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.