Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Although there are several elements in this story that are reminiscent of other YA favorites (Red
Rising, The Hunger Games, even Divergent), I feel quite strongly that Aveyard has made Red Queen strong on it's own.  There are many reviews claiming hatred and insinuating minor plagiarism, but can you honestly tell me that you can't see any equal similarities in The Hunger Games, Divergent, and even Red Rising?


Those who have nothing but disparaging remarks for this book are entitled to their own opinions.  I won't tell them they're wrong for not liking exactly what I like.  But we, as consumers of the written word, need to get over this "special snowflake" issue.  Yes, Mare is special.  So was Katniss.  And Katsa.  And Darrow.  And Percy Jackson. So was Jane Eyre, for that matter.  Books, series especially, would suffer greatly were the main character to not be "special."

The writing is strong here: the characters aren't quite what you expect, the plot is propelled by an excellent main character, the pacing and action are on point, and the ending is set up nicely for the next installment. Victoria Aveyard has given us a strong beginning to this trilogy.  I am looking forward to the next piece of it.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard: Love it or hate it, it's up to you.  But I encourage you to read it because I thought it was great.  Available now from libraries and booksellers.

Golden Son (Red Rising #2) by Pierce Brown

Golden Son is amazing from start to finish.  It is full of action from the first page, and keeps readers on the edges of their seats until the last page.  Darrow, Mustang, Roque, The Jackal, and even Ares are given more depth, more challenges, and more strife (and in some cases, a real face and name). 

The backdrops are richly depicted, the scenes often capable of inducing breathlessness, and the last few chapters might just blow your mind. 

 

There is no sequel slump here. The writing is incredible, the pacing is maginificent, and the characters just keep getting better.  Pierce Brown delivers a fantastic tale, and there is no question of wanting to have the finale now. 

Golden Son by Pierce Brown: Awesome.  Amazing.  Might just ruin you for all other sequels.  Available from booksellers and libraries now!

Feuds by Avery Hastings

Although I liked this story, it felt...glossed over, to me.  I got a sense of both Davis and Cole, but was not given a deep look at either.  Just when I felt like I was getting somewhere with one of them, another direction was followed.

Maybe I'm just projecting my feelings about falling in love under duress and in a very short amount of time, but I don't think there was really enough interaction between Davis and Cole for them to really love each other.  Attached, yes.  Deeply crushing on each other, yes.  Love?  I'm not convinced. 

 I also think the title doesn't really go with anything. The FEUDS were discussed a few times, and Davis even sees part of one of the fights, but I don't think they were important enough, plot-wise, to gain the title. 

Overall, though, I did like this story.  Both protagonists are easy to like.  Readers will find themselves attached to Davis and Cole, even though minor objections or questions.  (I certainly was.)  With a little more detail and polish, this could be a riveting YA romantic tragedy.  Perhaps that's what we'll get in the sequel.  I, for one, will definitely be reading it. 

Feuds by Avery Hastings: 3 out of 5 stars.

Some Fine Day by Kat Ross

Told from the point of view of Jansin, Some Fine Day is a unique portrayal of life after the end of the world.  Jan is all set to be a top performer in the armed services, but her entire perspective (and life) changes after a trip to the Earth's surface ends in her captivity.  Yes, this is another dystopian society-type story, but it does offer a deviation and creativity that others lack
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Jan makes an excellent narrator, illuminating her doubts, fears, and suspicions.  Her perceptions of other characters gives great insight into their development, as well as her own.  The writing is good, the plot is good (although, there are some holes in it, but those can be overlooked easily enough).  While the action sequences are spaced out, there is plenty of conflict and confrontation to be found. 

The ending does leave a little to be desired, which is detrimental to the story.  I don't get the feeling that there will be a sequel- frankly, I don't think there needs to be one.  But it does feel rather rushed and leaves off in an odd place.  I definitely had questions afterward, and I know I'm not the only one.  It does, however, present a unique look at what happens after catastrophic events force humankind to alter lifestyles and adapt quickly to environmental changes. 

Isaura by Ruth Silver

In the third installment of the Aberrant trilogy, Olivia finds herself trying to save Joshua, fending off advances from Henry, and keeping herself from being killed by Isaura.  This could have been so much better in so many ways. 

The writing was truly terrible.  The punctuation errors alone had me confused as to the emotional state of every situation.  The entire narration is awkward- not just the conversation. There are so many "plot twists" that they become tedious- time travel, reproduction experiments, telepathic communication, portals, blah, blah, blah.  Because of these, there are also so many holes in the story that one just gives up hope of anything making sense at all.

 Olivia comes across as a whiny narcissist who wants everyone to listen to her because she's the only woman left who can naturally conceive a child. At every confrontation I expected her to stamp her foot and shout "Because that's the way I want it!"  I was so annoyed with her by the end of the book that I almost didn't even care if she had resolved her internal issues with being able to have a child versus wanting to have a child.

Isaura, the evil villain of the tale, was ludicrous.  This ties directly in to the holes in the story.  I still have no idea what her actual motive was.  She hates Olivia.  Okay, but why?  And what is the purpose to everything?  There isn't one, as far as I could tell.

The ending was also overwhelmingly saccharine. Yes, I like a good, solid ending.  I even like endings that others might not find "happy."   Everyone was so happily wrapped up that I wanted to gag. 
I was disappointed in the conclusion of this trilogy.  It started out so well, and went downhill from there, ending with this pile of poorly put together words.

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

The Here and Now gives us a story of time travel, love, and saving the world. This is a netgalley title and will be honestly reviewed.

 Even though there is no arguing that Brashares writes well, some of the character interactions ring false.  Every conversation is oddly formal, with few contractions and words that today's teens might not necessarily use in everyday language.  This is an excellent element for Prenna, who is from the future where formality reigns supreme and physical affection is held in check.  At the same time, though, it's hard to reconcile with the "time natives," the people from 2014 with whom those from the future must blend.  Although it doesn't quite work, it's not hard to overlook. The overall story is good, and Prenna and Ethan provide strong protagonists. 

Prenna writes letters to her brother Julian, which are presented between chapters.  They're short, chatty letters of a girl who misses her brother and wants him to know about her new life, even though he never will.  These give us excellent glimpses of the future from which Prenna comes, illustrating the effects of global warming, the disappearance of fossil fuels, and the world views the time travel group brings with them to 2014.  All of this lends support and a more firm grasp of the world events Prenna and Ethan want to prevent.

The relationship between Prenna and Ethan is a little odd- and not just because she's seventy years older.  He first sees her when he's fourteen, but they have precious little interaction for the four years between that meeting and their senior year of high school.  It's not exactly the insta-love that everyone so abhors these days, but it does have that feel at times.  Until they begin their clandestine phone calls and meetings, they'd barely spoken to each other at all.  Everyone has to start somewhere, though, so it's rather easy to gloss over this element, too, for the sake of diving further into the story.

I'm not sure if this will end up with a sequel, or as a series.  Brashares gives us a definite conclusion, but it maintains the potential to be expanded.  I don't want to give away the details, but I believe  that even though all issues are resolved on the surface,  many questions remain.  I wouldn't be upset to see a sequel, but I'm not sure there's enough story to spin out into a trilogy or a series.

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.

Moirai by Ruth Silver

The story of Olivia and Joshua continues with this action-packed sequel.

Silver does a great job of pulling the reader into the story once again.  There is suspense and turmoil from the first page, making this book hard to put down.  And although it isn't long, there is quite a bit of detail to process. 

My favorite part is the incorporation of the story of the Moirai, or the Fates.  The question of whether different choices lead to different outcomes or if we are fated for the same thing regardless of our decisions arises several times throughout the book.  Is Olivia's fate truly to be the medical miracle everyone wants her to be?  Or is it just a projection on her by those who want a symbol for the reason that they fight? 

The dialog rings true and the reader can really feel the emotion of Olivia, who narrates this tale.  The way Silver writes is strong, well-paced, and full of energy.

There are a few new characters introduced, and some brought back from Aberrant, who mesh well with the rest of the characters.  Tension is felt with some; trust is kindled with others. 

I am looking forward to the next installment!

The Priest by Monica La Porta

I was deeply intrigued when I started this book.  It has everything I could want in a story: a ruling class, a mistreated slave, a high-born girl who is only looking for love, and hope for those brave enough to rebel against society in order to make their lives happier.  I was also disappointed in this book.

There is huge potential here.  Set in a future dystopian society where women rule everything, the only sanctioned marriages are between women, and men who are only good as slave labor, La Porta has given us a window into something spectacular.  However, the characters fall flat, there's almost no development in the plot, and the narration and conversations are formal and stilted. 

Mauricio's child-like glee at experiencing anything new, such as the outside world, quickly  becomes tedious with the same terms and descriptions used again and again.  And again and again.  And again and again.  (Get where I'm going with this?)  His encounters with Rosie also become repetitive and seem to go nowhere.  While they eventually share a "date" and she tells Mauricio a bit of her childhood, there is no basis for a love connection, making this story more awkward.

I read the author's note, telling us that Rosie and Mauricio were characters that came to life during the writing of another novel that was almost finished.  To me, this made more sense as to why it fell short of my expectations.