Top Ten Tuesday Goals for 2015

 Hosted By: The Broke and Bookish

Some people believe, settling resolutions/goals aren't worth the effort. This list is goals because I know my struggle to work on them will extend beyond 2015, but you can only be greater when you keep pushing!!!

1.Working Out Regularly Again
I lost over 30 lbs last year, because of a birthday resolution I had with myself. Before I turned 25 I was not happy with how I looked, and realized that I was avoiding mirrors regularly. I decided to do blogilates with Casey Ho, then my got more varied with my workouts as I progressed. As of late I haven't been doing much of anything but I know I can't go back to where I was, so have to get baack to it.  
2.Reading 50 Books or More 

I have only been blogging for a few months now, but have so much I want to read and review, it's crazy. One of the reasons why I started the blog was to cultivate my love of reading and learn more about the book world. I'm looking forward to a great reading year in 2015. 
3.Blogging Regularly
I've been pretty consistent with  blogging reviews, and Top Ten Tuesday. I want to develop more and better content for the blog, and hope to remain as determined as I am now for my blog to continue to be something I'm proud of.
4.Organizing My Priorities
Sometimes I get carried away with all the hobbies I have, but organizing  my workouts, reading, job and social life can only help me do them all more effectively.  
5.Writing MORE

I used to write poetry every single day. I don't know when it stopped but I know it has to start again. There's lots of creativity in me that's begging to get out. Hmm maybe 2015 will see the rise of a poetry blog...
6.Taking Better Care of Myself
I neglect my nails, hair, and fashion pretty often. While I like to tell myself it doesn't matter, I know that when I feel confident with myself I am more productive and less self degrading.
7.Letting Things Go

 I tend to rethink mistakes, decisions and heartbreaks much more than anybody should. It weighs down my spirit and I'm aiming for better in 2015.
8.Appreciating The Wondeful People in My Life
I have unmatched friends, family and a wonderful boyfriend. All of them mean the world to me and I'm grateful for all of the encouragements, laughs and support they offer.
9.Practicing Chess
I recently learned how to play, now have a chess set, but still know little more than the rules. It's a great game that makes you adapt and think more critically. 
10.Saying No When I Need to

I tend to do what is asked of me more often than declining, no matter how busy I am. I want to be more assertive about prioritizing my goals for myself.  I care about your goals too recognize the importance of mine.Let me know in the comments goals your reaching for in 2015!!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

TWO STARS

~Amazon~

SYNOPSIS:

Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed.
There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.
She's wrong.

REVIEW:

"You made me real, and I will hurt for you and because of you and be grateful for the pain."

I kept reading this book thinking this will get better as I go along. Then I realized I had read the best this book had to offer, and I was just confused. This book continues to receive plenty of hype and stars all over Goodreads. The only thing that made this book palpable is Noah, and as he got to know Mara, her awfulness rubbed off on him. I liked the paranormal elements because it highlighted all the potential places this plot could have gone. But everything was too convenient and reminded be of a sitcom that was trying to be edgy.

The writing was ok the characters was ok. But there was nothing that engaged me enough to make me believe this is the same book that continues to receive hype. Maybe I'm not the audience this book was trying to reach, but I tried very hard throughout the book to suspend my disbelief until we got answers. I just didn't like the answers given. 

Mara herself seems to wallow about everything, even though she knows something is wrong, she's resentful towards everyone who tries to help her.  Even her wonderful family is just too much,  catering to her needs, covering for her and making sure she has help. How awful!!  There's no real struggle within the book despite the ones Mara creates, everyone's rich, good looking and talented. Mara does everything without consequence, there's even a character who helps with schoolwork. The female characters are also painted very two dimensionally.  Every girl she encounters is considered a slut, for doing simple things like wearing a provocative costume to a costume party, where Mara is also dressed provocatively.

Overall there were interesting parts of this book that were just never developed.  I admit I swooned over Noah,  but he's not enough to make me want to continue the series. Despite wanting to know what happens,  the writing and characters will be better enjoyed by readers who got this book, I however wasn't one of them. 

Top Ten Books I Read In 2014

 

 Hosted By: The Broke and Bookish

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!! I'm overjoyed to be turning 26!!!

On to my Top Ten Books I Read In 2014. However, let's be real I only read 22 books this year so I will only include the ones I absolutely loved. Click the links to check them out on Goodreads.

1. Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy #1) by Pierce Brown- check out my glowing review for it Here, and if you read it, check out my attempt to describe how good the sequel GoldenSon (Red Rising Trilogy #2) is Here.
2. The Infinite Sea (The Fifth Wave #2) by Rick Yancey- This is the second book in the Infinite Wave series if you read the first you should definitely read the sequel. End of the world, aliens and loss, read this asap. See my review Here.
3. Never Fade (Darkest Minds #2) by Alexandra Bracken- I'm sure everyone has heard of the series (which I need to finish). But in case you haven't and you enjoy sci-fi, post apocalyptic, action filled good writing check it out. See my review Here.
4. Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyers- I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I'm usually skeptical of fairytale re-tellings, but this was kept me engage and made me laugh. See my review Here.
5. World After by Susan Ee- This is the sequel to Angelfall, and I am anticipating the third book in series. You may be hesitant to read books about angels, but I dare you to read it and not be clamoring for more.
6. Undivided (Unwind Dystology #4) by Neal Shusterman- This is the final book in the Unwind Dystology, its about a world where teenagers can be taken apart piece by piece for the use of others, if their parents decide to have it done on there sixteenth birthday. Definitely check out the series and see my review for Unwholly (Unwind #2) and Undivided.
7.  I'm including gifs to celebrate my birthday in lieu of more books.
   
8. eight
   
9. nine
   
10. ten
     
    
    

    Definitely let me know of books I should read in 2015, or what you thought of any of the books above.

9 Tips For Starting A Book Blog

1. Don't Blog For Free Books

There are alot of reasons to start a book blog, getting free books is not one of them. You should not start a book blog, in hopes that your mailbox will soon be full of free Advanced Reader Copies (ARC's). The motivation, time and effort you need to have a successful blog will quickly outweigh your desire for free books. Blog because you enjoy it, if it becomes a chore you'll quickly find ways to avoid it. 

2. Develop a Unique Name, Perspective and Voice 

When your thinking of a name you want it to be personal and unique. Definitely brainstorm your name and a tag line that will help you focus on the type of space you want to create on your blog. For example, In Tori Lex, includes my name and lex means law which I am engaged with because I'm a lawyer. Think about what you want your book blog to be about. Will you be focused on specific genres, indie authors, etc? You want to create original content about things you enjoy. You don't want to plagiarize from others, but it may help to look at successful book blogs and note what works for them. Once you start writing reviews, you'll quickly learn  your writing style, and get better as you write more and more about books. 

3. Get Organized and Be Consistent 

It's easy to get overwhelmed if you don't have a plan about how you want to blog. You want to spend your time efficiently, so you have more time to read. You don't have to work like everyone else, but find a way a method that works for you. You won't get the readers or traffic that you want if you don't have something that is being generated in a way that makes sense. The point is to be clear in your posts and consistent with the posts you have. If you are consistent with your reviews, posts, and engagement that will be noticed and appreciated. 

4. Be Professional 

You want to develop a good reputation by being nice to readers, bloggers, authors and publishers. Everyone will be more likely to engage and work with you, if you give them the benefit of the doubt if your ever offended. People make mistakes and misunderstandings happen, be ready to take some deep breaths and think before you respond in a negative way. Disclose when you have received copies of books in exchange for reviews, and  when posting sponsored posts. The FTC has certain disclosure requirements for bloggers, links to sources explaining them in depth are Here. 

5. Great Content Is Worth The Effort

It's better to have less posts that are quality, think quality over quantity. Don't post without editing.  Read and edit what you write for a post a few times,  do something else, then read and edit again. Sometimes you don't notice mistakes and errors until you take some time away from it. If your grammar and spelling is bad, readers notice. For book bloggers,  your audience consumes books regularly so they know how to digest and process written information quickly. When reading your blog their distracted by grammar and can't focus on the content they will definitely be turned off.

6. Review Policy 

Once you have a book blog, authors will be asking you to review their work. You should think about how you want authors to contact you, and the type of books your willing to accept for review. Developing a policy will help you narrow down the books you want to review and let authors know important information about the kind of books your willing to accept. You have to learn to say No, and it's easier once you've established your limits.

7. Join Sites That Give You Books to Review

There are many different programs to sign up for to receive free e-books and hard copies to review. Don't overwhelm yourself by signing up for everything, but try sites you think will work for you. Here's the list of sites I've found below: 

BookBloggers
Edelweiss
NetGalley
Blogging for Books
BookLookBloggers
Bethany Book Blogger Review Program
Tyndale Blog Network
Hay House Book Nook
O'Reilly Reader Reviews
TyWebbin Publicity Literary Services
StoryCartel
MPNewsRoom Blogger Review Program
Book Browse
Springer-Recieve A Thank You Copy Of Online Books you review

• I have not joined and tried to earn money from reviewing at this site,but you can @ OnlineBookClub

• And of course the many Groups on Goodreads, where authors are looking for reviews. You can also find groups to gain followers and feedback for your blog

8. Read and Review what you Enjoy!!

If your not having fun and you'll quickly find yourself overwhelmed. Read what you want, so your hobby continues to be fun. 

9. Network!!!  Social Media is Your Friend

Twitter, Facebook, Bloglovin, Google+, Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, Linky, and email subscription are all ways to connect with and find more readers for your blog. It may seem like overkill to join them all but you want your readers to be able to follow you on the platform their most comfortable with. There's a wonderful community of book bloggers and once you start to get involved you can find more friends and readers.

I hope these tips will be useful for new bloggers out there like myself.  I want to share what resources I've found because it can seem like a whole new world when your just starting out book blogging. You can find useful Resources for Book Bloggers, under my header. If you have anything that would be useful for new bloggers and you would like me to share it, leave it in the comments or email me at Audacioustori@gmail.com. 

Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy #2) by Pierce Brown

FIVE STARS
Check it out on Goodreads Here!!!

With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown’s genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within. A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices.

REVIEW: 

Here Be Lions "Hic sunt leones." 

Mr. Brown just carved out pieces of me while reading, reeling I left many of my thoughts between his words. Darrow fresh from the Institute is thrown in the lions den, where he quickly learns the depravity of those who rule. Surrounded with liars, friends, lovers, allies and enemies, some of his closest friends playing opposite roles simultaneously. Every move toward progress with his mission, seems like a move back. With blood on his hands, he must fly up. Only at the top can he make strides for Eo, so that her dream will go way beyond Persephone on the HC.

"How could such a frail girl as she have such a spirit, such a dream as freedom, when so many strong souls toiled and kept their heads down for fear of looking up. " 

But as he ascends, his enemy's aren't as bold or honorable as the students who with standards showed their intentions to conquer. Now they comfort his pain, they stay by his bedside, offering kindness while they plan his demise. "Rise so high, in mud you lie." Darrow thinks that he has shielded himself, hardened himself enough so that even if he shatters he will be numbed. But what's to come is enough to traumatize, enough to cause you to throw your book (or kindle), taking deep breaths while you wipe the tears from your eyes.

I'm warning you when you read this be prepared to feel, because Mr. Brown is a genius, that is a fact. you'll find yourself wondering how you can digest being taken in by the glory, sure that the violence of winning is different from senseless violence inflicted on the helpless. But if for no other reason you should READ THIS, because the ending is unmatched. My heart wasn't ready to be flogged with razors, my eyes unprepared, my mind unstable. Every assurance Darrow is granted comes at a price. And as he works to break the chains, he's still learning what his are. He goes to war within himself and with the Society, against the confines so that he can prove their should be none.

"Modern war is fearing the air, the shadows, fearing the silence. Death will come and I won't even see it."

Once again I was caught up in the lore, glory and suspense the author created. War is done despite the costs, chasing power beyond reason or regret. Darrow's war continues endless, unflinching from the consequences, while he embraces the pieces hes left with to drive forward. If you haven't definitely read  the first book in series Red Rising, equally as awesome and engaging, see my review Here.

**This ARC was provided to me by the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Reviews in Series
Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy #1) by Pierce Brown
Morning Star (Red Rising Trilogy #3) by Pierce Brown

Top Ten Tuesday: New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2014

Hosted By: The Broke and Bookish 

This will be hard and not a full list because I honestly didn't read as much as I wanted too this year. I've read more in November and December of this year, because I wanted to make progress in my TBR pile and have more content for my book blog (started in Nov). So the list below is more ALL of the new-to me authors read in 2014 worth reading. Click the links below to check them out on Goodeads.

1. Amy Plum- After the End- This book is the first in a series, and definitely has some unconventional elements involving magic, action and a not super sappy love interest.
2. Marissa Meyer- Cinder- The  Lunar Chronicles has gotten nothing but praise, but if you haven't checked this out you definitely should, full of future tech, awesome story telling and and its a Cinderella retelling.
3. V.E. Schwab- Vicious- I expect alot more of great novels from her, but Vicious is in a league of its own and it is more imaginative and engaging than alot of other Adult books.  it involves superheroes, violence, geniuses and humor.
4. Jordana Frankel- The Ward- This book has a imaginative future of New York covered in water, inequality and shady people, definitely give this a whirl if you like bad ass heroines.
5. Cristin Terrill- All of Our Yesterdays- Time Traveling can be confusing, but i was definitely more intrigued  by the twisting story line in this thriller involving lots of action, love and mystery.
6. Pierce Brown- Red Rising- Im currently reading the sequel and it is AWESOME!! I have a rambling, mind blown review, but to experience it is the only way you'll know what you've been missing out on. 
7. -10 Take  Groot as my Filler 
   

That's it. Im hoping to Read 50 books or more in 2015 so this will probably be alot harder then. Let me know if you read any of the above authors, or have suggestions of authors to check out in 2015.

Friday 56: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Hosted By 
Freda's Voice  
Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.

"Sure." He looked up at her, smiling gently. "I thought maybe so. Your trip did sound a little bit too...interesting to be true."

I chose this book because this is considered YA dystopian canon in a lot of circles. This should be right up my ally and has many great reviews, which you can check out on Goodreads HERE. However I tried to read this and something just did not connect.  I ended up very disappointed after reading only 33% of the book, and did not finish. May people love this author and this series so I'm at a loss as to why I couldn't get on board. Have you read this or any other Scott Westerfeld, let me know in the comments.

Quicksilver (Ultraviolet #2) by R.J. Anderson

Three out of Five Stars Check it Out on Goodreads Here!!

SYNOPSIS: 

Back in her hometown, Tori Beaugrand had everything a teenaged girl could want—popularity, money, beauty. But she also had a secret. A secret that could change her life in an instant, or destroy it.

Now she’s left everything from her old life behind, including her real name and Alison, the one friend who truly understood her. She can’t escape who and what she is. But if she wants to have anything like a normal life, she has to blend in and hide her unusual... talents.

Plans change when the enigmatic Sebastian Faraday reappears and gives Tori some bad news: she hasn’t escaped her past. In fact, she’s attracted new interest in the form of an obsessed ex-cop turned investigator for a genetics lab.

She has one last shot at getting her enemies off her trail and winning the security and independence she’s always longed for. But saving herself will take every ounce of Tori’s incredible electronics and engineering skills—and even then, she may need to sacrifice more than she could possibly imagine if she wants to be free.

REVIEW: 

"Regenerative Feedback: The increase in signal strength that occurs when part of the output energy returns to the input signal and reinforces it." 

I enjoyed this, even though it left me feeling mixed emotions. This was alot different than the first one, and dealt with Tori (yay a mc with my name) who was unsure of herself, but was determined to find a way to survive. While Ms. Anderson is a great story teller, the writing itself didn't grip, as I would have liked. For example I like to find interesting quotes or dialogue which I connected with, but I just couldn't pull any from this story. The quote above is from the beginning of a chapter. Even though on paper it' what I like  YA, involves aliens, has decent writing and is sci-fi I somehow just didn't get it.

Don't get me wrong this wasn't all bad it had great scifi elements, intrigue  and action. To me the book just didn't flow well, things that happened seemed to happen in a jumble and became less anti-climatic than they should have been. I probably won't be reading the next in series if there is one on the horizon. What redeeming quality this novel did have was Tori, she was a main character who broke stereotypes and was not overly obsessed with falling in love. This book was about her survival when faced with constantly changing circumstances. She was rightly not focused on getting lost in someones eyes, but she also never really faced a obstacle where another character wasn't conveniently able to offer her help.

Other reviews liked the change of perspective which didn't involve Allison reflecting on the colors and tastes of letters and numbers, but I thought that was an engaging part of the first book, Ultraviolet. Overall I just wanted this book to do a better job developing a emotional connection with readers, there was scenes where I know I was supposed to feel something but instead felt like I should hurry up and finish the book. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'm Looking Forward To In 2015

Hosted By: The Broke and Bookish 

This list I didn't want to repeat anything on my previous Top Ten Tuesday posts before so I really had to sort through my TBR pile, I also didn't want to do any 2015 Debuts, or focus on books out next year because future lists have that covered.  because I will be doing that Top Ten in January.  Click the links to check out the books on Goodreads!! Let me know if you read any of these books in the comments!!! In no particular order: 

1. Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie- This book has been winning all the sci-fi awards, so I'm very intrigued, its an Adult book and I am trying to read more Adult in 2015.
2. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab- I love this author, and really am looking to see where this trilogy goes. 
3. Half Bad by Sally Green - This book has been getting alot of good reviews and involves witches, which I know little to nothing about. 
4. Stitching snow by R. C. Lewis- This is fantasy, but involving space and also has been on my radar for a while. Also a fairy retelling which I'm reading more of since reading Cinder by Marissa Meyer. 
5. Only Ever Yours by Louise O' Neill- dystopian where women are treated as pleasure servants, YES YES and YES. I like to read about horrible worlds with messed up consequences for women, not because I agree with it but because it genuinely interests me.
6. Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano- I enjoyed the first book in her chemical garden trilogy. But this has been getting great reviews, and I'm sure she'd gotten better as an author. It's sci-fi and dystopian ofcourse I'm in. 
7. The Flight of the Silvers by Daniel Price- a reminded future, with great reviews. An adult book I'm also looking forward to.
8. Annihilation by - This has been everywhere and exploring the horror of Area should be right up my alley. Also adult. 
9. The Child Theif- Peter Pan Fantasy for adults, looking forward to going to NeverLand Again.  
10. Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings by Michelle Knight, Michelle Burford- Definitely something I want to know more about. Memoirs are the only non-fiction I read, so looking forward to learning more about what happened.

Special announcement:  I will be contributing Book Reviews to Kindred Dreamheart on Tuesdays bi-weekly, You can check my out intro post Here, and the blog isn't just about books but also focuses on fashion. 

The Infinite Sea (The Fifth Wave #2) by Rick Yancey

4.5 Stars Check it out Here

 

SYNOPSIS: 

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

 

REVIEW: 

"They can kill us, even down to the last of us, but they can't kill- can never kill-what lasts in us."

I was not expecting tears, I was not expecting genuine surprise at the way this plot progresses. But this book surpasses the first,  because we see this empty, desolate, hopeless atmosphere through Ringer's eyes. Ringer the bad-ass I yearn to be.

Like other reviewers have noted the beginning of this novel drags until we reach the action, the plot twists and the characters who only emerge to break our hearts. That lag in the book, that plagued the beginning was the only thing that kept this from five stars and above. The action, the writing and the characters that leap off the page and visit you in your pondering thoughts, kept me plowing through every page. This book didn't even suffer the second book mostly filler syndrome that alot of trilogy's suffer. The perseverance of our characters, the fight that refuses to let up, even when there's blood pouring into eyes, danger in the instinct to help defenseless children, and fever wrapping around the senses as characters make decisions between life and death. While reading I felt more than a few times, that going Dorothy was the only proper response, losing it the only rational way to deal for Zombie, Dumbo, Poundcake, Cassie, Nugget, Teacup and Ringer.

"Vincit qui patitur." (Who Endures Conquers) 

I was relieved Cassie's role was limited, and her romance with Evan was not overly rehashed. Mr. Yancey's writing continues to be engaging and sometimes so disarming, I have to take a breath, put the book down and come back.

"I don't think I'd heard my brother laugh since our mother died. It startled me like finding a lake in the the middle of the dessert."

If your wavering about continuing the series, if you feel like Cassie and Evan was a bit too much in the first book, don't fret. I barely read romance too much sugar and not enough spice, but this will leave your palate singed, unable to digest even the sweetness of Poundcake.

This book is here to entertain and make you hesitant to read the next chapter because your unsure whether you can take anymore, unsure whether the desperation in the pages will latch on to you until you can't shake them. But if your up for the tears, for the end of the world, unfiltered by convenient ways to escape, dive right in.

Friday 56: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Hosted By 
Freda's Voice  
Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.

"I spotted several ships camped out in a high orbit above Falco. The usual suspects: crazed fans, wannabe disciples and aspiring bounty hunters." 

I chose Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.  This is a young adult, sci-fi book which knocked my socks off. This was like being in a video game while reading, highly entertaining, fast past and super interesting, I stayed up and finished this in two days. Don't let the video games aspect turn you off,  I don't play video games at all and was fully engaged. If your looking for something different and your into sci-fi this should definitely be on your radar. Have you read any books with similar themes? Did you enjoy this book, let me know in the comments below!!!

Have a Great Weekend!!!

Top Ten Tuesday:Winter TBR Pile

Hosted By: The Broke and Bookish 

In no particular order because I am BAD at prioritizing books in the order I want to read them. I want to read EVERYTHING!!!

Some of these have been on my TBR list for over a year.  I'm easily distracted by newer books that come out, which is why I'm currently trying to power through some of the older stuff this winter. I'll only include books that are out now, click on the links to find them on GoodReads.

1. The House of Scorpion (Matteo Alacran #1) by Nancy Farmer
2. The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1) By Marie Lu
3. Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard
4. The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1) by Megan Shephard
5. If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
6. Anna Dressed in Blood ( Anna #1)  by Kendare Blake
7. The Dark Inside (Dark Inside #1)  by Jeyn Roberts
8. Slated (Slated #1) by Teri Terry
9. Feed (Newsflesh #1) by Mira Grant
10. White Cat (The Curse Workers #1) by Holly Black

If you have any strong opinions on the books listed above leave a comment below, explaining why. All of these have wonderful reviews by GR friends I trust, so definitely check them out if your looking for your next read!!

Undivided (Unwind Dystology #4) by Neal Shusterman

Five Out of Five Stars!!! Check it Out Here

SYNOPSIS:

Teens control the fate of America in the fourth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman.

Proactive Citizenry, the company that created Cam from the parts of unwound teens, has a plan: to mass produce rewound teens like Cam for military purposes. And below the surface of that horror lies another shocking level of intrigue: Proactive Citizenry has been suppressing technology that could make unwinding completely unnecessary. As Conner, Risa, and Lev uncover these startling secrets, enraged teens begin to march on Washington to demand justice and a better future.

But more trouble is brewing. Starkey’s group of storked teens is growing more powerful and militant with each new recruit. And if they have their way, they’ll burn the harvest camps to the ground and put every adult in them before a firing squad—which could destroy any chance America has for a peaceful future.

REVIEW:

"When the need is great enough, and the music loud enough, we can stomp conscience into the ground."

This series was disturbing, books about human beings being unwound into parts and integrated into others is a disturbing premise. It's telling that I couldn't look away from the violence, bothered by each news article clipping, included between chapters. The articles made us look more closely at how disturbing and dark the world around us is, and how similar it's practices are to what we find here. It's so tempting to place blame on others rather then face the part we all play.

"We must always be careful of the actions we take, for there are always unintended consequences."

Lev, Risa, Grace, Connor, and Camus led us through the end of a troubled time. But all of the obstacles they faced were not enough for them to turn back. The advertisements in the book made the world described feel more real, considering the constant advertising that bombards our lives. The plot itself while fantastic, managed to describe how much anger, drive and perseverance work together until revolution is not a choice, but the choice to take. The characters have to face their personal issues, while driving forward to fix the country's too. This book describes, vengeance, evil, community, friendship, heartbreak, love, hate, indifference and starting over well enough that I felt refreshed when it was done.

Mr. Shusterman does what all authors try to do which is to make a story become a learning experience. Part of this books writing involves your emotions, your bias,  and your perspective. This series more than anything has reminded me of how quickly complacency, fear and blaming can lead to horrible consequences. You won't regret reading this series, and wont be disappointment by the ending. Instead you'll be happy that you along with the main characters have made it through the journey.

P.S. The unrest described in most of the series,reminds me of why the City of Ferguson has called a state of emergency. Will we witness the consequences of another group of people who are tired of watching people they love die, without justice?

My Review for Unwholly (Unwind Dystology #2)

Friday 56: The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis

Hosted By 
Freda's Voice  
Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.

"She was sorry for her loneliness. Benny looked at his wife like she was a stranger to him, like she was somebody who wondered off in the street."

I chose The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis. This book gives a interesting glimpse into Hattie's family and life. The perspectives are all engaging, and I enjoyed it although I was hesitant to read historical fiction. An adult book I enjoyed and which reminds me to get to some of the many adult books on my TBR list. Have a Great Weekend!!!!

Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy #1) By Pierce Brown

SIX STARSSSS!!!!

SYNOPSIS: 

The Earth is dying. Darrow is a Red, a miner in the interior of Mars. His mission is to extract enough precious elements to one day tame the surface of the planet and allow humans to live on it. The Reds are humanity's last hope.

Or so it appears, until the day Darrow discovers it's all a lie. That Mars has been habitable - and inhabited - for generations, by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. A class of people who look down on Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.

Until the day that Darrow, with the help of a mysterious group of rebels, disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside. But the command school is a battlefield - and Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda.

REVIEW: 

"I would have lived in peace, but my enemies brought me war."

I do not like war. I don't like to read about senseless fighting, about misery for the sake of what humanity has come to value as power. This book however connected with me so deeply emotionally, I found myself reacting to violence and blood unexpectedly. Approving vengeance, and gore

Darrow, spectacular on the hero's journey, standing out among all the other hero's that have gone  before him. The writing was a delight and so it didn't matter that Darrow was the perfect, imperfect hero. What mattered was the tears down my face as I cared about this world,  this story. What mattered was the care taken to have actual world building, and though it was confusing at first the effort required to comprehend this story felt like a passage, like earning a glimpse into the grasps of this perspective or should I say, paradigm.

As much as I enjoyed the book it was not without flaws. Towards the middle of this book I felt disconnected at times while reading on.

Weary of lots of telling and little else. But the middle book reading experience felt in line with how removed Darrow became from his goals, his drive, until he faced the turmoil that woke him up again.

Read this book!!!The only way for me to express how much I enjoyed it is to tell you, that after it I gave a monologue to my cat about sacrifice and honor.

I was drenched in the purpose, the vernacular, the unexpected adrenaline this book left me with. And my cat stared at me disinterestedly, as cats do. But I'm still reeling about the book, brimming over even as I gather my thoughts, and wish there was someone close I could convince to bless themselves with the talent of pierce brown. And now I must wait until, January to continue with Darrow, and the realization knocks me down some from the high I'm still on. I have the highest expectation for the rest of this series and have already marked my calender. But For Now The

Reviews in Series

Goldenson (Red Rising Trilogy #2) by Pierce Brown.

Morning Star (Red Rising Trilogy #3) by Pierce Brown