Book Review: The Moon Dwellers, by David Estes

The Moon Dwellers
David Estes

Initial Thoughts: Started a tad slow, but ended up being quite riveting!

Summary (from Goodreads):
In a desperate attempt to escape destruction decades earlier, humankind was forced underground, into the depths of the earth, creating a new society called the Tri-Realms.

After her parents and sister are abducted by the Enforcers, seventeen-year-old Adele, a member of the middle-class moon dwellers, is unjustly sentenced to life in prison for her parents' crimes of treason.

Against all odds, Adele must escape from the Pen and find her family, while being hunted by a deranged, killing machine named Rivet, who works for the President. She is helped by two other inmates, Tawni and Cole, each of whom have dark secrets that are better left undiscovered. Other than her friends, the only thing she has going for her is a wicked roundhouse kick and two fists that have been well-trained for combat by her father.

At the other end of the social spectrum is Tristan, the son of the President and a sun dweller. His mother is gone. He hates his father. Backed by only his servant and best friend, Roc, he leaves his lavish lifestyle in the Sun Realm, seeking to make something good out of his troubled life.

When a war breaks out within the Tri-Realms, Tristan is thrust into the middle of a conflict that seems to mysteriously follow Adele as she seeks to find her family and uncover her parents true past.

In their world, someone must die.

My Rating: 4 Stars

My Thoughts:

So we have these kids, Adele, Tristan, Tawni and Cole, who are brought together in a time when the world's inequality is coming to a breaking point. 

The characters are well drawn and you like them. Adele is motivated by the age-old hook of saving her family. She's a strong character who is tough, knows how to kick some ass, and puts her family first. Selfless to the point of sainthood. Tristan is disgusted by his family's wealth and greed, and his friendship with Roc is endearing. Tawni is just like-able (as well as Adele's younger sister, who gosh, acts just like a younger sister should. You know, sometimes you want to smack her and sometimes you want to hug her). Cole is a bit of a hot-head, and he comes down from his 'episodes' a little too quickly, almost like he's unbalanced. I don't know! But he's still a nice guy who's loyal and friendly...most of the time. :)

While starting a little slow, the plot eventually moves forward at a good pace, and kept me riveted to find out what happens next. Once things got moving, wow, these characters find themselves thrown into one situation after another. Bim! Bam! Boom! And off we go!

The total inequality of the system, and the magnitude of the differences between the haves and the have-nots is nothing short of teeth-grinding. It sort of brings to mind the French Revolution, where people are down-trodden to the point of out-right revolt. It's explosive. People are pissed. People get hurt. People die, dudes.

There are some things that kind of had me bummed. There are a lot of mysteries to be solved, and the majority of them aren't resolved in this book. I love to read series, especially I'm on board with the characters and the story, but I still like to have each book stand on its own merits. For me, there were too many unanswered questions.

Sometimes it's hard to imagine that kids can out-fight trained warriors. I've noticed this in a couple of books lately, and this one is included. However, I did let that tidbit slide, because there were other things going on that could be argued as a distraction. So what the hoo, don't sweat the small stuff, in my opinion.

This was a fine read, and I do plan to continue on with the series, because overall, the pros far outweighed the cons and was highly enjoyable!

Friday Funnies!

It's Friday, so it's gotta be funny. Plus we're having a blizzard. Plus I have the day off. Plus it's my birthday!

And ya know, that 2nd dog on the list there...doesn't look particularly contrite if you ask me. :)

Enjoy!

Book Review: Breed of Innocence, by Lanie Jordan

Breed of Innocence
Lanie Jordan

Initial Thoughts: I. Loved. This. Book


Summary (from Goodreads):

Six hours ago, men in dark suits and sunglasses came looking for me.
Four hours ago, they offered me training to hunt the things that killed my family: demons.
Two hours ago, I joined their secret organization—the CGE.
Now… All I have to do is survive demon-hunting school.

The classes won’t kill me, but the finals might.

My Rating: 4 1/2 Stars!!!

                                                                                      

My Thoughts:

I just really, really liked this book. The main character, Jade, is 16 and sassy and sarcastic and strong. She's endearing in the nobody-loves-me kind of way, and oh my gosh, funny as hell. I rarely chuckle out loud when reading, but found myself doing that here and there. Sometimes I'd go back and re-read something just for the thrill of re-reading it again, it was that good. The author's writing style had that sumthin-sumthin that just appealed to me right from the start. I gobbled every word, sentence, paragraph, page.

You have the mysterious adult who could be good, could be bad, could be both. You like him...yet you don't quite trust him. As you're reading you're kinda waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop. It does and it doesn't. Don't judge our Mr. Greene too soon.

And our strong, almost-bad-boy-but-not-quite-cuz-he's-got-a-killer-gaze-and-even-more-lethal-smile? Linc? That guy? Delish. Perfect. He's strong but not so silent. Got a sense of humor. And is not quite comfy sharing feelings. The romance here is perfect. Not too sappy...I hate sap...it, like, gets all over your fingers when you're turning the pages and you can't get it off. Most sappy love scenes sound just as corny in my head as they look on the page. Thankfully, you won't find none of that here. If that's your scene and you dig the sappy stuff, that's ok, but you're forewarned you won't find it in the pages of this book.

So, why didn't I give it 5 stars? Almost did. But a couple of things held me back. First, I didn't quite understand why Jade's nemesis, who is a grade above Jade, was at the newbie orientation and why Jade and her nemesis were paired up for Jade's finals. Seems to me the older student would be having finals more in line with her grade level, not Jade's. Second, the wrap-up in the end seemed to take just a tad too long, and kind of went over the same information over and again. I was getting kinda bored there for a minute.

But, super book, super writing, and a super fun read. Highly recommended.

Book Review: Bound, by J. Elizabeth Hill

Bound
J. Elizabeth Hill

Initial Thoughts: Nice, creative, magical read!

Summary (from Goodreads):
Freshly graduated from the Voleno Academy, Faylanna Derrion is trying to find her solitary place in a world where she and her fellow Magicia are expected to find their magical partner as soon as possible. When her mentor and his partner are taken by a terrible darkness before her eyes, her flight to find help brings Tavis into her life. Can she learn to see him as more than a simple farmer or will she accede to her father’s demands to return to her family’s home, following a path others have laid out for her? Can she choose her own course, after a lifetime of refusing to bind herself to anyone?

My Rating: 3.5 Stars...oh, what the hell, let's throw in that extra 1/2 star and make it an even 4. 

My Thoughts:

When I first dove into this book, I had a wee spot of trouble with the writer's style, kind of like run-on thoughts, like someone who talks a lot and doesn't think to take a breath but just keeps going and going and you're almost surprised that you haven't lost your train of thought from the beginning of the thought-train! Slightly out of (mental) breath.

Okay, yes, I jest a little. But once I got into the story, I either didn't notice this any longer, or the author got into a rhythm, or maybe it wasn't as bad as I'd originally imagined it. Whatever. The point is, I stopped caring cuz we have us some nice magic here.

I liked the characters, I liked the plot, I liked the world the author built, I liked the mystery and trying to figure out what the hell was going on and trying (and failing) to guess at the motives and foresee plot twists. It was a fun read, and I enjoyed myself, especially because I just had to keep reading to find out how it all ended, cuz I had no clue.

Did some things annoy me? Well, yeah. Especially with some of the downright stupid choices Faye makes. I mean, *I* could see who the bad guy was, and I wanted to reach into the page and throttle her sometimes. I think some of that was spell-work though, and maybe not entirely her fault. Plus, she's nineteen and new to the world of adults and betrayals and secrets and magic. I liked her independence and strength. I liked how she wanted to be her own woman who makes her own choices and her own mistakes. Good for you, Faye.

Tavis, supposed to be a strong hunk, but I had trouble getting past the country bumpkin image in my head. I like him, truly I do, and I get that he's strong both physically and magically...there was just some magic missing for me.

Maybe it's cuz I like me some bad boys. I found myself more drawn to Marcius. Shame on me. But hoo boy! Was there some heat going on between Marcius and Faye. I think I'm blushing. 

So if you like magical worlds and twisty plots and a bit of mystery and romance, pick up a copy of Bound.

Book Review: Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky
Veronica Rossi

OK, I was uber-busy this weekend and didn't have time to post my review, but let me just say this was a pretty awesome book. Loved it.

Summary (from Goodreads):
EXILED from her safe home in the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria finds herself in the outer wastelands known as the Death Shop. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent energy storms will. There she meets a savage, an Outsider named Perry – wild, dangerous – who is her only chance of survival.

But Perry needs Aria, too, and they are forced into an unlikely alliance that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.





My Rating: 4 1/2 Stars.

My thoughts:
Another YA dystopian novel that really rocks the boat. You have fear, violence, secrets, betrayals and uber sexy guys. A perfect setting for a perfect (energy) storm (yeah, sorry, couldn't quite help myself with that little Never Sky joke).




Anyhoo, the start of this book is creepy. The guys are creepy, and you can just feel the tension under their daring foray into the off-limits dome, you just know something is up with these guys and it ain't gonna be pretty. It wasn't. It was scary. I was scared for Aria.

Then she's booted into the outside and meets Perry. What an angry character. He's originally portrayed as, well, savage, with wild, uncombed hair...but with a tendril of nice-guy-syndrome. And what happens to nice guys? They get nothing but trouble for their efforts. Yup. Perry's got some bad karma coming his way.

The plot moves forward *most* of the time, with enough twists to give you whiplash. I like me some twists. I like to say, "Dude, didn't see that coming!" There's a couple of nice moments just like that in this book.

The world is creative and the author paints some very vivid pictures. I could easily picture the energy storms. Not sure what created them, but liked them all the same.

The only negative thing I could say is that there's just a little something about the characters that kept them a tad remote. Aria doesn't like to be touched, and I'm not sure why. It may be the product of her upbringing in the dome where they spend a lot of time in the realms and not reality. Didn't quite get that. I also didn't quite get Perry's anger toward his brother. And I think I'd like to know a little more about his past that made him the person he is. Maybe that's coming in later books.

Yeah, later books that I will definitely be reading. Highly recommend this one if you're into YA dystopian.

Book Review: Enclave, by Ann Aguirre

Enclave
Ann Aguirre

Initial Thoughts:
I was wowed by this YA dystopian. I think I liked everything about it.

My Rating: 5 STARS!

Summary (from Goodreads):
In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first Deuce thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.

My thoughts:

Where to start? How about the beginning. The book starts off with the dramatic living situation of the people living 'down under' (and that's down under the earth...not Australia). It's dark. It's dank. It's crowded. No one lives past 25. There are strict rules. No loving, no learning (except what's absolutely needed), no real living. Just doing your job that you've been assigned, listening to the elders, and not breaking the rules.

It doesn't take Deuce long to break the rules. Breaking the rules tests her friendships, tests her strength, and tests her humanity. In the end, she finds all three.

The characters are terrific. They have depth and layers, you understand what drives them, you even understand the blind (albeit ignorant) following of the elders, even as they fail when they refuse to listen and face facts. The setting is realistic and well-drawn. The plot moves forward and forward and forward. No blind spots. No plot holes.

A gripping and gritty look at humanity both at its best and its worst.

This is a must-read for any dystopian fan.