Compound by S.A. Bodeen

My review of

3 of 5 stars
Contains spoilers, click Show/Hide to view

My son read this book first, and he did an excellent job at capturing my interest without giving spoilers. I know kids aren't incredibly fond of vitamins, but until I read the story, I couldn't understand why he was so appalled by the idea of dietary supplements.
The nuclear symbol on the spine and the book title, Compound, give a basic idea of the story content. I am currently playing the PC version of Fallout 3 Game Of The Year Edition. Players begin this game as a baby living inside a 'vault'. I strongly recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed this story or the 'concept' of this story. My virtual vault life made me eager to read Compound. Yet, this story wasn't quite what I expected.
Having seen Blast From The Past, which fans of Compound may enjoy, I was suspicious of the families' need to live in a fallout shelter. I was frustrated by how flippant the father was about Eddy being left behind. The children were forced to accept his choices and actions at their young age, but their mother seemed too passive. Important details were also missing. There was no mention of radiation suits or visible counters to read radiation levels in the atmosphere.
The story skips from day one in the vault to six years later. Yikes, what an incredibly long time to be isolated with your family! There was practically an endless supply of books and music. After awhile the books might seem irrelevant, if life as you knew it no longer existed. Fantasy and apocalyptic stories would keep their appeal. I could stay amused with my video game library for quite some time, but not fifteen years.
So when Eli first enters the compound he guiltily thinks of what a great fort all the cushions would make... Yet its six years before he fully explores the compound ? Okee...
The emotions Eli had about not owning up to his sibling were profound. These revelations almost made me relieved I have no siblings... :) The thought of having to eat my siblings made me doubly glad I have no siblings. Ugh. I immediately thought Motel Hell and people jerky. Were there even any condiments left ? Even if the father was insane, this whole concept eluded me. How long were the supplements fed breast milk ? Was five year old Lucas still booby feeding or was he being fed from the food supply? I can't imagine there being enough meat on a person to justify raising them as human cattle. I couldn't see how the mom went for this. She insisted she wouldn't have allowed them to be sauteed, but how could she risk procreating with someone who entertained such ideas ? She mentioned she believed it might be left up to them to repopulate. I guess she fell for the whole Grease "Lets Do It For Our Country" proposition... She leaves this man alone with these lil 'dumplings' to give her other children music lessons ?
I also wondered if there was a supply of dog food they could have eaten. Did the father ever anticipate Cocoa going with them? Was there an inventory of Alpo hidden away somewhere ?
The story ended too abruptly. The father's motivation and mental status left too many loose ends. When Eli (conveniently) hooked up with Eddy and Gram, his first successful attempt at maintaining an online connection, Gram typed “tabloids right about dad-major nutcase.” “Report from secret source dad's biological mom crazy.” Eli's mother later argued this was just a rumor... that he wasn't 'completely' certifiable. The father offers up several motivations, but there should have been a chapter where Eli enters his father's 'real world' office searching for answers. After his experience one might expect him to finally question his surroundings.
I also had a hard time seeing how someone as lucrative as Mr. Yanakakis, could be so unbalanced... But there is quite a history of eccentric, wealthy people , such a Phil Spector, or those listed here...http://listverse.com/2009/03/15/10-incredibly-eccentric-people/ As someone on the internet so aptly pointed out wealthy people are called 'eccentric' and regular people are called 'crazy'.
In the end the family allows Phil to continue running the company ? They must all be nutcases. Does anyone consider charging him with conspiracy to commit fraud and kidnapping ?
I liked how dad could still be around watching them, a threat looming in the shadows, leaving trails of Tums in his midst...

Skybreaker By Kenneth Oppel

Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I wouldn't change anything about this novel. I gave the last story four stars and this one five. It isn't necessarily a 'better' story. The series is just really growing on me. The characters themselves have also grown up. Kate's whims in Airborn, which often lead to disaster, were face palm worthy. She is still full of adventure, yet she has matured.



Matt, a first year student at the academy, is completing a hands on navigation training course . Some students were sent out on luxury liners and Matt well... He is working under a reckless Captain, named Tritus, aboard the Flotsam, a cargo ship. They fly into a storm, the Devil's Fist, a year round typhoon known for its ability to strike airships out of the sky. After a close call they spot the Hyperion, a ship of legends. This ghost ship is rumored to carry a vast amount of wealth. The Flotsam suffers damage by the storm but Tritus insists they attempt to tow in the Hyperion and salvage her. Cruse warns them of the danger of hypoxia. The Captain and crew ignore his warnings and they are soon intoxicated by hypoxia and greed. In spite of the Captain's protests, Cruse the level headed hero, ensures they make it to safety. They fail to retrieve the Hyperion, but thanks to Cruse, most of them survive.

Kate soon hears the Hyperion has been spotted. She is still delighted by the prospect of rare animal specimens, which the Hyperion is rumored to have aplenty. Naturally she is eager to retrieve it. Cruse is the only surviving crew member who recalls the coordinates. He is soon acquainted with Nadira, a gypsy girl, who claims to have a key to the cargo hold. She is gorgeous and this brings a bit of a love triangle to the story. The only ingredient missing for the adventure is transportation. Kate introduces them to Hal. Hal reminded me of Bruce Lunardi, Matt's rival from the previous story. Hal has it all going on... good looks, wealth, charm and an airship. Matt soon (once again) finds himself competing for Kate's affection. Together (with Miss Simpkins in tow) they race to locate the Hyperion before evil villians thwart their plans.



These novels use vocabulary I rarely encounter. My favorite word was 'phantasmagoric' defined by the free dictionary as a fantastic sequence of haphazardly associative imagery. I thought this was a fantastic word :)



There are wonderful, vivid descriptions of steampunk style contraptions. It would be awesome to see such inventions brought to life.



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Dead Girl in Love (Dead Girl, #3) by Linda Joy Singleton

Dead Girl in Love by Linda Joy Singleton

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book was really disappointing compared to the first two. Various story lines are brought up with minimal follow through. Dead Girl in Love fell flat.

Amber is a temp lifter occupying the body of her best friend, Alyce. I've worn my friend's underwear before, but swapping bodies would be a bit personal! Amber must adhere to the nine divine rules for temp lifters including the first rule, follow through on your host's body obligations and plans. This means putting up with Alyce's whiny mother. Amber has always had a strained relationship with Mrs. Perfetti, and now has to live with her. She is codependant, often behaves like a child and has been known to snoop around in Alyce's room. Meanwhile, Amber's deceased granny is inhabiting her body. Granny a little unconventional, causing Amber some concern. The story seemed to be leading up to more events with her granny, who seems like an interesting character, but there wasn't much focus on her. The situations involving granny could have been a lot more fun.

Although she is only expected to take care of Alyce's life, while she is recooperating from her depression, Amber decides to make improvements. She encounters a new puzzle to work through as she investigates Alyce's current obsession involving mortuaries. Busy with her recent adventures, she neglected to realize Alyce's unhappiness and soon realizes she doesn't know her best friend as well as she thought.

She also decides Alyce needs a love life. She goes on several interesting dates. It can be horrible when friends try to set you up! This story line had great potential, had it been developed further.

Amber is once again haunted by Gabe, the dark lifter from the previous story. He is a body swapper who refuses to give up the practice. I was disappointed that Amber fell for Gabe's charming good looks and sad story of betrayal once again. I'd be likely to fall for someone like this, but I expected more from her character. What is it with these older guys ? Older guys can be wonderful, but Gabe died more than a century ago!

This story did not end on cliff hanger. It is quite possible this is the last story in this series.



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Utopia by Lincoln Child

Utopia by Lincoln Child

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Well I couldn't afford a trip to an amusement park this year so I figured reading Utopia would be the next best thing.

The descriptions of Utopia are great. The details are fantastic, down to the mannerisms of people within the park. I felt like I was there and I'd love to visit this place.

The first chapter makes a reference to meloning, 'When daring young women on rides bare their breasts to the camera' ? Is this really what its called ? I tried googling it, including an image search, and didn't find anything to confirm this. The search results were disappointingly tame, people eating watermelon and doing grab tricks with their skateboards... But this isn't a bad term for the practice.

Dr. Andrew Warne is a computer engineer with a focus on robotics. He is a widower and father to 14 year old Georgia. He has been summoned to visit Utopia, a large theme park known for robotics holographs and thrill rides. He is a large contributor to the park's robotics. Warne created the park's metanet, a meta network that links all the robots to a central processor. The processor studies the bots, creates improvements and downloads an optimized code daily over the network. He brings his daughter with him expecting an opportunity to work on upcoming projects.

Soon after Warne arrives, the park directors inform him they believe the metanet is responsible for random robotic glitches. They request he shut it down, insisting the issue is not due to internal or external tampering. He is downfallen, because he sees the metanet as his life work.

The story points out the dangers of relying on robots to do important mechanical tasks. Utopia robots are programmed to do safety maintenance. The robots loosened dogs instead of tightening them. A car whipsaws through a 70 foot drop, which results in injuries, lawyers etc... I suppose human error could be as detrimental. Hopefully, there will soon be technology for a park like Utopia, and they will employ human quality control. The robot that servers ice cream, Hard Case, also malfunctions. It would be fun to be served ice cream by a robot, but I wouldn't fancy it coming after me with sticky robot claws. The only malfunction I want to experience is receiving a basketball sized scoop of peanut butter and chocolate ice cream. I am diabetic so this would be quite deliciously dangerous. :)

I would love to own a Wingnut, the robotic dog...

As the story unfolds we learn bad guys are responsible for the robotic malfunctions. These domestic terrorists are not your semi honorable, fun loving type of criminals. Their list of demands include not contacting authorities, and continuation of business as usual within the park. If they don't get all of their demands they will kill hundreds, blowing up lines and restaurants.

The bad guys couldn't have orchestrated their acts of terrorism without inside help. It is fairly obvious who their cohort is. We see behind the scenes information of everyone who is innocent. By using the process of elimination, the mystery of the inside man is revealed.

The major plot hole of this story is no one contacts the police. I can understand the stories where the scared parents of a kidnapped child are convinced they shouldn't call the police. But the employees of this park are well educated, and much less emotionally involved. They decide it would be too dangerous to call the authorities. They are obviously not equipped to deal with something like this. The only person with any real experience is a patron of the park who offers his service. But not a single person demands the police be called...

This book is written in 2002. I figure it might take some time to write a book. I have been working on the first page of mine for the last 10 years. I am not sure if it was written after or prior to Sept 11, 2001, but there must be a standard theme park terrorist protocol. I assume it would include contacting the proper authorities.

Regardless of the possible outcome, I can only imagine how questioning would go for the inevitable police investigation and lawsuit. 'Did you immediately contact the police ? Do you mean you didn't contact the police to report threats or deaths in the park, tampered with and moved evidence, and moved and stored bodies. so you could continue with business as usual?' And what about the guy with 2 broken legs? I realize there is an impressive medical facility within the park, but what if he needed surgery ? I believe most of Disneyland's major injuries make it to the media. At Utopia an entire ride of people gets barbequed and its business as usual ? If it weren't for this major story flaw, this book would have been so much better.





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The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've enjoyed reading the Gregor the Overlander series. This story, while different from the Overlander books, was also impressive. I immediately became deeply involved with the characters. The descriptions are colorful and there is plenty of wry humor. This book isn't perfect, nor is it the first story about an group of people that are forced to kill one another in an enclosed area, but the dystopian setting makes it unique.

I noticed several similarities to the movie The Condemned. Condemned killers must fight each other to the death on a deserted island for the prize of freedom, while being spectated via the internet. Despite low ratings, I enjoyed this movie. I also saw parallels with the TV show Sliders Season 1, Episode 9: Luck of the Draw and Season 3, Episode 1: Rules of the Game.

The story takes place in the country of Panem, which rose from the ruins of North America. There is a Capital surrounded by districts. Each of the districts have their own industry or contribution to the Capital. The Capital recalls its history as industriously bringing peace and prosperity to its citizens when the thirteen districts held an uprising. The attempt failed. District 13 was wiped out and the remaining 12 Districts were defeated. The Capital had the advantage of a prime geographic location, which made it difficult to infiltrate. It was also ruthless. While I appreciated the simplicity of the details, I would have liked more political background information. I didn't catch any mention of the other world continents. How are they faring and what is their relationship with Panem ? Do they have their own version of the Hunger Games? Does Panem have a military? With Panem's citizens living miserably harried lives, how do they maintain loyalty to country ?

The Hunger Games resulted as a punishment for the uprising attempt. I am unsure if the story specifies the number of years the games have taken place, but they seem to be an accepted part of life. Winners become mentors and the mentor for District 12 is described as 'middle aged'. Each year a male and female aged 12-18 is chosen from each district through a lottery type draw, (knowing my luck this would be just the type of lottery I would win) and the 24 contestants are imprisoned in a large outdoor arena. The climates and settings vary from year to year. They fight to the death and the last surviving contestant wins. The entire event is televised and all citizens are expected to watch. The power, which usually just works for a few hours a day, always seems to work when the Game is aired. This is the Capital's message to the citizens that they are at its mercy. The citizens fear that if they try to stop it they will obliterated just like District 13. Yes it sounds gruesome and far fetched, but many youth in our modern world die for their country. At least in America the risk of dying for your country is still a 'choice'.

The Capitol's vantage of control is achieved by keeping its citizens hungry. Several of the districts are surrounded by food sources, but access is forbidden. District 12 is surrounded by a fence that separates them from the woods. They are told its purpose is to keep out predators. Trespassing over the fence is illegal and there are stiff penalties for poaching. These rules also prevent the construction and need for weapons which could be used in a rebellion. Other districts have similar stories of oppression. The district of agriculture isn't allowed to eat the crops. If they are caught they are publicly whipped. The Capital's goal is to keep people hungry and dependent.

Needy entrants are given the option of adding additional entries for a 'tessera'. A tessera entitles them to a skimpy years supply of grain and oil for one person. This is a way to separate the rich from the poor. If people distrust one another they are less likely to stage a successful revolt against the Capital's agenda.

The winners get many prizes, mainly food. The winning district gets grain, oil and sugar while the other districts continue to battle starvation. Some districts train their kids their whole lives, putting them at an advantage. Technically this is against the rules, but it happens every year. These contestants are called “Career Tributes'. With a 1 in 24 chance of surviving, the odds still aren't that great.

The story focuses on Katniss who is a citizen of District 12 (the district of coal mining). She is a refreshing change from the typical, desperate to be loved, female protagonist currently featured in many young adult novels. She knows what needs to be done to survive and she does it. I can't help but to think she is a person quite unlike myself. My pet bunnies are chomping on expensive fresh organic greens as I inspect my expired cup of noodles for bugs...

Katniss and her 12 year old sister attend the reaping, which is the festivity where they draw the 'winners' names. Attendance is mandatory and those who do not attend are imprisoned. The reaping helps the Capitol keep track of the population. And we worry about a draft, lol. Katniss's sister's name is drawn, and Katniss volunteers to go in her place.

The drawing of the male contestant, Peeta Mellark, evolves into an awkward situation for Katniss. When Katniss's father died, grief caused her mother to be indisposed and she was left to support her family. She was desperate and near starvation when Peeta gave her some bread and suffered punishment for this act of kindness. She is weighted down by the feeling that she owes him 'something'. Ultimately they are expected to kill one another to survive.

Katniss is not in a romantic relationship, but she has a male 'friend'. She met Gale shortly after her father died. They were both struggling to support their families after their fathers died in the same mine blast . Their friendship gradually developed as they helped one another out by sharing their skills. They had an arrangement prior to the drawing that if either was forced to play the other would help out the affected family. Katniss faces an emotional conflict because she later develops a confusing friendship with Peeta. Katniss compares Gale to Peeta several times throughout the story. She trusts Gale entirely while she must question Peeta's motives.

District 12's mentor and adviser is Haymitch, the districts only living survivor. He is an overweight, middle-aged alcoholic. Although he appears to be a deadbeat, he eventually provides valuable advice. It isn't entirely clear as to why he so miserably failed to assist all the previous groups, but apparently a confrontation with Katniss and Peeta got through to him and he realizes he has a 'pair of fighters' this year. I felt this part was a bit weak, and it might have taken a bit more to get through to someone like Haymitch.

Haymitch advises them to spend their training time with other districts by learning things they don't know and avoiding showing what they are best at. They focus on knot tying, trapping, camouflaging, starting fires, making shelters and many of the same things my son is currently learning at boy scout camp. Even though it is 'against the rules' I found it surprising that kids wouldn't try to learn these things in every day life. Instead of playing house 'Lets play the Hunger Games'... If families can't get their act together to stage another revolt, they could at least add learning basic survival life-skills to their evening pastimes. Maybe the odds were too low, they felt it was hopeless, or they were too busy trying to survive ? During their private lessons Peeta and Katniss focus on their 'strengths'. Peeta can lift things and wrestle, and Katniss is an excellent marksman.

After training, contestants participate in what is quite literally a 'finishing' school. They are judged and trained on their abilities, their presentation and an interview. During these events Katniss is in awe as she scrutinizes all the disgusting frivolity and wealth surrounding her. The people of the Capital live a life of grandour while everyone else suffers in poverty. Someone just commented to me today about how all the wealth is America is becoming concentrated in certain areas. Little of it seems to be trickling back down. Something to think about I suppose...

I really liked when Peeta discloses to Katniss that he wants to die as himself, not some murderous savage. He however admits he won't go down without a fight. No religious or spiritual beliefs are mentioned in the story, but it would be onerous to defy basic moral values by killing peers who are forced into the same horrific predicament.

Haymitch's final advice, before they enter the arena, is to go for safety and find a water source. I was a little surprised they didn't ask Haymitch more questions, such as 'What is it like to kill someone ?'.

When they enter the arena there is a horn filled with supplies. Katniss is eying all the supplies which values decrease the further away from the horn they are. I am such a hoarder I would probably die right in the beginning, tussling over supplies. My head would be lopped off in an effort to get a pack of post its. Katniss is more sensible than this and is also deterred by Peeta's insistence to ignore the bow and arrows she has spotted. She ends up with the sheet of plastic, a loaf of bread, an orange backpack with various supplies and the knife a girl from district 12 nearly kills her with. At this point I am rooting "Yeah you can use the plastic to suffocate them in their sleep !" (which doesn't happen)

I thought the part where Katniss was spotted in the tree could have been more convincing (Pg. 183). She is encountered by a group of 6, several of which are Career Tributes. I wasn't sold that anyone couldn't hit her with the bow. Only one tries ? Were they worried about wasting arrows? I know when I am with a group of people it feels like I am always waiting for someone... It seems like they would have found 'some' time to practice if they weren't already skilled. It starts off with Katniss up the tree 20 feet. Cato says he will do better with his sword. She makes it to 50 feet and he falls. She then makes it to 80 feet. I read this while I was outside looking up at redwoods, so hitting someone with a bow and arrow at 80 feet when you are not a 'marksman' might be difficult. They decide she will eventually tire and come down from the tree. While they are sleeping she releases a hive of tracker jackets, a hybrid of hallucinogenic, venomous killer wasps, and of course escapes. I guess when you are with a group, it also takes longer to come up with a sensible plan of action...

I had some difficulty picturing how the mechanics of the arena worked. Page 148 gives a description of the forest layout, where the lake is and so forth. It seems engineered to be easily manipulated by the game masters. The streams and pond are drainable. Its described as an out door arena so it must be really tall walls with an open sky? The temperature can be controlled, lightening can be employed and a buffet table can pop up out out nowhere (hmm...).

I liked the ending. I am really looking forward to the next book. Unfortunately I accidentally looked at the description of book 3 and that gave away what happens in book 2. Hopefully there will still be plenty surprises.

I am also excited about the movie The Hunger Games. Hopefully they won't mess it up. I can't wait to see the costumes ! squee :)

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The Dead-Tossed Waves (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #2) by Carrie Ryan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well... It starts out a little more lively and fun than the The Forest of Hands and Teeth.

This is book two and there is still no clear picture of how society functions. How does the agriculture system work ? There is a mention of trading but how do they get the majority of their food and supplies ? In self sustaining communities, such as the Amish, everyone has to work hard. Things we take for granted (such as laundry, cooking and grooming) would be much more challenging. The youth of Vista are given the option of helping out at home or going to school, but it seems the teens have an abundance of time to hang out and have fun. I couldn't see this as a very realistic picture of life during a zombie apocalypse.

For amusement the teens enjoy sneaking over the fences into the ruins. This brought back fond memories. Sneaking out was once one of my favorite pastimes. All I had to worry about was concerned adults, policemen and my parents. The teens of Vista have the added excitement of zombies.

Warning If You Click Show/Hide You Will See Spoilers !

The sequence of events loosely follow the same pattern of the last story. The main character Gabry arrives at the realization there is a world outside the barrier, and she is of course love struck. Her supposed best friend, Cira, and her brother Catcher (Gabry's current love interest) pressure her into crossing the Barrier for her first time.

On their way to the ruins, Gabry tells Catcher she doesn't recall a memory he shares from their childhood. She says much of it has been a blur. Memories and stories have tangled together so she doesn't know what is hers and what shes been told. This seemed random and odd. Maybe the world has finally discovered the benefits of farming cannibus or possibly this was a precursor for what Gabry later discovers about who she is and where she came from. I suppose it would be harder to keep track of the milestones of your life without photos...

At the ruins, their adventure goes terribly wrong when they are attacked by a Breaker. In this story we learn a 'Breaker' is a faster more agile zombie, that somehow turns this way when there are no other zombies around. Apparently in isolation, zombies are unable to learn the art of shambling. This is nature's way of ensuring the survival of the zombie population. Huh? I may need to watch more animal planet. This phenomenon would however explain the original Gabrielle character from the last story.

A few of the kids get bitten. Some are so severely bitten they turn instantly. Catcher is bitten but its just a little bite, so he runs away. Before he takes off he persuades Gabry to return home. She makes it back safely without getting caught. For some reason Cira and several of the others, who managed to remain uninfected, stay behind and allow themselves to be caught by the Militia.

I remember there being honor among friends that sneak out and get into trouble, but apparantly things are different when zombies are involved. Cira and the others blame Gabry for not being in their same predicament. They have been given a fairly awful punishment, but it isn't as though their punishment would have been any less severe if Gabry had been sentenced with them. They insist that Gabry should risk her life to locate Catcher.

Gabry feels heartbroken. She doesn't reveal her plans to find Catcher to her mother, but she turns to her for emotional support. Mary admits to Gabry that she loved two men when she was her age. So now Mary recalls loving Harry ? It seemed as though she cared about Harry, but she didn't 'love' him. At least she goes on to say that 'maybe she loved herself more'. Sadly it seems Mary still hasn't let Harry go, even though when she left him he was with her best friend who truly 'loved' him.

If Mary seemed selfish and self involved in the last story... well she certainly doesn't redeem herself here. Gabry has lost all her friends, and her mother decides this is the time to finally disclose shocking details of Gabry's past. Mary tells her she is not her biological mother. She discovered her abandoned and hungry on a path in the forest. Later, Mary asks her daughter to join her for a venture into the forest to discover the fate of people from her past. When Gabry admits she is too scared to accompany her, her 'mother' just leaves her behind. Mary shirks off her duties as the lighthouse keeper and leaves the beach unattended. Gabry is left to deal with the oncoming waves of mudo washing up onto the shore. What a great mom !

My main complaint with Gabry is that she is irritating. This girl needs professional help. She blames herself for everything.

Here are some examples...
Page 3
“ “I don't know...,” I say, twisting my fingers together, wishing I could just say no and be done with it but hating to disappoint my best friend the way I've done too often before."
(apparently she believed she was a huge disappointment to Cira because she didn't go in the river with her.)
Page 27
(Gabry caves into peer pressure and agrees to go over the barrier. She is unable to stave off an attacking zombie and Catcher ends up getting bitten.)
“But I don't. I just stare at the bite and think about how I swung too early. If I'd just waited. If I hadn't been so afraid. I'd known to wait and I couldn't. It's my fault he's infected."
Page 131
(Gabry's mother abandons her.)
“I'm the reason she's gone. She could be hurt out in the Forest. She could be infected and it would be all my fault. Because I made her go alone, too scared to go with her."
Page 228
(Gabry tells Cira the truth about Catcher and Cira decides the only plan of action is to slit her wrists.)
“I can't stand that I'm the one who told Cira her brother was lost and the reason she almost died”.
Page 368
(Gabry and Elias finally kiss and he falls off a ledge.)
“I should have pulled him to me. I should have grabbed him and kissed him again. He wouldn't have fallen otherwise.”

There is no rule that says the main character has to be likable. She is after all only fifteen, and possibly just immature for her age. My favorite example of her immaturity was Page 353 “It's not that Catcher can't be with me. It's that he doesn't want to be with me. He used to make me feel like the most amazing person in the world and now he makes me feel like the worst.” Well... yeah duh, he is still a horny teenage boy even if he is infected and here she is rubbing herself all over him. The poor guy doesn't want to unconsecrate her...

But, yeah I will probably still read the next book...

On Borrowed Time by David Rosenfelt

On Borrowed Time by David Rosenfelt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From the description provided on the jacket, I expected something similar to Flightplan. There is either a conspiracy or the main character is really loopy. The story sucked me in from the start. It wasn't too technical, political or complicated. I enjoyed the writing style, a funny sort of cheerful banter. It reminded me of George R. Stewart's narrative in Earth Abides, but much happier because its not the apocalypse.

Richard Kilmer, a 29 year old journalist, has recently arrived in Manhattan. He's met a few friends playing basketball at the Y. They hang out and watch games at the local sportsbar. After he has lived there for 3 months he meets Jen. It seems their relationship moves a bit fast. They meet, she passes the friend test, and 4 months later they have already moved in together. She moves into his place because its bigger (and coincidentally leaves less of a paper trail). What little is exposed of Jen is likable. She is fun, witty, intelligent and easy to get along with. She has some excellent comeback lines. She even enjoys sports. And although she is suspiciously perfect, she isn't too perfect. She doesn't like the same team as Richard, she is for the death penalty while he is opposed to it and she packs 4 suitcases for a week long trip to her parents (but I can completely see why she might need 4 suitcases).

Together they drive to Ardmore, two hours from their home in Manhattan, so Richard can meet Jen's parents. Janice and Ben's house is well kept and the food is awesome. They are happy, friendly and living comfortably. If you can judge what the future of your relationship might be like someday by your partner's parents, Jen was definitely a keeper. (When my husband met my parents he should have fled the country.)

They decide to take a drive in their convertible with the top down, and in a freak storm Jen just seems to disappear out of nowhere. Then suddenly it as though she never existed. Richard questions everyone he knows who has met Jen. No one seems to have any memory of her. How could everyone be in on a conspiracy? Richard is understandably torn apart with confusion and grief. Jen is like his dream girl and they just got engaged. Its easy to see why Richard would be so concerned about finding her, other than to prove he isn't crazy. By this point my mind was reeling with all the possible explanations. On page 30 the story gives a glimpse of what is really going on, and from then on its somewhat a mystery as to who is involved and why.

The story obviously weakens as it continues and I really lost my reading gusto about halfway through. I was a little disappointed because I loved the beginning. The premise while interesting, is a very complicated one to pull off. In the end it was not much the 'how' as to the 'why' that had me scratching my head.



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The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking, #2) by Patrick Ness

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the last story, The Knife of Never Letting Go, Todd and Viola arrived at Haven only to witness it become the New Prentisstown, population of 3300. Todd is aware Viola is injured as he is forcibly separated from her.

Todd has been beaten down and restrained. He is being held captive by the horrible men of his hometown, men who he once lived along side and trusted. His main concern is for Viola, whom he desperately asks after.

The fate of Viola is soon revealed. Mayor Prentiss, now President Prentiss, uses his clever manipulation tactics in an attempt to control Todd and Viola. His efforts cause Todd and Viola to remain separated from one another throughout most of the story. Eventually they end up on opposing sides, the Ask and the Answer. Through their eyes the readers experience the horrific wrong doings of both factions. Todd's attitude and choices are often disappointing. It is painful to witness how disconnected Todd becomes as he accepts things and performs actions he fundamentally knows is 'wrong'. When he does the 'right' thing it is often for Viola, because he considers what she would do or want. They are much stronger when they are together. Their goal is to be reunited with one another.

The story gives readers a good perspective of war. People remain loyal to their 'side' and continue to live their daily lives, even when their leader's actions are questionable.

The mayor's obsession with Todd remains prevalent in this story. I waited for the "Luke, I am your father" moment. But at some point Davy, the President's son, points out that Todd and his father do not look alike...

Todd has a new animal companion, a horse named Angharrad, and she hasn't met a horrific death (at least not in book 2).

Things gets a bit confusing as the first person narrative jumps around from Todd to Viola. Luckily in each section or chapter where the narrative changes, the character's name is noted in brackets in faded text. This story is just as action packed as the last. The end is a twist I hadn't anticipated.. I need the next book !

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The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #1) by Carrie Ryan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a very solemn story, with very little joy. There was unrequited love, loss, misconceptions and misunderstandings of romantic relationships, a complex love triangle and of course zombies. I love zombies...

Many of the details and event sequences were questionable. The author often backtracked to explain previous events. I questioned the practice of the sisterhood allowing a zombie to return into the unconsecrated population when they were so fastidious about everything else. Then again there are many rationales in our modern day society that I find just as puzzling. The breach could have been described in more detail. This community existed for years and suddenly one very spunky zombie causes a breach that falls the whole town...

I guess an attempt was made to create characters who were not one dimensional... It was frustrating that Harry wouldn't allow his brother, Travis, to court Mary when there was an obvious attraction between the two. Yet it was impossible to dislike Harry and his feats of heroism and kindness. Unfortunately I never really understood why Mary preferred Travis. I think an aspect of Mary's personality was that she was in search of something she might never discover. The zombies are greener on the other side?

I wish the next book started up where this one left off, but it appears as though The Dead-Tossed Waves focuses on the next generation. I guess I will have to read it and see.

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Dead Girl Dancing (Dead Girl, #2) by Linda Joy Singleton

Dead Girl Dancing by Linda Joy Singleton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Since Amber has lived in another body previously, Dead Girl Dancing is missing some of the 'OMG Freaky Friday type moments' which made the last book so delightful. However, it is still enjoyable.

Amber is now the temp lifter of the hungover body of her boyfriend Eli's sister, Sharayah. Sharayah is a college student and it is Spring break leaving Amber to encounter more 'mature' situations than the previous book. Amber is experiencing an interesting first look at life after high school.

As Sharayah, Amber's network of friends who are aware of what she is going through is much smaller, almost nonexistent. The situations she encounters are much more dangerous and she must face these perils on her own. The dark lifters, who were my least favorite component of the Dead Girl Walking, play a larger role in this story. It also seemed as though Amber channeled more memories of her new host body than she did while she was in Leah, which didn't keep in sync so well with the previous story. This was still a fun read as long as I didn't over think it too much.

Once again it ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger... But this time I am prepared. I already have the next book.



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Out of Body (Court of Angels, #1) by Stella Cameron

Out of Body by Stella Cameron

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Half-way through this book I was convinced I had read it before. My memory is bad, but not bad enough to forget a book I read in 2010, the date of the copyright. So it was just 'one of those books I felt like I had read before'.

Out of Body is one of those typical cliché stories about a psychopath who kidnaps and brutalizes women. The only variation is that the psychopath is of the supernatural variety. He or 'it', is a member of the 'Embran family', but little information about this family is ever provided.

The main character is Marley. She is an antiques restorer. She is very close to her family. They all have their own psychic supernatural abilities and most of them have red hair, which is mentioned a multitude of times. I did not find Marley to be a believable character. This was not due to her 'abilities'. For one thing she seemed much older than her given age of 30. For another thing I found it odd that she has lived in New Orleans all her life, yet she appears to have no friends other than her family. I did not catch a mention of former love interests, or a best friend that calls every once in awhile... nothing. This is just yet another example of the lack of character development in this story.

For a paranormal romance there is also a lack of paranormal psychic activity, which would have been understandable if the writer wanted the story to be seeded in reality. I believe in 'real life' there are psychics or at the very least people whom are more perceptive than most. The story is already pushing the boundaries of reality with its transgressor, a 'supernatural creature', who doesn't share human DNA. Why not make the character's abilities seem a little more active and interesting ?

This story skips around a lot which kept me from getting completely bored. But this did little to mask the fact that very little happens.

One good thing I can say about this book is that the dog doesn't die. While Winnie was not my favorite fictional canine pooch, I was relieved she wasn't introduced to the story to be the hapless animal sacrifice like many other thriller stories seem to include.

Based on other reviews about this story, which mentioned this is not the author's best work, I am willing to try other books by this author. It is unlikely that I will read the rest of this series.



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The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles, #1) by Mary E. Pearson

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The reviews for Skinned, compared it to the Adoration Of Jenna Fox. I enjoyed both books, and it was easy to see the similarities.

While Skinned was fast paced, the most compelling thing about Pearson's book are the relationships, which gradually unfold. The story begins with Jenna, a seventeen year old girl, who struggles to become aware of her surroundings and her identity. She is a very likable character. She is inquisitive, innocent and blunt. Jenna is an only child. She lives with her mother and grandmother in California. Her father, though still part of the family, commutes back and forth from Boston. Her family is somewhat distant. Her mother manages to be both distant and smothering. Jenna has a somewhat strained relationship with her grandmother, Lily. However her grandmother is the only person she can expect to be honest with her.

Throughout the story, Jenna attempts to piece together the puzzle of her life. This is initially done through viewing the many recordings her parents have compiled of her throughout the years. Here she becomes aware of the 'adoration of Jenna Fox'.

At first I was put off by the segmented writings. There is usually a heading followed by a page or so of text. But I grew accustomed it after awhile.

I read rumors of a movie, but I can't find any info to confirm this on IMDB. Hopefully, if there is a movie, more attention to detail will be rendered to the medical and technical procedures described.

This story is enjoyable enough that I didn't mind its slow pace. I was disappointed it was so short. The last chapter is a brief summary of events that happen in the future, and I felt this chapter could have been written as a separate novel. I look forward to reading The Fox Inheritance, which will take place 260 years in the future.



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Generation Dead (Generation Dead, #1) by Daniel Waters

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It is almost a 'typical' teenage drama. Much of the story revolves around life in high school. There is bullying, discrimination and the love triangle involving the nice athletic guy, the elegant goth girl and of course the mysterious dead guy. The dialog is a bit awkward. The story is full of mixed moral messages. Some are contradictory. The author portrays the act of 'stereotyping' in a negative light. Pete is a deranged bully who acts irrationally. He constantly assigns labels to people which are often derogatory. Pete commonly refers to Karen, who is a zombie girl with a flair for fashion, as a 'slut'. Yet the characters, the author himself has created, are all very stereotypical.

The cover was questionable. The cover art is great, but this book might have a wider appeal with a more asexual look. With the Twilight frenzy, I can see where it might be marketed as more of a girl book, but the author is male and the story focuses equally on the female and male characters (and football).

The lack of explanations and details was disappointing. Do the zombies age? This question should have at least come up. It is possible this was undetermined, since teens returning from the dead was a recent occurrence. Do the zombies require nourishment? These zombies are not on the 'brain' diet. There is a revelation towards the end of the story, as to why some zombies develop better than others. Do all their... parts work ? Can they have little 'living impaired' children ? Some further details regarding their 'organs' (not the reproductive ones) are finally revealed on page 326. It appears the author likes to dole important bits of info out in tidbits. I typically prefer basic background info up-front and rely on events to keep me engrossed in the story. It is also possible I 'missed' some important details. So far the government doesn't show much interest in the 'living impaired', which seems unrealistic. They would be asking questions, for military knowledge if nothing else... The Hunter Foundation is eventually introduced. It remains somewhat mysterious throughout the story. It seems to be doing some research and testing, but thus far is a very small operation.

I almost stopped reading at page 199. I have a bad habit of trying to finish books that frustrate me. By the time I am half-way through, I am manically flipping the pages with my fingers while contemplating how much agony remains. I eventually get agitated enough to toss the book aside and start fresh with a new novel. This book is somewhat long, considering the actual 'content'. It drags on. I decided to read the reviews on this site and after I peeked at the spoilers, I decided to finish reading.

It isn't a 'bad' book. I wouldn't recommend it to my adult friends (If I had any :) ). It felt very 'young adult'. There are a few alcoholic drinks mentioned. They are mostly consumed by the 'bad' or 'troubled' kids or in the presence of a parent. Parents can be assured there is nothing too racy to be read here. I read the back cover of the next book in the series, Kiss of Life. It reveals the publishing house is affiliated with 'Disney', which might explain the extreme age appropriateness.

I admit, after finishing the book, I am curious as to what happens next.





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Skinned (Cold Awakening, #1) by Robin Wasserman

Skinned by Robin Wasserman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When I saw this book, I worried it would be a knockoff of The Uglies. It has a similar cover, similar size... Both stories use some quirky tech lingo and futuristic tech gadgets. Although this story moved at a similar pace, it is very different from Uglies. I expect readers who enjoyed the Uglies would enjoy this story as well.

There really isn't much back story. We never get to know the original Lia. I didn't find the Lia we meet to be very likable. She is very judgmental. She thinks the doctor is ugly. She thinks the shrink is less intelligent because of where she works. She thinks her sister is less attractive than her. Of course the story is written in first person so all of these thoughts are out in the open. She doesn't necessarily voice her judgments. I suppose everyone thinks sanctimonious thoughts and under the circumstances...

Interestingly she is not Lia's brain in an artificial body. None of human Lia's actual physical matter is inside the mechanical Lia. She has Lia's memories... emotions... She can make new memories, and is advised to upload them daily for safe keeping. (I wish I could do that :) She is supposedly a duplicate of Lia, in almost every 'conscious' way...

I didn't feel as much sympathy for Lia, as I did for the artificially intelligent bots in,The Bicentennial Man, I, Robot , Artificial Intelligence A.I. or the avatars in Caprica . I could understand why those around her did not accept her. After all, she is not Lia. If the process could have been performed in a manner where the brain was left intact and the body of Lia had miraculously survived, there would have been 2 Lias. There can be only one and the original Lia's physical matter was disposed of... Why not just let Lia die and be at rest? Why make the copy ? Similar to David in Artificial Intelligence, mechanical Lia's purpose is to fill an emotional void. Hypothetically, since she continues life where the original Lia left off, those who decided on the duplication might have argued they could see who Lia could have 'been' had she survived. But this is not how events unfold. The original Lia wouldn't have faced the ostracism that mechanical Lia faces. Everything is frustrating for mechanical Lia because she believes she is 'Lia'. Despite her attempts at patience and understanding, she finds it difficult to accept why everyone treats her as an imposter.

Even though I didn't have as much empathy for the main character as I would have liked, I loved this book. It is a short read and it gave me a lot to think about. I can't wait to read the next one in the series. And the ending... Could there be a nemesis in the making ?





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My 333rd Life on Planet Earth: Secrets from the 9th Dimension by Anne Preciado Rich

My 333rd Life on Planet Earth: Secrets from the 9th Dimension by Anne Preciado Rich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zoie Lynn is on her 333rd life/ reincarnation ,I suppose you could say, on planet earth. Her mission is to bring harmony to the relationship of spirit and matter, and to find closure for suffering she has previously experienced. In order to accomplish this she has to return to earth as a woman, which has been challenging for her in the past in this "male - dominated world"

I absolutely loved the parts of the story that focused on Zoie Lynn's life. I could relate to her experiences. I felt her pain and frustration while as a child she is caught in an act she perceives as innocent and her parents react as though she did something terribly dirty, sexual and taboo. It brought back memories of when I decided to play doctor ... :) I believe women will gain insights to the dilemmas of female sexuality from reading this book...

It also uses great words like 'bamboozled' and 'odoriferous'...

I grew somewhat frustrated with all the sidebar discussions and dialogs between the celestial / alien beings. I was reminded of those movies where someone has been sent back to earth from heaven and all the angels are reflecting on the person's progress. Zoie is somewhat aware of the being's presence but she is usually an observer of the beings observing her. At times these discussions felt more like a philosophy lecture than a fiction story. I found myself having to put the book down a lot, much unlike the Orion Tribute review on the back of the book which says " I couldn't put it down!". But I enjoyed the book enough to continue reading eventually... Some of these side dialogs delve into alternative interpretations / explanations, of familiar Christian stories ; Adam and Eve, Noah's arc, and even Atlantis. Some of these tales make more sense than the traditional ones and some are just as outlandish...

I don't usually enjoy audio books, but this book would be an excellent candidate for an audio book because of the way it alternates between Zoie's experiences and the presence of the celestial beings. There is a lot to muse over and I could see a benefit to listening to, and reflecting upon, this story while driving or doing 'something'. I don't believe it's available on audio at this time. :(

My opinion of this book looms heavily on the 'next' book. A sort of odd description is initially given as to why Zoie Lynn is on earth. Toward the end of the story, Zoie's past personal grievances are explained in more detail but she is still a young teenager and we know nothing specific of her actual 'mission'.



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Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It starts out good. The first few chapters start out with Sam, who has just arrived for his shift at work at Plumpys, a fast food establishment. The description of his day is humorous, and I am sure that many people can relate to the type of day Sam is having...

Then things gets really far fetched. The story follows the adventures of Sam, our soon to be necromancer, and his friends, Ramon, Kevin and Brooke. They are all Plumpy's employees. Brooke's career at Plumpy's is tragically cut short when she becomes an undead animated head. Her character reminded me of the girl/head in the movie, Transylmania , which IMDB rates as terrible, but I thought was a excellent 'B' movie. Both heads were really upbeat considering their situation...

The book spends a lot of time with the set up of the story, the characters, their powers, politics etc... It jumps around a lot and some chapters were really tedious, especially the behind the scene looks at Douglas, the villain. He is apparently a bumbling idiot, but he is also described as a powerful necromancer who is supposed to be intimidating and have a lot of influence. I enjoyed Brooke's character, but it seemed risky and stupid to send an animated undead head as a message to Sam. Brooke talks a lot and a talkative head wouldn't be the best way to keep the underground supernatural Seattle Fae existence under wraps. This is just one of the many nonsensical things the villain does. The whole powerful, yet stupid, bad guy thing was a bit hard to grasp.

Luckily there was enough humor to keep me interested. The back jacket says this is the author's first book so maybe she is working on a sequel. Its good for a first book and I would read another book by this author.

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Airborn (Matt Cruse, #1) by Kenneth Oppel

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


At first I worried I wouldn't be able to get into this book, but the story moves along and gets quite exciting... I also thought it might be too much of a 'boy' book, but one of the main characters is female. Luckily there a layout of the airship provided at the beginning of the book, to help with placing the technical terms. It doesn't end like there would need to be a sequel, but I look forward to reading the rest of the series.



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Undead and Unreturnable (Undead #4) by MaryJanice Davidson

Undead and Unreturnable by MaryJanice Davidson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A little formulaic, but still great. The bickering with Eric is getting to be a bit grating. But at least there are several good smut parts in this one.. :)

I know it has been briefly explained in an earlier novel, but I can't see why Betsy's friends aren't begging her to become vampires. If my best friend was a vampire I would insist on joining her. There are currently 6 novels remaining in the series so maybe my curiosity about this will be satisfied...



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Dread Locks (Dark Fusion, #1) by Neal Shusterman

Dread Locks by Neal Shusterman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Yikes what a dark story. It is an excellent retelling of a classic myth. Parker is immediately influenced by his new neighbor Tara. He is so enchanted with her, he soon throws his friends and classmates under the bus. It is hard to blame him, because reason would dictate there was nothing to be deadly afraid of... The story is full of insightful messages that can be compared to everyday life, such as the penalties of hanging out with the wrong person, or the dangers of being in denial of your surroundings... While it makes for a disturbing bedtime story it is a quick and enjoyable read.



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Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Well... It is hard to rate this book. I didn't like it, but it is well written and more than just 'okay'. And the cover, Ughhh... From a ways off it looks like she is muff diving. I would read other books by this author, possibly even the next book The Piper's Son. I might have enjoyed this book as a young adult shortly after my Judy Blume phase. It is not something I would recommend to my adult friends. Most of the character interactions were entertaining. It was difficult to feel empathy for Mia, Francesa's mother. Luckily her father is there for her family. Depression is a very real problem, but single parents who suffer from severe acute depression, wouldn't have the luxury of having their significant other handle everything. But the story isn't about Francesa's mother. It is about how Francesa copes with her loving yet overbearing mother being incapacitated and other conflicts in her life. She is enrolled at a new school, separated from her regular group of friends. Despite the challenges Francesa must face, she seems to find her own identity... Blah...Blah...Blah....



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Numbers (Numbers, #1) by Rachel Ward

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not bad... Unfortunately, my knowledge of the layout of London comes from watching episodes of 'Dr. Who' and it was difficult for me to picture the layout of the land with the descriptions provided in this book.

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Spider and Jem are on the run, traveling by foot and by car. I couldn't get how Tatoo just 'happened' to find them. Did they travel in a circle? Tattoo didn't strike me as a real resourceful guy. The police are after them with dogs and a helicopter, and Tattoo Face just shows up out of the blue. This story has an interesting premise but Jem's ability is never really explored. Did it run in her family ? was it spiritual ? Do other people have the ability ? These questions are never really asked or answered. I enjoyed the characters and I thought it was amusing how Spider went from a stinky boy to a love interest. And yes girls you can get pregnant your first time. :)

Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I kept waiting for Extraordinary to have a direct tie in with Impossible. The book jacket reads "Intensely page-turning, this follow-up to Nancy Werlin's acclaimed novel Impossible links the real and the otherworldly in a story that is... " This was frustrating and a big distraction for me. It had been 3 years since I read 'Impossible' and I kept examining 'Extraordinary' and rereading the summaries for 'Impossible' to see if I missed something... But so far as I could tell the two stories are not directly connected and you should not have to read 'Impossible' prior to reading this book...

I enjoyed the author's portrayal of fairies. They were vividly described and their emotions and actions were often a bit cold and aloof, how I picture fairies might be... Basically 'not quite human'. Other than mistakenly thinking this was a sequel I didn't have any expectations for this book . I enjoyed the story and how it was told. I particularly enjoyed the 'fairy tale', Mallory finally tells Phoebe about her family. Nancy Werlin has a talent for coming up with unique and interesting story ideas.





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Moon Called (Mercedes Thompson, #1) by Patricia Briggs

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


So why didn't I like this book ? There were a lot of characters. This is common in many of the books I read, especially apocalyptic novels, which often jump around from person to person. I've become accustomed to slowly reading the intros to characters and rereading them. It wasn't lacking in detail. The scenes the author described were easy to visualize. (There was a fair amount of unnecessary details.). There weren't any major plot holes... But I struggled to wade through it. I made it to page 191. I can no longer ignore my tall stack of library books, which look much more promising...

I wasn't able to relate to any of the characters. Other than Mac, I didn't feel an emotional attachment to any of them. Mercy, the main character, is our heroine. Although she doesn't have children, I perceived her as a soccer mom type driving around her van while babysitting all the other paranormals. She is constantly playing referee, keeping peace amongst the various factions. I am not saying that soccer moms are not heroine material, I just found Mercy's role tiresome to read about.

Although the general public is not aware of all the supernatural groups, they are aware of the existence of the Fae. There is a brief explanation about how this transpires. This detail is similar to the Sookie Stackhouse novels, Club Dead, where everyone is aware there are vampires. This was easier for me to swallow in the Sookie series, possibly because those stories are written with some humor. Moon Called is very somber...

The story was just dull. I can't explain it. Maybe its the writing style. I think if I were to read this book out loud it would be in a monotone. That is how it reads in my head. :( I see most people have given this book favorable reviews, so maybe I am missing something, but I will not continue reading the series. I just didn't care for it much. As far as werewolf books go, I preferred Bitten by Kelley Armstrong.



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Dies the Fire (Emberverse, #1) by S.M. Stirling

Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


My eyes rolled so much they hurt. I just couldn't take the "Sweet Goddess, Oh Goddess, Lady-Mother-Of-All" Pentagram tracing crap any longer. It is written in the dialog to the point where it is constantly in your face. It was absolutely nauseating. The author uses every possible opportunity to work into the text that he has knowledge of The SCA, The Wiccans, The Shamans, The Society of Jesus, The Aryian Brotherhood, and whatever other society may or may not exist out there. I have nothing against Wiccans, unless they are like the fanatic characters portrayed in this book. If so they can enjoy their apocalypse without me.

I am involved in the SCA. Reading this book is like camping at an SCA event in the middle of a cow pasture in the pouring rain, too hungover to drink more mead. Someone has just walked up to you eager to have finally found a sympathetic ear. They proceed to drone on and on while you nod politely wishing you had a medieval form of an i pod...

To be fair I only made it to page 115. It seemed the stories main focus was on the Wiccan group and I had to put the book down (not that the other groups were any better). I won't even get started about 'the history professor' The only good thing I can say about this book is that when something bad happened to a character I was okay with it because I didn't care a bit about any of them (except maybe the orange cat who didn't talk). I am not an uncaring person. I cried when Bambi's mother died. I like to think of myself as a tolerant person who enjoys an eclectic group of characters and beliefs. This book did not bring out those qualities in me.

I was also concerned that I would never find out the reason for 'The Change'. After some poking around I read that more detail is supposed to be given in book 2, The Protector's War. There is also a separate series of books, Island in the Sea of Time, that allegedly give some deeper background info on it . I realized I would rather eat 8 month old cottage cheese than read more books by this author, which confirmed that it was definitely time to end the self punishment and put the book down. This is the first book of a series of 7 (so far). That is a big time commitment of reading. Better to quit while I was ahead.

I usually don't get so passionate about hating a book. I just really wanted to like this book. I was so excited that I found an entire apocalyptic series. If there was an edited version of this book where all the irritating parts were stripped out... I might have been able to finish the entire book. The book would also have been much shorter. Didn't this author have friends, family, an editor ? Why didn't someone point out prior to publishing that he was laying it all on way too thick ?



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Delirium (Delirium, #1) by Lauren Oliver

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


In this story, there is a lot to be accepted at face value. It is a world set in the future, but we don't see a clear picture of how we got to that future.


The readers are supposed to accept a future where mind alterations are acceptable. There are also other constrictive rules, curfews, phone monitoring and random searches. However, there appears to be an absence of GPS tracking and security cameras. This story seems remiss of current technology, and completely lacking of any future technology. The story is reminiscent of the Uglies series, but it lacks all the details and visual excitement.

I struggled with the premise, a mind alteration as a cure for 'love'. I hoped as the story developed it would seem credible, but it didn't. In the 'Uglies' the alterations were sold as physical 'enhancements'. We live in a society where great importance is placed on physical appearances, so this idea was conceivable to me. In The Stepford Wives husbands got a wife who cleaned the house, looked great all the time and entertained. My husband would sign me up if he were given the option. I just can't picture a society coming together and thinking love is root of our problems. 'Lets do away with love'. Why not abolish religion? If I listed the largest problems in my life, I would say money, health... Love wouldn't enter my mind. In this society some people view the 'cure' as a way to deal with emotional pain or trauma. Such a remedy could appeal to a portion of society but not the majority. And we are supposed to accept people would abandon love for everyone including their children? I can't help but to consider the story was written this way to set it apart from the Uglies.

That being said... I enjoyed the characters. They seem more mature than the Uglies series. The characters are the reason I will continue reading the series.



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Dead Girl Walking (Dead Girl, #1) by Linda Joy Singleton

Dead Girl Walking by Linda Joy Singleton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Cute story. I enjoyed the author's writing style and I felt like I knew the characters. This book ends on a cliffhanger. Readers might want to have the next in the series at their side. I can't wait for the next book...



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The Resistance (The Declaration, #2) by Gemma Malley

The Resistance by Gemma Malley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


'The Declaration' felt more sci-fi and intelligent than the first in the series. It focuses on Peter and much of the story takes place inside Pincent Pharma. It amends what I felt to be plot holes in the first book. Many unanswered questions were acknowledged here. I would be surprised if there wasn't a prequel to the entire series. I would like to read about how the world and society ended up here in greater detail.



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The Declaration by Gemma Malley

The Declaration by Gemma Malley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This story was very thought provoking. Would it be so wrong to live forever if it were possible ? Would I opt to live forever? I love vampires for this very reason... I would have a hard time saying 'no'. However, it might be frustrating to live forever in the society this author has created.

Could an entire society agree to discontinue reproduction ? While I am not crazy about most children , because I despise sharing my toys :), most people seem fond of them. Children have their moments. (I have a pretty darn cute one, whom I love dearly, at home with me now). There is certainly a physical desire to reproduce, but in this story most of the people who have taken the Longevity drug are past that age. This was the only explanation I could conceive for why the entire human race would suddenly forgo doing what we are genetically programmed to do... Of course some would argue that the human race does not have a sexual instinct as seen in other animals.

The beginning of this book reminded me of another dystopia story, Never Let Me Go. Unfortunately I saw the movie before I knew there was a book. Both take place at an institution, where children are indoctrinated that their purpose in life is to serve others. In both stories the the majority of the characters accept their fate and share horrific tales of those who try to escape. Anyone who enjoys 'The Declaration' may be interested in this story as well...

One plot hole of 'The Declaration' is birth control. If having a child is such a crime, why wouldn't the government make sterilization mandatory for those receiving the Longevity drug? The author attempts to give an explanation for the birth control methods used on page 202. But I felt it was a poor attempt. While tubal litigation and vasectomies are not 100 % effective I would expect that if both parties had the procedures done pregnancy would be unlikely. Instead the birth control options utilized are birth control drugs taken with the Longevity drug, which they explained 'overburdened the formula', and birth control implants which were not 100 % effective...

***Update*** The birth control issue I considered a plothole is explained in the next book, The Resistance



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The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1) by Patrick Ness

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really don't know whether or not I liked this book...

I thought that the scenario where everyone is able to hear everyone's thoughts or 'noise' was interesting and new... A few of the situations are humorous and I broke out into a smile a few times.

It was difficult getting used to the broken English the first person narrative is written in. I also had a hard time with how important story details were spoon fed to me in small dribbles. I realize this is how Ben, our main character, is processing the information about his life... but I struggled with staying focused on the story.

Warning If You Click Show/Hide You Will See Spoilers !

It was also somewhat predictable. Ben's companion is a dog named Manchee, and we all know what happens to the dog... Why Why does the dog always have to be killed off ! I asked my husband this and he said I needed to watch the movie " A Boy and His Dog...", so I guess I will do that or even better yet read the book... A Boy and His Dog

Manchee was of course my favorite character. I felt let down by his brutal death, even though I knew it inevitable as soon as he was introduced to the story. Manchee's character brought a certain balance and kept the story somewhat light and enjoyable for me...

Manchee's death was just one of several emotional scenes in the story. The author did an excellent job conveying the character's feelings and plights. However, I felt frustrated with the notion put forth by Viola, that if Ben killed someone he would become "like them"... Not that I have ever killed anyone before...:) but I think that there were several instances where murder in self defense would have been understandable. I kept asking myself why Aaron was even still alive to kill Manchee in the first place...

Even though I have a few quips about this book I will continue the series.

Undead and Unappreciated (Undead, #3) by MaryJanice Davidson

Undead and Unappreciated by MaryJanice Davidson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I preferred this one to Undead and Unemployed. It was as clever as the first novel. Still... sadly I am not much of a Sinclair fan. I am more of a Spike or Bill Compton fan... :)



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Virals by Kathy Reichs

Virals by Kathy Reichs

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


It started out well enough, but went downhill... It was a little too "Scooby and the Gang" for my taste. There should have been more story development about the virus. I thought the culprits were too outlandish. Still... it was an easy read. I will probably pick up the other books in the series if they are available at the library. Hopefully it will pick up.



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