Partials by Dan Wells

Series: Partials, Book One

Publisher: HarperCollins

Format: ARC

Published: 29^th March 2012

Number of Pages: 482

Book: For Review*

Genre: Dystopia, Science-Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Action-Adventure, Mystery, Post-Apocalyptic, YA

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains: Violence, Death, Drinking, Swearing

No Drug References

Author's Blog: Dan Wells

The human race is all but extinct, wiped out by a killer virus released by genetically engineered soldiers – Partials.

Sixteen-year-old Kira is trapped on Long Island.  Her community clings to survival, but what hope can they have when no baby survives for more than three days?

Kira is determined to make a difference, to find a cure.  Her best friend is pregnant and Kira cannot let that baby die.  Time is running out, and finding a cure means capturing a Partial…

                                                                   Review:

Since the Break, no baby has lived past three days.  The human race is at the edge of extinction, almost all of the population having been killed by the virus released by the Partials – part human cyborgs.

Kira Walker’s community is barely hanging on, but with no idea how to save the babies, they merely ask the citizens to keep having children and hope for the best.  But this splits the survivors, some furious with this new act and threatening war.

And now Kira’s best friend is pregnant – Kira loves Madison and refuses to stand by and watch the baby die. 

Kira has a theory, one that could find the cure and save Maddy’s baby.  The problem?

It requires a Partial.  Or more specifically, capturing a super strong, super powerful, genetically-engineered soldier.

Can Kira pull it off in time?  Or will their whole world be ripped apart first?

I remember seeing this one Sammee’s blog and thinking: “Oh my God!  MUST get my hands on this book!”  And Partials really didn’t disappoint!  It sucked me in from the word go.  It was addictive and action packed and just pure awesomeness.  With strong characters, a scarily brilliant plot, amazing writing and a disconcertingly plausible world, Partials was a book I was addicted to from start to finish!

Kira Walker was strong, brave, caring, funny, good natured and witty.  I loved her!  She was brilliantly snarky and funny, and totally kick butt!  She was so calm under pressure and wonderfully strong, stubborn and determined; a natural leader who could totally hold her own. 

Marcus, Kira’s boyfriend, was funny and goofy – totally insane and so cute!  He was so loving, so trusting, so loyal. Whenever he came in, he made me laugh.  His snark just lightened my day!  I officially love Marcus Valencio. 

Samm was really clever and a real puzzle; he seemed almost vulnerable and was really sweet.  He was more human than most of the actual humans.  I loved him!  And I don’t know if he meant to be, but he was really quite funny at times!

I just loved all the characters so much!  Loads of them were hilarious, all of them were brave and I just loved the relationships between them all.  Also, I had no idea who would make it through – I felt as if any of them could just die at any time, something I’ve never felt before.  The characters were all so charismatic and awesome and I loved them all!  Xochi was one of my favourites!  She was brilliant, rebellious, fiery, snarky and really funny!  And I loved Isolde! She was brave and funny and kinda bonkers.  I loved that her solution to everything seemed to be: get drunk.  (By the way: kids reading this, alcohol is not the solution!!  Um, righteous moment over…  Carry on…)

This book brought up lots of tricky moral and ethical questions.  Humans created the Partials to win wars and they turned against them because they didn’t want to be slaves anymore.  And the Hope Act: everyone had to have a baby at eighteen and have them as often as possible afterwards.  And they all die.  Admittedly, the Senate passed the law to try and save the human race, but still.  And what was even more shocking and oh-so-terrifying was that it was all plausible to me, like it really could happen. 

The writing was amazing: addictive, action-packed, simple, descriptive and brilliantly funny.  Told in third person from Kira’s POV, it really let me get into her head.  I’m not sure if some of the bits I lost control at were actually meant to be funny, but I found them hilarious.  And I loved the plot just as much!  The only think I didn’t get was: why didn’t the other scientists figure out what Kira did?  That, seriously, is the only negative thing I have to say.  I couldn’t see the twists coming and I was hooked to every word.  Ok, admittedly I had suspicions about one of the final twists, but it was only a vague theory.  As for the ending… I thought it was perfect, with just the right amount of unanswered questions… ‘til I reached the last few pages.  And now?  Oh.  My.  God!  I need the next book.  As in now, now, now!

A civilisation torn apart, a world on its knees, on the brink of extinction and war, one girl willing to risk everything to save them all… Partials was addictive, action packed and just brilliant!  I sped through it, desperate to see how it would end, yet not really wanting it to end at the same time.  It had action, it had humour, it had romance, it had brilliant characters.  I can’t recommend this one enough!

Star Rating:
4¾ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Legend by Marie Lu

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Crossed by Ally Condie

Series: Matched, Book Two

Publisher: Puffin

Format: ARC

Published: 24^th November 2011
Number of Pages: 384

Book: For Review*

Genre: Dystopian, Romance, Science-Fiction, Action-Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Violence, Death

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Site: Ally Condie

The Society chooses everything.

The books you read.

The music you listen to.

The person you love.

Yet for Cassia the rules have changed.  Ky has been taken and she will sacrifice everything to find him.

And when Cassia discovers Ky has escaped to the wild frontiers beyond the Society there is hope.

But on the edge of society nothing is as it seems…

A REBELLION IS RISING.

And a tangled web of lies and double-crosses could destroy everything.

Review:

Ky was taken from Cassia, sent to fight in a war with an unknown Enemy.  Cassia will do anything to get him back, including sacrificing everything.  So she follows him to the Outer Provinces to the place of the war, risking death.  Only to find that he has gone already, left with two others to save their lives.  Cassia follows again, this time joined by fellow work-camp girl Indie.  Bit something bigger is going on: a rebellion is rising, and it is larger than Cassia every thought it could be.  Could this rising have something to do with the mysterious Enemy Ky was sent to fight?  On the very brink of Society, nothing is what it first seems to be.

When I read Matched, I was stunned by the writing and the world.  I really couldn’t wait to get back there and find out what the hey was goin’ on in the Society!  And I found Crossed even better than Matched.  Beaufiul writing, forbidden love, death and a mysterious Enemy made Crossed faster-paced and way more interesting to me.  The new cast of characters only added to the new feel in a really, really good way.

Meet the new, improved Cassia Maria Reyes!  She’s actually fighting back, resisting, on the run.  And I am just loving the stronger version of her!  And, she’s still so clueless, so naive, so innocent: I loved seeing everything through her eyes – the most mundane things was wondrous and magical to her.  At the very end we see yet another whole new side of Cassia.  I can’t wait for Book Three, just to see where she goes next!

And Ky: I finally, completely understand what Cassia saw in him!  He’s been through so, so much, and knowing more about his background and everything he’s been through just made me fall totally in love with him.  He’s still fighting back, and I love the rebelliousness!  That boy totally has that hot-mysterious-tortured thing goin’ on! 

I was so pleased we got a brief glimpse of Xander – I love him!  He’s just so amazing, and wonderful, and I just love him.  But what I want to know is how he feels: does her looking for Ky feel like a betrayal?  Is he disappointed with Cassia?  Angry?  I want Xander’s words; I want to know how Xander feels.  Plus: he had a secret…  A big secret…

This time I could really feel both Cassia’s love for Xander: he feels like home for her, makes her feel better, and her love for Ky: he is like her in so many ways – strong, passionate, brave, and he’s a mystery, he intrigues her…  I could really feel it this time, Cassia and Ky’s love.  Their love just is so real to me now.  Therefore, I need the next book.  Because I finally get why Cassia couldn’t choose.  I couldn’t choose… ok.  I’m kinda leaning towards Xander… Still.

All the other characters were brilliant, and brought a whole new feel to the book.  I really liked Vick, who was slightly cynical and a natural leader.  Blunt and to-the-point, he too had fallen in love with someone he shouldn’t, which made me like him all the more.  Young Eli, also sent to fight the enemy, was cunning, brave and very clever, he was like a young Ky: I loved the young boy, and felt so sorry for him as well.  And Indie, Cassia’s only friend in the work camp, who was brave, quick-fingered and did whatever she wanted to.  I loved the mystery surrounding her, her inner fire and that she had a real vulnerable side: I loved the complicated Indie.

One thing I missed was the family feel.  I loved Cassia’s parents and brother and Grandfather, and of course Xander.  I wanted more Xander.  There were families in the Outer Provinces, but it wasn’t the same, and I hope we see more family bonds in the next book.

I was enchanted by the beautiful writing of Matched, and Crossed did not let me down!  The writing was lyrical, poetic, haunting.  And to be able to see both Ky’s and Cassia’s POV was genius on Allie’s part.  Their voices were similar enough to make me realise just how perfect they were for one another and different enough for me to be able to tell them apart.  And being able to see both POVs meant I could get to know Ky and his story: Ky wasn’t that jump-off-the-page for me in Matched, but in Crossed… I soon fell in love. Again.  But we want Xander to have chapters in the next book please Ally!  The plot in Crossed was faster and more exciting than Matched.  It was a real quest-like book and therefore more intense than just forbidden love (though there’s still plenty of that).  And again I found myself completely under Condie’s spell.  I have no idea how she does it.  I am pretty sure it’s the writing, but I needed to know what would happen.  I had to find out how it worked out. 

Again, I have to mention the amazing world Condie has created.  It’s so real, so scary, so… powerful.  I was obsessed with finding out everything.  And I loved that we finally got to find out why the Society was created!  And, worryingly, the reason makes sense…  It’s quite disturbing, actually.  And we get to know more about the Rising, the rebellion, Anomalies…

Love, trust, betrayal, searching, lost, found…  Crossed was a book that held me under its spell from start to finish.  I am now desperate for book three.  I NEED it!!

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Matched by Ally Condie
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
The Chemical Gardens by Lauren DeStefano

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Puffin in exchange for an honest review

The Devil’s Triangle by Mark Robson

Series: The Devil's Triangle, Book One

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: Paperback

Published: 31^st May 2011

Book: For Review*

Genre: Science-Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Action-Adventure, Fantasy, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Violence, Death, Mild Swearing

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Site: Mark Robson

The legend comes to life…

The Bermuda Triangle has cast a shadow over Sam and Niamh Cutler’s lives since teir mother vanished nine years ago.  Her whereabouts remains a mystery and every year the twins return to the Florida Keys with their father, Matt, who is obsessed with solving the haunting puzzle.

But Sam is bored with lazing around by the pool while his father hunts for the truth.  Craving excitement, he and his friend, Callum, “borrow” Matt’s boat.  At first it’s great fun, but when they find themselves marooned in a terrifying land, the boys realise they too have fallen victim to the Triangle’s mysterious effects.  Can they find a way home, or will they be lost forever?

                                                                   Review:

Sam and Niamh’s mother disappeared when they were kids.  No one knows where or how she vanished, but Matt, the twins’ father thinks it has something to do with the Bermuda Triangle.  Every year the family return to the place she disappeared from, thanks to Matt’s obsession with finding his wife.

Only, this year Sam is bored and sick of his father’s empty promises and obsession.  So with his best mate, Callum, Sam ‘borrows’ his father’s boat.  What started out as a great laugh soon turned into chaos and a strange world of monsters and mystery.  They have become the pray of the Devil’s Triangle – can they escape or will they remain stuck there forever?

I started to read this the moment it landed on my doormat.  I mean, c’mon!  Sci-fi twist on the Bermuda Triangle!  Which happens to be one of the coolest natural mysteries, way up there with Stonehenge, Lock Ness and Justin Beiber…  And blimey was it good.  I was just sucked in and couldn’t stop reading.  I officially need to read Book 2 (thank God I have it already!) and I’m seriously thinking of getting another Robson series.  So… awesome book, in shorter words.

I loved Sam Cutler: the outspoken, athletic and confident twin.  He had a good sense of humour and was brilliantly cheeky.  While he was a trouble maker, he was also clever and logical, and such a brilliant survivor.  Driven, friendly and supportive, he was a natural leader and so good at keeping him and Callum alive.

Niamh Cutler was brilliant: cheerful and teasing, she seemed to be the calm and mature twin.  She was quick witted and level headed, but also snarky and feisty!  She was brave and determined, but I couldn’t help being shocked that she was flirting while her brother was missing!  Then again, teenager girls always do think of guys at just the wrong time, don’t they?  And Tony was rather hot!

Sam and Niamh’s twin bond was amazingly described and really clever.  Niamh got images of what Sam was going through and his emotions.  Sam could sense her strong emotions.  But Niamh couldn’t use it to find Sam.  The magnetic thingy in the Triangle was scrambling Niamh’s feelings… hence not being able to sense him.

Callum, Sam’s best friend, was awesome!  He had a great sense of humour and was really snarky, along with being a curious, clever geek!  While he was sensible and logical, he was always up for Sam’s jokes.  What I really liked about his was his ability to keep up the humour in the most difficult places: he really made me laugh!

Matt Cutler, was obsessed with the Bermuda Triangle, and never gave up on finding his wife.  Which is rather romantic, if you ask me.  While he could be moody at times he was great with boats and planes, relaxed and powerful under pressure. 

All the various characters were awesome, and I loved that all the minor ones felt so real and padded out.  Carrie was one I adored – she was so sweet and cheerful and helpful.  And Carrie’s brother Tony was just yummy!  Moira Mitchell was one of my favourites, even though she was a super minor character.  Her sense of humour and wonderful drawl were brilliant and funny. 

The writing was brilliant.  I loved the teen-ness in the kids’ voices, and how American the Florida folk sounded.  But more importantly: the action!  It was non-stop and wrapped in mystery – my favourite kind!  And I could see everything as I read – especially the world.  And I loved the plot!  Some bits were obvious (thanks to the blurb or common, maybe hopeful, sense) but everything Robson made up was unforeseeable!  I was hooked, desperate to know more about the world, if the boys would be able to get home, if… And, man, did I not see this one particular twist coming.  Just an overall awesome book packed with adventure and mystery.  Yay!

I loved the world!  A sulphur-smelling sea, a crocodile-sea-lion-whale-looks-like-its-about-to-eat-me thing, communist dinosaurs, advanced technology…  Yeah, welcome to the Devil’s Triangle, people!  Unlike anything I’d ever read about before, I completely feel in love with the world.  And Nipper, one of the raptors.  (Is that strange?)  But I loved the parallel to us: global warming and how much you’re willing to put at stake for technology and power – bearing in mind the method is killing the planet and endangering the inhabitants.  Mark’s imagination was just amazing!  I would never have been able to think up even the most basic bit of his world – and my imagination is worryingly vivid.  Just… wow!  A wow world, for a wow book by a wow author… More please?!

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Imperial Series by Mark Robson

Wereworld by Chris Jobling

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from the author in exchange for an honest review

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Number of Pages: 400

Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: Paperback

Number of Pages: 416

Book: For Review*

Genre: Horror, Historical, Science-Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Action-Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Violence, Death, Mild Swearing, Drug and Opium References

No Alcohol References

Author's Site: Chris Priestley

Author's Blog: Chris Priestley

Keep an eye out for the awesome guest post Chris has written for us as part of his blog tour!  It'll go up tomorrow, and there's a giveaway involved!

Can a monster and a boy ever really be friends?

1818.  London.

Billy is a street urchin, pickpocket and petty thief.

Mr Creecher is a monstrous giant of a man who terrifies all he meets.  Their relationship begins as pure convenience. 

But a bond swiftly develops between these two misfits as their bloody journey takes them ever northwards on the trail of their target… Victor Frankenstein.

Review:

Billy is a thief.  Mister Creecher is an outsider, a freakish giant with a monstrous face, who while on the trail of mysterious Frankenstein, saves Billy from death.  To begin with, their relationship is pure convenience.  Creecher needs Billy to follow Frankenstein.  Billy needs Creecher for protection from other thieves.  But soon a bond forms between the two, as they realise they may have more in common than they first thought.

But as they follow Frankenstein, can their friendship last?  Or will it end up as bloody as their journey?

I read and loved Priestley’s The Dead of Winter, and I love Frankenstein so I of course had to me hooked from the start. A story about friendship in the unlikeliest places, it was bothget my hands on this one!  And it did not disappoint!  Creepy, suspenseful and thrilling, it had  beautiful and horrible.  I can’t wait for Priestley’s next book! 

15-year-old Billy was a boy who had seen a lot, been through more and lost more still.  He had the feel of a street child – one from Dickensian novels.  He was sneaky, brilliant at observation, with the occasional snarkiness and was just a really resourceful and smart-thinking boy.  But he had this resentment in him: he was withdrawn, cut off because of everything that had happened to him.  And he felt really real to me, even if I wanted to yell at him at times!

Mister Creecher was a very complicated and odd character, one I did feel sorry for.  He knew how his looks made others think of him, and was sure he could never by happy. He was strangely vulnerable, sweet hearted, and desperate for love.  Yet he wasn’t afraid to kill.  He may not have been wholly human, but he had desires and longings, just liked humans.  Was he bad?  Good?  I think he was both. 

And I loved Billy and Creecher’s relationship, how it changed.  It slowly shifted and I just loved how Priestley did this.  The friendship that blossomed felt natural to me.  Creecher was the only true friend Billy had ever had and vice versa.  Although everything changed again, they truly were friends. 

I adore Chris Priestley’s writing: oddly beautiful, lyrical, creepy and utterly addictive.  He doesn’t shy from the gore, the suspense.  I was completely absorbed in the story, under its spell.  It was shocking, creepy, beautiful, bloody and spooky.  The plot was equally amazing, and so unexpected.  I really had no idea where the story was going.  And the end… God.  I never saw it coming!

The setting was just amazing – London, 1818.  It was so vivid, so lifelike – it jumped off the page and into my head.  Priestley has a real talent for creating gritty and vivid settings that make me feel like I’ve gone back in time.  Or they’re so real it feels like I’ve picked up a Dickens novel.  And he truly made London back then creepy, gothic and spooky: I loved it! 

I loved how the story tied in with Frankenstein and another novel from around that time, one I didn’t realise was more than just an influence until I looked the book picture up and stumbled across an award.  Until right toward the end, I didn’t even know how much Book 2 tied in with the story.  I almost felt like smiling as it was revealed.  In a strange, horrible and rather shocking way, it was perfect.  It was so unexpected.  Which made that final twist all the more brilliant.

Creecher kills and Billy steals.  Both should be Bad.  Both should be Not Liked.  But… I couldn’t hate them.  Creecher was looked upon in horror, so he became what was thought of him.  Billy stole because he had to, to survive.  Creecher loved to read and just didn’t want to be alone.  Billy wanted a family, a friend.  Although they should be bad, I couldn’t hate them.  They were human.  While both had their downfalls, they also had redeeming qualities.  Good is in all, even ‘monsters’ and thieves.  They made me question everything.

A book of contradictions, friendship, betrayal, murder, science and the search of happiness, Mister Creecher was one heck of a book, a gothic horror story, full of twists and chills, with the most amazing setting and beautiful writing.  I could go on forever, so all I shall say is READ THIS!  You will not regret it.  It’s a horror story that makes you think, especially about one question: Nature Vs Nurture.  Perfect.

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Wolf Blood by N.M. Browne

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Published: 1^st March 2012