Blood Red Road by Moira Young: Review

Blood Red Road
By: Moira Young

Format: E-Book
Published: June 7, 2011; Margaret K. McElderry
Source: Received E-Galley from publisher
Challenges: Debut Author Challenge; E-Book Challenge; Dystopia Challenge

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Summary (from Goodreads): Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

My Review: I couldn't believe that this was a book by a debut author. I kept looking around, sure that she had other books out somewhere. The writing quality is amazing, and is reminiscent of a more experienced author.

The summary mentions a poetically minimal writing style. There are no quotation marks, and the words are spelled phonetically. This gives an element to the story that will turn some people off, and others will love it. I loved it. Which is saying something, because prose or different formatting will sometimes turn me off to a story. I didn't find the writing style distracting, but found it a very unique way to show a part of Saba's character. She is uneducated, but is very smart.

Saba's struggle is made evident early in the book as she searches for her brother after he is taken by cloaked horsemen. She doesn't know where to begin looking for him, and she's never ventured outside her home, but she shows remarkable courage in her determination to find him. No matter the cost.

That doesn't mean that Saba is without her faults. She despises her younger sister Emmi, and does not want her tagging along. However, throughout the book, their relationship develops, and Saba learns to forgive Emmi for many of the things that she (wrongfully) holds her responsible for.

With all of these inner conflicts, there are many external forces trying to rip Saba apart as well. I was absolutely glued to this book, and had to know how things worked out for Saba. Her journey is terrifying and romantic all at once. And, in reference to romance, be advised that our love interest is not introduced until much later in the story.

This is a title that I think many who love dystopian fiction will love. If the actual formatting on the page and spelling doesn't work for you, I'd suggest giving the audio book a try. I listened to the first couple chapters on Simon and Schuster's website, and the narrator is very good.

If you've read the book, let me know what you thought of it. Does prose bother you when reading a book?

My Rating:

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain: Review

The Lost Saint
By: Bree Despain

Format: Hardcover, 404 Pages
Published: December 28, 2010; EgmontUSA
Source: Purchased E-Book
Challenge: 2011 E-Book Challenge

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Summary (from Goodreads): A family destroyed. A love threatened. An enemy returns.

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process.

Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot, a newcomer to town. But as the two grow closer, Grace's relationship with Daniel is put in danger - in more ways than one.

Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her - not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

Bree Despain delivers sizzling romance and thrilling action in the heart-pounding sequel to the The Dark Divine.

My Review: Bree Despain was on panel during Life, The Universe, and Everything all about writing sequels. And it's apparent that she knows what she's doing with The Lost Saint.

There were a lot of things that were done very well with this book. The absolute meltdown of Grace's mother, and the desire of her father to try and reconcile his family are heartbreaking and very real. The life that looked so perfect from the outside in The Dark Divine crumble and show how thin the facade was.

Daniel and Grace's relationship develops, and along with the excitement of a new relationship, there are boundaries that are defined, and a lot of betrayal of trust. So much so, that there were times where I found it just a little bit frustrating that they were in a relationship and yet unwilling to share important details about their nature and whereabouts with one another. Given the situation that Daniel and Grace are in during the second book, it seemed out of place that they would just not tell each other what they are up to.

While many of the events of the book were pretty predictable, the one that absolutely threw me was the interaction between Grace and Jude. Without getting into the details, it absolutely threw me. And I loved the surprise.

I wasn't in love with the cliffhanger ending, but all in all, I thought that it was a solid second installment to the trilogy, and I'm excited to read the third.

My Rating:

Wither by Lauren DeStefano: Review

Wither
By: Lauren DeStefano

Format: Hardcover, 358 pages
Published: March 2011, Simon and Schuster
Source: ARC from publisher, ebook from publisher
Challenges: Debut Author Challenge; E-book Challenge; Dystopia Challenge

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Summary (from Goodreads): Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

My Review:  This book touches on so many subjects that are fiction taboo: slavery, polygamy, and teenage pregnancy. I was nervous when I started the book, because it would have been very easy for the story to be very, well, not suitable for teens. I was pleased that even with the mature themes, this is a book that I'd be comfortable giving to my sisters.

When you read this book, you'll be left thinking, 'what would I do in this situation?' Rhine is obsessed with freedom. Amy from My Friend Amy compared Rhine to Mary from The Forest of Hands and Teeth, and I absolutely agree.  She will do anything to get free and return to her brother. She knows that she doesn't have much time left, and even though she has access to anything she wants, she is deprived of what she needs. They say that money can't buy everything, and that is certainly the case for Rhine. Her basic needs are taken care of. She has food, entertainment, everything. But instead of just living up short amount of time that she has left, she chooses to focus her energy on getting free.

My biggest complaint about the story is that there were some serious problems behind the science that brings about this disease. I had a hard time coming to grips with the idea that genetic engineering is to blame for everyone dying. However, the story was compelling enough that I was able to overlook some of the science.

I am very excited to read the rest of the series. If you like dystopian fiction, pick this one up.

My Rating:
 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins: Review

Anna and the French Kiss
By: Anna Perkins

Format: E-Book, 372 pages
Published: December 2, 2010; Dutton
Source: Purchased for Nook
Challenges: 2011 E-Reader Challenge

Author Website | Author Twitter | Author Blog

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Summary (from Goodreads): Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

My Review:
Who would have thought that a book so simple could be so captivating?

I have a story to tell you all that should explain why I liked this book so much. One time, I was a confused, 19 year-old girl. I thought I knew a lot about life and love, when really, I knew nothing.  I was attending college at a university 30 miles away from my home, and I thought I was a big shot.  I met a guy, we hung out a lot, and a romance ensued. Because I was naive and lacked compassion, I didn't end the relationship when I knew I should have. I didn't love him, but our relationship continued because I thought that was what I was SUPPOSED to do.

My parents became concerned by the seriousness of our relationship and did all the could to knock it off course. This only furthered my resolve to make the stupid thing work.  Then, one day, my dad called me into his office (he was a professor at the university I was attending). He told me that they (my parents) had a proposal for me. They wanted to send me to college for a semester in Hawaii. My tuition and housing would be paid for. I just had to go. And I could no longer speak to my boyfriend.

I took the offer.

Hawaii changed a lot of who I was. For the first time in my life, I was in the minority. I didn't understand the culture. I couldn't go home when I wanted to. I didn't know anyone. It rained all the time. I was surrounded by the empty vast ocean instead of the high, comforting mountains. Slowly I gained friends, and had experiences that I will never forget.  I came home a different person. A better person.

That's what Anna and the French Kiss is about. Yes, there is a romance (which I didn't have in Hawaii, thankfully). There is a cute boy. But there are friends that accept and help Anna through an important and scary time in her life.  And I could absolutely relate. Although I didn't know it at the time, Hawaii was one of the best things that ever happened to me.

I know I haven't talked about much of the characters or specifics about the book. But, I think that everyone who reads this book can probably relate it to some other time in their life when they felt just like Anna. Alone. Longing for the familiar and having the courage to break out and try something new.

My Rating:
 

Violence: None
Sexuality: Mild
Profanity: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann: Review

Cryer's Cross
By: Lisa McMann

Format: Hardcover, 240 pages
Published: February 8, 2011; Simon Pulse
Source: E-Galley from Simon and Schuster
Challenges: 2011 E-Book Challenge

author website | author twitter | author blog | author facebook

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Summary (from Goodreads): The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

My Review:
Cryer's Cross was a chilling novel that I couldn't tear myself away from while I was in the moment reading it, but not one that left such a lasting impression that I recommend it to everyone I meet. Readers that like the horror genre will definitely eat this one up, and I am happy to report that I really did like this book much better than the WAKE series.

I'm not really into horror. It tends to give me nightmares. Yes, actual nightmares complete with monsters. I guess my psyche never got the memo that those were supposed to go away after like the age of 8. But, the creepiness factor was just enough that it kept me turning pages to see what happened, but not quite enough that I had to sleep with the light on.  Also, the psychological aspect of the story made it a little easier for me to handle than the actual undead popping out of the ground, know what I mean?

With that being said; however, I have to agree with Steph Su's review that the OCD component of Kendall's character was underdeveloped. I don't have OCD, and frankly, I don't know anyone that has OCD, but it seemed that the only thing that Kendall was obsessed about was the pattern of the desks in the room. And, other than her need to get to school early to fix the desks every morning, it really didn't impact her life all that much. Again, I'm not psychologist, but I think I would have liked to see that aspect of the book fleshed out just a little more.

Best thing about this book and Lisa McMann's writing is that she totally nailed the small town culture. I grew up in a small town. I live in a small town now. Granted, it's not as small as Cryer's Cross, but pretty close. I can totally understand both Kendall and Jacian's frustrations throughout the book. It's hard to come into a culture that is so reluctant to change, and perhaps even harder to do in a small change is change your identity. That is so very nicely played out in this book.

I'm going to recommend this book to people who liked the WAKE trilogy. It's got the same suspense and nice romantic story line as that series with less of the weird sex dreams. Also, if you like psychological thrillers and horror, you might give this one a try.


My Rating:

2011 Challenges

I am excited to announce that this year I will be participating in some reading challenges this year.  All the rules associated with these challenges can be found in the links to the challenge sign up page on the hosting site/blog.

2011 Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren


Last year I read quite a few novels by debut authors. I intend to continue reading more novels by first-time authors, and can't wait to see what 2011 brings us.

2011 Ebook Challenge hosted by The Ladybug Reads

With my new Nook, I imagine this year will be the year of the e-book for me. Without the page turning slowing me down, I can read lightning fast!

Dystopia Challenge hosted by Bookish Aurdor

I am going for the level of Contiagon this year, which is 15 books. What is it about the end of the world that gets me so excited?

YA Historical Fiction Challenge hosted by YA Bliss

Last year I discovered my love of historical fiction and I know of some great novels coming out next year that will definitely fit the bill. I am going for level 1 which is 5 books.

Once Upon a Time Challenge hosted by Crazy Book Slut

The last challenge I will participate in this year is the Once Upon a Time Challenge. I love a good twisted fairy tale.  I am setting my sights high and will be trying for the the Queen Bee level of 10 books!