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)

Illegal by Miriam Halahmy

Series: Hayling Island Cycle, Book Two

Publisher: Meadowside Fiction

Format: ARC

Published: 20^th March 2012

Number of Pages: 288

Book: For Review*

Genre: Contemporary, Realistic-Fiction, Romance, Coming of Age, Action-Adventure, Thriller-Suspence, YA

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains: Violence, Self-harming, Drug Growing, Swearing

No Alcohol References

Author's Blog: Miriam Halahmy

“If Jemma had lived, none of this would have happened.  I’d have been too busy to get dragged into this filthy, illegal business…”

Since Lindy’s baby sister died, her family have been caught in a downward spiral.  Her brothers are in prison and her parents have given up.  Soon Lindy is out of her depth too, caught in the centre of an international drugs ring, with no way out.  Then Lindy finds help from an unexpected ally: weird, mute Karl from school, and together they plan a daring and desperate escape.  But when you’re in this deep, can you ever be free?

Touching, surprising and painfully honest, Illegal is the second in a cycle of three novels by Miriam Halahmy, and the follow up to her acclaimed first novel, Hidden.

                                                                   Review:

Ever since baby Jemma died, Lindy's family has fallen apart. Her brothers are in prison and her parents spend all their money on alcohol and gambling.

So when she's offered a job by her cousin, she takes it, desperate to escape. But she's soon in way too deep: her cousin is a drug dealer, and she's caught in the middle. With no way out, she's trapped, caught in a downward spiral…

Until she finds an unexpected ally in the new boy: strange, mute Karl. With his help, can Lindy escape the web she is caught up in?

When you've done what she's done, is being truly free ever an option?

I love emotional contemps, so when Miriam asked me to review this, I couldn't say no! And Illegal did not disappoint! Emotional, powerful and addictive, it had me hooked from page one. It dealt with difficult topics like drug dealing brilliantly, and created a story with amazing and a believable plot. I adored Illegal, and can't wait to get my hands on Hidden and Stuffed (Books One and Three).

Lindy Bellows was a really troubled girl who had too much responsibility, too young. She was tough, putting on a brave face, but she was drowning.  And she was all alone. Her vulnerability broke my heart, and made me just love her to pieces. She'd lost so much, so she didn't really want to let people in and was scared and untrusting of the ones she did let in. She was so vulnerable and broken inside that it was impossible for me NOT to love her.

Karl Reece was strong and cute and sweet and caring and darn irresistible!  To begin with he never said anything, but he spoke volumes with his eyes, eyebrows and face. I loved him! He'd been through so much, and was so clever and oh-so-cute with his "I-love-facts-voice"!

I loved the relationship between Lindy and Karl: it was so natural, so sweet, so real. I just loved seeing how Lindy's thoughts of Karl changed as she got to know him better, going from thinking of him as a "retard" to feeling terrible for ever thinking that. They were so different but so alike and when they were together, I just felt it. They were perfect.

Garth Bellows, Lindy's 19-year-old brother, was someone I couldn’t figure out to begin with.  He was meant to make everything better for Lindy, but he got her the job with Cousin Collin.  But he really came through and tried to look out for Lindy, even from prison.  He was so caring and reassuring and made me and Lindy feel safe.

Cousin Collin Bellows, drug dealer. He was a shady character, tricking Lindy, lying, wheedling his way into everyone's good books. I agreed with Lindy: he was "totally insane".

Jess... When I first 'met' her, I thought she was a total cow: she was horrid to Lindy, vindictive. But towards the end, I started thinking that she wasn't too bad. I think her character can be expanded on... And guess what! After meeting Miriam, she confirmed Book3, Stuffed, will be about Jess: Squeee! Can't wait!

Lindy's family was really dysfunction and broken. Her dad was addicted to gambling, always down at the bookies. Her mum was empty, broken, never doing anything. Her big brothers were in prison, and her younger one was innocent and young and always hungry. And baby Jemma was dead. Although the family wasn't perfect, they were a family. And I could feel it, especially in the very last chapter. I'll miss the Bellows!  I really loved little Sean - he doted on Lindy, worrying if she wasn't in... he was terrified he'd lose her too. He was so clever and so cute and I just loved him!

A huge theme in this book is loss. Both Lindy and Karl lost someone, and it affected them both hugely.  Friendship is another, especially in the unlikeliest places, and about being able to let people in and trust them after having loved and lost before. This in particular, I think Miriam did beautifully.

The writing was brilliant: raw, emotional, powerful. Told in third person, it still really let me get into Lindy's head. I felt everything she felt, saw everything she saw. And it was authentically teen. It was simple, yet emotional and powerful. Just the way I like it!  And the plot was brilliant and compelling, unlike anything I've read before. I've read ones with drugs in, but not ones like this. Not with characters I fell in love with the moment I met them and had me glued to the page so I could find out how it all ended. Although I had a vague idea about what the plot would be like, I really didn't see the twists coming. I loved every second!  

I just adored the setting.  Hayling Island sounds beautiful, and I loved getting to see the huge variety of people who live there. All the little facts and places on the Island just made the story feel all the more real to me. I can't wait for my next Hayling fix!

Emotional, powerful and about feeling trapped with no way out, Illegal was a beautiful and touching story, one that pulled me in and didn't let go, even after I put the book down. I just loved this book. Every. Single. Second. I can't wait to read the others in the series!

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Hidden by Miriam Halahmy

Kill All Enemies by Melvin Burgess

Saving Daisy by Phil Earle

 You Against Me by Jenny Downham

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

Happy Reading

Megan

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

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

YA Contemporary Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Reading Angel & Katie's Book Blog)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

Publisher: Electric Monkey

Format: ARC

Published: 5^th March 2012

Number of Pages: 240

Book: For Review*

Genre: Contemporary, Thriller, Suspense, Humor, Action-Adventure, Mystery, Realistic-Fiction, Romance, YA

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains: Rather a lot of Violence and Death (She IS an Assassin), Mild Swearing, Alcohol References

No Drug References

Author's Blog: The Scary Parent

“You shot him.  You totally just shot that guy back there.  I think I’m gonna throw up.”

One ordinary guy.

One female assassin.

Five targes by daybreak…

When Gobi lands in Perry’s life, she rips it apart like a bombshell.

Fasten your seatbelts for a quirky, rapid-fire joyride through the streets of New York…  This is the most entertaining thriller you’ll read this year.

                                                                   Review:

"You shot me."

Perry's mom thought having a foreign exchange student would be enriching for all of them. Perry though it could lead to a hot chick in his house. Instead, they got Gobi. Perry made sure to be nice to her, to help her, and was fine about being teased for it. Until his mother tells him that he has to take the frumpy, constantly surprised-looking Gobi to prom. She's been there almost a year, and Perry is sure that Gobi is geeky and boring and he does not want to go to prom with her.

Turns out, Gobi isn't as dull as she's been making out. In fact, she is very interesting, very dangerous, very hot and very much armed.

Gobi is an assassin, and she has five targets before morning. Perry is caught up, trapped, as Gobi pulls him along for the ride, for her killing spree.

I don't know what I was expecting when I picked Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick up. I've never read anything by the author, or with this kind of story line. But what I wasn't expecting was a book that made me laugh out loud, hooked from the first sentence and unable to put it down 'til I found out what happened. As I said before, I've never read anything like it, and the uniqueness made it all the more awesome!

Perry Stormaire was someone I liked straight away. He was snarky and funny and brave and sweet. He was just an ordinary kid who was desperate to please his dad and play in his band.  Therefore his freaking-out reaction at who Gobi really is was both believable and totally hilarious!  And I kinda loved him. Just a little! He was so cool and so clever and brave and sweet and funny...  Yeah. Just a little bit loved him!

Gobi Zaksauskas was a very, very unusual and complicated character. She seemed dull at first... until she went and called this guy a "ball-licker". She was full of surprises; defiant and stubborn and brave. And dangerous! A bad-ass, gun toting, dangerous chick. She was confident and charming and unexpectedly, strangely, I found myself liking her, ruthless assassin though she was. She has earned a place in my Kickass Wall Of Fame (currently occupied by Rose Hathaway and Katniss Everdeen).  She may have been a killer, but she was more than she seemed. She was... brilliant. Absolutely, freaking brilliant.

Gobi and Perry's relationship was equally brilliant, more so because they were complete opposites. Gobi was a kick butt, confident assassin. Perry was just a normal kid, who was scared of not pleasing his dad. But as the night went on and the body count went up, they got close, and Gobi had a huge (but positive) impact on Perry. Their relationship and the chemistry between them felt 100% real to me, despite the rather unusual circumstances!

The other characters were brilliantly padded out – I especially loved the relationships in Perry's family. This wasn't because they were amazing and so close. It was because they were so unusual, and not like many I've read about. I just liked the family dynamics and how they evolved as the book went on. They weren't perfect, but they all loved each other.

Utterly addictive, action packed, killing sprees, loads of laughs, believable characters, a dash of romance and break neck speed, Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick was amazing - it totally blew me away! A word of warning: if you read this, make sure you have a whole day free 'cause you will NOT be able to put it down!

The writing was brilliant - totally teen, totally Perry and totally laugh-out-loud funny. The action was just non-stop from the word go, the writing sucked me in from the very first line. So many of the books I read are written from the girls' POV, so I loved being inside the boy's head for once. And I just loved that college application questions were used at the start of each chapter, and that all tied in with the events that followed.  The plot was equally amazing: full of action, totally unexpected, it twisted and turned as the body count speedily went up! From the first chapter, I was hooked and the action only picked up from there! Shoot outs, murder, car chases, "only a little" bomb(s) and just nonstop action. The plot was just amazing and surreal. I will point out that it's probably very unlikely these events will happen, but I believed them anyway. Schreiber made them really and funny and addictive!

With two lead characters I loved to bits, non-stop action, unrelenting humor and just pure awesomeness, Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick is one of the most original and addictive books I've read in a long time. I loved every second! I can't wait for the movie! Or for whatever Schreiber brings out next.  I want another about these characters please! Hint hint, Mr Schreiber!

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Cold Fury by T.M. Goeglein

Medusa Project by Sophie McKenzie

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

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

Happy Reading

Megan

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

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