Double helix is packed with science, ethics, psychology and relationships. Eli Samuels, 18, can’t get close--not to his caring but preoccupied dad; not to his smart, long-time girlfriend, Viv; and certainly not to his mother, who has been institutionalized for years with a devastating degenerative disease.
Instead of going to college after he graduates high school, Eli decides to apply for a job at the Wyatt Transgenics Lab, a well-known lab for genetic-engineering experiments. Eli’s father is furious when he finds Eli has been hired and demands that Eli reject the job offer, but he won’t say why. Silence is how Eli’s family deals with the unpleasant.
Eli’s long-time girlfriend Viv has never met Eli’s father and has certainly never met Eli’s mother. To do so, Eli would have to reveal that his mother has been institutionalized for years with a devastating degenerative disease. Eli has talents and abilities that he hides from Viv, but somehow his new boss, Dr. Wyatt knows about them from the very beginning. What can make Dr. Wyatt be so fascinated with Eli? And why is Eli’s father so irate? Enter the twists of the Double Helix.
Tobias Eaton - known as "Four" - tells his full story in a collection of short stories before the events of Divergent take place. Abused by his father, Tobias wishes to leave his faction, Abnegation, to escape his miserable life. When he joins Dauntless in the hopes of making a new life, he incidentally discovers dark secrets within the faction...secrets regarding Divergents.
This book was great! I liked hearing more about Four, who didn't have quite enough time to tell his whole story in Divergent. We also learn a great deal about the corruption within the factions. It gave a fresh perspective on the Divergent world overall. It was excellent.
Reviewer Grade: 9
I don't always like the first volume of a graphic novel series as the world-building can be confusing - but I really enjoyed this one! Volume 1 tells a nice story with a beginning, middle and end, and it's a great intro to the Captain Marvel story. Captain Marvel's origin story was rather hilariously told by Kit, a child, in 4 panels at the end of the first issue, and it just sounds nuts. But even with almost no previous exposure to the character, I was immediately hooked and was able to fall in line with Carol Danvers and and her crew with minimum confusion. Also, Danvers has a cat (or possible ferkin). Named Chewie. Be still my heart.
Linh Cinder is unusual. Her stepsisters and stepmother hate her. Her best friend is an android. Oh, and she’s a cyborg – and she wants to go to the ball. Politics, adventure, and a deadly plague all play roles in this book.
Cinder was fun and exciting. Cinder is a protagonist you can really root for. Prince Kai is complex and interesting – he’s more than just the love interest. Queen Levana is a great creepy villain. The futuristic sci-fi world of New Beijing is expansive and really quite interesting. The plot moved at a very fast pace.
I only have one complaint: the plot twists were a little predictable. But, besides that, it is a fun and interesting book! I have yet to read the rest of the series, but I really think they’re going to be spectacular based on what I’ve seen from this awesome book.
Reviewer Grade: 9
Equality 7-2521 is a street sweeper in a society ruled by a Communist/ Fascist type of dictatorship where individuals rights have been destroyed and everyone works only to serve their government. As a young boy, Equality 7-2521 witnessed the execution of someone who had spoken the “Unspeakable Word” and ever since
then, he has wondered what that word is. Resuming to the present, Equality 7-2521 one day discovers
a metal grill leading down into a dark tunnel from the Unmentionable Times, the ancient period prior to the establishment of the present society. For the next 2 years, he does secret experiments down in this tunnel and discovers electricity, but when he shows it to the World Council of Scholars, he is rejected and must escape from being persecuted. I love Anthem by Ayn Rand because it talks about a dystopian society and about a curious mind that defies the government and learns something great. The beginning is boring and is of backstory, but from there it becomes so interesting that it feels like you are there with the main character. Also it’s a short book for those who hate 800 page books and want a quick read for school or just to kill some free time.
Reviewer Grade: 10
This sci-fi by Orson Scott Card, the writer of Ender's Game, will warp your mind. Full, of interesting theories about time and space, this book is meant for adults and older teens. Every chapter there seems to be a new moral decision for the characters to make. This book creates great debates, and all of Card's ideas are well explained.
Reviewer Grade: 8
Actual Rating: 3.5
This book by James Dashner was a extremely good book. In the beginning this book was about a man named M.G, Also known as master George, delivering a series of curious riddling letters, to people across the globe, one of these people, Artticus “Tick” Higginbotom was one of the recipients. He faced all kinds of perils and met more people who would pursue the letters. In the end he- Nope! Can’t tell you anymore! Sorry! I chose this book because the name and the authors opening was just fantastic. And so was the book! It left me wanting more, even if I was beyond my point of exhaustion. The book is in the third person, normally I hate third person, but this book was so involved that I didn’t even notice until about halfway through. There was a lot of character development in this book Artticus went from a person who just went along with things, to a person who solved problems and stood up for himself. Sure, he nearly got killed a couple times, but he lived. This book is for ages 12-18 mainly, and for anyone who likes riddles and action. That is why this book just appealed to me it just fascinated me to solve these riddles by myself. It took a long time for me to put the book down, I was always “One more chapter one more chapter!” I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
Reviewer Grade: 7
In the last book of The Selection series, Eadlyn must choose between the last six boys, better known as the Elite. Her relationships become even more complicated than she could have realized. The combination of her mixed feelings about the Selection, her worry over her sick mother, and running a country are too much to handle at some points. Discover new secrets and even more news from the Selection world in the last book, The Crown.
I am personally, a huge fan of the Selection series. I had already pre-ordered this book and got it the day it came out. I have to say, I was disappointed by the small size of the book. It was just over 250 pages, the font was huge, and it was double-spaced. There wasn't much of a story. I feel that Cass rushed the story, and she was just trying to get it done.
As well as the little content, the relationships just seemed forced in this book. Keeping it nameless, one of her suitors and her exchange declarations of love to each other, after just barely having their first kiss. I personally loved the combination of the two characters, but the relationship felt rushed. Cass could've given them much more justice than she did.
What I did love, however, was the character development of Eadlyn through the book. In The Heir, I thought Eadlyn was terrible. She was snotty, rude, and not a relatable character. In this book, she was much kinder, and I appreciated her more as a person. You could see her opinions and beliefs being influenced by the big hearted boys who surrounded her.
The book, for the most part, was predictable. I had it figured out who she was going to pick since the last book. Other than the main plot, the book managed to surprised me. Cass always has something hidden up her sleeve, and this book had all of her secrets spilling out.
Overall, I'm a huge fan of the series, but this book would defiantly not rank high on my favorites.
Reviewer Grade: 9
Told through recovered computer documents, Illuminae tells the story of Kady and Ezra fighting to survive after a rival mining company destroys their colony and they and the rest of the survivors are fleeing on an damaged fleet while being pursued by the enemy warship. What follows are pages of IM chats, reports, and emails recovered to tell their story of rebellion and survival. When a mysterious illness starts to affect other refugees, it adds a whole other dimension to this story. This was a such a unique take on science fiction--telling the story through recovered documents as two teens fight the system so they can stay alive and stay together--a fast and exciting read!
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is about a fireman named Guy Montag whose job is to, ironically, start fires. Everything was going great for Guy, I mean he had money, a “loving” wife, and had an exhilarating job of burning books. That all changes when he meets a teenage girl who completely changes his view on the corrupt world and when he opens a book, which is illegal, he realizes why reading them is forbidden. Guy realizes he must escape this awful place, but where would he go? How would he get there? And who can he trust? Fahrenheit 451 is one of many dystopian society novels that catch my attention because it makes me wonder what would happen if this WAS our world. It is very boring in the beginning and is confusing at some parts, but overall it’s an amazing book and had me reading 20 pages within 10 minutes towards the end. I chose this book because I love dystopian society books and also the cover looked intriguing. I wonder what would happen if books were illegal and people were forbidden to read them?
Reviewer Grade: 10
After a mission to Mars goes wrong, Astronaut Mark Watney is left on Mars all by himself and must find a way to survive on the deserted planet for 414 days. The Martian by Andy Weir is a nerdy but super jaw-dropping novel because it incorporates a survival journey combined with accurate science. Having a limited supply of food, no contact with NASA, and his crew mates thinking he is dead, Watney must use his botany and dummy mechanic skills to find some way to not die on Mars before the next Ares mission. Being stuck with disco music, a variety of technical problems, and no human interaction, Mark Watney is on the route to giving up, when NASA is able to contact him and work to bring him back home, but will Watney make it? We read this book as a requirement for English and I thought it was going to be a nerdy, boring sci-fi book, but it actually was super attention grabbing and I found myself finishing it within 2 days. The whole book is so interesting because you get to learn about a guy surviving on Mars and even if it is fiction, Andy Weir actually used accurate scientific data to back up his book.
Reviewer Grade: 10
District 13 has finally stepped out of the shadows and joined the rebellion. Unknowingly, Katniss has been a central part of their revolution for a while. Now, she must decide whether or not she'll collaborate with them. The success of the rebellion and the future of Panem depends on it.
This was my least favorite book of the series. I felt as if it dragged a lot because not much happened for a while. The end felt really rushed and thrown together, which I found disappointing. It's an okay book, but I didn't find it very satisfying.
Reviewer Grade: 12
After Katniss and Peeta win The Hunger Games, the Capital is upset. Katniss' defiance that allowed the both of them to win has inspired the Districts to rebel. The Capital, desperate to stay in control, must find a way to stop the rebellion before it actually becomes a force to be reckoned with. To do this, they must destroy the rebellion's figurehead in the right way. Just when Katniss finally thinks that she's safe, her world is turned upside down and she finds herself in more danger than ever before.
This book was good. While I enjoyed it more than the first one, it's a bit repetitive. Part of the plot was the same as the first book, just with different circumstances. Otherwise, I loved it.
Reviewer Grade: 12
The nation of Panem resides in a place that was once known as North America. It is a Capital surrounded by 12 districts. Once, the districts rebelled against the Capital and were defeated. Thus, The Hunger Games were born. Every year, each district must send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12-18 to fight to the death in The Hunger Games, which is broadcasted across national television. When Katniss' sister is chosen, she volunteers to go in her place, knowing that to go means certain death.
I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be very interesting. It's scary to think that anybody would allow an event such as The Hunger Games to occur. Power in the wrong hands can lead to terrible things.
Reviewer Grade: 12
This book definitely isn't like the movies, but it is still really interesting to read. The main character, Victor Frankenstein, goes through a lot of crazy times. He creates a so called monster by many and everything that comes after keeps you wanting to read more. There is a lot of melancholy feelings and struggles that many go throughout the book. It uses a lot of diction and has foreshadowing throughout giving you hints here and there of what might come. I highly recommend this book because it's a very cool story.
Reviewer Grade: 12
Proactive Citizenry has been hiding a way to create new body parts that would make unwinding completely unnecessary. If this information can be revealed, unwinding may finally come to an end, but nothing's as easy as it seems.
Starkey and his brigade of storks are growing more powerful every day. Instead of helping anything, the attacks made by the brigade are only convincing people that the new laws that allow teenagers (without parental consent) and convicts to be unwound must be passed. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?
Between people's fear of feral teenagers and their belief that unwinding is the only way to provide them with a substantial amount of body parts, unwinding may never end.
I enjoyed this book. It really goes to show how fear can drive people to do drastic things. The only thing that I didn't like a lot was the ending. While the fate of the future was implied, it didn't feel very concrete. I personally didn't find it satisfying, but that's just my opinion.
Reviewer Grade: 12
Juliette’s story begins in an insane asylum/prison. She knows why she’s there. She deserves to be there. However, when they bring her an inmate, she doesn’t know how to react. Juliette has so much strength, but she doesn’t know how to find it or control it, yet. She begins as a frangible, scared girl but becomes a daring and powerful woman, thanks to the wonderful villains in this first novel. Because of Juliette’s transformation, any reader will find some strengths within themselves, as well. And unlike some trilogy’s, Juliette’s story just keeps getting better.
Reviewer Grade: 12
This book has been given more credit than it probably deserves. However, it is still a great novel. Bradbury has such beautiful writing, it grabs you from the first sentence. The story is about a man, Montag, who lives in the future as a fireman. Unlike today’s firemen, though, Montag is a fire-starter. He burns houses that have a single book in them, since books are illegal in this future. Montag meets a young girl, though, that changes his perspective on his previous perception of why books are so bad. If you are itching to read something quick, good, and that will make you think, this is a book for you!
Reviewer Grade: 12
This is one of my favorite book series of all time. Overall, it is a mix between star wars and princesses, perfect for both genders. Rather than set in the past like Cinderella, though, Cinder lives in the future. International affairs on Earth are not so much a problem as the impending war with the Lunars, ruled by Queen Levana. Cinder and Prince Kai have to squash their feelings for each other for more serious matters such as the epidemic spreading quickly across the world as well as how to keep Levana happy, in order to prevent a war against all of Earth. Read this book for an epic, unique dystopian along with a fantastic, surprising ending.
Reviewer Grade: 12
After discovering the identity of a woman that Proactive Citizenry has attempted to erase from history, Connor and Lev set out on a search to find her, believing that she may have answers that could help them to finally end unwinding.
Meanwhile, Cam tries to find a way to destroy Proactive Citizenry from the inside. He figures that if he can do that, Risa will finally see how he feels about her. After all, she's the only one who makes him feel whole.
Together, the four of them just might be able to change the world and put a stop to unwinding, once and for all.
This book was pretty good. The previous books were about survival and trying to come up with a plan to end unwinding, so it was nice to see the characters actually have one. After so long of just trying to survive, hope is finally in sight. It's funny how some kids that the world considered to be useless have actually impacted it so much.
Reviewer Grade: 12