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Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

Title: Awaken

Author: Katie Kacvinsky

Pages: Hardcover, 320 pages

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Date Published: May 23^rd 2011

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction

My Rating: 

Goodreads

Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.

In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.

My Review

When I first read the summary for this book I was ecstatic to read it because since I love technology I really wanted to go into a world where everything was based off of that. Once I began reading I started realizing it was going in a different direction than what I expected. Don’t get me wrong though, the idea was there, the story was quite interesting, there was just things missing in my opinion. The characters were great and it was good imagination I will give it that. I’ll be honest and say that it might be a great book for someone other than me, in which case I encourage anyone to give it a try.

Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent (Divergent #1)

Author: Veronica Roth

Pages: Hardcover 489 pages

Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books

Date Published: May 3^rd 2011

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction

My Rating: 

 

Goodreads

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

My Review

Not my favorite book but does deserve five stars because it really was great. Many compared this to The Hunger Game and I can see why. They are very different books but it gives you that same feeling of the characters having no other choice but to live by what society has planned for you. You can say, “well it sounds like any other dystopian story” but it’s a little more than that. Oh and also that “I can’t stop reading it” feeling. By the way, if you have not read The Hunger Games yet you have not lived. Back to Divergent, it had great characters and good twists. The romance was not overworked like most YA books. There was plenty of action. It was also perfectly paced which is something you have to appreciate because it is one thing not every author can accomplish so effortlessly.

Another book I could not put down. Excited for the second book to come out!

I recommend this book to everyone. I believe there is a little something for everyone in this story.

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

Title: The Water Wars

Author: Cameron Stracher

Pages: Hardcover 240 pages

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Date Published: January 1^st 2011

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

My Rating: 

Goodreads

Vera and her brother, Will, live in the shadow of the Great Panic, in a country that has collapsed from environmental catastrophe. Water is hoarded by governments, rivers are dammed, and clouds are sucked from the sky. But then Vera befriends Kai, who seems to have limitless access to fresh water. When Kai suddenly disappears, Vera and Will set off on a dangerous journey in search of him-pursued by pirates, a paramilitary group, and greedy corporations. Timely and eerily familiar, acclaimed author Cameron Stracher makes a stunning YA debut that's impossible to forget. 




"Let us pray that the world which Cameron Stracher has invented in The Water Wars is testament solely to his pure, wild, and brilliant imagination, and not his ability to see the future. I was parched just reading it."-Laurie David, academy award winning producer of An Inconvenient Truth, and author of The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming

My Review

When I first read what this book was about I was eager to read it until I actually got to reading it then I had a lot of thoughts on it, some not so great. I will start of about how it made me feel… thirsty, really thirsty. Stracher made it possible for me to crave water, the way he explained the shortage of water and the way the characters were described, lips chapped and at the point of dehydration, I have to say it was pretty intense, made me think about real life and how we might not be using water properly. That was probably the good part of the book, how the author can make you feel a certain way and so extremely. Now I want to talk about the so-so portion of the book. There was so much action, if you are into action filled book, this might be for you. In my opinion there was way too much action, so much that it was really improbable, which was disappointing because the topic of the lack of water was so realistic it was even easy to connect then you get all this action that you get in corny movies in which you think to yourself, “how does that happen? Is that even possible? No one can have that much luck. If it was real life they would have already been dead.” A lot of action in which I waited for something important to happen but nothing ever did, it just went from action to more action and so on. This book was not exactly made for me but it was not so bad.

I recommend this book to anyone into action filled stories and into the dystopian genre.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Title: Water for Elephants

Author: Sara Gruen

Pages: Paperback 335 pages

Publisher: Algonquin Books

Date Published: April 9^th 2006

Genre: Literature, Historical Fiction, Romance

My Rating: 

Goodreads

Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.

Jacob was there because his luck had run out - orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive 'ship of fools'. It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act - in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

My Review

A ninety-something year old remembering his days working for a circus during The Great Depression.  Doesn’t sound as interesting? Yeah that is what I thought until I read it and it was more than just a book to me.

This book has joined My Favorites list. I was not expecting much from this book; actually I expected to not like it. I only read it because the movie was coming out but I seriously fell in love with it. A well-written and well-researched book. Very unique and I really enjoy knowing that I learned a couple of things from it since it is based on true historic events and I will admit I am not a big history fan so this helped me get into it.

I recommend this book to everyone, it is definitely a must read!

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1) by Stieg Larsson

Title: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1)

Author: Stieg Larsson

Translator: Reg Keeland

Pages: Hardcover 465 pages

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday

Date Published: September 16^th 2008

Genre: Mystery, Mystery Crime, Suspense

My Rating: 

 

Goodreads

Once you start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, there's no turning back. This debut thriller--the first in a trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson--is a serious page-turner rivaling the best of Charlie Huston and Michael Connelly. Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.

--Dave Callanan

My Review

Mikael Blomkvist is a journalist one day and another he is hired to be a private investigator but isn’t quite sure what it is he should be investigating since his case has already been investigated by police and has been unsolved for nearly forty years. Later on he gets help from an incredible computer hacker with big issues, Lisbeth Salander.

This book was hard to begin; it was a little slow at the beginning and only picked up at around one third through it. I actually really liked it, but I didn’t read it all at once, I did pause for a month or two. Great plot and characters. It was suspenseful and interesting. I am not a big fan of Mystery Crime novels because they seem a little boring to me but this book was different maybe because it is easier to connect to these characters than with other ones in other Mystery Crime books, at least in my opinion. Lisbeth Salander is such a fascinating character it is hard not to like her. Once you read this book you will be shocked at the types of problems she is in and you won’t help but feel bad for her. Larsson isn’t afraid to be explicit; there will be a couple of things that might shake you.

I recommend this to anyone that is into the Mystery Crime genre and to anyone that is willing to read something different.

Wither (The Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Wither (The Chemical Garden #1)

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Pages: Hardcover 358 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Date Published: March 22^nd 2011

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance

My Rating: 

 

Goodreads

Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings. Editor's recommendation.

Better summary of the book go here!

My Review

Amazing. Absolutely, remarkable.

What a strange book. By strange I mean this book goes nowhere but goes everywhere at the same time. Confusing, I know. The setting of this story pretty much stays the same throughout the whole book, you don’t go on an adventure like most in most books but this story proves that you don’t need to! From the beginning this book captures the reader’s attention, from there on you become part of the story. I seriously felt I was there with the characters in that house, even felt imprisoned. I felt seriously connected with this book.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the guy characters, Gabriel I can stand but I still feel he was missing something but I really can’t handle Linden, I really dislike his character he annoys me and even grosses me out I have no idea why. I like the rest of the characters, each one is very unique, my favorite is Jenna, and even Linden’s father is an interesting character. This book was different, besides the love triangle, there is no book like it, the story was morbid at times, I just loved it.

Okay one last thing, out of all the books I’ve read I have only cried with at the most three, not even One Day made me cry, its hard for me to get emotional with just anything, but this book had a section where I couldn’t help it, it was way too sad and unexpected.

I recommend this book to EVERYONE!