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Book Review: Arclight by Josin L. McQuein

Apr 9 |10:41

From the cover, Arclight could really be about anything creepy. Readers won’t know what’s really going down in the book for awhile, but it’s all part of the (creepy) plan.

Book Review: Arclight by Josin L. McQuein

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Title & Author: Arclight by Josin L. McQuein

Genre: YA – Dystopian, Futureistic

Release Date: April 23, 2013

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

How I Got the Book: ARC via Publisher

Description:

“No one crosses the wall of light . . . except for one girl who doesn’t remember who she is, where she came from, or how she survived. A harrowing, powerful debut thriller about finding yourself and protecting your future—no matter how short and uncertain it may be.

The Arclight is the last defense. The Fade can’t get in. Outside the Arclight’s border of high-powered beams is the Dark. And between the Light and the Dark is the Grey, a narrow, barren no-man’s-land. That’s where the rescue team finds Marina, a lone teenage girl with no memory of the horrors she faced or the family she lost. Marina is the only person who has ever survived an encounter with the Fade. She’s the first hope humanity has had in generations, but she could also be the catalyst for their final destruction. Because the Fade will stop at nothing to get her back. Marina knows it. Tobin, who’s determined to take his revenge on the Fade, knows it. Anne-Marie, who just wishes it were all over, knows it.

When one of the Fade infiltrates the Arclight and Marina recognizes it, she will begin to unlock secrets she didn’t even know she had. Who will Marina become? Who can she never be again?”

Arclight – Hidden Gem

So, I don’t know about you, but I hadn’t heard of Arclight at all before receiving a random ARC of it in the mail (Thanks, HarperCollins!).

From the creepy cover (see above), I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Ghosts? Psycho killers? It all seemed fair game. What you actually get in Arclight is a dystopia with mystery and suspense.

Marina was found in the Dark and has no memories of before she was rescued from the place beyond the compound’s walls. The walls are there to keep out the Fade, beings whose existence is mysterious and whose purpose is focused on “turning” humans into new Fade.

While Marina tries to muddle through her fuzzy memories, she tries to stop Tobin from hating her. Everyone’s suspicious of how she survived the Dark when no one else has, but Tobin has a reason to resent Marina’s existence – his dad lost his life to save her.

After a few stops and starts in the beginning of the book, Arclight totally pulled me in. There is so much that the reader has to guess and assume. It’s a good thing, though, because you are led to believe one thing, but then different twists and turns have you doubting all over again.

Arclight has a great twist – one that I think some readers could definitely guess but isn’t necessarily super obvious. It will just depend on how perceptive you want to be.

I’ve been duped by this before…but I’m pretty sure this book is a standalone. I checked Goodreads and the Internets, so I’m fairly certain this is a one-off deal. I think the story ended in a solid place, so it all makes sense.

OVERALL:

Arclight was definitely a solid YA debut. It was exciting and mysterious and kept me guessing. It wasn’t the best book EVER, but it definitely kept me entertained and interested. Arclight is a fun, low-key read that I would recommend reading when you have a chance.

Top 10 Favorite Characters In YA Science Fiction

Feb 19 |09:09

I’ve really gotten into YA science fiction lately and have enjoyed the crazy robot/genetically altered characters a ton. Those crazies.

Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Join the meme and link up on their site!

Top 10 Favorite Characters in YA Science Fiction

for darkness shows the stars diana peterfruend young adult science fiction

1Lena (Delirium)- Although she makes some crazy decisions, I love Lena’s boldness. She’s a fighter.

2Cinder (Cinder)- I love everything about this lovable cyborg – especially her love of her sister. And her metal foot.

3Shay (Uglies)- He’s really the most redeeming character in the whole series. He just fell in love with the wrong crazy lady.

4Elliot (For Darkness Shows the Stars)- Elliot stands up for what she thinks is right, despite defying her family to do it. Plus she’s against the subversion of another culture/race.

5Zoe (Glitch)- Zoe was the best in Glitch, I think. Discovering tastes and feelings and learning what falling in love for the first time is like.

6Arthur Dent (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)- Arthur is hilarious!! If you want a great laugh, read these books. They can be a bit silly, but they’re totally worth it.

7Perry (Under the Never Sky)- He’s a Savage and don’t you forget it. I just love him and his tribe and his powers.

8Felicia (Level 2)- It’s weird because Felicia is determined and vulnerable all at the same time. Although her story is fragmented and crazy, it really worked.

9Ky (Matched)— I got really annoyed with the second book and haven’t actually finished the series. Ky’s the only one I liked so far, though. Ugh.

10Scarlet (Scarlet)— This is probably cheating, but Scarlet was another kick-ass heroine in the Cinder series. Meyer knows what she’s doing?

What is YOUR favorite YA book character?

YA Book Review: Altered by Jennifer Rush

Feb 18 |14:54

Altered definitely made my “best so far” list of 2013. It wasn’t what I was expecting from a book with a shirtless boy on the front (I mean, yes, there were shirtless boys in the book- don’t you worry). You’ll see…

Book Review: Altered by Jennifer Rush

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Title & Author: Altered by Jennifer Rush

Genre: YA – Science Fiction, Futuristic

Release Date: January 1, 2013

Series: Altered #2

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

How I Got the Book: Bought

Description:

“When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?

Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them.

Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.

Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.”

Altered My Opinion

As I’ve learned from Project Runway (Season 11 is currently on) many times, the play of hard and soft is a beautiful thing. Altered portrays this very well – Anna and her feelings toward the boys in her basement (more on that in a sec) are so soft. She cares for them like brothers…well, all except Sam, who she doesn’t see in a “brotherly” light at all.

And yet, the boys themselves are far from soft. They’re super strong and talented. Sam is the unspoken leader, while Trev has a photographic memory and Cas has extreme dexterity.

So, why are these boys in Anna’s basement? Oh, no big deal, they’re being experimented on. Only Anna doesn’t know why – just that her dad is testing different infusions on four teenagers for a secret government group called the Branch.

Altered was a very balanced book. It kept me guessing while throwing punch after punch of action and adventure. Without revealing too much, Anna and the boys are launched into a race for their lives. And every step they take reveals new, startling information about their past (which is murky in the boys’ minds) and their uncertain future.

Even Genetically Altered Boys Are All the Same

I’m sure if I ever read a straight-forward romance, I’d fall off my couch in shock and potentially boredom. Rush likes to keep the readers guessing.

Have no fear: there are not love triangles in Altered. BUT, the relationships certainly have a distinct “back-and-forth” quality to them. Which is both nerve-wracking and frustrating.

The thing I liked best about Altered was the motivation I felt to keep reading. I was hooked from the beginning and had so much trouble literally putting this book down.

OVERALL:

If you’re looking for a strong young adult science fiction book, then definitely pick up this book. It’s a strong debut that will keep you up late and keep your heart racing. Altered definitely one of my favorite books so far this year.

Fantasy Book Review: Override by Heather Anastasiu

Feb 15 |08:58

Override was not exactly what I was expecting. I think does a few things really well, but it definitely suffered from the sophomore slump.

Book Review: Override by Heather Anastasiu

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Title & Author: Override by Heather Anastasiu

Genre: YA – Fantasy, Futuristic

Release Date: February 12, 2013

Series: Glitch #2

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

How I Got the Book: ARC via NetGalley

Description:

“Zoe is free. She has escaped the enslavement of the Community, disconnected from the hardware that had controlled her every thought and emotion, and evaded capture by the Chancellor intent on killing her. She is finally free, but she is far from safe.

Zoe and Adrien hide themselves from detection at the Foundation, an academy that trains teen glitchers to fight in the Resistance movement. Together, Zoe and her new team of superhuman fighters must risk their lives to rescue other glitchers and humans from the Chancellor’s control. Challenges abound at every turn, and Adrien, who has become silent, distant, and tormented by his visions of the future, only adds to the growing certainty of defeat. But worst of all, as Zoe’s team fights against impossible odds, distrust and betrayal leads to the terrible discovery that their greatest threat could already be lurking behind the safe walls of the Foundation.

Full of high-adrenaline action and shocking twists, Heather Anastasiu’s Override is an exciting continuation of this popular young adult trilogy.”

Override, Get in Gear

Override for me was a little bit of a disappointment. I still love Zoe and Adrien and will definitely be pumped to read the final book, but there was something off about the Glitch sequel.

First of all, it took me a surprisingly long amount of time to get into the story. I’m talking more than halfway through the book. I wasn’t going to give up, but I mentally pushed my way through.

I think this was for two main reasons. One, the trajectory of the book was taken in a very different direction. In Glitch, the story focuses around Zoe’s life in the Community, a society where everyone’s minds are connected (read: controlled) by the Link. They follow orders and do not feel or show emotions. It’s the whole story of Zoe’s “awakening” and discovery of emotions and her special supernatural abilities.

Naturally, in Override the story progresses and Zoe must now face the world outside and above the Community. One where she is learning to use her powers and join another community – one with students just like her.

The trouble is that Override involves a lot of military tactics and missions, which gives off a very different vibe than the first book. Plus, instead of just beginning her romance with Adrien, they’re facing the ups and downs of a relationship.

And, two, the action of the book happens in short spurts with very little going on in between. It sort of followed the line of plan to travel, plan to go on a mission, learn your abilities, GO GO GO, then recover and plan again.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I LOVED Glitch and had maybe too many expectations for Override.

I think it also didn’t help that Zoe faces SO MANY challenges. She’s pitted against other students who don’t trust her and fear her (with the exception of a few). Her and Adrien’s relationship is rocky to say the least (but still strong). And, Zoe can’t figure out her powers and ends up destroying/hurting people in the process.

I must say – when the action did pick up, I was really into the story and found myself flipping pages like crazy. It was just a tough wait to get there.

OVERALL:

Fans of Glitch, keep strong. Override was just OK, but I still have faith and hope in this series. If you can make it through the first half of the book, I think the end of Override will helpt to make up for the lack of action and military tactic-heavy beginning.

Book Review: MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

Jan 21 |16:48

I loved parts of MILA 2.0 and other parts just couldn’t hold my attention – which is surprising considering a ton of this story involves high-stakes action. I can’t decide whether it was just my mood or if MILA 2.0 just wasn’t quite for me.

Book Review: MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

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Title & Author: Prophecy by Debra Driza

Genre: YA – Science Fiction, Futuristic

Release Date: March 12, 2013

Series: MILA 2.0 #1

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

How I Got the Book: ARC via the Publisher

Description:

“Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past —that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity–style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.”

Works Like a Machine

I don’t even know who I am anymore. Here it is 2013, and I’m reading science fiction like it’s going out of style. Not to mention that MILA 2.0 is the second book I’ve read about young women who aren’t exactly what they appear to be. (Cinder & Scarlet, I’m looking at you.)

MILA 2.0 definitely hooked me right from the start. Mila just moved to a small, rural town with her mom. She’s reeling from the death of her dad, which is the reason they moved in the first place. After making a few friends and meeting a new boy at school, the pace of small-town life starts to get a little faster than Mila expected.

The thing about MILA 2.0 is that there’s a ton of physical and emotional action. The way Mila finds out who she really is is devastating and told very realistically. I really believed Mila’s pain and betrayal.

The physical action part involves running from suspicious attackers, engaging in military-grade training and trying to stay alive. (No big).

The problem, though, was my lack of ability to stay interested in MILA 2.0. I think there were a few factors involved. 1. Reading the book in short spurts, which left me without a “reading rhythm” so to speak.

2. There was maybe too much action that it sort of had me glazing over. There was definitely dialogue, but action is very predominant in MILA 2.0.

I think this book would do very well as a TV show, which is convenient because that’s exactly what’s happening! ABC is adapting the book into a TV series.

OVERALL

MILA 2.0 just wasn’t for me. I’m not sure I was in right frame of mind or in the mood for tons of action and suspense. Isn’t it weird how reading a book at a certain time or period of life can affect your perception of it so much?! I definitely recommend that you give MILA 2.0 a try – especially if you want something that’s like Jason Bourne meets Alias.

Posts Tagged ‘science fiction’

Book Review: Arclight by Josin L. McQuein