Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Darrow, at sixteen, has been working in the mines of Mars for quite a few years.  He has a wife, he has his family, and he has his goal of winning the Laurel.  He's a complex character, allowing the reader into his innermost thoughts, and making us feel as if we want his dreams for him and for us.  Even though his lot in life is small, he makes us proud of who he is and what he's done.That doesn't change throughout the story, even though Darrow's life takes a path I never would have imagined. 

Brown's entire cast is incredible, full of rich characters who practically jump off the page and into life.  They are all stunning examples that not everything is what it seems, and that even the most simple of matters isn't always easy to understand.  The caste system of colors, and layers within those colors, isn't easy to remember, but it does present an excellent view of what life could be like far in the future- and even on other planets.

One thing I would have liked is a pronunciation guide.  Some of the names are almost impossible to imagine actually saying aloud, and sometimes I found it easier to gloss over those names and insert something easier to say.  That's my only wish to make this a better book.  It's amazing how much is packed in to the amount of pages, and I found it hard to put down.

Pierce Brown has built a richly detailed world, and I can't wait for the next installment.

Rival (Unholy Alliance volume 1.2) by Lacy Yager

This short story that fits into a YA vampire series was a good one.  It will be critiqued by many because it's not the same as all other YA vampire stories.  There is little cursing, and it's incredibly mild.  While it's full of vampire-fighting action, it doesn't have the same dark edge
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I see these as good things.  For those kids whose parents object to these kinds of stories, this is a cleaner, less nightmare-inducing story.  I believe (and I could be wrong here) that some of the author's other books are of the Christian bent, which makes her a good person to provide a vampire story as a way to give teens what they want, and parents what they want. 

The alternate narration is nice, giving the reader insight to the characters as the story progresses.  Emily and Brett face issues that a lot of teens have to deal with: the loss of a parent; juvenile arthritis; whether or not to rebel against a parent's wishes in order to do what they were born to do.

I didn't know when I started this that it was an in-between volume of a series.  I liked it enough that I'll read all the others.  I might even check out some of Lacy Yager's other works. 

Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

Dead Beautiful in an interesting twist on the teen paranormal romance story.  Renee is a strong protagonist, who isn't afraid to speak her mind, even if she gets into trouble as a result.  Dante Berlin is the ideal candidate for a mysterious suitor- he's cold to the touch, he literally makes Renee go dizzy with contact, and he won't open up too much about his past.

Things are, of course, not entirely what they seem at Gottfried Academy.  I'm still not entirely sure why it took 400 pages to get to the meat of the story, though.  None of the characters are as developed as Renee, and nothing is really revealed about any of the rest of the cast.  Don't get me wrong- I liked Renee and Dante a lot.  I just didn't really get anything from most of the other characters. 

It was nice to have gotten a little time between the meeting of Renee and Dante before they realized they were in love.  Months went by while they spent time together, studying and getting to know each other.  Sure, there was that giant secret that Dante was keeping.  Yes, there was a lot of mystery surrounding some of the other students.  But there also wasn't the gag-worthy effect of being in love without having spent any time together at all.  Too often there is what I've seen referred to as "insta-love," which is kind of a buzzkill for some of us. 

What I really disliked, though, was the lack of explanation.  Even when Renee is discovering what's really going on behind the scenes with Dante and the entire academy, there isn't enough explanation to satisfy my curiosity.  I'd really like to know more about Renee's inherited talents. I'd like to know more about who was causing all the trouble at the school and what happened as a result.  I'd like to know more about how the teachers came to be where they were in the story.  I'd like to know more about Renee's grandfather (and Dustin, for that matter) and what it is that he does when he's away on "business."  There must be a sequel to this book, given the ending, and I intend to read it. 

Defy by Sara B. Larson

I was disappointed with this book.  It had all the makings of the next Graceling, but there was too much focus on which man being the one who actually held Alexa's affection.  Sorcery is a key element in this tale, yet it's mentioned in only the most cursory ways.  No actual plan is outlined past rebelling against the king and staging a coup to put the better man on the throne. 

The writing is stilted and awkward in many places, making character interactions seem to defy logic to the reader.  Even when Alex and Rylan or Alex and Damian are getting along, I would find myself wondering why they were even bothering.  If everything is that uncomfortable, why force the characters together? 

Which brings me to manner of speech.  Although a scene is set for the reader of this being an imaginary world, before electricity and all modern conveniences, the characters have a habit of using more modern phrases when speaking.  This made it harder for me to fully imagine the surroundings and the people.  I'd have a massive stone fortress in my mind, characters looking as if they belonged in Renaissance England, and then it would all shatter when someone said something way too current to fit the picture. 

I wasn't in love with this story or the characters.  I might read the next one- if there is one- but I don't think it'll keep me up at night wondering when I'll get the chance.