If you've heard of the name Brandon Sanderson, you've probably heard he was the writer of the last few books of the late Robert Jordan's 14-book Wheel of Time series. My husband grew up on that series, the ending of which was just published a year and a half ago, so it was from him that I heard about this author. When I saw an advanced reader's copy of Steelheart, a young adult science fiction book by Sanderson, I picked it up both for the name on the cover and for the premise about superhumans crushing the rest of humanity with their powers and about a group of rebels determined to take them out one by one. Coincidentally, my advanced reader's copy has a praising quotation from the latest author I've enjoyed, James Dashner. And when my husband read the book first and thought I would really like it, that sealed the deal.
Happily, I was not disappointed. Sanderson knows how to write characters, and he knows how to write action, both a must for a story like this one. David, the book's narrator and central character, is an awkward and single-minded but endearing character. His eventual companions all have quirks of their own so that even when the action lags the entertainment does not. If there's any character I liked less than the others, it's the girl, probably because she's written from a male perspective and we don't get to see into her head.
Sanderson is good with the big picture, with what the world would look like with all these evil supervillains, or Epics, controlling it. And he's good with the details: the powers and weaknesses of each Epic, the idiosyncrasies of each character (like David's bad metaphors or Cody's wild Scottish tales), the logistics of a small fight scene or a big battle. It's a pretty large book but actually rather short compared to what Sanderson normally writes. I read it fairly quickly, despite the size.
The set-up for the book is this: Epics are powerful and evil, but they have weaknesses. David is the only person alive who has witnessed Steelheart's weakness, on the day David's father was killed in front of his eight-year-old self. Over the last ten years, Steelheart has ruled as the master of Newcago, where he turned everything to steel and enlisted the help of another Epic to make it always night. Steelheart appears invulnerable, but David believes all the clues are locked away somewhere in his mind, and if he can find and join the Reckoners, a group of rebels who are the only ones defying the Epics, he will attempt to take out the greatest Epic of all.
Sanderson delves into themes of heroism and revenge without coming across as preachy. With just a dash of romance but a lot of heart, this story is more than teenage boy escapism. It's shallowly fun where it needs to be but deep enough not to feel cheap. It's a story that should have appeal for both genders and all ages.
Admittedly, I don't read a lot of books like Sanderson's. For all I know, there's a lot of other similarly good stuff out there. I've read pieces of The Wheel of Time but have been reluctant to dive into that due to the sheer volume of the thing and the world-building. I prefer quicker stories. But this young adult story ended up being just right in length and detail, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy when it comes out. There is also a short novella between the events of Steelheart and Firefight (expected publication in early 2015) called Mitosis, which I enjoyed.
Four out of five stars for Steelheart.
Showing posts with label superpowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label superpowers. Show all posts
Friday, July 18, 2014
Monday, September 30, 2013
Blackout
I read a decent number of good books this summer, but I don't know if I'll get to review those for you. For now, I'm going to try to keep up with what I'm reading at the moment.
I just finished Blackout, a young adult novel by Robison Wells, which I picked up not only for its sci-fi premise but also because I enjoyed another book by the same author: Variant. These two books aren't in the same series, and though I'd like to, I haven't yet read Feedback, the sequel to Variant.
Blackout is not quite as suspenseful as Variant, but it's intriguing nonetheless. The book is about a virus that attacks only teenagers, giving them superpowers as well as some not-as-nice side-effects. It doesn't take long for the whole country to go on high alert as teenage terrorists attack power and landmarks across the entire continent. When the army steps in, Jack and Aubrey are caught in the middle, two teenagers who don't know what's going on even though they are being treated as criminals already. But the questions they must answer are, who are the terrorists, and who is the real enemy?
I enjoyed this book well enough but found that there were too many reveals along the way for the end to really have the impact I think the author wanted. I wasn't all that surprised by it. What I did find kind of interesting, though I'm not sure of its purpose, was that parts of the book were from the terrorists' viewpoints. I didn't mind getting in their heads, but I couldn't quite understand what I was supposed to do with the info. Was I supposed to feel a sort of sympathy for them? Was I supposed to identify with them? I didn't. I couldn't understand them at all, really. Getting in their heads also lessened the suspense for me, I think. All the big reveals were essentially given through their thoughts before the end.
I also didn't initially care a lot about or identify with the main characters, Jack and Aubrey, one of whom uses her abilities to shoplift and be in with the popular crowd, but the characters grew on me as the book progressed. Obviously, the author isn't a proponent of Aubrey's criminal activity or treatment of her not-as-popular friends but is just showing the more social side-effects of obtaining these powers.
Overall, it was a fun read with interesting powers and a nice caveat to being able to use them (the more virus-like symptoms that appeared with the use of the superpowers). Three stars.
I just finished Blackout, a young adult novel by Robison Wells, which I picked up not only for its sci-fi premise but also because I enjoyed another book by the same author: Variant. These two books aren't in the same series, and though I'd like to, I haven't yet read Feedback, the sequel to Variant.
Blackout is not quite as suspenseful as Variant, but it's intriguing nonetheless. The book is about a virus that attacks only teenagers, giving them superpowers as well as some not-as-nice side-effects. It doesn't take long for the whole country to go on high alert as teenage terrorists attack power and landmarks across the entire continent. When the army steps in, Jack and Aubrey are caught in the middle, two teenagers who don't know what's going on even though they are being treated as criminals already. But the questions they must answer are, who are the terrorists, and who is the real enemy?
I enjoyed this book well enough but found that there were too many reveals along the way for the end to really have the impact I think the author wanted. I wasn't all that surprised by it. What I did find kind of interesting, though I'm not sure of its purpose, was that parts of the book were from the terrorists' viewpoints. I didn't mind getting in their heads, but I couldn't quite understand what I was supposed to do with the info. Was I supposed to feel a sort of sympathy for them? Was I supposed to identify with them? I didn't. I couldn't understand them at all, really. Getting in their heads also lessened the suspense for me, I think. All the big reveals were essentially given through their thoughts before the end.
I also didn't initially care a lot about or identify with the main characters, Jack and Aubrey, one of whom uses her abilities to shoplift and be in with the popular crowd, but the characters grew on me as the book progressed. Obviously, the author isn't a proponent of Aubrey's criminal activity or treatment of her not-as-popular friends but is just showing the more social side-effects of obtaining these powers.
Overall, it was a fun read with interesting powers and a nice caveat to being able to use them (the more virus-like symptoms that appeared with the use of the superpowers). Three stars.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
The Darkest Minds
[DISCLAIMER: I read this book before the school shooting in Connecticut and wrote some of this before that, as well. I do not mean for this review to reflect an opinion on the shootings or have anything to do with them, but some might find it in poor taste. For sure, the timing is bad. Please do not take my words the wrong way, and please do not read further if you have been personally affected by this tragedy.]
Just in time for Christmas, you can pick up one of the best books I've read this fall. It really pulled me in with its high-stakes danger and underlying theme about being afraid of one's own power. The Darkest Minds, by Alexandra Bracken, is the first novel in a new series for young adults. As the title suggests, there's a large element of darkness to this book. It's similar to the darkness of The Hunger Games, though instead of kids killing kids, it's adults torturing and killing kids, which might be worse in some ways.
Ruby is afraid of what she can do. That's why she's kept her true abilities a secret for six years, ever since her tenth birthday. Not that she could use them anyway. Her kind, meaning kids with powers sorted and identified by colors ranging from blue to red, are imprisoned in camps, forced to work, supposedly being rehabilitated for the outside world, though aside from some experimentation, the only rehabilitation going on is that of making sure they fear and obey the guards over them. All the others of her color are gone, disposed of. As far as she knows, Ruby is the only one left, and then her secret is revealed. No one escapes the camps, but with her life on the line, Ruby manages it. But has she gone from one form of control to another? Desperate to keep her identity a secret, scarred by memories of what she's capable of, Ruby is hesitant to let anyone in, even when her heart is longing for the friendships and romance being offered her. One thing is for sure, Ruby's old life is gone, and she will have to find her own way in a new world.
I like plotlines that are a little dark sometimes. Maybe that's why I like to read dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction. But there's more to it than just the thrill of it. I don't like a book that has no hope. So maybe that's what I like about this kind of book: the trickle of light in the night, the hope that pulls the characters through, the triumph over the trials. The higher the stakes, the better the hard-won victory. I think that's part of the appeal.
Ruby goes through a lot of internal struggle, which I really like, too. It's more than teenage angst. Ruby is powerful, and rather than use that power, she wants to escape it. She doesn't want to be dangerous, but she is. That makes for interesting internal and external conflict.
The plot is fast-paced, a chronicle of one escape after the next with truly loveable companions and complicated bad guys with varying degrees of evilness in a semi-post-apocalyptic United States. I love where the book leaves off for the sequel to pick up at. I don't want to spoil anything, but I think I can give you this: the book leaves you with one tantalizing question: is it sometimes necessary to choose a lesser evil to combat a greater one?
I almost gave this book five stars, I really did. I liked it that much. After all, I gave The Hunger Games five stars. But I couldn't quite do it, so it stands at four, maybe four and a half. Though there were tiny annoyances here and there (like the fact that Canada and Mexico would close their borders to the United States, and the reason given is that they never liked the United States and just needed a good excuse...right), the main reason is that it is truly dark and horrifying at places without the balance of a faith-based worldview. It's not too graphic, but the imagination is afforded lots of room to fill in the blanks. So, be warned, this book may not be for everyone. I do think it's appropriate enough for its targeted age group, though.
It's really too bad this book is just coming out this Tuesday because I'm looking forward to the next book already! But anticipation is fun, too, so join me and let's anticipate this next great series together!
Just in time for Christmas, you can pick up one of the best books I've read this fall. It really pulled me in with its high-stakes danger and underlying theme about being afraid of one's own power. The Darkest Minds, by Alexandra Bracken, is the first novel in a new series for young adults. As the title suggests, there's a large element of darkness to this book. It's similar to the darkness of The Hunger Games, though instead of kids killing kids, it's adults torturing and killing kids, which might be worse in some ways.
Ruby is afraid of what she can do. That's why she's kept her true abilities a secret for six years, ever since her tenth birthday. Not that she could use them anyway. Her kind, meaning kids with powers sorted and identified by colors ranging from blue to red, are imprisoned in camps, forced to work, supposedly being rehabilitated for the outside world, though aside from some experimentation, the only rehabilitation going on is that of making sure they fear and obey the guards over them. All the others of her color are gone, disposed of. As far as she knows, Ruby is the only one left, and then her secret is revealed. No one escapes the camps, but with her life on the line, Ruby manages it. But has she gone from one form of control to another? Desperate to keep her identity a secret, scarred by memories of what she's capable of, Ruby is hesitant to let anyone in, even when her heart is longing for the friendships and romance being offered her. One thing is for sure, Ruby's old life is gone, and she will have to find her own way in a new world.
I like plotlines that are a little dark sometimes. Maybe that's why I like to read dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction. But there's more to it than just the thrill of it. I don't like a book that has no hope. So maybe that's what I like about this kind of book: the trickle of light in the night, the hope that pulls the characters through, the triumph over the trials. The higher the stakes, the better the hard-won victory. I think that's part of the appeal.
Ruby goes through a lot of internal struggle, which I really like, too. It's more than teenage angst. Ruby is powerful, and rather than use that power, she wants to escape it. She doesn't want to be dangerous, but she is. That makes for interesting internal and external conflict.
The plot is fast-paced, a chronicle of one escape after the next with truly loveable companions and complicated bad guys with varying degrees of evilness in a semi-post-apocalyptic United States. I love where the book leaves off for the sequel to pick up at. I don't want to spoil anything, but I think I can give you this: the book leaves you with one tantalizing question: is it sometimes necessary to choose a lesser evil to combat a greater one?
I almost gave this book five stars, I really did. I liked it that much. After all, I gave The Hunger Games five stars. But I couldn't quite do it, so it stands at four, maybe four and a half. Though there were tiny annoyances here and there (like the fact that Canada and Mexico would close their borders to the United States, and the reason given is that they never liked the United States and just needed a good excuse...right), the main reason is that it is truly dark and horrifying at places without the balance of a faith-based worldview. It's not too graphic, but the imagination is afforded lots of room to fill in the blanks. So, be warned, this book may not be for everyone. I do think it's appropriate enough for its targeted age group, though.
It's really too bad this book is just coming out this Tuesday because I'm looking forward to the next book already! But anticipation is fun, too, so join me and let's anticipate this next great series together!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Rise of the Elgen (Michael Vey, Book 2)
Rise of the Elgen is the second book in Richard Paul Evans's young adult series about Michael Vey, a teenager with electric powers, so if you haven't read the first, don't start here. Reading this review might spoil the first book, and if you read this book first, you'll be playing catch-up for a long time. Start with The Prisoner of Cell 25, which I've reviewed for you here. If you like superheroes and science fiction, you'll like this series.
Again, if you haven't read the first book, there will be some major SPOILERS ahead. Michael Vey and his Electroclan, other kids with assorted electric powers, are on the run. After shutting down the facility he'd been a prisoner at and recruiting some of the formerly-evil electric teens to his cause, there isn't a place on the globe that Michael can run to where Dr. Hatch won't hunt him down. But Michael isn't planning on running away. He plans on running toward the danger so that he can free his mother from Hatch's cruel hand. The rest of the electric teens, and a few friends who aren't, are deeply loyal to Michael, so he's not alone. His best friend is a brainiac. His girlfriend can read minds. Two former school enemies and bullies owe him their lives, so even though they're not electric, they're part of the group, putting all that aggression to good use now. Then there's Zeus, who shoots electric bolts; McKenna, who heats things up; Abigail, who can ease pain with a touch; and Ian, who's blind but can see living things better than anyone. And as time passes, Michael's own powers of electrocution become stronger. The Electroclan is a force to be reckoned with. But so is Hatch. He still has some very powerful electric teens on his side, and the methods he'll use to keep his people in check provide him with a very loyal and dangerous group of soldiers of his own: the Elgen. This second book of the series takes the action into the jungles of the Amazon basin in Peru.
You can get bogged down in names and details in this series, but at the same time, part is that contributes to why it's so good. Evans puts all his characters to use. None of them are just along for the ride or a pretty face (okay, except maybe Wade, poor secondary character). Each electric power comes in handy. Each character contributes, both to the physical plot and to the emotional development of the book.
There's also something very good about this series and Michael Vey, in particular. Michael wants to do the right thing. He has all this responsibility on his shoulders, but the power never goes to his head. The good characters are clearly good, and the bad characters are clearly whatever they are: truly evil or conflicted or coerced. There's in-fighting in Michael's group, but they learn to overcome it and even fight for each other, instead. It's a series about teens who don't have it all together but who do have these amazing powers they are willing to use for good, even if it terrifies them to confront evil.
That doesn't mean the book's remotely realistic, but when are superhero stories ever? Yeah, things are a little over-the-top. There are lots of helpful coincidences (a fact the book doesn't deny) and lots of impossible odds. Peru is definitely not as dangerous as Evans makes it out to be. I grew up in the Amazon rainforests; I should know.
Despite the goodness of the Good vs. Evil being really good (or maybe to balance it), the evil is pretty awful at times: torture, violence, and death. The good guys try not to kill in cold blood, but there are casualties as they defend themselves. The bad guys don't have any such scruples, of course, and I'd be disappointed in the book if it pulled punches like that. But the level of violence, particularly in the torture, may not be for everyone.
That said, however, Rise of the Elgen is a good addition to Evans's series and a book that older teens and adults alike should enjoy. Four stars.
Again, if you haven't read the first book, there will be some major SPOILERS ahead. Michael Vey and his Electroclan, other kids with assorted electric powers, are on the run. After shutting down the facility he'd been a prisoner at and recruiting some of the formerly-evil electric teens to his cause, there isn't a place on the globe that Michael can run to where Dr. Hatch won't hunt him down. But Michael isn't planning on running away. He plans on running toward the danger so that he can free his mother from Hatch's cruel hand. The rest of the electric teens, and a few friends who aren't, are deeply loyal to Michael, so he's not alone. His best friend is a brainiac. His girlfriend can read minds. Two former school enemies and bullies owe him their lives, so even though they're not electric, they're part of the group, putting all that aggression to good use now. Then there's Zeus, who shoots electric bolts; McKenna, who heats things up; Abigail, who can ease pain with a touch; and Ian, who's blind but can see living things better than anyone. And as time passes, Michael's own powers of electrocution become stronger. The Electroclan is a force to be reckoned with. But so is Hatch. He still has some very powerful electric teens on his side, and the methods he'll use to keep his people in check provide him with a very loyal and dangerous group of soldiers of his own: the Elgen. This second book of the series takes the action into the jungles of the Amazon basin in Peru.
You can get bogged down in names and details in this series, but at the same time, part is that contributes to why it's so good. Evans puts all his characters to use. None of them are just along for the ride or a pretty face (okay, except maybe Wade, poor secondary character). Each electric power comes in handy. Each character contributes, both to the physical plot and to the emotional development of the book.
There's also something very good about this series and Michael Vey, in particular. Michael wants to do the right thing. He has all this responsibility on his shoulders, but the power never goes to his head. The good characters are clearly good, and the bad characters are clearly whatever they are: truly evil or conflicted or coerced. There's in-fighting in Michael's group, but they learn to overcome it and even fight for each other, instead. It's a series about teens who don't have it all together but who do have these amazing powers they are willing to use for good, even if it terrifies them to confront evil.
That doesn't mean the book's remotely realistic, but when are superhero stories ever? Yeah, things are a little over-the-top. There are lots of helpful coincidences (a fact the book doesn't deny) and lots of impossible odds. Peru is definitely not as dangerous as Evans makes it out to be. I grew up in the Amazon rainforests; I should know.
Despite the goodness of the Good vs. Evil being really good (or maybe to balance it), the evil is pretty awful at times: torture, violence, and death. The good guys try not to kill in cold blood, but there are casualties as they defend themselves. The bad guys don't have any such scruples, of course, and I'd be disappointed in the book if it pulled punches like that. But the level of violence, particularly in the torture, may not be for everyone.
That said, however, Rise of the Elgen is a good addition to Evans's series and a book that older teens and adults alike should enjoy. Four stars.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
False Memory
False Memory, a young adult science fiction novel by Dan Krokos, is one of those 3-star books I enjoy reading in the moment but that don't intrigue me enough to follow them up when the next in the series comes out. I was actually intrigued by the set-up for the next book in this series, and if I'd had a copy on my shelf, I would have dived right into it, no problem. But by the time this one's sequel comes out, I'll have plenty of other books competing for my attention. Since I read advance reader's copies, sequels don't even cross my radar unless I make a point of looking for them after reading a story I'm not ready to let go of. Most likely, I'll never even know when the sequel to False Memory comes out.
False Memory (and I'll get to my opinion of the title in just a moment) begins with 17-year-old Miranda North waking up and not remembering who she is except for her name. She recognizes that a mall is a mall and a cop is a cop, but her past is blank. When she accidentally causes mass panic with her own mind and easily wins hand-to-hand combat, she realizes she is more than your average girl. But it all feels right, and as she returns to the only world she's ever known with a boy just like her, her memories start to come back in patches. The question is, is it enough? Her childhood friends are at odds with each other, but that's nothing compared to pressures from outside the group. Someone wants them dead while another wants to use them for nefarious purposes. Miranda's fractured mind follows along as best it can as her team deals with its troubles, but there's no doubt, some things have changed for her. Can she go back to the person she was, or is she irreparably altered into someone new?
Interesting premise. I like the whole idea of someone starting over when memory fails her. But, tell me, why, oh, why would you go and name a book with memory loss as the premise False Memory? From the beginning, I suspected Miranda's memories! The title felt like a major give-away for someone who hates spoilers. Would you name Star Wars The Boy Whose Father was Darth Vader? So, then, why would you tell us right off the bat that your main character who's struggling with her memory might be remembering things that aren't true? It doesn't make sense. I won't say whether or not it mattered in the end or if it was a real spoiler or not. The point is, it felt like a spoiler, and rather than wondering, I was just waiting for it to happen.
Title aside, there are pieces of this story, or even just lines here and there, that are confusing. If I didn't understand something, I left it and read on, and overall, the story makes good enough sense. There is just something in the writing of it that isn't completely smooth and clear.
My one other problem with the book is its treatment of death. In the opening pages, Miranda accidentally kills people. It's shocking, yes, but I don't necessarily mind the murder being present in a young adult novel. What I need to see, however, is the murderer's reactions. Is she horrified? Does she care? Does it change her? When given the opportunity, does she murder again? I'm sad to say that Miranda's character does not ace these questions. Yes, she feels awful about the initial deaths, and yes, she doesn't want to do anything like that again. But later, she easily kills people who get in her way, and she hardly thinks twice about it. She's trained to be a weapon, but especially after the loss of memories, I would think she'd be more horrified by what she's capable of. The people she kills later in the book are not civilians. They are basically nameless, faceless soldiers, but they are still humans. Does it make it okay to kill people if they would kill you first?
And here's another question the book raises and seemingly answers: is it okay to kill a few so that more don't die? Sacrifice a few for the greater good? It's still murder. I know it's not an easy question, but the lack of internal struggle over it is more of a problem to me than the presence of it in the book. Make the characters tackle the big questions; that's good. But don't raise big questions if you can't deliver an honest discussion of right and wrong. Comparatively, I was less bothered by some of the brutality in The Hunger Games. There, the discussion of good and evil is clear, and the main character has qualms about killing, even for survival.
False Memory is the equivalent of a popcorn movie. A bit of entertainment without much heavy thinking required. This book is released this month.
False Memory (and I'll get to my opinion of the title in just a moment) begins with 17-year-old Miranda North waking up and not remembering who she is except for her name. She recognizes that a mall is a mall and a cop is a cop, but her past is blank. When she accidentally causes mass panic with her own mind and easily wins hand-to-hand combat, she realizes she is more than your average girl. But it all feels right, and as she returns to the only world she's ever known with a boy just like her, her memories start to come back in patches. The question is, is it enough? Her childhood friends are at odds with each other, but that's nothing compared to pressures from outside the group. Someone wants them dead while another wants to use them for nefarious purposes. Miranda's fractured mind follows along as best it can as her team deals with its troubles, but there's no doubt, some things have changed for her. Can she go back to the person she was, or is she irreparably altered into someone new?
Interesting premise. I like the whole idea of someone starting over when memory fails her. But, tell me, why, oh, why would you go and name a book with memory loss as the premise False Memory? From the beginning, I suspected Miranda's memories! The title felt like a major give-away for someone who hates spoilers. Would you name Star Wars The Boy Whose Father was Darth Vader? So, then, why would you tell us right off the bat that your main character who's struggling with her memory might be remembering things that aren't true? It doesn't make sense. I won't say whether or not it mattered in the end or if it was a real spoiler or not. The point is, it felt like a spoiler, and rather than wondering, I was just waiting for it to happen.
Title aside, there are pieces of this story, or even just lines here and there, that are confusing. If I didn't understand something, I left it and read on, and overall, the story makes good enough sense. There is just something in the writing of it that isn't completely smooth and clear.
My one other problem with the book is its treatment of death. In the opening pages, Miranda accidentally kills people. It's shocking, yes, but I don't necessarily mind the murder being present in a young adult novel. What I need to see, however, is the murderer's reactions. Is she horrified? Does she care? Does it change her? When given the opportunity, does she murder again? I'm sad to say that Miranda's character does not ace these questions. Yes, she feels awful about the initial deaths, and yes, she doesn't want to do anything like that again. But later, she easily kills people who get in her way, and she hardly thinks twice about it. She's trained to be a weapon, but especially after the loss of memories, I would think she'd be more horrified by what she's capable of. The people she kills later in the book are not civilians. They are basically nameless, faceless soldiers, but they are still humans. Does it make it okay to kill people if they would kill you first?
And here's another question the book raises and seemingly answers: is it okay to kill a few so that more don't die? Sacrifice a few for the greater good? It's still murder. I know it's not an easy question, but the lack of internal struggle over it is more of a problem to me than the presence of it in the book. Make the characters tackle the big questions; that's good. But don't raise big questions if you can't deliver an honest discussion of right and wrong. Comparatively, I was less bothered by some of the brutality in The Hunger Games. There, the discussion of good and evil is clear, and the main character has qualms about killing, even for survival.
False Memory is the equivalent of a popcorn movie. A bit of entertainment without much heavy thinking required. This book is released this month.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Brief Takes on Man on a Ledge and Chronicle
Here are my brief takes on a couple movies I've seen recently. They aren't worth full reviews, but because interest in them might be high, they warrant a few comments.
Man on a Ledge (2012 drama thriller out on DVD now, rated PG-13): don't bother. From the previews, it seems kind of cool, but really, nothing much happens, and what does happen is forgettable. Premise: an escaped convict (and former cop) will go to any lengths to prove he is innocent of diamond theft. I guess going to any lengths means he'll enlist the help of his brother and brother's hot girlfriend. The only reason they pull anything off is sheer luck. Believability rating: one star.
Chronicle (2012 sci-fi thriller out on DVD now, rated PG-13, 84 minutes): depressing and messed up. The cool factor of this movie comes from the way it is filmed: entirely through personal video cameras, security cameras, and phones. It's very much like Cloverfield, only less jumpy. Premise: three teens get superhuman powers and begin to experiment with what they can do. Message: if you are a loner who's bullied by both father and peers and lacks social skills, getting a new handle on life doesn't make the anger go away. This is not a feel-good movie about superheroes. It's more about self-destruction. The creative filming sucks you in...right in...to a black hole. Positivity rating: one star.
Man on a Ledge (2012 drama thriller out on DVD now, rated PG-13): don't bother. From the previews, it seems kind of cool, but really, nothing much happens, and what does happen is forgettable. Premise: an escaped convict (and former cop) will go to any lengths to prove he is innocent of diamond theft. I guess going to any lengths means he'll enlist the help of his brother and brother's hot girlfriend. The only reason they pull anything off is sheer luck. Believability rating: one star.
Chronicle (2012 sci-fi thriller out on DVD now, rated PG-13, 84 minutes): depressing and messed up. The cool factor of this movie comes from the way it is filmed: entirely through personal video cameras, security cameras, and phones. It's very much like Cloverfield, only less jumpy. Premise: three teens get superhuman powers and begin to experiment with what they can do. Message: if you are a loner who's bullied by both father and peers and lacks social skills, getting a new handle on life doesn't make the anger go away. This is not a feel-good movie about superheroes. It's more about self-destruction. The creative filming sucks you in...right in...to a black hole. Positivity rating: one star.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Shatter Me
Sometimes a book stands out for the way it is written. Though the plot of Tehereh Mafi's Shatter Me is interesting in itself, this young adult novel certainly wouldn't have the same feel written in any other style. Used once or twice, hyperbolic metaphors can be startling, providing you with an extreme picture of an otherwise mundane moment or emotion. But what if a person's thoughts were dominated by such metaphors and a book was narrated from that person's point of view? It might seem ridiculous at first, but as you continue to read and the style stays consistent, it becomes something part beautiful/part insane, which I think is what the author was going for with her main character.
Seventeen-year-old Juliette is a prisoner. She lives in isolation, abused, tormented by her past, by a murder she unwillingly committed. Juliette wonders if she might be crazy. She knows she's a monster. Her greatest desire in the world is to be touched, loved, but it's impossible. Even her parents abandoned her, a fact she tries greatly to forget. But Juliette can never forget what her own hands can do. With a mere brush of skin to skin, she can torture a person until they die, and she has no control over it.
From her cell, Juliette can see a little of the world outside, a world not much better than her own, a place where birds no longer fly, where food is scarce, where soldiers control the population, where radiation kills. It's a dystopia rising from post-apocalyptic ashes, but what Juliette doesn't know is that she could become a weapon and there are people looking for her for just that purpose. Imprisoned or "free," it seems Juliette has little choice over what she does with her own hands or life.
And then she discovers Adam, and her life will never be the same.
Although this novel contains elements that are dystopian and post-apocalyptic, with superhero and girl-power themes, it's primarily a romance. And a more steamy romance you'd be hard-pressed to find. The steam is mostly generated by the metaphors and by the sheer passion and intensity in Juliette's mind. She is a character who feels things deeply in her soul, having spent her whole life suffering from lack of touch. The author does an astounding job melding this dichotomy, making it logical in this character. You could almost say that the writing style is a manifestation of the state of Juliette's mind. A personal journal could not have captured her mind better.
(SPOILERS here.) I must say, however, that I was a little put off by the romance. Some of it is a little too much, more steam than substance. Occasionally, it makes the book begin to drag, which is all the more noticeable in a book that keeps its intensity on overdrive most of the time. Though the characters never actually have sex, it's not for want of doing so. It's more that they are interrupted. And while you could say that this keeps the book "clean," I felt like the author was just trying to create romantic tension and that she will get the sex into the story in later books, as this is the first in a series. It's kind of like in Twilight, where they don't have sex, but it's more because they are afraid of what could happen than any moral conviction. Shatter Me doesn't have any moral dilemma with the characters having sex, and in fact, if you aren't paying close attention, you might think they actually do, the descriptions of their kissing and touching being as intense as they are. But though the romance bugged me sometimes, the story wouldn't have been the same without the romantic aspect.
I was excited about where the book started going by the end, so I will definitely be checking out the sequel. But that may be awhile in coming; Shatter Me just came out in November of last year.
Four stars for a beautifully written, fast-paced (for the most part), engaging story.
Seventeen-year-old Juliette is a prisoner. She lives in isolation, abused, tormented by her past, by a murder she unwillingly committed. Juliette wonders if she might be crazy. She knows she's a monster. Her greatest desire in the world is to be touched, loved, but it's impossible. Even her parents abandoned her, a fact she tries greatly to forget. But Juliette can never forget what her own hands can do. With a mere brush of skin to skin, she can torture a person until they die, and she has no control over it.
From her cell, Juliette can see a little of the world outside, a world not much better than her own, a place where birds no longer fly, where food is scarce, where soldiers control the population, where radiation kills. It's a dystopia rising from post-apocalyptic ashes, but what Juliette doesn't know is that she could become a weapon and there are people looking for her for just that purpose. Imprisoned or "free," it seems Juliette has little choice over what she does with her own hands or life.
And then she discovers Adam, and her life will never be the same.
Although this novel contains elements that are dystopian and post-apocalyptic, with superhero and girl-power themes, it's primarily a romance. And a more steamy romance you'd be hard-pressed to find. The steam is mostly generated by the metaphors and by the sheer passion and intensity in Juliette's mind. She is a character who feels things deeply in her soul, having spent her whole life suffering from lack of touch. The author does an astounding job melding this dichotomy, making it logical in this character. You could almost say that the writing style is a manifestation of the state of Juliette's mind. A personal journal could not have captured her mind better.
(SPOILERS here.) I must say, however, that I was a little put off by the romance. Some of it is a little too much, more steam than substance. Occasionally, it makes the book begin to drag, which is all the more noticeable in a book that keeps its intensity on overdrive most of the time. Though the characters never actually have sex, it's not for want of doing so. It's more that they are interrupted. And while you could say that this keeps the book "clean," I felt like the author was just trying to create romantic tension and that she will get the sex into the story in later books, as this is the first in a series. It's kind of like in Twilight, where they don't have sex, but it's more because they are afraid of what could happen than any moral conviction. Shatter Me doesn't have any moral dilemma with the characters having sex, and in fact, if you aren't paying close attention, you might think they actually do, the descriptions of their kissing and touching being as intense as they are. But though the romance bugged me sometimes, the story wouldn't have been the same without the romantic aspect.
I was excited about where the book started going by the end, so I will definitely be checking out the sequel. But that may be awhile in coming; Shatter Me just came out in November of last year.
Four stars for a beautifully written, fast-paced (for the most part), engaging story.
Shatter Me
Sometimes a book stands out for the way it is written. Though the plot of Tehereh Mafi's Shatter Me is interesting in itself, this young adult novel certainly wouldn't have the same feel written in any other style. Used once or twice, hyperbolic metaphors can be startling, providing you with an extreme picture of an otherwise mundane moment or emotion. But what if a person's thoughts were dominated by such metaphors and a book was narrated from that person's point of view? It might seem ridiculous at first, but as you continue to read and the style stays consistent, it becomes something part beautiful/part insane, which I think is what the author was going for with her main character.
Seventeen-year-old Juliette is a prisoner. She lives in isolation, abused, tormented by her past, by a murder she unwillingly committed. Juliette wonders if she might be crazy. She knows she's a monster. Her greatest desire in the world is to be touched, loved, but it's impossible. Even her parents abandoned her, a fact she tries greatly to forget. But Juliette can never forget what her own hands can do. With a mere brush of skin to skin, she can torture a person until they die, and she has no control over it.
From her cell, Juliette can see a little of the world outside, a world not much better than her own, a place where birds no longer fly, where food is scarce, where soldiers control the population, where radiation kills. It's a dystopia rising from post-apocalyptic ashes, but what Juliette doesn't know is that she could become a weapon and there are people looking for her for just that purpose. Imprisoned or "free," it seems Juliette has little choice over what she does with her own hands or life.
And then she discovers Adam, and her life will never be the same.
Although this novel contains elements that are dystopian and post-apocalyptic, with superhero and girl-power themes, it's primarily a romance. And a more steamy romance you'd be hard-pressed to find. The steam is mostly generated by the metaphors and by the sheer passion and intensity in Juliette's mind. She is a character who feels things deeply in her soul, having spent her whole life suffering from lack of touch. The author does an astounding job melding this dichotomy, making it logical in this character. You could almost say that the writing style is a manifestation of the state of Juliette's mind. A personal journal could not have captured her mind better.
(SPOILERS here.) I must say, however, that I was a little put off by the romance. Some of it is a little too much, more steam than substance. Occasionally, it makes the book begin to drag, which is all the more noticeable in a book that keeps its intensity on overdrive most of the time. Though the characters never actually have sex, it's not for want of doing so. It's more that they are interrupted. And while you could say that this keeps the book "clean," I felt like the author was just trying to create romantic tension and that she will get the sex into the story in later books, as this is the first in a series. It's kind of like in Twilight, where they don't have sex, but it's more because they are afraid of what could happen than any moral conviction. Shatter Me doesn't have any moral dilemma with the characters having sex, and in fact, if you aren't paying close attention, you might think they actually do, the descriptions of their kissing and touching being as intense as they are. But though the romance bugged me sometimes, the story wouldn't have been the same without the romantic aspect.
I was excited about where the book started going by the end, so I will definitely be checking out the sequel. But that may be awhile in coming; Shatter Me just came out in November of last year.
Four stars for a beautifully written, fast-paced (for the most part), engaging story.
Seventeen-year-old Juliette is a prisoner. She lives in isolation, abused, tormented by her past, by a murder she unwillingly committed. Juliette wonders if she might be crazy. She knows she's a monster. Her greatest desire in the world is to be touched, loved, but it's impossible. Even her parents abandoned her, a fact she tries greatly to forget. But Juliette can never forget what her own hands can do. With a mere brush of skin to skin, she can torture a person until they die, and she has no control over it.
From her cell, Juliette can see a little of the world outside, a world not much better than her own, a place where birds no longer fly, where food is scarce, where soldiers control the population, where radiation kills. It's a dystopia rising from post-apocalyptic ashes, but what Juliette doesn't know is that she could become a weapon and there are people looking for her for just that purpose. Imprisoned or "free," it seems Juliette has little choice over what she does with her own hands or life.
And then she discovers Adam, and her life will never be the same.
Although this novel contains elements that are dystopian and post-apocalyptic, with superhero and girl-power themes, it's primarily a romance. And a more steamy romance you'd be hard-pressed to find. The steam is mostly generated by the metaphors and by the sheer passion and intensity in Juliette's mind. She is a character who feels things deeply in her soul, having spent her whole life suffering from lack of touch. The author does an astounding job melding this dichotomy, making it logical in this character. You could almost say that the writing style is a manifestation of the state of Juliette's mind. A personal journal could not have captured her mind better.
(SPOILERS here.) I must say, however, that I was a little put off by the romance. Some of it is a little too much, more steam than substance. Occasionally, it makes the book begin to drag, which is all the more noticeable in a book that keeps its intensity on overdrive most of the time. Though the characters never actually have sex, it's not for want of doing so. It's more that they are interrupted. And while you could say that this keeps the book "clean," I felt like the author was just trying to create romantic tension and that she will get the sex into the story in later books, as this is the first in a series. It's kind of like in Twilight, where they don't have sex, but it's more because they are afraid of what could happen than any moral conviction. Shatter Me doesn't have any moral dilemma with the characters having sex, and in fact, if you aren't paying close attention, you might think they actually do, the descriptions of their kissing and touching being as intense as they are. But though the romance bugged me sometimes, the story wouldn't have been the same without the romantic aspect.
I was excited about where the book started going by the end, so I will definitely be checking out the sequel. But that may be awhile in coming; Shatter Me just came out in November of last year.
Four stars for a beautifully written, fast-paced (for the most part), engaging story.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25
You may begin to see fewer reviews from me as it gets closer to my second baby's due date. I have just a month left, so I've been "nesting" and cleaning and not doing a lot of reading. But when I finally got around to starting the next book on my list, it didn't take me long to finish it. Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25, by Richard Paul Evans, was recommended to me by my father-in-law and brother-in-law. They'd read it after hearing about it from conservative radio and talk show host Glenn Beck, whose publishing house, along with Simon Pulse, had printed it.
Michael Vey is young adult science fiction with a male teen protagonist who should draw in a male readership (although, I enjoyed this book, too). Michael Vey, himself, is a seemingly average kid whose only apparent differences are that he has Tourette's syndrome (which manifests itself in involuntary facial tics rather than swearing; I didn't know it could do that) and an unlucky penchant for drawing notice from bullies. He's picked on wherever he goes, and he's been around. He's been in this town long enough to have a close friend, a brilliant, though nerdy, kid named Ostin, so it's imperative that he keep his secret from getting out. And what is his secret? He could stop all the bullying in every school he's been to, if he wanted, if he dared...because Michel Vey is electric. He can electrocute someone with a touch, which is just what he does when he finally gets sick of taking the abuse. But this mistake draws the exact unwanted attention his mother has been trying to protect him from all these years. Someone has been looking for the electric kids, all seventeen of them, and when he finds them, he has the power to force them to obey his will. Michael's bullying problems have really only just begun.
This is a fun mutant/superhero story. The idea is creative and sounds well-researched, even if it might not be. Michael is the sweetest kid, but he has steel in him, too. The story is a fantastic example of real good versus evil, not this wishy-washy become-evil-to-fight-evil stuff. With great power may come great responsibility, but that doesn't mean you sacrifice your morals along the way. Michael Vey doesn't. And the book has great themes of forgiveness in it.
All around, it's an awesome story for teens, and it has little for me to complain about. The only thing I have is something a writer would notice. The book is dialog heavy and probably more detailed, especially in the dialog, than it needs to be. Seemingly nonessential dialog is often included, probably to make it seem more realistic. But aside from being noticeable, it doesn't slow down the story much. At the end, there was a lot of detailed action going on, which could have been a problem if I had tried to understand it all. Instead, I just kept reading, and I got the whole gist of it. It's all very logical, but sometimes the reader doesn't need to see exactly how you get from point A to point B. But this is also a writing style, and just because it's not my favorite doesn't mean the story isn't good. And it is good.
So, get on down to your local bookstore for Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25. This book would make a great gift for any teenage boy. Or, if you don't know any teenage boys, your dad might like it, too.
Additional Note: I apologize to my readers that I haven't been able to post book pictures or links to Amazon recently. My easy little widget for adding those things quit working, so I may have to start doing it the old-fashioned way.
ADDENDUM: I forgot to mention the first time that this is the first book in a series, so while it has a satisfactory ending for the beginning of the story, it doesn't end the story.
Michael Vey is young adult science fiction with a male teen protagonist who should draw in a male readership (although, I enjoyed this book, too). Michael Vey, himself, is a seemingly average kid whose only apparent differences are that he has Tourette's syndrome (which manifests itself in involuntary facial tics rather than swearing; I didn't know it could do that) and an unlucky penchant for drawing notice from bullies. He's picked on wherever he goes, and he's been around. He's been in this town long enough to have a close friend, a brilliant, though nerdy, kid named Ostin, so it's imperative that he keep his secret from getting out. And what is his secret? He could stop all the bullying in every school he's been to, if he wanted, if he dared...because Michel Vey is electric. He can electrocute someone with a touch, which is just what he does when he finally gets sick of taking the abuse. But this mistake draws the exact unwanted attention his mother has been trying to protect him from all these years. Someone has been looking for the electric kids, all seventeen of them, and when he finds them, he has the power to force them to obey his will. Michael's bullying problems have really only just begun.
This is a fun mutant/superhero story. The idea is creative and sounds well-researched, even if it might not be. Michael is the sweetest kid, but he has steel in him, too. The story is a fantastic example of real good versus evil, not this wishy-washy become-evil-to-fight-evil stuff. With great power may come great responsibility, but that doesn't mean you sacrifice your morals along the way. Michael Vey doesn't. And the book has great themes of forgiveness in it.
All around, it's an awesome story for teens, and it has little for me to complain about. The only thing I have is something a writer would notice. The book is dialog heavy and probably more detailed, especially in the dialog, than it needs to be. Seemingly nonessential dialog is often included, probably to make it seem more realistic. But aside from being noticeable, it doesn't slow down the story much. At the end, there was a lot of detailed action going on, which could have been a problem if I had tried to understand it all. Instead, I just kept reading, and I got the whole gist of it. It's all very logical, but sometimes the reader doesn't need to see exactly how you get from point A to point B. But this is also a writing style, and just because it's not my favorite doesn't mean the story isn't good. And it is good.
So, get on down to your local bookstore for Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25. This book would make a great gift for any teenage boy. Or, if you don't know any teenage boys, your dad might like it, too.
Additional Note: I apologize to my readers that I haven't been able to post book pictures or links to Amazon recently. My easy little widget for adding those things quit working, so I may have to start doing it the old-fashioned way.
ADDENDUM: I forgot to mention the first time that this is the first book in a series, so while it has a satisfactory ending for the beginning of the story, it doesn't end the story.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The Candidates (Delcroix Academy, Book 1)
This was a relatively intriguing idea, but it was mediocre in its delivery. The Candidates (Delcroix Academy, Book 1) begins a new young adult series by Inara Scott. Dancia is average in everything except one, and it's that one thing that makes her determined to stay below the radar in everything else. She has a secret power, but the problem is, it's uncontrollable. Whenever she gets upset, people end up getting hurt and going to the hospital. Dancia has determined that the best way to keep people safe is to guard herself against getting attached to anyone. She reasons, if she doesn't care, she can't get upset.
Everything changes when recruiters come from the prestigious, out-of-her-league boarding school called Decroix Academy. They think Dancia is special, but they couldn't know about her power, could they? Dancia is sure they have made a mistake, but she accepts their full scholarship offer anyway. The thing is, it's impossible to be average at Delcroix. Everyone has talent, whether it's in math, music, science, or language. Dancia begins to wonder why some people, including herself and her new friend Jack, don't seem to have any talent, at least none that others can know about. Then there's something mysterious about the school itself. It's overly protected, and some of the older students seem to have their eyes glued to Dancia's every movement, including a very hot junior who was one of her recruiters.
This story has so much potential, but it didn't play much with it. Dancia is a girl with superpowers, but she barely uses them throughout the book. When the hidden purposes of Delcroix are revealed, they are somewhat disappointing. Nothing really happens at the end of the book. The climax is underdone.
If you want a story about superpowers at a boarding school, H.I.V.E. is a better option. It's a story about a secret boarding school for the children of supervillains. It has much more danger, and the characters are more interesting.
Everything changes when recruiters come from the prestigious, out-of-her-league boarding school called Decroix Academy. They think Dancia is special, but they couldn't know about her power, could they? Dancia is sure they have made a mistake, but she accepts their full scholarship offer anyway. The thing is, it's impossible to be average at Delcroix. Everyone has talent, whether it's in math, music, science, or language. Dancia begins to wonder why some people, including herself and her new friend Jack, don't seem to have any talent, at least none that others can know about. Then there's something mysterious about the school itself. It's overly protected, and some of the older students seem to have their eyes glued to Dancia's every movement, including a very hot junior who was one of her recruiters.
This story has so much potential, but it didn't play much with it. Dancia is a girl with superpowers, but she barely uses them throughout the book. When the hidden purposes of Delcroix are revealed, they are somewhat disappointing. Nothing really happens at the end of the book. The climax is underdone.
If you want a story about superpowers at a boarding school, H.I.V.E. is a better option. It's a story about a secret boarding school for the children of supervillains. It has much more danger, and the characters are more interesting.
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