Review: Nil by Lynne Matson

Nil by Lynne Matson

Series: Nil, #1
Release Date: March 4th 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt
Format: e-galley
Pages: 384
Genre: Young Adult – Science Fiction,
Source: Netgalley
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days--to escape, or you die.

Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s lying naked in an empty rock field.

Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.

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

Charley was just minding her own business while walking through a parking lot when all of a sudden she she’s a bright flash of light and searing heat. Then everything goes black. Then Charley is awake in a different location, and she’s naked and terrified. Finally finding clothes and eventually finding people, she finds out she is on a island that they call Nil. When you are on Nil you have 365 days to get back home. Those who find the portals in time get to leave, those that don’t never come back. Not only human’s come through the portals either. Thad is view point number two. He has been on the island for 266 days. Naturally, the two hit it off and the rest of the book is the two of them trying to save each other.

I always like books more when they have two viewpoints. I really like it when one is a boy and one is a girl so this was a plus for me during the book. Thad and Charley are two of the very few constants in this book since so many people are coming and going throughout the story. This is very much a survival based story since it is just a bunch of teens that are thrown onto an unknown island. All the information they have is passed down from person to person. There are obviously no older people here and because of all that there is pretty much no world building. You just have to kind of accept it all.

Another thing I liked about the book was that at the beginning of each chapter it showed how many days each of them had been there. This added a sort of urgency to find out whether they were going to make it or not. The further along the book went the less days they had and the more you started to wander. However, since I write non-spoiler reviews I won’t go into too much description but the ending was sort of silly for me. I’m not sure how I would have done it differently since I’m not a writer but I felt it was a little unbelievable, even if you had to throw out your believability at the beginning of the book.  

This was a quick, easy, book; I read the majority of it in one day (although my Goodreads doesn’t say that). I have seen that some people thought it was a long boring read though so I recommend picking it up and at least giving it a try.  I have to give this book some props because it was the only book that I picked up and read during the month of June so that has to say something. I think I will pick up the next book from the library if I remember. Goodread's says it comes out in May of 2015 and it looks to be about two different people on the Island.

Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway: Peaceful Genocide by J.A. Reynolds

Peaceful Genocide by J. A. Reynolds

Release Date: November 25th 2013
Publisher: CreateSpace
Format: eARC
Pages: 282
Genre: Young Adult – Science Fiction, Thriller
Source: Author
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Mitzi and Deuce can recall how many drops of water were on a leaf from a rainstorm five years ago and conversations from last week, month, or year. They have the ability to remember every second of everyday—since birth.

This gift has blessed Mitzi with a history of being sexually assaulted by researchers and abused by her own parents. She trusts no one. Likes no one. Deuce, however, is a high school standout. His gift has made him a superstar on the football field and his memory promises him endless opportunities.

When they both end up at an Alzheimer’s research facility under false proviso, they quickly realize this place isn’t what it seems to be. They endure crazy military-style tests, are forcefully drugged, and complete real-life simulations that haunt them.

Mitzi and Deuce have no idea what the researchers want to do with them or their memories. But one thing is clear: the researchers will go to any lengths to get what they want.

* I received the eARC from the author via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.

Peaceful Genocide is about a group of kids that have been taken into some top secret government facility under the preface that they will be doing a study to help Alzheimer’s patients. There are two younger kids, Ralph and Paisley, and the two main characters, Mitzi and Deuce. All four kids have the ability to remember everything from the minute they are born. Each of them also has another ability that is explained in the book.

The book alternates points of view in the chapters. Mitzi is a rebel. She hates her parents for pretty much using her as a paycheck. She has been beaten and abused by past researchers and her parents. Her past has made her only trust herself and doesn’t want anything to do with anyone else. She is heading to this study thinking she is going to a juvenile detention center for trying to kill her father.

Deuce on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He is a pro football player at his high school and is at this study so that he can use the extra money to pay for what his scholarship doesn’t. He is all jock and pretty egotistical about anything physical fitness related. Naturally, he and Mitzi do not start off well.

Once inside the facility, and almost dying right away, Mitzi is furious. She meets the other three kids and they all seem excited about what is going on. Soon Mark, the head scientist, comes out and explains what is going on and what will be happening and that this is an 8 week study. All the kids have to have a device inserted into their brain so the researchers can remove information gathered from the tests. When Mitzi says she wants nothing to do with it and storm out the room something happens to her and she come back acting different. She can’t remember things that just happened. This turns out to be a trending thing.

When Mitzi starts loosing pieces of her memory, she knows something is bad is happening. She explains this to Deuce but he just thinks she is crazy. She takes it upon herself to figure out what is really going on in this place. Why they can’t leave, why all their answers go unanswered, and why all the crazy simulations.

The action scenes were perfectly timed to keep your interest going. They were fast paced and really well done. Mitzi’s character grows and changes for the good but she is still able to keep her rebel spunk. People becomes friends with people they never thought they would.

I can easily say that Peaceful Genocide had me hooked from the start. I really didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this but it was pretty much an action scene right away. I actually finished this book in one day. Most books can’t keep me interested long enough to do that. The ending of the book said there would be a sequel in 2015 so I hope that is true because I will definitely be picking it up to continue on with Mitzi and Deuce’s story.

My Rating:

{About J.A. Reynolds}

JA Reynolds lives in the Midwest with a normal family, raising a normal daughter, with some abnormal pets. It’s extraordinarily ordinary.

{Giveaway}

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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
Add it: Goodreads

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:

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
Add it: Goodreads

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. 

Wishlist Wednesday #77

Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper Blog where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wish-list for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wish-list and onto our wonderful shelves.

In the After by Demitria Lunetta

Series: In the After, #1
Release Date: June 25th 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 455
Genre: Young Adult – Science Fiction, Dystopia
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

They hear the most silent of footsteps.

They are faster than anything you've ever seen.

And They won't stop chasing you...until you are dead.

Amy is watching TV when it happens, when the world is attacked by Them. These vile creatures are rapidly devouring mankind. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to escape—and even rescue “Baby,” a toddler left behind in the chaos. Marooned in Amy’s house, the girls do everything they can to survive—and avoid Them at all costs.

After years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living in a former government research compound. While at first the colony seems like a dream with plenty of food, safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal. And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she’ll lose Baby—and much more.

Rebellious, courageous, and tender, this unforgettable duo will have you on the edge of your seat as you tear through the pulse-pounding narrow escapes and horrifying twists of fate in this thrilling debut from author Demitria Lunetta.

I actually haven’t heard anyone talk about this book. It seems to have a pretty good rating on Goodreads and my friends on Goodreads that have read it seem to love it. That is always good of course. There is a reason I follow those people. I had seen the sequel to this book on Edelweiss and that is what made me check this one out. I love a good post-apocalyptic book.

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?

Review: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

Series: MILA 2.0, #1
Release Date: March 12th 2013
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 470
Genre: Young Adult – Science Fiction
Source: My Collection
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

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.

This book made its way to my favorite books of 2013. I have said this many times, but I don’t read the synopsis of a book if I can avoid it. So I was pretty surprised by this book. It held my interest the entire time and I was so glad that I decided to read it.

Starting out with my own summary of the book. We are introduced to Mila, a sixteen year old who has no memory of the fire that took her father or much of the time before then. She remembers some parts of her childhood. Like the loving times with her mother and father. Her mother doesn’t like to answer questions about her life before the move. They rarely have the moments that Mila remembers. Mila’s mom was hired on as a full time horse caretaker for a family that had to leave the country. They live in the guest house on a 25 acre property. The only thing Mila’s likes about the situation are the horses.

She only has one friend in the new town, Kaylee, but she is doesn’t really act like her friend. The rest of her group thinks she is only hanging out with her because she is the new kid. In this town new is exciting because not much happens. When a boy comes into the picture you quickly see what kind of friend she is. Then something really bad happens that changes Mila’s life. She will never be the same person. Soon Mila and her mother must run from the life they were just starting to get used to.

The story telling is very fast paced. I was a little intimidated by this book because it was almost 500 pages and I tend to go toward shorter quicker books. I am so glad I decided to brave this book because I absolutely flew through it. I am not the fastest reader but this book could easily be read in a few hours, especially for someone that reads faster than me. There were no boring parts for me and I continually wanted to know what was going to happen next. The action scenes were really good.

I really liked Mila’s character. She was very strong and pretty kick ass when she needed to be. Kaylee, Mila’s “friend” is a bitch. She is a typical mean girl, especially when the new boy comes into the picture. Parker, one of Kaylee’s friends, is an even bigger bitch. She makes this known from the first chapter though.

Speaking of the new boy, Hunter, he was a pretty nice character but I wasn’t overly impressed with him. Mila seemed to fall for him pretty quickly. I wouldn’t call it insta-love but it was pretty close. Hunter seemed to become immediately attached to her as well.  She talked about him a lot and they only hung out a couple of times. She also started to do this with another character in the book, Lucas. I have to say that it was pretty annoying. I couldn’t see why she was becoming so easily attached to those characters. I have to say that I am rooting for Lucas if anything is going to become of that.

If you read the synopsis then you would know that I left out talking about a rather large part of the story. I did this because if someone like me, who doesn’t read the synopsis, wants to read this review then they can still be surprised by what happens. I really had no idea what the book was about going into it and I’m really happy about that.

I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book and I definitely recommend this if you are into fast paced books with lots of action and sci-fi.  Oh and just for a side note.. the cover for this book and the next one, are beautiful!

My Rating:

Bonus Review!

Origins: The Fire by Debra Driza

Series: MILA 2.0, #0.5
Release Date: January 8th 2013
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Format: ebook
Pages: 15
Genre: Young Adult – Science Fiction
Source: My Collection - Kindle
Buy it: Amazon 
Add it: Goodreads

Heart-stopping and electric, MILA 2.0: Origins: The Fire contains a short prequel story and an excerpt to MILA 2.0, the first book in a riveting Bourne Identity–style trilogy by Debra Driza.

Mila can't remember anything before the fire that took her father's life. It's normal to have some memory loss after traumatic events, but Mila doesn't remember if she's ever learned to ride a bike, or if she's ever been in love. Nothing.

What she doesn't know is that she isn't supposed to remember—that she was built in a computer science lab and programmed to forget. Because if she remembers, she might discover her true identity.

The question is: If she relived the fire, what would she see?

This is a very very short story about the fire that is constantly being referred to in the first book. I would recommend reading this after you read the first one but I tend to do that with all prequels. It was pretty good, even though the first thing you are taught as a child was not to go back into a burning building, that was pretty dumb on Mila’s part, but it was still enjoyable.

My Rating: