After the revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp, people are starting to question how ethical unwinding is. However, many big companies are making a profit off of it, and refuse to let the business collapse. In fact, they want it to grow.
One of these companies, Proactive Citizenry, has created a being made entirely out of unwinded body parts. Camus Comprix, a futuristic Frankenstein, struggles to find a sense of identity and belonging in a world that sees him as an abomination. In a twist of events, he finds his fate tied with Connor, Risa, and Lev. Together, they struggle to survive and find a way to put a stop to unwinding.
I liked this book. It made me question life a lot. It's sad how some companies will try to do anything to keep making money. Also, I liked how the concept of Cam was explored. It was nice to see inside his mind. It helped to make the reader understand that as terrible as his existence might be, he didn't choose this life and was a victim as well.
Reviewer Grade: 12
After a civil war somewhere in the near future is fought over abortion, a compromise is made. Parents could sign an order to "unwind" their children between ages of 13 and 18. 100% of their body parts would be used, so they wouldn't die; their individual body parts would live on.
The book follows three runaways as they travel across the country, trying to stay whole. If they survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed - but when every piece of them is wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.
I enjoyed this book. It was fun to watch as the characters grew and fought to survive in a world that didn't want them. It also made me think a lot. I know that it's fiction, but it's still scary to think that anybody would agree to unwinding. This book was a real eye-opener.
Reviewer Grade: 12
All Aya Fuse wants to be is famous. She dreams of the day where she'll be one of the top 1000, instead of just some irrelevant extra. When she sees some girls surfing the mag-lev trains, she's sure that she's found her rise to fame. Instead, she discovers a cataclysmic secret that may destroy the world as she knows it.
I liked this book. It was interesting to see how the world had changed after the mind-rain. Usually I'm not huge on spin-off type books, but this one worked out alright.
Reviewer Grade: 12
Tally is now a Cutter, which is part of a new branch of Special Circumstances. It's her job to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid. The Smokies are smuggling in pills that destroy the brain lesions that keep the pretties dumb and mellow. The New Smoke must be taken down, but with Tally's history with them, will she be able to do it?
I didn't like this book a lot. The cutting was a huge turn off for me; I understand why it was being done, but I didn't agree with how the author handled it. I just couldn't get hooked on this book. It was mediocre.
Reviewer Grade: 12
Tally has finally become pretty. As she's waiting to see if she'll be allowed into the "Crim" clique, she runs into somebody from her past, and her whole new perfect life is turned upside down yet again. Now, she has to choose between fighting to forget or fighting for her life.
This book was alright. The plot felt a bit repetitive to me; it was the same basic concept as the first book. It wasn't too bad, though.
Reviewer Grade: 12
In this book, everyone is turned "Pretty" by extreme cosmetic surgery upon reaching the age of 16. Tally Youngblood can't wait until the day that she's finally pretty... that is, until she becomes best friends with a girl named Shay. When Shay runs away, Tally is denied the surgery she's spent her entire life waiting for. She must choose whether to betray her friend, or stay ugly forever.
I loved this book. I enjoyed the plot a lot. It was fun to watch as Tally's beliefs were challenged and she developed as a person.
Reviewer Grade: 12
This book is about a society where children are born with two souls. As they get older, the recessive soul of the two disappears, while the dominant one becomes the only one controlling the body. However, in some people, the recessive soul doesn't completely disappear, making them a hybrid. The society in this book doesn't accept hybrids, which our main characters – Addie and Eva – happen to be. I thought this book was okay for the most part. It was interesting to see the different characters’ personalities and how they interacted with each other, especially when sharing a body. However, I thought the pacing was just too slow. It took forever for something important to happen. There are maybe two or three pages that actually feel fast-paced, at least in my opinion. Also, the whole point of the story isn't too clear, such as why the hybrids are viewed as a threat and not accepted in society.
Reviewer Grade: 8
Action-packed and heartbreaking, Red Rising has no doubt become one of my favorite series of all time. Morning Star is a powerful conclusion to a thrilling series that left me satisfied with how the story concluded. There are many points where I just want to stop and write down all the quotes I love in the book. Pierce Brown writes beautifully and he did every justice to Morning Star. Since it's a sequel and the final book to a trilogy, I won't say much about what happen in case someone new to the series happens to stumble on this review. If you are new, what you need to know about Red Rising is that it's a sci-fi fantasy that borrows elements from mythologies. Red Rising is a phenomenal series and I hope that more people would pick up and give this book a try.
Reviewer Grade: 12
This book left me speechless so many times, shocked by the brutality that brought upon hopes and dreams for a race of the oppressed. War is ugly, yet Pierce Brown paints art and beauty to every word written in this book. There wasn't a moment that bore me. My heart broke many times for the characters in the book, for Darrow, for the young innocent boy he once was and the death stained Reaper he has become. We witnessed the rise of the Reaper in Red Rising and his fall in Golden Son. This is one of the best book I've read so far this year, possibly one of my all-time favorite book. I definitely highly recommend anyone who has already read Red Rising to continue with this book. For anyone who have not read or heard of the series: please pick it up. It is very much worth your time.
Reviewer Grade: 12
When Cassia and Ky finally find each other, they lose each other yet again. Cassia works for the Rising from within the Society, while Ky works for them from outside the borders. Nothing goes as planned, though, as the veil lifts and things shift once again.
This is definitely one of the best books that I've read in a while. It tied up the trilogy quite nicely. I've read so many great series with terrible endings, but this was not one of them. The entire book kept me captivated until the very last second.
Reviewer Grade: 12
The Immortal Rules is the first in the Blood of Eden series written by Julie Kagawa. This book is about a teenage girl, Allison Sekemoto, living in a dystopian-like world where humans are subservient to vampires. In order to survive, humans must either give their blood to the vampires to live a somewhat comfortable life, or keep their blood and in turn, face hunger, disease, and torment from vampires and worser demons. Allison lives with other teenagers in the same position as her. When they go out of the city limits to look for food, Allison is forced to give up her humanity or die. Choosing to live, she has to leave and go with the person who turned her, and learn about the “immortal rules”.
I enjoyed this novel because futuristic or medieval vampire stories are my favorite genre of vampire books. I also liked the length of the book. There are 485 pages dedicated to The Immortal Rules, and a couple more pages for another series Julie Kagawa has written. I have collected all three of the Blood of Eden Series; The Immortal Rules, The Eternity Cure, and The Forever Song. The front cover is of a girl who has a tear of blood running down her face. And because I have the hard copy, the inside’s actual hard back is black with “Blood of Eden” written in dark red. The cover looked very promising and the length was perfect for me. These are what first drew me to the book.
My favorite part of the book was learning around the middle where more characters were introduced. There was one character who becomes a love interest for Allison who I thought had a good relationship with her. Also, the books’ antagonist was my favorite character because of his Cheshire personality. What I liked least of the book was how some sequences during the beginning felt rushed. The plot slowed down around the middle where she meets more side characters. Some of the things which felt hurried in the first book were made more clear in The Eternity Cure.
Some of this book was predictable because it follows quite a few of the sequences for teen vampire romances. Though because the main female character is in the distant future of today, I was still surprised by the turns The Immortal Rules took. I could relate to all the characters in some way. The character I related to most was Kanin; a teacher and father like figure to Allison. I believe he is the character with the most emotions.
I first read this series in the summer of 2015 but have been re-reading it as well as Julie Kagawa’s other works. In 2015, and in 2016, The Immortal Rules is one of my favorites.
Reviewer Grade: 12
In Crossed, Cassia travels to the Outer Provinces to find Ky, who has been sent there to die. When she arrives, though, she finds that he's already escaped and left a series of clues in his wake. The book follows her as she attempts to find and rescue Ky, while questioning everything she's ever known.
This book is the second in a series. I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous book. It reminded me too much of other books and also was a bit dull. Most of it just felt like a filler to move the series along.
Reviewer Grade: 12
In Matched, the Society makes all choices. When citizens are 17, they have the option to be "matched" with their life partners. When the main character, Cassia, is matched with her best friend, she knows with complete certainty that he is the one... until she sees another face flash onto the screen. She soon finds herself conflicted about whether or not her match is right for her - and whether the Society is all that is seems to be.
I enjoyed this book. It was fun to watch as Cassia started to question things instead of believing everything she'd been told. I'd recommend checking it out if you're into dystopian books.
Reviewer Grade: 12
Actual Rating: 4.5
This book is similar to The Giver by Lois Lowry, but it is a love story. This book stars a 17 year old girl named Cassia and her love journey with many risks and restrictions. I picked this book because it was recommended by sister when she was doing a school project. I liked this book because it gives you a different perspective on the things we have today and the challenges we face versus the challenges that Cassia faces. Though, this book, even though it is a trilogy, left some loose ends. This book has many twists and turns you would not expect. All in all, this book is by far the best book I have read this year. If you like this book, then read the next two books in this trilogy, Crossed, and Reached.
Reviewer Grade: 6
While a line isn’t all that extraordinary, a line that divides a country, separates the known from the unknown, and has people fearing to go near it is. To end a war, a line crossed out part of the country, dooming those still on its other side to either death or a fate worse than it. Rachel likes to sit in a broken, mysterious told greenhouse, just gazing out, imagining what lies beyond the line. Many people say mutated humans or monsters, but Rachel can only find beauty in its lush forests. Until, that is, she receives a message asking for help, which she can only assume comes from the other side of the line. Naturally, an adventure then is embarked upon.. I liked this book because of its slow moving, mystery-building pace, and its “chaos in the midst of the clam” sort of setting. a must-read for those who enjoy both reading between the lines, and a story that, not the author, but the reader, deciphers.
Reviewer Grade:9
Actual Rating: 3.5
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins did not live up to the hype in my opinion. It's not that it was a bad book, it just didn't grab me as well as I expected. I might be judging it because the "outstanding" reviews but the characters seemed to grim and lifeless also super depressing I understand it's not meant to be happy but it seemed gloomy. I Didn't read the sequels because lack of interest.
Reviewer Grade: 11
Delirium, a dystopian novel written by Lauren Oliver, follows a girl's thoughts and actions in a world where love is deemed a disease and where she meets a boy who changes her whole perspective on life. In the world of Delirium there is a cure for love which Lena can't wait to get when she turns 18, the age required to be given the disease. But after she meets a boy, named Alex, she can't help but question the cure and question herself as she as to decide whether to let love consume her, or stay with what she has been taught. It had action, conflict, suspense, and romance. Throughout the book you learn a lot about Lena and the world she lives in, and see her change dramatically from a naive girl waiting to be cured of the "disease" love to being more independent and wanting more of this love she had never experienced before. Over all, Delirium is a great book that kept me wanting more and I would suggest it to anyone that is interested in finding something new to read.
Reviewer Grade: 8
Blackout changes perspectives throughout the story. It does get kind of annoying because it leaves you at a cliffhanger but other then that is a great book. I really hated how it didn't make sense before but then you see the entire story for what it is. I chose this because it's a Battle of the Books book and the cover looks really interesting. I wish that I had more details.
Reviewer Grade: 7
UnWholly by Neil Shusterman, the sequel to Unwind, begins where the last book ended and it's held its own against the first book unwind but with a twist. The last book was shown from different povs but there is a new main character that opens a new storyline and adds more mystery to the plot. If you thought you would get more answers about the heartland war you would be very disappointed as there are now more questions then you started off with. Great read would recommend if you have read books like Maze Runner and Hunger Games.
Reviewer Grade: 11
Fahrenheit 451 is a story about a future where people have become dull and lifeless. I liked the authors prediction of technology and how it takes over in the modern age. If you have to read it for school or if just for fun it shows the decent of peoples individuality when they are enamored by distraction all day long. Science fiction highly recommend.
Reviewer Grade: 11