’ve read the previous two books you’re going to love The Forever Song. I know I did. So go ahead and pre-order it! It releases on April 15 of this year.
I give this book 5/5 stars.