ARC Review: Dry by Neal Shusterman & Jarrod Shusterman

Title: Dry 
Author: Neal Shusterman & Jarrod Shusterman
Publication Date: October 2, 2018
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 352
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When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, one teen is forced to make life and death decisions for her family in this harrowing story of survival from New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman.

The drought—or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it—has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers.

Until the taps run dry.

Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbors and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don’t return and her life—and the life of her brother—is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive. 

I'll come right out and say it: this is my first Neal Shusterman book. I had actually never heard of it before ALA this June, but when I read the back I knew I had to have a copy! It has been quite awhile, but I used to host the Dystopian Challenge and, although the YA genre has mostly decided to drop the genre, it's still one of my favorites.

This story begins in the near future in California during a drought. When the water supply to the state is shut off without warning, residents panic and everything quickly turns to chaos. Alyssa and her brother are caught up in the middle of it without their parents to help them through the panic and it becomes a fight for survival.

Dry is an incredibly frightening book because it's so close to the truth. This is something that seems like it could really happen in the not-too-distant future. We already have regular droughts in parts of the country and it's a fact that most people are not prepared in case disaster strikes. Of course, there are always the preppers who some like to call crazy, but those are the ones who will make it, and you know this book has one of those. Alyssa's neighbor takes it upon himself to help Alyssa and her brother as they search for their parents and shelter from the storm.

Although this book isn't constant action, it was a very quick read. Since it's a survival story there's a lot of walking and driving and, well, surviving, but I was never bored. Not to sound like a broken record, but I think it was such a quick read because it was so real and terrifying. The characters are as well developed as they should be, but thankfully there are no ridiculous YA tropes or distracting romance storylines. This is pure survival. From nature and from the people around them who will do anything to get a drop of water.

Neal and Jarrod Shusterman have done a fantastic job with this book! It's a fast paced, eye-opening read that honestly made me stock up a bit more of my own water supply. I absolutely loved Dry! It's what dystopian fiction should be and I honestly wish we could get a bit more of it in 2018.

Audiobook Review: Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Title: Life as We Knew It (Last Survivors #1)
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Narrator: Emily Bauer
Publication Date: October 1, 2006
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Length: 9 hours, 2 minutes
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Review for book 2

Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.

Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world.

I've been putting this series off for years and I honestly couldn't give you a good reason why. I think a couple years ago I might have been worried it would be too much like all the other dystopian fiction I was reading. Lately I've been dying for a good dystopian book to read and since we have a severe lack of them being published at the moment, I went to the backlist and finally picked this up!

Life as We Knew It is told from Miranda's point of view. In fact, it's told in her journal entries, which I have mixed feelings about, but more on that later. She's a normal teenager who just wants to think about boys and enjoy her after school hobbies, but then the moon is hit by a meteor and things slowly start to change. Miranda was fine as a character, but she really wasn't anything special. She had her mom and two brothers, dad and stepmom, and they all coped in their own ways with the changing world. Miranda had her bratty moments as any teen would, but she also had a couple moments of amazing character and I did enjoy her relationships, especially with her mom.

Really, there could have been a cardboard box in place of the main character because the main focus of this book was the events happening around them. I am an absolute sucker for post-apocalyptic survival stories and this one was fantastic! Personally, I thought that the upcoming book Dry was probably a bit more true to life, but this was definitely a great look into how one family survived. I was a bit skeptical about the fact that neighbors left each other alone and only empty houses were looted, but this is YA so I'll let it slide.

Events in this book happen a bit slowly, sort of how I'd imagine things would happen if the moon really was knocked a bit closer to Earth and really did change things the way it happened in Life As We Knew It. Electricity, water, and other utilities slowly start to permanently disappear. Since things don't happen overnight, people have time to slowly realize what kind of situation they're stuck in. I enjoyed watching Miranda and her family come together and figure out how to survive the winter. The effects of the slow deterioration of personal space was also fascinating.

Life as We Knew It was a fun dive back into the world of dystopia, but it wasn't perfect. I did feel that Miranda's journal entries weren't quite convincing enough. When a book goes for this kind of style, I prefer it to go all in. Instead, her writing went back and forth between feeling like a teenager's diary and feeling like any other book (so definitely not how a teenager or anyone else would describe things in a journal). I also wish things had felt a little more urgent in the beginning. Everyone was pretty chill when the natural disasters started happening because they weren't in their part of the country, assuming "the scientists" would figure it out. I'd like to think people wouldn't panic, but I definitely think there would be more preparation than is shown in this book.

Overall, this was just what I needed to get away from the oversaturation of fantasy books currently being published. I'll definitely be continuing the series and looking for more dystopia and survival books I missed in the past! Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments!

DNF ARC Review: 100 Hours by Rachel Vincent

Title: 100 Hours
Author: Rachel Vincent
Publication Date: March 28, 2017
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 368
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A decadent spring break getaway on an exotic beach becomes a terrifying survival story when six Miami teens are kidnapped and ransomed.

Maddie is beyond done with her cousin Genesis’s entitled and shallow entourage. Genesis is so over Miami’s predictable social scene with its velvet ropes, petty power plays, and backstabbing boyfriends.

While Maddie craves family time for spring break, Genesis seeks novelty—like a last-minute getaway to an untouched beach in Colombia. And when Genesis wants something, it happens.

But paradise has its price. Dragged from their tents under the cover of dark, Genesis, Maddie, and their friends are kidnapped and held for ransom deep inside the jungle—with no diva left behind. It all feels so random to everyone except Genesis. She knows they were targeted for a reason. And that reason is her.

Now, as the hours count down, only one thing’s for certain: If the Miami hostages can’t set aside their personal problems, no one will make it out alive. 

Survival stories are one of my absolute favorite genres, accounting for the majority the books that I read that aren't fantasy or sci-fi. I hardly ever delve into the realm of contemporary fiction, but I couldn't pass up 100 Hours when I saw it this year at ALAMW. Despite the low rating on Goodreads, a survival story of teenagers kidnapped in a foreign country sounded right up my alley and I decided to give it a try!

Maddie and Genesis are the main characters of this story. Genesis is a rich kid from Miami whose father owns a large shipping company, making her an extremely wealthy teenager. Her cousin Maddie has been dragged into this impromptu trip along with her brother, and she really doesn't fit in with the rest of the friends Genesis has brought along.

While Maddie was slightly more tolerable than Genesis, neither was a sympathetic character. From the beginning of the book, all of the teens including Genesis and Maddie are extremely unlikeable. Genesis is a materialistic rich girl who knows karate, Maddie is poor and wants to save the planet, and their merry band of tagalongs are all obnoxious and one dimensional. Many of the main characters are annoyingly indestructible throughout the book. One literally jumps off a cliff into a rushing river and manages to miss all the rocks and not drown in the current. Much suspension of disbelief is required.

I started 100 Hours fully expecting to stay on the edge of my seat, and I did - for awhile. Once everyone stopped making out with every stranger they came across and the kidnapping finally happened, the plot of 100 Hours did keep my heart racing for a few chapters. Then it just kind of went nowhere. There were chapters of trudging through the forest, talking, eating, and listening. Once I found out what the reasoning was behind the kidnapping I began to lose interest. Eventually I realized I didn't really care what happened to any of the characters and that was when I decided to give up and move on to something else.

The one thing I can say for 100 Hours is that the setting was really well done. Yes, it's just a rainforest, but Rachel Vincent did a fantastic job of creating a mood of unease early on. I just wish the vibe could've held on for the rest of the book!

I really wanted to love 100 Hours! I wanted an incredible survival stories of teenagers making it out despite the odds, but the story quickly became tedious and unrealistic, not to mention the characters didn't make me care what happened to them. It's possible that I may have really enjoyed this one had I stuck it out, but I just didn't have it in me.

Book Review: Stranded by Bracken MacLeod

Title: Stranded
Author: Bracken MacLeod
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 304
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//I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review//

In the spirit of John Carpenter's The Thing and Jacob's Ladder comes a terrifying, icebound thriller where nothing is quite what it seems.

Badly battered by an apocalyptic storm, the crew of the Arctic Promise find themselves in increasingly dire circumstances as they sail blindly into unfamiliar waters and an ominously thickening fog. Without functioning navigation or communication equipment, they are lost and completely alone. One by one, the men fall prey to a mysterious illness. Deckhand Noah Cabot is the only person unaffected by the strange force plaguing the ship and her crew, which does little to ease their growing distrust of him.

Dismissing Noah's warnings of worsening conditions, the captain of the ship presses on until the sea freezes into ice and they can go no farther. When the men are ordered overboard in an attempt to break the ship free by hand, the fog clears, revealing a faint shape in the distance that may or may not be their destination. Noah leads the last of the able-bodied crew on a journey across the ice and into an uncertain future where they must fight for their lives against the elements, the ghosts of the past and, ultimately, themselves. 

Stranded first caught my eye because of its gorgeous, haunting cover. Then I read the synopsis and I was totally hooked! I don't read much adult fiction, but when I do it's usually horror or survival stories. This one was an incredible mix of both that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish!

This story is about Noah, a Merchant Mariner who is literally having the worst luck. He's a deckhand stuck with a captain who just happens to be the father-in-law who actually hates his guts. The past year has been incredibly rough for him, at home and at work, and now his ship also happens to be heading into some really weird weather. Noah was an extremely sympathetic character who I just wanted to succeed and come out okay. Fun fact about me: my husband is a Merchant Marine and this added to my feelings of sympathy towards Noah. I know how difficult the job is in the best of times and this poor, poor guy just could not catch a break.

Stranded is literally about a ship being stranded in the middle of nowhere - in the middle of a sea of ice, to be exact. The ice is way thicker than it realistically should be and it's difficult not to panic right along with Noah when the crew realizes none of their equipment is working, with no apparent cause. Even worse, the entire crew seems to be sick (other than Noah). With no way to call for help and with physical and mental capacities failing, Noah is unwittingly thrown into a position of leadership in an attempt to find help.

I felt like I was in The Twilight Zone (one of my favorite shows of all time) reading this book and it was amazing. There isn't much I can say about the plot without giving too much away, but Stranded is an absolute roller coaster. There were moments I was shocked into putting the book down and staring into space for a minute, trying to wrap my mind around it all. The not-quite-right atmosphere of the icy landscape added to the sense of unease I had throughout the story and I loved it!

Towards the end of Stranded everything unraveled a bit for me. The characters became more volatile and the action definitely picked up, but this kind of book doesn't necessarily need a ton of action, in my opinion. It was much more unsettling when the characters were just trying to figure things out. I also didn't love the ending and didn't like that there really wasn't much to explain what had occurred. I can understand why the author ended things the way he did, but I would've appreciated at least some kind of answers.

Overall I really enjoyed Stranded! It was a thrilling ride and I loved that it kept me guessing. This isn't the kind of horror I usually gravitate to and there weren't any real scares, but I will say that it made me feel more uneasy than most of the horror books I've read this year.

Audiobook review: The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

Title: The Wolf Road
Author: Beth Lewis
Narrator: Amy McFadden
Publication Date: July 5, 2016
Publisher: Crown
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True Grit meets The Road in this postapocalyptic psychological thriller--narrated by a young girl who has just learned that her adopted father may be a serial killer, and that she may be his next victim.

In the remote wilds of a ravaged land, Elka has been raised by a man who isn't her father. Since finding her wandering in the woods when she was seven, he has taught her how to hunt, shoot, set snares and start fires--everything she needs to survive. All she knows of the world outside is gleaned from whispers of a cataclysmic event that turned the clock back on civilization by a hundred and fifty years and reduced governments and technology to shambles, leaving men at the mercy of the elements--and each other.

Everything changes when Elka learns that the man she has been calling father is harboring a terrible secret. Armed with nothing but her knife and her wiles, she decides to escape his clutches and sets out on a long journey to the frozen north in the hope of finding her long-lost parents.

But as the trail of blood and bodies grows in her path, Elka realizes that daddy won't be letting his little girl go without a fight. If she's going to survive, she'll have to turn and confront not just him, but the truth about what he's turned her into.

The Wolf Road was recommended to me by a friend on Goodreads because I love, LOVE post-apocalyptic survival stories. Although the True Grit comparison did scare me a little bit at first, I was really excited to jump into this book and find out more about the characters and world this author had created.

Elka is a terribly unreliable narrator and she isn't especially likable, although she does become easier to sympathize with as the book progresses. Orphaned at a young age, she was found and raised by Trapper, a man she met in the forest who taught her everything she knows. She knows how to hunt and survive in the woods and avoid people. Trapper is her entire life and is the only person she knows how to interact with, so whenever she has to go on the run her life is turned upside down, especially when she realizes she's the one being hunted now.

Although Elka isn't my favorite protagonist of all time, I think it's fair to point out that her character development is some of the best I've seen. At the beginning of The Wolf Road, she doesn't even know what her real name is and doesn't want anything to do with anyone other than herself and her wolf. Without giving away anything, by the end Elka has come to an incredible amount of realizations about herself and Trapper, causing her to completely reevaluate her life and everything she has ever experienced.

The story itself was nothing like what I expected. Although this is marketed as post-apocalyptic fiction, there is really not much to set it apart from any other survival story. Apart from the occasional reference to the "Damn Stupid," which apparently sent the world (or at least the country) into chaos, what I assume were tornadoes called "thunderheads," there wasn't anything that made this feel like post-apocalyptic fiction. Instead of feeling like I was reading a book set sometime in a post-apocalyptic future, it felt like stepping back in time. It honestly seems like the post-apocalyptic bits could have been added in as an afterthought for marketing reasons.

Another issue I had with The Wolf Road was the pace - it was incredibly slow. Elka's journey was interesting, but the majority of the book consists of her walking through the woods, hunting, and talking to a wolf. It does pick up towards the end, but this was one that I definitely would not have made it through if I hadn't been listening to the audio. The unraveling of the mystery of Elka's past was fascinating and I saw it through to the end to see what the big twist would be, but I expected a much faster pace from this story.

I honestly expected to love this book, but I was not expecting a Western. I did enjoy the mystery and the thrill of what would happen between Elka and Trapper! I also really liked watching as Elka grew as a person and (obviously) I loved the wolf! Unfortunately, I was expecting more of a post-apocalyptic thriller and just couldn't love this book in the end.

Audiobook review: Anyone? by Angela Scott

Title: Anyone?
Author: Angela Scott
Narrator: Elizabeth Phillips
Publication Date: December 1, 2014
Publisher: Evolved Publishing
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The end of the world? That’s the stuff of Hollywood blockbusters and deep philosophical exercises in school. No need to sweat it. So when sixteen-year-old Tess’s doomsday-dad builds a bomb shelter in their suburban backyard, everyone thinks he’s gone crazy….

…Until fire rains down from the sky, sinking whole cities into colossal craters and setting much of the world ablaze.

Tess’s dad gives her a few short minutes to gather her emergency bag and her freaked-out kitten, then leads her outside and into the underground shelter. Terrified, the last thing she expects is for him to leave her there all alone, but he has no choice—he must find her missing brother.

Before leaving, he makes Tess promise to keep the hatch door shut, not to open it for anyone but him, and to stay put until he returns.

But he forgot to tell her one thing: What is she supposed to do if he never comes back?

Lately I have been on the hunt for good apocalyptic fiction. I gave We All Looked Up a try last year and was entirely unimpressed, so since then I've been wondering if there were any good books at all about the actual apocalypse. Well, there is. It's called Anyone? Honestly, I was a little hesitant to read this book at first, simply because I'd never heard of it or its author. I am SO glad I decided to go ahead.

Anyone? is a story about a girl, Tess, who is stuck in a bunker in her backyard. Alone. Something you may not know about me is I am (not so) secretly a prepper. I am fascinated by conspiracy theories and the many possibilities of how the world might end, so to get to read a book that starts with a girl in a fully functioning, fully stocked bunker seemed like an awesome opportunity! Okay, back to the story. Tess is in her dad's bunker and she has no idea what is happening outside or if anyone is coming back for her. She waits it out as long as she possibly can before finally emerging to find herself still entirely alone. Until she meets Cole, an obviously too old for her guy who's actually enjoying the solitude of post-apocalyptic America.

Cole is a masterpiece. Don't get me wrong! I loved Tess too! It's not often you come across a heroine in dystopian fiction who isn't either ridiculously bad ass or ridiculously helpless. Tess is neither of those things. She's believable and easy to sympathize with and I loved her. But Cole... There was just something about his character that I loved. He was kind of a sarcastic jerk and there was never any real clarity into his past or why he was enjoying himself so much at the end of the world. Cole was also accidentally romantic and protective and I adored the relationship he had with Tess. There was always a sense of taboo surrounding them that made the possibility of Tess and Cole ending up together really enticing.

Obviously, the true test of good (post) apocalyptic fiction is the setting and Anyone? did not disappoint! Not only is the city already in a state of ruin from whatever it was that took place before Tess emerged from her hiding place, but there are insane natural disasters happening all around Tess and Cole as they work their way towards their goal. There was always a feeling of foreboding around their journey and it was deliciously creepy and made me feel always on edge.

What really sets Anyone? apart from other books in this genre was the fact that I could never quite tell if I could be sure of anything. Tess becomes something of an unreliable narrator as the story progresses and I honestly felt like I was losing my mind a time or two, but in a good way! It really added to the feeling of unease that made this book so great!

My main complaint with Anyone? and the only reason it didn't get a 5 star rating from me is that the ending was too abrupt. There were a ton of questions that were raised throughout the book that I really hoped to find out the answers too and, sadly, that didn't happen. I was left feeling like I needed to know more! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that this will be a series either, so I don't think there's much hope for clarity in the future. Still, that little tidbit wasn't enough to drag this book down and honestly the uncertainty in the end kind of fit with the ambiguity that ran through a lot of the book.

If you're a fan of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, you most certainly should give this book a try! It is completely fantastic and pretty unique to anything else I've ever read. I could actually see myself giving this one a re-read in the future, and that is something that rarely happens!

---

°o°  Notes on the Audiobook  °o°

Elizabeth Phillips did a fantastic job of narrating this audiobook! I really enjoyed listening to her guide me through the story and felt like she was convincing in differentiating between the different characters in the book. I would definitely listen to more books read by her!

  

Book Review: Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Title: Their Fractured Light (Starbound #3)
Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Publication Date: December 1, 2015
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 432
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Reviews for book 1 & book 2

A year ago, Flynn Cormac and Jubilee Chase made the now infamous Avon Broadcast, calling on the galaxy to witness for their planet, and protect them from destruction. Some say Flynn’s a madman, others whisper about conspiracies. Nobody knows the truth. A year before that, Tarver Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux were rescued from a terrible shipwreck—now, they live a public life in front of the cameras, and a secret life away from the world’s gaze.

Now, in the center of the universe on the planet of Corinth, all four are about to collide with two new players, who will bring the fight against LaRoux Industries to a head. Gideon Marchant is an eighteen-year-old computer hacker—a whiz kid and an urban warrior. He’ll climb, abseil and worm his way past the best security measures to pull off onsite hacks that others don’t dare touch.

Sofia Quinn has a killer smile, and by the time you’re done noticing it, she’s got you offering up your wallet, your car, and anything else she desires. She holds LaRoux Industries responsible for the mysterious death of her father and is out for revenge at any cost.

When a LaRoux Industries security breach interrupts Gideon and Sofia’s separate attempts to infiltrate their headquarters, they’re forced to work together to escape. Each of them has their own reason for wanting to take down LaRoux Industries, and neither trusts the other. But working together might be the best chance they have to expose the secrets LRI is so desperate to hide.

Over the last year I have been amazed by the epicness of the Starbound series. I started with These Broken Stars at the beginning of the year and was just blown away. I laughed, I cried, and I didn't think any other book in the series could live up to it. I was kind of right. Book two, while also amazing, wasn't quite -as- good as the first. Still, I really loved the story and characters. Now it's on to book three and I was really hopeful for an amazing ending to an amazing series!

Their Fractured Light was kind of a unique book in the series. While both of the first two books were mostly focused on one couple, this one was very evenly split between a new romance and the two old ones. While this does appear to be Sofia and Gideon's story on the surface, it wasn't quite. Sofia and Gideon are the primary focus of about the first half of Their Fractured Light. Sofia is a con artist and Gideon is a hacker and they are honestly adorable together. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with them on the same level as I did Lilac and Tarver, or even Jubilee and Flynn.

I think my primary issue with Sofia and Gideon is that they didn't have nearly as much time to grow to love each other. It seemed that they went very quickly from completely distrusting each other and never planning to see each other again to being in love. It just wasn't quite believable enough for me. That being said, they both had very interesting backstories and were very sympathetic characters. I also enjoyed how their stories connected to the other books in the series.

The final installment of the Starbound series nicely wraps up the mystery of the whispers. I really enjoyed reliving certain aspects of the first two books in the series from the whispers' perspective. I hadn't anticipated coming to care very much about the whispers as characters, but that's exactly what ended up happening.

Obviously all four characters from the earlier books were present in the last half of this book and I loved ever second of having them back! My biggest disappointment after reading These Broken Stars was not having Tarver and Lilac in the books, but they were a huge part of this one, and it was amazing! Lilac's relationship to the whispers is a major plot point in this one and it was super interesting to see how that all played out.

This book is action start to finish (so basically like the other two). There were a few lags that really slowed down the reading for me, but the abundance of action made up for those. The mission to destroy LaRoux Industries and the man at the helm was a big part of the story and the main point that brings Sofia and Gideon together. LaRoux has been such a villain from the beginning of the series, so it was obviously great to see someone go after him with a vengeance!

One of the things I really liked was getting to explore the amazing city on the planet of Corinth. I honestly can't quite picture it in my head, but it sounds incredible! There's an upper city and a lower city and it kind of reminds me of The Fifth Element, but I wish I had a picture! Fan art, anyone?

Overall, I thought this was a great end to the series and it wrapped everything up in such an amazing, interconnected way! My main complain is the way the relationship between Sofia and Gideon was sped up to the point of not being believable. Although neither of the subsequent books lived up to These Broken Stars, this was a completely amazing, incredibly unique series! I'm not normally a huge fan of sci-fi, but these books made me a believer! The Starbound trilogy is definitely a must-read and I recommend it to basically every reader I know!

Book Review: Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Black Ice
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publication Date: October 7, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 392
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Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late.

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

BLACK ICE is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…

I will readily admit that I'm not a regular reader of contemporary fiction - it just isn't my genre. That being said, I completely adore survival stories, regardless of the setting. Black Ice promised to be a riveting survival story set in the mountains during a snowstorm with some romance thrown in for good measure (okay, it promises a lot of romance). I had high hopes for this one. I've rarely met a survival story I haven't loved!

Britt and Korbie are best friends (apparently) and Britt has recently had her heart broken by Calvin, Korbie's brother. Normal enough so far, right? Well, that's where the normalcy kind of ends. Calvin dumped Britt via text EIGHT months ago, but she isn't over him even a little bit. While all of their friends are going off to Hawaii for Spring Break, Britt decides to drag her BFF on a 40 mile hiking trip in the off chance they'll run into her ex. Because that's a normal thing that people do.

As you can see from the blurb, she never quite makes it, instead finding herself stranded. That's where the REALLY stupid part begins. These girls are utterly clueless about life in general. Britt goes on and on and on throughout the book about how she has depended on the men around her to save her for her entire life, and I didn't doubt her for a second. When they're snowed into their car, they decide to leave it. They leave the car. The car with a heater and blankets and supplies and food. They.Leave.The.Car. And it gets better! They stomp around in a blizzard until they find a couple strange men and just hop on into their cabin. Because that's a normal thing people do.

Totally surprisingly, they're taken hostage. Korbie runs her mouth a lot and almost gets herself killed because she's a genius and thinks the entire world revolves around her. Thankfully, Korbie isn't a huge part of the story and instead we get to focus on the romance. Oh, joy. I'm going to be honest, the romance made me a little uncomfortable. It's total Stockholm Syndrome (but maybe not because he was nice that one time). Britt does her darndest to convince herself that it isn't, but it is. And it's annoying to watch her bounce back and forth between Calvin and Mason through the entire book.

The story itself is... interesting. There were some really good thrilling moments where I truly had to hold my breath. The setting is pretty great. I actually felt cold at times and had to bring myself back to the present! There was even a pretty good twist near the end that I kind of but not really saw coming. But ultimately the big reveal and all the convenient explanations fell flat for me. I didn't sympathize with Britt at all. She was helpless and stupid and constantly made excuses for everyone. I didn't think Mason was all that intelligent, despite being hit over the head with what a genius he was on every other page.

Black Ice was just not what I'd hoped for at all. I've read some really amazing YA and NA survival stories that included romance and this one just didn't work. Sometimes Stockholm Syndrome works (hey, I love Beauty and the Beast!) but in this case it was just uncomfortable. I hated almost every single character, with the exception of Mason, who I only mildly disliked. Still, it did have a few good moments and some pretty amazing world building to have been set in the middle of the woods. All in all I don't think I could recommend it unless you love totally unrealistic and cheesy Stockholm Syndrome romance novels.

Audiobook Review: Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

Title: Daughter of Deep Silence
Author: Carrie Ryan
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Publication Date: May 26, 2015
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers 
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I’m the daughter of murdered parents.
I’m the friend of a dead girl.
I’m the lover of my enemy.
And I will have my revenge.

In the wake of the devastating destruction of the luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story—and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace knows the terrifying truth, and she’ll stop at nothing to avenge the murders of everyone she held dear. Even if it means taking down the boy she loves and possibly losing herself in the process.

Sharp and incisive, Daughter of Deep Silence by bestselling author Carrie Ryan is a deliciously smart revenge thriller that examines perceptions of identity, love, and the lengths to which one girl is willing to go when she thinks she has nothing to lose.

There's a certain connection I think I have with authors I've loved previously that makes me assume I'll love them forever and always and everything they write will be gold. Because of this I've found myself more than a little disappointed with a few books this year alone. Some examples that come immediately to mind are The Cage by Megan Shepherd and Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre. Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth was one of the first YA books I read when I really started getting into the genre. I was blown away by the entire series and fell in love with her as a writer. So when I saw this book for the first time I had no doubt that I would love it just as much. But it wasn't meant to be.

Immediately I was sold on the synopsis for this book. I can definitely get on board with a good revenge plot, even in a contemporary setting. Frances sounded like a total badass and I was really excited to get to know her! Maybe my expectations were just too high for this book. I expected Emily Thorne but I got a whiney 18 year old with a crush.

Let me tell you about Frances (a.k.a. Libby) and why I didn't buy her character. From the very beginning of this book all she tells us is that she's angry and wants revenge and has this big, amazing plan laid out to make everyone PAY. But that's all she does. She tells us. In reality, she forgets all of her "plans" from the moment she sees Gray, the guy who she (apparently) fell in love with four years ago, when she was 14 and knew him for a couple days on a cruise. Maybe I was just way behind all the other 14 year olds, but I never fell in love. I literally saved gum wrappers from when my crush gave me some gum at church. I wish I was kidding. But I wasn't falling in love and I surely was not making it to whatever base Frances and Gray got to in their make out sessions. What I'm trying to say is, the romance is totally unbelievable.

In case you haven't caught on, this is a romance novel, not a revenge novel. Every single thing that happens in Frances' "revenge plot" is totally by chance. Literally the wrong person showing up at the right time. I also didn't understand how she intended to pull off this supposed plot. On the one hand, Emily Thorne spent YEARS of her life training with a revenge -master- to avenge her father. On the other hand, Frances spent four years in boarding school and is supposed to be some kind of master of deception. Yeah, okay.

There were just SO many things in this story that I just couldn't buy. I understand that there's a level of suspension of disbelief that has to happen when reading fiction, but this just went above and beyond.

Frances is not a badass and she has no skills. She's 18. She's a rich, spoiled, boarding school kid who is in love with her sworn enemy (or so she says). Sure, Emily Thorne pretends to be in love with Daniel Grayson (is it a coincidence that the love interest in this novel is named Gray?), but it's just pretend and it's all part of her plan.

Spoilery problems I have with the plot of this book:

1. The reason behind the attack on the Persephone is ridiculous. I'm supposed to believe that an entire cruise ship of people was slaughtered to kill off a few people in an environmentalist group? Give me a break. 
2. If Tom wanted Frances dead, she would have been dead. He literally had her throat against a stair cutting off her air. He could have snapped her neck without any effort. He could have choked her to death with no effort. He was a trained assassin. She was literally defenseless. The fact that she didn't die is deus ex machina at its finest. 
3. The cop. Oh my god, the cop. First of all, if Frances was going to spill every single thing that happened, why the heck didn't she do it from the beginning?? And even more importantly, NO cop in the world (or at least no good one, which we're supposed to believe this one is) would go along with letting a guy go to jail for a crime he didn't commit, even if he was a scumbag. 
4. Gray. Frances supposedly pulls off her master plan and escapes to her new life with no strings attached. WHY would she then sabotage the whole thing by sending Gray tons of evidence against her along with her address? I mean, really?? 

This book is Revenge for young adults, but where Revenge is amazing in almost every way, Daughter of Deep Silence falls apart. Perhaps this is where the fact that I am -not- a young adult really comes through? I am a YA junkie, but I think that maybe someone younger would be able to forgive all these faults or overlook them altogether. I enjoyed the survival aspects of the book, and some of the minor characters were really well-done. There was also enough mystery to keep me coming back. It just wasn't enough. I wanted to love this so freaking much, but I just can't get past the ridiculousness of the plot and the main character.

---

°o°  Notes on the Audiobook  °o°

Karissa Vacker was a fantastic narrator and probably the reason I stuck through to the ending of this one! She did a great job of distinguishing between the different characters and making their emotions believable. I'd definitely pick up another book by her! 

Book Review: End of Days by Susan Ee

Title: End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days #3) 
Author: Susan Ee
Publication Date: May 12, 2015
Publisher: Skyscape
Pages: 331
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Reviews for book 1 & book 2

End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

I'll start by saying that I ADORED Angelfall, I really enjoyed World After... I did not love End of Days. Let me cut to the chase. It was okay, but it was honestly an underwhelming conclusion to what was otherwise an amazing series. My ratings for this series have slowly declined and this one is the bottom of the super amazing barrel of angelic amazingness. That's not to say that I didn't like it, because I did. I just wanted (and expected) so much more.

Penryn and Raffe seem like as good a place as any to begin. In Angelfall, I loved the relationship between these two. They were hesitant and tried to resist any romantic feelings, but the pull seemed undeniable. Still, there was just the right amount of angst to make it a really good underlying romance. The key word there is underlying. It was on the back burner. Before all else were their missions. Each wanted to save their people and that was their top priority, which was why they knew no relationship could work out. This continued into World After, where Raffe was barely present. I hated that he wasn't there, but at least there wasn't any unrealistic romance. And then... End of Days happened. And Penryn lost her freaking mind. In book three of the series, both characters completely go off into left field, making decisions that are totally out of character and put others in danger. I mean, on the one hand I was glad that it ended the way it did. On the other, it just wasn't believable based on the first two books.

My other big issue was the pacing. I actually put this book down a hundred pages in and left it. For weeks. I was just so bored I couldn't keep going. It eventually picked up towards the end, but it picked up almost too much. Things were super slow throughout the first 2/3 of the book and then in the last 80 or so pages just BAM! Everything happens all at once and it's tied up way too quickly. As in HUGE BATTLE and then cut to epilogue. It was a little disappointing.

The world building was also a little shaky in this book. I really did like the descriptions of the aerie and the election. I loved the descriptions that accompanied the final battle and the place it all went down. But I was totally confused by "the pit." What was it? Where was it? It felt like they were in a virtual reality world or something and I just wish it had been laid out a little more clearly.

The whole time travel thing was also really confusing to me. The butterfly effect seemed to be missing completely and it just didn't make a ton of sense.

There were things I did like though! I enjoyed watching Paige come into her own even more than in World After and take control of her meager army. I really liked learning more about Beliel and understanding his character better (even though his character made no sense in light of the time travel). I also actually thought the final battle was really smart although I've seen others comment on how ridiculous it was.

Overall, this was a decent conclusion to the series, but it was not what I hoped it would be. Perhaps this is because it was originally supposed to be a 5 part series and was cut short? I'm honestly not sure what happened but it makes me really sad that I can't give this book the high rating I gave books one and two. I'd still recommend this series because it is incredibly unique, just be aware that the ending is really not on par with the rest.

Book Review: The Crossing by Mandy Hager

Title: The Crossing
Author: Mandy Hager
Publication Date: January 8, 2013
Publisher: Pyr
Pages: 280
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The Crossing is the first book in a stunning new trilogy that follows the fate of Maryam and her unlikely companions - Joseph, Ruth and Lazarus. This is fast, suspenseful drama underpinned by a powerful and moving story about love and loss.

The people of Onewere, a small island in the Pacific, know that they are special - chosen to survive the deadly event that consumed the Earth.

Now, from the rotting cruise ship Star of the Sea, the elite control the population - manipulating old texts to set themselves up as living 'gods'. But what the people of Onewere don't know is this: the leaders will stop at nothing to meet their own blood-thirsty needs.

When Maryam crosses from child to woman, she must leave everything she has ever known and make a crossing of another kind. But life inside the ship is not as she had dreamed, and she is faced with the unthinkable: obey the leaders and very likely die, or turn her back on every belief she once held dear.

I was browsing my library recently when I cam across a book spine on the "new" shelf with some really eye-catching font! If you don't already know this about me, I'm a sucker for a good cover. In fact, I will basically never pick up an ugly book, which may go against THE most important lesson of my childhood. What can I say? I'm a rebel. Regardless, I picked up this book (originally published in New Zealand), which led me on the hunt to find the first book in the series. Lucky me, it was available!

The Crossing is the story of Maryam, a teenage girl who has grown up on a remote island with the knowledge that she's one day go to live with the Chosen in the Holy City. Apart from knowing this is a special honor, Maryam knows next to nothing about what all this entails. But upon "becoming a woman" she is finally able to leave to join those who have gone before her!

Maryam is an interesting character and I was never entirely sure how to feel about her. As most are, Maryam was a strong heroine. At the same time, I was frustrated with her overwhelming need to help everyone else instead of taking care of herself. Perhaps this is a desirable trait to most, but in a situation such as that described here, it seems to me that getting oneself away from danger might be the top priority. Despite this, Maryam nearly gets herself killed because of her inability to help herself. Still, I found myself sympathizing with her and did enjoy her overall as a character.

I also really liked Joseph and could really understand his guilt over not understanding everything that had been going on around him. I thought he was a good character, but I didn't really completely buy the romance. This is a classic case of instalove, which happens far too often in YA literature. All of the bad guys (Lazarus, his father, and the other Chosen) were exactly what they were supposed to be - despicable. Ruth, though, I couldn't stand. Her along with most of the other women in this book. While I can appreciate that they were raised to have a certain meek attitude and do exactly as the Chosen commanded (cult life), it infuriated me to no end that they were totally unable to do anything to better their situation. Then again, this really worked to further the feeling of a brainwashed society, which brings me to the story itself.

There were things I really enjoyed about the plot of The Crossing. I love a good post-apocalyptic story! I love all the different ways that authors have come up with for how the world will end (I might have a problem...) and what comes next. This one was just awesome! I loved the idea that a cruise ship was the Holy City and that the crew of the ship brainwashed the entire island into believing their nonsense. However, I wish that a little more background had been given to establish how exactly this happened. I also would have liked more information on the disease that has been plaguing the population. Those answers will probably come in subsequent books, though.

Despite the problems with the background given for the story, I felt like the world building of their little island was really great! I can't pinpoint any particular thing that Mandy Hager did to make it excellent, but I feel like I can imagine the islands and the cruise ship pretty much perfectly. The smaller island where the girls were raised was different from the main island, which had multiple villages. The author did a great job making all of it authentic and memorable.

My main problem with The Crossing was the writing. It felt very strange and that could be to establish how weird this cultish island setting is. It just really didn't work for me. I felt very disconnected from the characters because of the odd dialogue and the way the entire book was written.

Overall, I felt like this was a great story with fantastic world building and characters that I mostly enjoyed. I really am dying to know what happens next - to know if the world really DID end or not! But the really weird writing has put me off from continuing the story right away. I actually did read a bit of the next book, but put it aside for now. It's almost like I can only take it in small doses... I definitely would recommend this book and definitely plan to continue it! Just be prepared for the odd writing style.

Book Review: Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Title: Welcome to the Dark House
Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz
Publication Date: July 22, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 357
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What’s your worst nightmare?

For Ivy Jensen, it’s the eyes of a killer that haunt her nights. For Parker Bradley, it’s bloodthirsty sea serpents that slither in his dreams.

And for seven essay contestants, it’s their worst nightmares that win them an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at director Justin Blake’s latest, confidential project. Ivy doesn’t even like scary movies, but she’s ready to face her real-world fears. Parker’s sympathetic words and perfect smile help keep her spirits up. . . at least for now.

Not everyone is so charming, though. Horror-film fanatic Garth Vader wants to stir up trouble. It’s bad enough he has to stay in the middle of nowhere with this group—the girl who locks herself in her room; the know-it-all roommate; “Mister Sensitive”; and the one who’s too cheery for her own good. Someone has to make things interesting.

Except, things are already a little weird. The hostess is a serial-killer look-alike, the dream-stealing Nightmare Elf is lurking about, and the seventh member of the group is missing.

By the time Ivy and Parker realize what’s really at stake, it’s too late to wake up and run. 

As the person hosting the Horror Reading Challenge this year, it should come as no surprise that I am a horror junkie. I love horror movies and horror books. Unfortunately, I have been let down by quite a few horrors this year. I had seen Welcome to the Dark House around a lot in the last several months, but I wasn't totally sold on the synopsis and the carnival on the cover made me wary. Carnival horror stories are so hit or miss... But when I saw this at the library the other day, I snatched it up and took it home... and devoured it in a day.

The story is told from several points of view. There are eight "winners" of the essay contest and seven of them have a voice in alternating chapters. This way of storytelling can be really distracting in my experience, but I feel like this one worked really well.

Ivy is the "main" character, despite the six others who have their own chapters. She is not a true horror fan, instead deciding to go on the trip she's won as a way to deal with her own fears. I enjoyed Ivy, for the most part. She's dealt with things that I don't see a lot of in YA fiction, at least not described to this extent, which makes her a very sympathetic character. She's terrified while the other winners are ecstatic, and it's good to see a more universal reaction to the events that unfold in the book.

Parker is the love interest, although the romance is very back burner here. I'm just so glad there was no love triangle! Like Ivy, he also has to deal with fears (everyone does, that's the point of the book!) and they confide in each other as they navigate the Dark House and everything it encompasses.

Each of the other characters has their own backstory and problems. The fact that each one has to face their darkest fears over the course of the book makes them super interesting! I really liked every character in the book, even though some were written in a way that could potentially make them totally unlikable. There is another brief romantic side story, but romance is in no way the key focus of this book.

The Dark House and everything surrounding it is totally 100% creepy. Discovering the house for the first time with each of the characters seriously gave me chills. Their exploration of different places inside and outside and discoveries of new and frightening details was amazingly written! There were elements that were staged by those who sponsored the contest and those that they were never totally sure about...

Then there was the amusement park itself! Ohmygod! I am so excited that there's a part two of this book coming out because I can't wait for more of this park! PLEASE LET THE PARK BE IN BOOK TWO! Each character had their own ride in which they were to face their darkest fear and each one was just completely insane.

Well, I read this book in two sittings, so I have to say the plot was amazing. Fast-paced and amazing! Every single chapter ended in a way that made me keep reading, which could be good or bad depending on what other plans you have.

Laurie Faria Stolarz has come up with a story that is totally unique and terrifying! It's rare that a book seriously scares me and through the process of the contest, going to the Dark House, and finally ending up in the amusement park, I was genuinely freaked out! I'm even more surprised that it came from a Young Adult novel!

Please, please, read this book if you're a fan of horror! While this is a YA book, it's not riddled with annoying teenage drama that usually drives me crazy in YA contemporary fiction. It focuses on the characters' fears and their creepy surroundings and it totally works! I feel comfortable in saying that this is the best horror I've read this year!

Book Review: The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

Title: The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly
Author: Stephanie Oakes
Publication Date: June 9, 2015
Publisher: Dial Books
Pages: 400
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A hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in yourself

The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust. And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too.

Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it's clear that Minnow knows something—but she's not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.

Gorgeously written, breathlessly page-turning and sprinkled with moments of unexpected humor, this harrowing debut is perfect for readers of Emily Murdoch's If You Find Me  and Nova Ren Suma's The Walls Around Us , as well as for fans of Orange is the New Black.

In the famous words of Bartok the Magnificent, "Wow! I tell you what, wow!" The synopsis of this book made it pretty clear what the book would be about, but there was still no way I could have known what I was in for. I usually hate contemporary fiction, but I think there's a pretty reasonable explanation for why I enjoyed this one. Here's a little-known fact: I have a degree in religious studies. I'm fascinated by different religions and even more so by cults and this is one of the best cult fiction pieces I've read. Suffice it to say The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly totally and completely blew me away!

Obviously, Minnow Bly is the center of this incredible story. Minnow has been a part of the Kevinians, a cult that lives in the middle of the woods, for the last twelve years of her life, from the age of five until seventeen, when she finally manages to escape. Amazingly, she is the only person who wanted to escape the cult, the rest of the characters following their leader blindly. This makes Minnow an incredibly strong character, in my opinion. Well, this and many other things. Minnow is written in such a way that I felt like I could really identify with her. I felt almost like I was inside her head with her, which isn't something I've been able to say about many fictional characters. Her head was a really confusing and oftentimes frightening place.

Having been raised in a cult, Minnow knows very little about the real world and, most worrisome to her, she knows next to nothing about science. She has been taught that the sky is a canvas, the stars are God's eyes, and meteors are missiles. Throughout this book, Minnow strives to learn more about the natural world and make sense of all the nonsense she's been fed for her entire life. But she isn't happy taking anyone at their word. Instead Minnow makes it her mission to learn to read in order to learn - to find answers. I loved this about her!

Possibly my favorite character in this book is Angel, Minnow's murderer cell mate in juvie, who just happens to be a huge science buff and takes it upon herself to help Minnow learn. While she does share her opinions on the world quite often, I liked that even more often she offered resources to help Minnow find answers for herself. This is how everyone should find answers, I think, rather than accepting anything on the word of anyone else.

The love interest (there's no triangle, thank goodness) in The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is Jude, a boy who has also been raised in the woods, but not as part of a cult. The book stretches many years and tells their story in bits and pieces, allowing the reader to watch their relationship grow from childhood friendship to something more as time passes. My feelings towards Jude changed over the course of the book, but I felt like he was an overall positive character and a very believable love interest, which is not often the case in YA fiction.

I could say so much more about the many other characters that made up this book, but I could honestly go on for pages! The Prophet is completely despicable, Minnow's family made me want to pull my hair out, and Dr. Wilson is incredibly complex. In case you haven't picked up on it, the characters in this book are amazingly well-written.

There are really two settings in this book - The Community and the jail that Minnow is sentenced to. The jail could really be any other jail. It was well-written but how much can you really say about jail that hasn't been said somewhere else? But The Community was just... it was like I was there. I'm really not sure how Stephanie Oakes did it, but she made me feel like I was watching through a TV screen. I can picture the entire Community almost in detail. I can see the buildings and the surrounding woods and the pond and the animals. There was a contradictory air of serene trepidation surrounding the Community that I could almost feel when I was reading about it. Minnow's unease and need to get away was so real based on the way all of her surroundings were described!

My point is the world building was also completely amazing.

Have you guessed yet what I'm going to say about this story? Um... yes, it was amazing. I'm sorry I don't have better words to describe it. I'm going to be honest here: I have an anxiety problem. The entire time I was reading this (and even in between the times I was actually reading) I had a constant feeling of unease. That's how good Stephanie Oakes is at setting the tone. This book made me feel for Minnow Bly even when I wasn't reading it!

This book paints such an amazing picture of a cult that is so terrible it should be unbelievable, but really isn't. From the beginning I was thinking that nothing like this could ever happen. Then I thought about Jonestown and even the story of Irene Spencer and I knew that it absolutely could, which makes it even more horrendous.

One of my favorite parts of this book (one of my favorite parts...) was that I really didn't know what happened! It was kind of a whodunit throughout and it wasn't until the very end that the truth about who killed the Prophet came to light.

The only thing I didn't absolutely love was the ending. I wish there had been more of a resolution to the story. Instead, it just kind of ended a little vaguely. It would be really awesome if Stephanie Oakes would release a novella so that I could find out what actually happened to Minnow!

I've already said way too much about this book. I could probably go on for a lot longer about everything I loved, but I won't. I really think everyone should read this book! I don't usually include quotes in my reviews, but this was so beautifully written (the author has a degree in poetry) that I can't end this review without leaving you with at least a couple.

Jude taught me what love was: to be willing to hold on to another person's pain. That's it. 

I nod. "You know one thing the Prophet never answered? That nobody ever wondered about but me? People. What made us. Where we came from."

"But you know that already," Angel says. "From the stars."  

Book Review: Sweet by Emmy Laybourne

Title: Sweet
Author: Emmy Laybourne
Publication Date: June 2, 2015
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 288
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Emmy Laybourne, author of the Monument 14 trilogy, takes readers on a dream vacation that goes first comically, then tragically, then horrifyingly wrong!

The luxurious celebrity cruise launching the trendy new diet sweetener Solu should be the vacation of a lifetime. But Laurel is starting to regret accepting her friend Viv’s invitation. She's already completely embarrassed herself in front of celebrity host Tom Forelli—the hottest guy ever!—and she's too sick to even try the sweetener. And that's before Viv and all the other passengers start acting really strange.

Tom knows that he should be grateful for this job and the chance to shed his former-child-star image. His publicists have even set up a 'romance' with a sexy reality star. But as things on the ship start to get wild, he finds himself drawn to a different girl. And when the hosting gig turns into an expose on the shocking side effects of Solu, it's Laurel that he's determined to save.

I knew I had to have this book as soon as I read the synopsis months ago when I featured it for Waiting on Wednesday! Sweet sounds like a totally original YA horror at sea and I am a total sucker for ship horror stories (note: The Last Ship - not that great). Sweet definitely delivered on originality and horror, but it really did not WOW me like I'd hoped it would.

I'm going to be completely honest here. I finished reading this about two hours ago and I had already forgotten the main character's name. I had to look back at the synopsis. (Off to a bad start.)

Anyway, Laurel is the main character on this weight loss cruise. She really doesn't want to be there at all, what with all the rich and famous people (I mean, really, who would want to hang out with famous people? Amirite?!), but she was roped into it by her rich best friend, Viv. Unfortunately for all involved, Laurel is very prone to motion sickness (and I guess they don't have meds for that onboard... rich people don't get seasick), and is totally unable to eat for the first few days of their voyage. Because of this, she is unable to eat any of the mystical new sweetener, Solu (which is also what makes people lose weight).

Laurel is also the only overweight person on the entire ship who's totally cool with being overweight because she's perfect the way she is. While I'm all for people being happy and comfortable with their bodies, one thing (one thing) that bothered me about Laurel is how she constantly tells Viv not to lose weight because she's also perfect. Like I said, loving yourself is fine and dandy, but why try to dissuade someone who admits to a binge eating problem and really seems to want to better herself? It's fine to be happy with your body, but it's also fine to want to lose weight. So it kind of bugged me that Laurel was all over Viv (before Solu even happened) about staying the way she is. I almost got the feeling that Laurel wasn't actually as secure as she tried to act and wanted Viv to remain her size 12 twin...

Funny enough, there's a second person on board who refuses to eat Solu, but he's not seasick. Nope, he's a big hunk of MANLY MANESS (she tells us this like, a thousand times) and works out HARD in every other chapter (often until he pukes, which he tells us often). Tom is a former child star and now he's a TV host and Ryan Seacrest's competition. He also hates his job and has never spoken to a normal person who wasn't famous (apparently).

Obviously, Tom and Laurel must fall in love. Instantly. In the span of about three days (seriously, the day of the voyage is shown on every page). I didn't buy it. I didn't buy the romance at all. I swear on my honor that if I ever publish a book, there will be no instalove.

This was one of the better parts of Sweet, although even the cruise ship setting was a little lacking. (Having just come off a cruise myself, I have the idea of a luxury cruise ship pretty fresh in the ol' thinking cap.) The atrium of the ship was really richly described and I thought I would be in for similar world building (ship building?) throughout the book, but no such luck. There was so much opportunity for vivid detail in Sweet! (It's a top of the line cruise ship!) But I could see the luxury at all.

Like I've already said, the plot was totally original, but maybe it was too original... The pace was breakneck, which I actually did enjoy a lot because it kept me turning pages and made this a really quick read! That being said, everything in the plot was underdeveloped. The symptoms of Solu were introduced way too quickly to be believable, for one thing. BUT I did enjoy the story. A lot. This was actually going to be a three star book for me (liked it). Then I hit maybe the last 30-40 pages and I just couldn't.

First of all, things just started getting ridiculous. Solu was terrifying enough before things started taking a zombie-vampire turn... my suspension of disbelief can only be taken so far.

And then near the end, when the whole cause behind things gets explained, I literally started ranting out loud in an empty room. I kid you not, the words "bull crap" actually came from my mouth as I started squinty-eyed at the page. Things are explained, but they make absolutely no sense at all. None. I'm a "why" person, and I asked, "but why?" probably 20 times (out loud).

And then there's Laurel (again). Remember when I said she was a maniac? She makes freaking idiot decisions.

Highlight for spoilery rant:

Picture it: You're on a boat where people are losing their freaking minds and killing each other. This product (Solu) is about to be released to the general public. In three hours. Your options are:

A) get on a lifeboat, head for land (which could be maybe 6 hours away) with a huge group of people who can corroborate your story or
B) go back with your now-crippled boyfriend into the throng of psychos and BLOW UP THE FREAKING SHIP!

Option B, obviously. Right? (nobody?) Um... DUH. Not to mention, she blew up EVERY OTHER FREAKING PERSON ON THE SHIP! Seriously? WHAT THE HELL, LAUREL?! And guess what? Solu is still being released. Because your dumb self has been unconscious in a hospital for who knows how long because you BLEW YOURSELF UP YOU IDIOT!

I just seriously can't with this girl.

I haven't read anything else by Emmy Laybourne. Her Monument 14 series has been on my TBR list for so long and now I'm seriously reconsidering ever picking it up. And one last thing. Her writing. Notice the fifty thousand parenthesis throughout this review? That's basically the whole book. I guess it's not a huge deal, but it was annoying. I'm not giving this one star because I didn't completely hate it and one star is reserved for books I completely hate. This did have a unique premise and it was totally creepy and fast paced and I liked it okay. Until the end. And then it was dumb. Really though, this is more like a one-and-a-half star book, I just don't do halvesies on my blog. So take from that what you will, I guess.

Book Review: The Program by Suzanne Young

Title: The Program
Author: Suzanne Young
Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 405
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In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

The Program immediately caught my attention with its eye-catching cover and description. I love reading about conspiracy theories in my free time because I'm a nerd with nothing better to do, so when a book comes along that sounds like it might be up that alley, I'm definitely going to take notice! I didn't really know much about this going in other than what was on the inside cover, but I had high hopes for a conspiracy laden novel in the same vein as The Twilight Zone!

Sloane is the main character in The Program. She and her boyfriend James are navigating their lives and trying to survive without getting flagged for The Program, where people inevitably come back as shells of their former selves, memories missing. Anything could send them there - even crying - as the country panics to save their young adults from the suicide epidemic. And so, Sloane doesn't allow herself to show emotion except when she's with James. As her life falls apart around her and one by one her friends are either taken into The Program or "terminate" themselves, it's obvious that it's only a matter of time until she ends up in one of the two categories.

I liked Sloane for the most part. She fought like a champ, refusing to give up and lose her memories, and never stopped fighting even to the last page. I could definitely admire her will to survive The Program and come out in tact. It felt like I was there with her as she experienced the hopelessness of knowing she was really at the mercy of those around her. I didn't fully understand the decisions she made in every instance, especially when it came to Realm, but I still liked her.

The two love interests (you knew there would be a love triangle) were James and Realm - James from before and Realm from The Program. I didn't fully love either of them, and if I had to pick one of them to "win" I'm not sure who it would be. Both cared about her deeply, although Realm did some pretty reprehensible things. James was obnoxious and arrogant, but Sloane seemed to find that endearing. Either way, I enjoyed both of them and the love triangle actually made sense in this story rather than detracting from it.

I also enjoyed the more minor characters of Lacey and even Miller. The parents in every case really got under my skin. They all seemed incredibly weak and deluded. It makes me wonder how people might really react if something like this were to occur.

Suzanne Young did a great job of bringing this not-to-distant-future world to life! There weren't many locations featured, but the Program facility especially seemed to come off the page in a totally creepy way. I could definitely feel the dread of the characters as they roamed the stark white halls and smelled that hospital scent. I felt like I was right there sneaking around with Sloane and Realm (or James) throughout the book.

The other setting I felt was really well-done was the river. It was written in such a way that I could understand the peace that came over Sloane when she was there, especially when the rest of her life is so chaotic and depressing.

Speaking of depressing, that's what this book is. Granted, it's about a world with a suicide epidemic among young people. Still, I didn't realize just how bleak a world I'd be diving into with The Program. There are brief moments of happiness here and there, but for the most part I felt like I might get flagged while reading this book!

Perhaps that feeling is part of the originality of The Program, or maybe it's just because I usually steer clear of anything that's not going to give me the warm fuzzies at the end. I'm not quite sure if there's supposed to be some deeper commentary on problems in the mental health system, but I wasn't really in a mood to contemplate that much further. Please fill me in if you know something I don't!

In any case, The Program is pretty unique, at least among the books that I've read. The story, though bleak, did draw me in and make me want to find out what was really going on! Unfortunately, I didn't find out. I felt like there needed to be more backstory - more answers about what caused the epidemic and where The Program came from. There was one (what I assume was supposed to be) big twist, but it was actually quite predictable, although I'm still at a loss of whether or not the epidemic is something deeper and more sinister. The ending was satisfying though, and didn't end on a huge cliffhanger.

  In Closing 

I really did enjoy The Program even though I'm a little hung up on the depressing nature of the book (about an epidemic of depression and suicide). I'll definitely read book two to find out what happens next, although I don't feel a huge rush to do it right this second.