Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Polaris Uprising by Jennifer Ibarra

The Polaris Uprising by Jennifer Ibarra

Series: Polaris, #1
Release Date: October 30^th 2013
Publisher:  Tiwala Books
Format: ebook
Pages: 328
Genre: Young Adult – Sci-fi, Dystopia
Source: Blog Tour – Xpresso Reads
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
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In less than seven years, eighteen-year-old Ryla Jensen will succeed her father as the president of Neress, a nation where all citizens are cared for from the moment they’re born. Fed, sheltered, even educated—every need of theirs is met.

The only price they pay is their free will.

Groomed since childhood to take on a role she’s not even sure she wants, Ryla’s only escape from the pressures of duty is her sister, Alanna. But when her eyes are opened to the oppressive regime her father built, she begins to question everything she’s set to inherit—and finds herself at odds with her sister’s blind allegiance to their father.

Torn between loyalty to her family and the fight for freedom, Ryla must decide just how far she’s willing to go to make a stand and risk losing the person she loves most in the world: Alanna.

Ryla and Alanna Jensen are the daughters of the President of Neress. Those who love in Neress are taken care of from birth. “No citizen shall be left behind.” However, everything is not as great as it seems. Ryla is set to take over for her father in the next few years. She is not even sure she wants this job. Alanna is a doctor and has opened her own practice. In Neress every citizen’s occupation is chosen for them based on aptitude tests and other factors. Even the president’s daughters aren’t exempt from this. So after Alanna is passed over for taking over the presidency, she is chosen as Doctor.

The prolog of the story talks about a scary scene at a factory that has just had a horrendous accident. Lots of people are either dead or injured. Groups have gathered around to find out about their relatives. One person in particular is looking for his son. When he finds him he finds out he can’t feel his legs. He is trying to reassure him that the government will help them and everything will be fine. The deal is that they do what they are supposed to and the government takes care of them. Ryla’s father tells her that everything will be taken care of and they don’t want the press to talk about the factory.  During a very important event to honor Alanna’s arranged engagement, Ryla is confronted by a crazed man who is claiming that the president has failed them. The man is quickly taken care of and Ryla is told to not worry about what she has heard.

Ryla asks her father to tell her when important things happen so that she can know how to react to them when it is her turn. Soon she is pulled into the world of her father and she finds out there are riots ensuing. This goes against everything she thought about her world.

This book was just ok to me. I can see that according to other reviews I am definitely different but I really just thought it was ok. This is a science fiction, dystopian novel and I have been reading some dystopian novels lately so this book had a lot to live up too. If I had read this at some other time then I might have a totally different take on it. It wasn’t because it was bad, I just couldn’t get into it and I will be picking it again at some point when I am in the mood for it. There could be a good chance that my rating could change.  

The beginning, the first 50 pages or so, was a little slow for me but after that it picked up a little more. The conversations were nicely paced and I had no problems with the writing style. The fact that this dystopian takes place on a different planet and not in US makes it easier to examine why the world the way it is. There is no “how did the US ge this way” which is what I struggle with sometimes. I enjoyed reading the scenes between the sisters. Their relationship was really well written.

If you enjoy science fiction and dystopian then this would be a good book for you to try out.

My Rating:

 *This book was provided for free in exchange for an honest review. 

If you would like to check out other stops on the blog tour click HERE!

{About the Author}

Jennifer Ibarra grew up on a steady diet of books, Star Wars, and other fantastic feats of the imagination. Her debut novel, The Polaris Uprising, is the first book in a trilogy and mixes dystopia with family drama, romance, and political intrigue.

She lives in Silicon Valley, where she does marketing for a tech company and spends her time running, cooking, baking, and keeping up with celebrity gossip.

{Giveaway Details} 

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Review: Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons (28 Days of Reviews #14)

Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons

Series: Article 5, #2
Release Date: February 12th 2013
Publisher: Tor Teen
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 400
Genre: Young Adult – Sci-fi, Dystopia
Source: My Collection
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
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The second installment in Kristen Simmons's fast-paced, gripping YA dystopian series.

After faking their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed.

Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….

Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.

Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low” is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways.

With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?

When we left the first book Chase and Ember had just faked their own deaths to escape from the Detention Center. They have joined the resistance while still trying to locate Sean’s girlfriend Rebecca. The guys at the Inn are tailing a possible new recruit that sounds a little shady and Chase and Ember are trying to mend their relationship.

There really isn’t much of a recap at the start of this book like there is in most sequels. I could see that would cause a problems for people who forget a lot of what they read or read them pretty far apart. Luckily I read these back to back and I actually enjoy it when there isn’t the first 5 pages talking about what happened in the last book. I like a gradual recap or one that happens throughout the first couple chapters. They do talk about what has happened before throughout the book though. A big part of this story is finding out who the Sniper is. I pretty much figured it out right away but it wasn’t really revealed until closer to the end. I can’t believe it took that long for Ember to figure it out.

There is a lot of character development in this book. There is also a lot more world building in this book and some more back story. This made me happy because I like to understand why the world has become the way it is. Ember and Chase are still going back and forth with each other. Chase will withdraw a lot of the time and I really wish he would quit doing that but I still enjoy reading their scenes together. Tucker is also back in this story and I am very torn about how I feel about him.

I can’t wait to read the third book. So far this is one of my favorite dystopian trilogies.

My Rating:

Blog Tour Review: Undying by Valerie Grosjean (28 Days of Review #13)

Undying by Valerie Grosjean

Series: Undying, #1
Release Date: October 9^th 2013
Publisher: Creatspace
Format: Paperback
Pages: 198
Genre: Young Adult – horror, romance
Source: Author
Author: Website | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
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This is a story of love . . . and zombies.

When eighteen-year-old college freshman Christian discovers his dormitory is crawling with the living dead, he knows he has a problem. But once he learns the whole country is overrun by the flesh-eating horde, he must race to protect what matters to him most.

Sixteen-year-old Iris, the girl he loves, is stranded eighty miles away, alone and completely unaware of the gruesome threat surrounding her.

Christian’s plan is to evade the zombies, drive the distance to rescue Iris, and get them both to his family farm—where there are guns, fuel, and everything else they’ll need to survive. His mission seems simple: Get the girl, get to the farm, and stay alive.

Things get complicated when Christian is forced to make an unthinkable choice between Iris and his family. Someone he loves must die, and he must decide.

This book is straight out of a zombie horror movie. It even states that a few times actually. Really though, the main character, Christian, goes to bed after talking to Iris, the girl he is going to profess his love to and when he wakes up all hell has broken lose. His dorm room is going crazy with zombies, as well as the rest of the world, and it seems him and his roommate are the only ones on campus that are not infected. It doesn’t last very long that way though.

When he finally realizes what is going on after checking his phone, his one goal is to get to the girl he loves. Not to his dad, or brother and nephew, but to the girl that might not even like him back that way. I didn’t much care for that part of the book but everything else was pretty good. I love a good zombie book so it really doesn’t have to do too much to impress me there. There is quite a bit of gore, as there should be with any good zombie book, so if you aren’t into that then I would skip this book.  

You quickly figure out what has caused the virus to spread which is nice because I hate not knowing that. It is a very short, quick read and would be great around Halloween time. I really wish it hadn’t of ended so quickly but I can see why it did. There really isn’t too much the author could have dragged on and it would have been noticeable if she had done that. I would have liked to see more in depth of what happens to Iris and I wasn’t a fan of how that went down. I am definitely interested in reading the second book to see what happens next. I feel like this series or trilogy may get better as it continues.

My Rating:

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{About the Author}

Valerie Grosjean is the author of the young adult novel UNDYING. She grew up on a Nebraska farm. After college, she married and moved to Northern California, where she lives with her husband and their two young children. Her obsession with zombie movies inspired UNDYING, her first novel and the beginning of the Undying series.

*This book was provided by the author, for a blog tour, in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons (28 Days of Review #12)

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Series: Article5, #1
Release Date: January 31^st 2012
Publisher:  TornTeen
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 362
Genre: Young Adult – Dystopia, Sci-fi
Source: My Collection
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.

After a war rages through America everything is changed with a new President promises safety with conformity and traditional family values. There is no more Bill of Rights, no more police, just soldiers, and a new branch of the government called the Federal Bureau of Reformation. They are also known as the FBR or Moral Militia and once you are drafted or chose to join them it is all or nothing. You only serve them and must give up everything else in your life. In place of the Bill of rights is the Moral Statues of America. This is what runs the country.

Ember Miller is a 17 year old senior and she lives with her mother in Louisville, KY. Her mom volunteers at a soup kitchen so they don’t make any money besides what they get from the government. Ember has had to go without food and has to sell stuff just to make it for the rest of the month. She doesn’t know who her father is and according to Article 5 this is illegal.

One day a group of soldiers show up to arrest her mom and take her away. One of these soldiers is Chase, a boy who used to be her next door neighbor and her crush. He is not the same person that he used to be. Ember’s mom is taken away to an unknown location while Ember is taking to the equivalent of a girl’s school. This place tries to break all the girls that come in there. You try to escape and you will be shot. If you are taken away then you won’t come back the same. Ember’s main goal is to escape and find her mom.

I really loved the writing in this book. There are also flashbacks that are italicized throughout the book, some are dreams or some are just flashbacks that she is having. Most have to do with Chase. I enjoyed the sort of breakup in the story that this caused but it still tied in without being completely random. I really loved Chase’s character too. There was just enough resistance in him that I was rooting for them throughout the story. The backup story/world building was pretty good too. I always have problems with these dramatic dystopians because I like ones that are believable. I couldn’t see this actually happening but it still made for a good story.

I definitely recommend picking this up and I will be going on to the next book in the trilogy!

My Rating:

Review: Uninvited by Sophie Jordan (28 Days of Reviews #11)

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Series: Uninvited, #1
Release Date: January 28^th 2014
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Format: ebook
Pages: 384
Genre: Young Adult – Dystopia, Sci-fi, thriller
Source: Edelweiss
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
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The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan's chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she's destined to become a murderer.

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.

Uninvited is about a child prodigy named Davina, also known as Dav or Davy. She taught herself to play the piano at the age of three, she also plays numerous other instruments and she can sing. She has a best friend named Tori and a boyfriend all the girls want. She goes to a exclusive private school, at least until she tests positive with the HTS gene.

The Homicidal Tendency Syndrome gene is also known as the kill gene. Once you are found to have the kill gene everyone looks at you different and you lose pretty much all your rights. Davy loses her friends and her mom and dad treat her different. The only one there for her is her brother. Even her boyfriend thinks she should fall into bed with him because she has no one else. She is forced to go to a public school because she in uninvited from the school she’s been at her whole life.

Sean is the main bad boy in her new school. He never shows any emotion but is quickly drawn to Davy. Not enough though that I would call it insta-love but it is pretty close. I would love to know what he did to get imprinted. Sean, Davy, and another boy named Gil are all taken to a secret government facility where they are being trained. For what, we don’t know.

Uninvited was so good. There were still a couple things that bothered me. I wish that Davy could have fought through it and saved herself at least once. However, every time something happened Sean would come to the rescue. I also would have liked to see some more about her ex- boyfriend. He seemed to be having doubts but nothing else happened there. I would have also liked to see a little more world building or what they were actually planning on doing with the group of kids they selected.

I loved the writing style in the book and it makes me want to pick up more of Sophie Jordan’s novels. This book also has random data thrown in between chapters such as text message conversations, government letters, and press conferences. I read this as an ebook and I would love to see how it looks in the physical book. I will be picking it up just to have it on my shelf. I highly recommend picking this book up. It will definitely be going on my 2014 favorites list and I can’t wait until the second book comes out.

My Rating:

*This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Mini Review: Isle of 100,000 Graves by Jason & Fabien Vehlman (28 Days of Reviews #10)

Isle of 100,000 Graves by Jason & Fabien Vehlman

Release Date: June 15th 2011
Publisher:  Fantagraphics
Format: Paperback
Pages: 56
Genre: Fantasy graphic novel
Source: My collection
Author: Website | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
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Five years ago, little Gwenny’s father found, inside a bottle, a map with instructions on how to reach the mysterious Isle of 100,000 Graves and its legendary treasures — and then he vanished. Now Gwenny, having stumbled across another bottle-shipped map, enlists the dubious help of a shipful of pirates, sets out to find the island, and her long-lost dad.

Little does she realize that the Isle comes by its ominous name honestly, as the location of a secret school for executioners and torturers, where apple-cheeked youngsters are taught the finer points of extracting information from prisoners… and then putting an end to their lives in a wide variety of gruesome ways. And they’ve reached the point in their studies where theory should ideally give way to practice, so an influx of uninvited visitors comes as a blessing to the faculty.

And yes, this story is a comedy. Albeit a dark one.

For the first time in his career, Jason has enlisted a writer: Fabien Vehlmann. (Vehlmann has written a number of graphic novels for the French and American markets, including an installment of the legendary Spirou series and the three-volume Green Manor continuity, of which two volumes have been released in English.) Vehlmann has managed to interiorize Jason’s deadpan style and wit perfectly, creating a uniquely smooth and successful collaboration.

As the synopsis say, this story is a comedy but it is definitely a dark one. Gwenny finds a bottle with a treasure map in it and decides she is going to look for her father who went in search of the same treasure and never returned. She finds her way onto a pirate ship and has persuaded a man to make sure she stays alive until she gets home. If she doesn’t then everyone will know his secret. We don’t know what this is and neither does Gwenny, but they pirate is very concerned.

After they make it to the island, they discover a school for executioners and torturers. Most of the pirates make their way into the school and are tortured until they plead guilty for whatever they say they should. Gwenny and the other pirate find a friend within the school and they have to make their way to find the paperwork to see what has become of her father. She discovers something she never thought she would.

The illustrations are very basic. They faces don’t have any real expressions besides basic mouth movements and a little bit of eyebrow work. They have no pupils so it is actually a little creepy to look at. I enjoyed this graphic novel and I would recommend for a really quick read.

My Rating:

Review: Fates by Lanie Bross (28 Days of Reviews #9)

Fates by Lanie Bross

Series: Fates, #1
Release Date: February 11th 2014
Publisher:  Delacorte Press
Format: ebook
Pages: 336
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy
Source: NetGalley
Author: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Perfect for fans of Jennifer Armentrout, Julie Kagawa, Rachel Vincent, and Sarah J. Maas, and for girls who love all things pretty, romantic and inspirational.

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people's fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she is falling all over again--this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die. In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in?

Corinthe is an exciled fate from the world of Pyralis Terra. She has been sent to Humana also known as Earth to become an Executor. Executors are supposed to make sure people’s fates unfold as they are supposed to. She is involved in many deaths but also happy things like births, chance meetings, and people reuniting. She has been in Humana for 10 years for a mistake she made in her home world. She is the only Fate to be banished.

She has a guardian named Miranda who came to her rescue when Corinthe was first banished to Earth. Miranda tells Corinthe that in order to return home all she has to do is kill Lucas Kaller. Corinthe has never had to actually kill anyone, so she starts to have doubts. Miranda also is not as nice of person as Corinthe thinks she is.

Lucas Kaller is the other point of view that we get. He lives in a more rundown neighborhood with his sister and drunk father. His sister is a 16 year old who is into drinking and drugs and she reminds Luc very much of his mother. Luc takes most of the responsibility of taking care of the apartment and his sister because since his mother left, his father hasn’t really cared. Luc has a chance meeting with Corinthe after a car accident and starting from there, their fates are intertwined.

This book wasn’t too bad over all, the writing wasn’t the best thing I have ever read. The would randomly talk about different groups of people, such as “the Tribunal” and “the Messanger”, but they weren’t ever really explained who they were. You could eventually figure it out but a straight up explanation would have been nice. I was also very confused when it came to Luc’s mother. Sometimes they were talk about her leaving and even had a back story explaining it, but a couple times it is mentioned that she died. I never really figured out what happened with that.

The ending is definitely a bit of a cliffhanger. I liked the wrap up of his father coming back into the picture and I would like to see what happens with Corinthe and her caregiver. So even though it wasn’t my favorite book I would still like to pick up the second book. This is unlike anything I have ever read so it still managed to keep my attention.

My Rating:

*This book was provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.