Category: Speculative Fiction
Mortality by Kellie Sheridan
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
After surviving a deadly plague outbreak, sixteen-year-old Savannah thought she had lived through the very worst of human history. There was no way to know that the miracle vaccine would put everyone at risk for a fate worse than un-death.
Now, two very different kinds of infected walk the Earth, intent on nothing but feeding and destroying what little remains of civilization. When the inoculated are bitten, infection means watching on in silent horror as self-control disappears and the idea of feasting on loved ones becomes increasingly hard to ignore.
Starving and forced to live inside of the abandoned high school, all Savannah wants is the chance to fight back. When a strange boy arrives with a plan to set everything right, she gets her chance. Meeting Cole changes everything. Mere survival will never be enough.
[Full disclosure: I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
At first I thought this was going to be a mushy, lovey-dovey romance just set against the background of a zombie apocalypse. While there’s romance, that’s certainly not the case because the blurb is a bit misleading.
First off, Savannah is an awesome character. She can kick butt and kill zombies like it’s nothing, but at the same time she’s trained for a long time to be able to do so. She’s definitely not one of these heroines that just magically gains killing powers out of nowhere. Secondly, Zarah, the other girl whose point of view we see is an interesting contrast to Savannah. She can’t kick butt and she has to use her wits to survive the first and second outbreaks with her new boyfriend Liam. So how do these two stories converge? Well, it’s definitely not how you would expect them to, thank goodness. I’m just hoping that Kellie Sheridan does not go with one of my hated clichés in the next book, although from the ending it almost looks like that. (Cringe.)
The plot was fast-paced and despite the point of view changes, Mortality never really got to a point where it lagged. The zombies, or Zs as they’re mostly called here, are an omnipresent threat throughout the novel. Although in contrast to many zombie apocalypse novels they’re not necessarily the main focus 100% of the time. They’re prominent to be sure, but the romance between Savannah and the mysterious Cole does steal the attention away sometimes. Although I really hated Cole as a love interest (what a selfish, brainless jerk!) I guess I can forgive Kellie Sheridan for that. Cole is just really not my type of guy.
What I liked about Mortality is that when there are clichés, Kellie Sheridan did her best to put her own spin on them. Cole is out searching for his uncle who was part of the cure and possibly the initial outbreak, but there’s quite a twist on that old trope. I can’t say much on how she negates old tropes without giving the major plot points away, but trust me on this: there are very few clichés throughout the novel. And while it’s not in the same category of awesome as Feed or The Return Man, I really can’t complain too much about Mortality. It was pretty good and I’m looking forward to reading the next book, Duality.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.
Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.
Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.
As much as I hate to use the expression frequently, my overall observation about The Maze Runner was ‘meh’.
It wasn’t that the premise or the plot was lacking, it was just that I couldn’t be bothered to care about any of the characters. When Thomas was angry or frustrated I didn’t feel any of those emotions because James Dashner was telling me this rather than showing me. Moments (that I can’t reveal without spoiling everything) that were supposed to be poignant and depressing didn’t even provoke emotion in me. Thomas is supposed to become friends with certain members of the Glade and his mysterious past relationship with the girl Teresa was supposed to be touching, but I felt none of that. It was just boring and I couldn’t emotionally identify with those relationships.
The whole premise of a mysterious maze is a good one, I suppose. It could have been done better, though. The air of mystery James Dashner tries to maintain about the maze just ends up being frustrating because Thomas doesn’t know anything and practically none of our questions are answered by the end. Yes, I know it’s a trilogy but there should be some questions answered. Some of the things Dashner did to maintain the air of mystery were just plain dumb: none of the boys answered any of Thomas’s questions. Really, none. At all. That’s ridiculous, in my opinion; they should have at least answered basic questions.
Sometimes the plot moved forward at a very fast pace and other times it just dragged on and on, which isn’t a thing to be praised in a book that’s less than 400 pages long. Sure, Dashner uses mystery to keep up the suspense, but at times his writing was so pared down that I had no idea what was going on. It’s frustrating when you know an author has pictured everything perfectly in their head but thinks it’s so obvious that they don’t describe the setting to readers. That’s basically the entire story of The Maze Runner.
I give this book 2/5 stars.
The Elite by Kiera Cass
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.
America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.
Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.
[Full disclosure: I received a free print ARC from HaperCollins Publishing in exchange for an honest review.]
I know there are some fans out there who are pretty irate at Maxon for what he did (or didn’t do) throughout the book, but I’m more annoyed at America than Maxon. Of course she has reasons for everything she does and they make sense at the time, but if I’m mad at anyone it’s her for her occasional stupidity. Well, I wouldn’t say mad so much as slightly disappointed.
At the end of The Selection it looked like America had finally decided to choose Prince Maxon, but in The Elite Kiera Cass turns things up a notch and throws and wrench into their easy going relationship. The funny thing is, it didn’t feel contrived because the catalyst was events pretty much outside their control. Mainly, the rebels and the king. Part of the reason why I loved The Elite was that we get to see a lot more of how Maxon deals with affairs of the state and how he gets along with his father, the king. It gives his character a little more depth and the explanation for some of his out-of-character behavior at the end of the book makes sense. There were little clues all throughout the two books, but Kiera Cass’ big reveal connects all those hints together perfectly.
Compared to The Selection, I actually enjoyed The Elite more because of the focus on the characters themselves rather than the excitement of the competition. Since it’s down to only six contestants, we actually get to know the finalists a lot more. America has also matured and is really starting to consider how her feelings for Maxon may trump the terrifying prospect of being queen. She does some idiotic things at the end of the book and although they’re annoying at the time, upon reflection I can think of times when I did similar things. People don’t think everything through, so why should characters in books?
I knew we’d be able to see more of these mysterious rebels but I didn’t know they’d play such a significant role in the book. They’re always in the background, a sort of omnipresent threat hanging over the heads of everyone in the palace. Although I can’t say much without spoiling the book, let me say that because of their actions at the end of The Elite I think they’ll play an even greater part in the final book in the trilogy, The One.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
Once by Anna Carey
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
For the first time since escaping from her School, Eve can finally sleep soundly. She is living in Califia, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America in the year 2041. But she was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at Califia’s gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand. Trapped inside the city walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past and must confront the harsh reality of her future.
In this breathless sequel to Eve, Anna Carey returns to her tale of romance, adventure, and sacrifice in a world that is both wonderfully strange and chillingly familiar.
It’s very, very rare for the second book in a trilogy to be better than the first, but Anna Carey pulled it off in Once, the sequel to Eve. There were some times throughout the novel where I had my doubts, yet things aren’t always what they seem.
In Eve, we have a protagonist who is *gasp* completely loyal to her love interest, with no confused feelings about another attractive man! And, most shocking of all, she has more political instincts than a lemming. That’s incredibly rare in YA, trust me. Especially since we find out who the King of The New America really is and what he really wants from Eve. What’s surprising for me in Once is Eve’s growth as a character as she becomes more mature and realizes that yes, she truly does love Caleb.
The whole forbidden love aspect is often overplayed in YA books, but it really doesn’t feel that way in Once. It’s more of a sweet, very passionate first love for both Eve and Caleb and it feels more genuine than a lot of romances you’ll encounter in YA literature. Being in the City of Sand, things get a lot more complicated for Eve and Caleb, but I like how their love remains strong and they seem to trust each other.
Aside from the decent romance, what I really liked was the glimpse of a rebellion against a tyrannical king and the rebuilding efforts after such a devastating plague. I found it hard to believe there were no rebels yet when I read the first book, so the introduction of rebels in Once was quite satisfying. The Eve Trilogy is dark in general, but it’s uplifting in that (although using slave labour) humanity is starting to rise and rebuild once more. It’s sort of a testament to the strength of the human will, even if it is the will of a dictator who wants to conquer more territory in his rebuilding efforts.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
The old life is dead. But the old Lena is dead too. I buried her. I left her beyond a fence, behind a wall of smoke and flame.
In this electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller Delirium, Lauren Oliver sets Lena on a dangerous course that hurtles through the unregulated Wilds and into the heart of a growing resistance movement. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.
No. Just no. Lauren Oliver, why did you have to go for the love triangle? Hasn’t that been done enough already in YA? I know it generates excitement amongst fans, but really? Really? That wasn’t necessary, you know.
My personal cliché gripes aside, Pandemonium was actually a pretty good sequel. There were some great plot twists, a decent amount of character development and some world-building expansion, but there wasn’t that wow-factor some sequels have. Lena changed quite a bit from her old, soft city self and into the harder but still emotionally vulnerable girl from the Wilds. She’s also learned to hide her emotions better, which makes her interactions with Julian Fineman interesting. Seeing her feelings develop for him and the confusion she feels over Alex’s alleged death makes for quite a bit of internal conflict, but at times it felt manufactured.
What I did like (although it took a little getting used to) was the flipping back each chapter between ‘then’ and ‘now’, Lena’s time in the Wilds and her current undercover mission in the city, respectively. Not only did it convey background information without info-dumping, it led to very suspenseful moments, especially near the end. And the plot twists, wow! I saw the very last one coming, but the others? For the most part, no. Despite the love triangle (ugh) I actually like where the trilogy is going.
So there was decent character development, especially in Julian as odd as it sounds, a fast-paced plot and a fascinating cliffhanger. Overall, Pandemonium was a good sequel, but I wouldn’t call it a great one.
I give this book 4/5 stars.