Review: Wanderers (Wasteland, #2) by Susan Kim & Laurence Klavan

Wanderers by Susan Kim & Laurence Klavan

Series: Wasteland, #2
Release Date: March 25^th 2014
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Format: egalley
Pages: 352
Genre: Young Adult – Science Fiction, Dystopia
Source: Edelweiss
Author:  Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

The Emmy Award-nominee and Edgar Award-winning duo bring readers back to the Wasteland in this thrilling sequel.

Karin Slaughter, bestselling author of Criminal, called Wasteland, "A Lord of the Flies for future generations. An irresistible page-turner."

The former citizens of Prin are running out of time. The Source has been destroyed, so food is scarcer than ever. Tensions are rising…and then an earthquake hits.

So Esther and Caleb hit the road, leading a ragtag caravan. Their destination? A mythical city where they hope to find food and shelter - not to mention a way to make it past age nineteen.

On the way, alliances and romances blossom and fracture. Esther must rally to take charge with the help of a blind guide, Aras. He seems unbelievably cruel, but not everything is as it seems in the Wasteland.…

In this sequel to Wasteland, the stakes are even higher for Esther, Caleb, and the rest of their clan. They're pinning all their hopes on the road...but what if it's the most dangerous place of all?

*This is a review of the second book and it may contain spoilers.*

Nope, just Nope. I will start right off the bat saying that I will not be picking up the next book in the trilogy. I tried to give the second book and a chance and it just didn’t do it for me either, although it was slightly better than the first book. I almost didn’t pick it up at all because someone put a spoiler in the capital letters on Goodreads and I saw it as I was skimming through to see what people had rated it. I was super bummed about that spoiler too.

The book starts with Esther hunting using the techniques that her variant friend Skar had taught her. She has not really seen Skar since she was partnered. Skar is acting very distant and Esther can tell that something is wrong. Joseph, Caleb, Kai, & Esther all live in a crumbling apartment together above a Starbucks. Everyone in the town is starving and they all blame it on Caleb since he took down Levi and caused “the source” to burn down. Leaving the town to provide for themselves.

Caleb and Esther try to talk the town into leaving but of course no one wants to go. Then quite conveniently, later that night a giant earthquake hits and destroys the town and kills half the people in it. This forces everyone to have to leave. Rafe, who had stepped down from being the town leader but still likes to be the leader, tells everyone that they need to go to a place called Mundreel (Montreal), which they have only heard rumors about. Everythign there is supposed to be great, but Caleb and Joseph try to tell them they haven’t heard anything true about it, or anything that can be verified.

After certain events happen that I won’t spoil, Skar ends up leaving town with the group also. People are wary of her but welcome her because she can hunt. I would also like to say that no one knew that edible plants grew in the wild. They thought it had to be dried out and packaged in order to eat it. I found this a little unbelievable. New friends are made in this book and some people die., including ones that I was not expecting at all. Caleb also mentions having a child with Esther. Why would someone want to bring a new child into a world that you can’t survive in?! Now, don't get me wrong, there are a couple scenes that are worth reading but a couple scenes out of an entire book just aren't worth it to me. 

The writing is not the best in this book which was a major problem for me in the first book. There are plot holes and things happen and then never get spoken of again. As with the first book this one changes different points of view, however, it changes in the middle of a chapter with no warning what so ever. Multiple times I had to try and figure out who was narrating. There is a certain death scene that could have been written really well and I felt like the entire thing was over in a couple of pages.

Like I said, I will not be going on to the next book and I really can’t recommend either book to anyone. IF you read the first one and didn’t like it, don’t waste your time.

My Rating:

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

Review: Three by Kristen Simmons

*This is the 3^rd book in a trilogy and may contain spoilers!*

Three by Kristen Simmons

Series: Article5, #3
Release Date: February 11^th 2014
Publisher: Tor Teen
Format: eArc
Pages: 384
Genre: Young Adult – Sci-fi, Dystopian
Source: NetGalley
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Ember Miller and Chase Jennings are ready to stop running. After weeks spent in hiding as two of the Bureau of Reformation’s most wanted criminals, they have finally arrived at the safe house, where they hope to live a safe and quiet existence.

And all that’s left is smoking ruins.

Devastated by the demolition of their last hope, Ember and Chase follow the only thing left to them—tracks leading away from the wreckage. The only sign that there may have been survivors.

With their high profile, they know they can’t stay out in the open for long. They take shelter in the wilderness and amidst the ruins of abandoned cities as they follow the tracks down the coast, eventually finding refugees from the destroyed safe house. Among them is someone from Chase’s past—someone he never thought he’d see again.

Banding together, they search for a place to hide, aiming for a settlement a few of them have heard about…a settlement that is rumored to house the nebulous organization known as Three. The very group that has provided Ember with a tiny ray of hope ever since she was first forced on the run.

Three is responsible for the huge network of underground safe houses and resistance groups across the country. And they may offer Ember her only chance at telling the world her story.

At fighting back.

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

The Article 5 Trilogy is probably one of my favorite dystopian trilogies. I really think this book was a great wrap-up to the trilogy and it did not disappoint. As I have said in the other two reviews, HERE and HERE, I loved the interactions between Chase and Ember. There are parts of all three books that I have gone back and reread. That only happens when I can’t stop thinking about it.

Three starts off shortly after Breaking Point left off. Chase, Ember, and the rest of their small group are trying to find a safe house on the coast. As they search for their new safe house they are numerous signs from the notorious Three. They are searching for Three because they think this person will be able to help. They are shocked by what they find out though.

Chase and Ember are faced with a new acquaintance they never thought they would see again, along with many other things throughout the book. This book is really packed with action, which I loved. There are also some rather intense scenes between Chase and Ember, which I also loved. The Barn scene! Don’t worry I won’t spoil anything. Rebecca and Sean have such a cute relationship too. The secondary characters are written so well and complex, not just black and white.

The writing, the characters, the plot, everything about this book/trilogy was just really good. This review is going to be rather short because it would be way too easy to spoil things. I highly recommend this trilogy if you haven’t read it yet and if you have started it then definitely continue it! I will be recommending this trilogy to my friends and anybody else looking for a good high action dystopian. I will definitely be picking up everything that Kristen Simmons writes.

My Rating:

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. 

Review: Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum

Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum

Series: Revolution 19, #1
Release Date: January 8th 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 265
Genre: Young Adult – Science Fiction, Dystopia
Source: My Collection
Author: Twitter | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Twenty years ago, the robots designed to fight our wars abandoned the battlefields. Then they turned their weapons on us.

Only a few escaped the robot revolution of 2071. Kevin, Nick, and Cass are lucky —they live with their parents in a secret human community in the woods. Then their village is detected and wiped out. Hopeful that other survivors have been captured by bots, the teens risk everything to save the only people they have left in the world—by infiltrating a city controlled by their greatest enemies.

Revolution 19 is a cinematic thriller unlike anything else. With a dynamic cast of characters, this surefire blockbuster has everything teen readers want—action, drama, mystery, and romance. Written by debut novelist Gregg Rosenblum, this gripping story shouldn’t be missed.

Revolution 19 is a robot post-apocalyptic story that follows that points of view of three different kids that were lucky enough to survive. Kevin and his brother Nick, and their adopted sister Cass. They live in a village in the middle of the woods with a bunch of other people. They have their own electrical grids and they have been surviving there for years. Until one day when Nick finds something on the ground that may have doomed everyone. The kids are lucky enough to escape a second time only to realize they must put themselves into the open and go into the city to save the ones they love.

There is a lot of action and drama. A very slight romance but it definitely isn’t the focus of the book and is only brought up a couple times. I actually have a feeling that it may be more pronounced in the second book. I loved the fact that this was based more on the problem at hand than establishing a romance. The fact that there is no love triangle is a bonus too.

I enjoyed the fact that robots were the controlling power and I could definitely see this as a thing that could really happen to us. People rely on machines way too much. When the kids make it to the city and realize that nothing is what they believed it to be, however it is still just as dangerous to them. Because they were constantly on the run there was always some suspense at what would happen next. Which kept me wanting to read. The robots were not as scary as I imagined they would be and it seems they are pretty easily destroyed. I’m hoping something new and exciting comes out in the next book.

There wasn’t a whole lot of world building in this book. We know the basic stuff like what was going on and what led to the robot take over but we really didn’t how they really came to be. It is just touched upon. I would like some more answers on that and I believe they will be answered in the next book. I also continually got confused between Kevin and Nick. There were no differences between them personality wise so I had to sometimes go back and make sure I was thinking of the correct person.

I didn’t see any problems with the writing style and I felt that it flowed smoothly. As I said with the robot situation, things seemed to happen easily when they needed to. Particularly in the last few scenes of the book. I have a feeling this will continue on in the rest of the series but hopefully I can look past that.

If you are looking for some super scary “Terminator” type story then this one is probably not for you. I still think it was a good quick read and I will definitely be reading the second book.

My Rating:

Wishlist Wednesday #74

I hope everyone has a fantastic day! 

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.



Spark by Author

Series: Swipe, #4
Release Date: November 5th 2013
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Format: Paperback
Pages: 249
Genre: Young Adult - Sci-fi, Dystopian
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository 

Add it: Goodreads

In a future United States under the power of a charismatic leader, everyone gets the Mark at age thirteen. The Mark lets citizen shop, go to school, and even get medical care--but without it, you're on your own. Few refuse to get the Mark. Those who do . . . disappear.

Parents are looking for fiction that makes Christianity exciting for kids. This series is an alternative to the Hunger Games series and other dark dystopian fiction. It's packed with action and intrigue, but the message is written from a Christian worldview.

Logan Langly went to get his Mark but backed out at the last minute. Ever since, he's been on the run from government agents and on a quest to find his sister Lily, who disappeared when she went to get her Mark five years ago. His journey leads him to befriend the Dust, a network of Markless who oppose the iron-grip rule of the government. On the way to the capital to find Lily, the Dust receive some startling information from the Markless community, warning that humanity is now entering the End of Days.

"Spark" introduces nine-year-old Ali, a beggar living in the Dark Lands city of al-Balat. Ali meets a stranger who gives her his tablet, a portal to a tech world that Ali never knew existed. But one day, the tablet begins to communicate "back" to her--and takes her on a journey that will cross her path with exiled Logan Langly, Chancellor Cylis, and the fierce battle for power that spans reality and the virtual world.

So as I was making this post I realized that this book has already been released! I read the first one from the library because I had gotten the 2nd for review from NetGalley. I also ended up getting the third and have been waiting to read this one! I didn’t see it on NetGalley this time around. I will have to go request this from the library now!!

Here are my reviews of the first three if you would like to check them out

Swipe (Swipe, #1)

Sneak (Swipe, #2)

Storm (Swipe, #3)

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts on it?