Prodigy

Prodigy

By Marie Lu

Putnam, 2013. 384 pgs. Teen fiction (I read the ARC)

Summary:

Day and June have escaped from the Republic soldiers and make their way to join the Patriots; although they aren't entirely certain that they want to work with the Patriots, they figure joining them is the only way to get Day the medical attention that he needs and to try to get his little brother out of the hands to the Republic. After declaring their allegiance to the Patriots, they're told what their new assignments are: June is to return to the Republic and win the trust of the new Elector, Anden, by telling him of a plot against his life, all the while leading him into the true plot, where Day will assassinate him. As they settle into their responsibilities, both Day and June wonder if they're doing right thing, if assassination is really the right answer, and if they can trust anyone--including each other.

Review:

This sequel to Legend should have fans of the series frustrated, in that GOOD way that means the author has gotten you all emotionally invested in a book and taken characters (and by extension, readers), to somewhere they needed to go, even if it's painful. There's going to be a LOT of yelling, frustration, exclamations of disbelief, etc. as readers suffer through the last couple of chapters of this book and realize that they're going to have to wait a long time for any sort of resolution. That's not a bad thing, though--other than the fact that it's quite possible that the ending is going to leave readers crying or having panic attacks. 

There were a couple things I didn't necessarily like about book: for starters, Day and June's relationship. It seemed liked there's supposed to be this magnetic, hot attraction...but it felt forced sometimes. The emotion just seemed to be lacking sometimes. I was actually somewhat more intrigued by the developing love triangles (yes, plural--both Day and June have someone else who is interested in them, and who they could possibly develop feelings for) than the relationship between Day and June, for a lot of the book. Not all of it...but a lot of it. Also, perhaps a small note, and something that could probably be easily corrected in the final edition, but there seemed to be an over usage of parenthesis. Now, obviously, I'm a fan of them myself, but I have to say if the reader starts noticing how often you're using parenthesis, you're probably using them too often. What's the big deal, you ask? Well, I think it made the writing awkward; it seemed weak. A few parenthesis here and there is fine, but when you have several in a row, that can be a warning sign, and in this case, I think was indicative of Lu not always knowing how to incorporate descriptive details and internal dialogue into the rest of the sentence or paragraph. Unfortunately, that can jolt the reader out of the flow of the book, and I hope there's some revision to address that problem before the actual publication of the book.

Anyway, parenthesis aside, it's still an engaging book, with a good plot twists and a believably bad government. We get a look a really interesting new character (the new elector), and I'm excited to see what happens in the third book.

4 stars. A little bit of language and some making out.

The Drowned Cities

The Drowned Cities

By Paolo Bacigalupi

Little, Brown, and Company,2012. 436 pgs. Teen fiction (I read the ARC)

Summary:

In a future U.S., Mahlia is a castoff, the daughter of a Chinese peacekeeper who left her and her mother (a Drowned Cities resident) behind when the Chinese gave up their attempts to stop the various warlord groups from trying to wipe each other out. Mahlia has found refuge with a doctor in a village away from the Drowned Cities, but as a castoff, she's never been accepted by the rest of the villagers. Her one friend, Mouse, is a boy who has been orphaned by the war. When the two discover Tool, a wounded augment (a half-man, half-animal designed for war and killing), who is being hunted by a group of soldiers, Mahlia and Mouse are caught in the middle. As the bloodthirsty soldiers wreak havoc on the land and even force Mouse into their army, Mahlia must convince Tool to help her save her friend, even though the odds of success are essentially impossible.

Review:

There is a lot of blood, gore, and violence in this book, made all the more heart-rending by the fact that these are kids, not adults, who are fighting each other and trying to survive. Because of that, it's not an easy book to read, and some readers probably won't be able to stomach it. The violence continues pretty much to the very end, and while there's an element of hope at the end, I didn't quite feel like there was enough of an ending. This would be a good discussion book, as readers could delve into such topics as child soldiers and whether or not redemption is possible, but it's not one that I'd necessarily recommend for any sort of pleasure reading. It's gripping but disturbing.

3.5 stars. Language and LOTS of violence.

Insurgent

Insurgent
By Veronica Roth
Katherine Tegen Books, 2012. 525 pgs. Teen fiction

Now that the Erudite faction has wiped out much of the Abnegation factor, a society that once thrived on its five factions each filling specific rolls is thrown into chaos. With Dauntless split between those who support Erudite and those who don't,Tris, Tobias, and the others who have managed to escape the Eruite now appeal to the other factions--Amity and Candor--for help, but find that neither of them may be in the position to prevent Erudite from killing anyone who gets in their way. When the opportunity arises for an unexpected alliance with the factionless, who are more powerful than anyone realized, Tobias thinks it's their best option, but Tris has reservations. She thinks they might have to trust the unlikeliest of people in order to figure out why Erudite launched their attack in the first place and what they can do to stop further destruction--but doing so means she has to betray those she loves the most.

This second book in the Divergent trilogy takes readers on just as breathtaking ride as the first one. With palpable fear and tension as Tris is trying to understand more about what it means to be Divergent, who she can trust, and why her world has suddenly crumbled, readers are going to be on the edge of their seats, anxious to find out what is going on and why! There's a twist that's hinted at that unfolds into a cliffhanger ending; readers are going to be groaning that they'll have to wait another year or so to see how things play out. I don't think I liked this one quite as much as the first book; there is some tension between Tris and Tobias that isn't much fun for readers who loved the romance angle of the first book and I'm not a huge fan of cliffhanger endings (and perhaps because I'm just grumpy today). However, I think readers will devour it...and really, groan very, very, very loudly when they realize there's still quite awhile to go before the third book comes out (no date announced as of today, at least).

4.5 stars. There wasn't a lot of language but there is a LOT of violence and some making out.

Legend

Legend

By Marie Lu

G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2011. 305 pgs. Teen fiction

Summary:

Day and June come from totally different worlds, even though they are both citizens of the Republic of America. June has been raised as a privileged member of the elite class, a military prodigy who scored a perfect 1500 on her Trial--something that has earned her some special opportunities but also leaves her a little too precocious for her own good. Day, however, is a poor criminal, a Trial failure who escaped from the government and and now is working against them. While he's never gone so far as to defect to the Colonies (the Republic's enemy that makes crazy claims they used to be one united country) or joined the Patriots (a group within the Republic working against the military government), he gets in his punches when he can. His latest challenge, though, is finding a cure for the plague that has infected his little brother. As Day is trying to protect his family, June is hunting him, determined to bring him to justice for killing her beloved brother.

Review:

Told in chapters alternating between Day's point of view and June's, this book does a great job conveying the inequity in this society. Both Day and June are interesting characters, and this is a book that could appeal to both male and female readers. It's also a good dystopia for reluctant readers; some dystopias are kinda detail-overloaded (at least for a reluctant reader), but this one is deep enough without getting too deep (in a totally good way). I assume this will be the start of a new series, but it doesn't have a cliffhanger ending, either, so readers will be satisfied with it as a stand-alone, too.

4 stars. Clean read...I think. I can't remember any language and there is definitely no sex. Some violence, but not described in gory detail.

Variant

Variant
By Robison Wells
HarperTeen, 2011. 376 pages. Teen fiction

Benson Fisher is a foster kid who has gotten a scholarship to a boarding school, the Maxfield Academy. However, when he gets there, he finds that everything about the school is seriously wrong. There are no teacher or administrators present and the students are divided into three different gangs who coexist somewhat peacefully, sometimes anyway. The constant threat of detention, which is equated with death, looms over them. While most students seem to accept that they're part of some weird experiment (although they don't really know what's going on), but Benson isn't willing to stick around. He's desperate to escape and wants to convince the others to escape as well..but he soon finds that he has no idea who he can trust.

This book started off pretty well; readers are drawn in with Benson, trying to figure out what the heck is going on and why--why are kids at a school with no teachers, why do they have to play weird paintball games, and what happens to the students who disappear? However, as interesting as the book is, the ending kinda throws a wrench in it. Things finally start to really unfold in about the hundred pages, but a lot of that is actually slow parts, and the real action and real answers come in the last thirty pages. It happens too quickly, it's really confusing trying to figure out who is on what side, and the book is left on a huge cliffhanger. (Okay, the cliffhanger might not bother some readers, but I personally want some sense of what's going on...particularly since I'll be waiting at least a year for them to publish the next book.) So, while it's interesting and entertaining, I think Wells has set himself on a very dangerous edge here--not enough questions were answered in this book, and the second book in a series tends to be the worst...so if he doesn't deliver a home run with the second book, it's going to be hard to convince readers to stick with it. The second book will really need to give a lot of answers and they have to come a lot faster--not in the last thirty pages of the book.

3.5 stars...but that's subject to change depending on what happens with the next book.
Mostly a clean read (there's some language, but nothing of the super harsh variety).
Good choice for teen guys.

Crossed

Crossed
By Ally Condie
Nov. 2011. 367 pgs. Teen fiction (I read the ARC)

Cassia finds a way to get to the Outer Provinces, where she is intent on finding Ky, despite the fact that he's been given a work assignment that is almost certain to kill him. However, he manages to escape into the Craving, a series of canyons that could lead to freedom. Ky is just as set on finding a way to get back to Cassia. However, when the two mind each, Ky realizes that Cassia has found out about the Rising, a rebellion against their Society--something Ky doesn't want to be a part of and would like to keep Cassia out of as well.

I think fans of Matched will like Crossed as well. It can be a bit slow; there's a LOT of time spent in the canyons, both before and after Ky and Cassia are reunited--and they don't find each other until over halfway through the book, so that made things seem a little slow as well. I didn't necessarily love the first book, and again, this one was just likeable for me, but I think fans will enjoy it--and I might like it better if I weren't totally burned out on dystopias and love triangles.

3 stars. Clean read.

Divergent

Divergent
By Veronica Roth
Katherine Tegen Books, 2011. 487 pgs. Teen fiction


Chicago is divided into five factions: Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), and Erudite (the intelligent). Each faction exemplifies the behaviors and attitudes that they think will most benefit the world and combat the problems of human nature. As teens reach a certain age, they are given an aptitude test that tells them which attributes they have, followed by a ceremony where they choose which group to remain with for the rest of their lives. Most people have one dominant attribute, but Beatrice Prior, who has been raised by her Abnegation parents and community, isn't sure she's selfless enough to stay with that faction. When her aptitude tests reveals that she has multiple dominant attributes, meaning she is divergent, she must choose which faction to join--as well as hide the fact that she's divergent, as she's been warned that her life depends on no one finding out her secret. Tris makes her choice, changing her name along with her alliances, and as she trains for her new faction, she struggles to know who to trust and starts to fall in love but also realizes that everything could be ripped away but a group that is ready to overthrow their way of life.

Some books just hook you, and some don't. For me, this one definitely did. I think this has the potential to be the new Hunger Games--the trilogy that everyone has to read and can't stop thinking about. With an intriguing dystopian world, engaging characters, action, adventure, romance, and more, there's not much that this book doesn't have. I will say that I thought the end of the book, where we see the conflict really unfolding, as the rebel group begins rolling out their plans, went by to quickly for me and was actually too easily resolved. Obviously, there's going to be a lot more going on in the next books, but I would have liked to see a little more in this one, as it all plays out in a matter of a few hours. On the other hand, Tris's training and personal growth and conflicts were explored in much more detail and over time, so the juxtaposition just made the larger, societal conflict seem glossed over. Still, I'm hooked, and I can't wait to see what happens next! A great choice for anyone who liked The Hunger Games, dystopia, romance, action, or kick-butt characters.

4.5 stars. As far as language goes, I think this one's pretty clean. There's a lot of violence, though. Sexuality is minimal; there's some kissing, a little sexual tension, and a discussion of how two characters might possibly at some point in the future if they're ready, sleep together.

P.S. (3/26/12) I listened to the audio version of this book last week. I was a little apprehensive at first, since I know a bad narrator can ruin a good book, but , I was quite satisfied with the narrator. Very well done.

Unwind

Unwind
By Neal Shusterman
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2007. 335 pgs. Teen fiction

A couple generations in the future, a war has been fought over whether abortion is acceptable or not, and unexpected compromise has been reached: babies can't be aborted but when a child is between the ages of 13 and 18, parents can choose to have them unwound, which is the process of harvesting all of their parts and transplanting them to other humans in need of those parts. Connor's parents choose to have him unwound because of his behavior; Risa is an orphan who is deemed as not quite good enough to be allowed to continue existing, and Lev is a tithe, being unwound because of his family's religious beliefs. The three teens cross paths, and soon, they're trying to figure out how to survive in a world that says they don't deserve to live.

Ah! Why did I not read this book 4 years ago when it came out? I don't know, but I'm glad I finally got around to it! I really, really liked this book (which sounds funny to say...how can you like about about unwinding people, right?). It's thought-provoking, it's edgy, it's emotional, it has great characters (I loved Connor and Risa, and Lev is a good secondary character.), and it says a lot about how we value life. From the first page, I was hooked. I love the fact that this isn't just a book about an issue; it has real, well-developed characters and while it makes a statement, it also makes you care about the people in the story.

4.5 stars. Clean read (I think...maybe there's a little language...and there it's implied that two characters might like to go past kissing but they don't.)