Some Books Ago: Breathe (Breathe #1) by Sarah Crossan

Some Books Ago is a shout out to all those books published some years ago. I don't want you to forget them!

I've always loved the cover of this book, and many of my friends said it was amazing. I don't even have it, but it's still on my TBR and I hope I can read it one day. If you have it, you should give it a try. I've heard the best things about it!
Check it out! 

It was published on October 2nd 2012 by Greenwillow

 

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

The world has no air. If you want to survive, you pay to breathe. But what if you can't? And what if you think everything could be different? Three teens will leave everything they know behind in Sarah Crossan's gripping and original dystopian teen novel of danger, longing, and glimmering hope.

Ever since the Switch, when the oxygen levels plummeted and most of humanity died, the survivors have been protected in glass domes full of manufactured air. Protected . . . or trapped? Or controlled? 

Alina's a revolutionary who believes we can save the environment. Quinn's a Premium who's never had to worry about having enough air. His best friend, Bea, is an Auxiliary who's never worried about anything but having enough air. When the three cross paths, they will change everything.

 

 

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Review: Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffin

 
Spare and Found Parts

by Sarah Maria Griffin

My rating: 4 -4.5 stars

Source: eARC for review. Thank you!

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

Nell Crane has always been an outsider. In a city devastated by an epidemic, where survivors are all missing parts—an arm, a leg, an eye—her father is the famed scientist who created the biomechanical limbs everyone now uses. But Nell is the only one whose mechanical piece is on the inside: her heart. Since the childhood operation, she has ticked. Like a clock, like a bomb. As her community rebuilds, everyone is expected to contribute to the society’s good . . . but how can Nell live up to her father’s revolutionary idea when she has none of her own?

Then she finds a mannequin hand while salvaging on the beach—the first boy’s hand she’s ever held—and inspiration strikes. Can Nell build her own companion in a world that fears advanced technology? The deeper she sinks into this plan, the more she learns about her city—and her father, who is hiding secret experiments of his own.

****

 I read this book some days ago, but it took me a while to write something about it because I loved it, but I didn’t loved it too much. I still don’t know how to explain it, but I’ll try my best.

Spare and Found Parts was set in a post apocalyptic world where people are missing parts of their bodies, and they’ve been replaced by biomechanical parts. Everyone in that world have to present some kind contribution to help the place they live in. And while Nell is smart and brilliant, she feels as she’s always been in the shadow of her genius father.

The world-building of this book is amazing. It was well developed and I loved reading how things worked and how people lived. They hated computers because it was their fault the old world was destroyed. They called it The Turn. It didn’t feel like a typical dystopian world, it was different and thrilling.

The problem some people I know had with this book was that Nell was too hard and cold.  She feels different and alone because she’s the only one with a mechanical heart, but she had a loving (but distracted) father, a lovely best friend and a cute guy in love with her.

For some reason she hated this boy, Oliver, he seemed a little pushy, but it wasn’t a big reason for her to hate him. She was mean to him and used him every time she needed. That’s the only thing I didn’t understand or like about this book. She didn’t like to be touched either, so it made her even colder.

Even I found Nell selfish and bitter, but you know what? I took this as a metaphor. She had a mechanical heart, what if that was the reason she was like this? What if the human heart was what made people warmer?

The first part was the Assembly, how Nell found the parts she needed to create her companion and the reasons that lead her to that choice.

While that first part was a little slow, it was also interesting and intriguing. It was a way to connect with the characters and their world. Did I mention that it also felt gothic?

The second part was ALIVE, the boy made out of spare and found parts came to life. He was an android, but he had her little POV, and it was so good to read. He was a Frankenstein from the future and I loved the relationship between him and Nell.

This book had a final twist I was not expecting, you might think Spare and Found Parts is only about Nelly and her boy, but there’s much more about it.

I also liked the format. Nell’s memories and Io’s (the android) POVs were told in second person and it made the book even more original.

Overall, I loved Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffin. It was a good-weird and lovely Frankenstein-like story. 

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Waiting on Wednesday: Scythe by Neal Shusterman

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

 What I'm waiting for...

 

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In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed (“gleaned”) by professional reapers (“scythes”). Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythe’s apprentices, and—despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation—they must learn the art of killing and come to understand the necessity of what they do.

Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe’s apprentice. And when it becomes clear that the winning apprentice’s first task will be to glean the loser, Citra and Rowan are pitted against one another in a fight for their lives.

 *****

Why am I waiting on this book? I love Neal Shusterman so much and I'm so, so excited for this book. I'm not kidding when I say that I've been looking for giveaways of this ARC everywhere, lol. It sounds really awesome and since I love his writing, I'm sure this will be epic!
What are you waiting on today?

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Some Books Ago: Blood Red Road (Dust Lands #1) by Moira Young

Some Books Ago is a shout out to all those books published some years ago. I don't want you to forget them!

Blood Red Road is one of my favorite books ever. Even though it was a little difficult for me to read because of the dialect, I found it unique and fantastic. It's like The Hunger Games and An Ember in the Ashes... so good! Sadly, the second book was so disappointing because of an ugly love triangle... I still haven't read the last book because of it. Anyway, I would always recommend Blood Red Road alone because it's too good to miss!
Check it out! 

It was published on June 7th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

 

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when four cloaked horsemen capture Lugh, Saba's world is shattered, and she embarks on a quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the outside world, Saba discovers she is a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba's unrelenting search for Lugh stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

 

 

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Some Books Ago: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Some Books Ago is a shout out to all those books published some years ago. I don't want you to forget them!

Hey there! A few days ago I saw the news about a sale for this book and I can't stop thinking about it since that day. For Darkness Shows the Stars is one of my favorite books ever! I haven't re-read it once, but I remember many things and I love it that way, I kinda like to feel nostalgic over a story I loved that much.

I once compared this book to 100 Years of Solitude by Gabo (sorry, this is how everyone calls him here), and I still think it was a little magical like that. 

Now, please, if you still haven't read this book. DO IT!

Check it out! 

This book was published on June 12th 2012 by Balzer + Bray

 

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

 

 

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Some Books Ago: The Ward (The Ward #1) by Jordana Frankel

Some Books Ago is a shout out to all those books published some years ago, because I don't want you to forget them!

Hi there! I'm back from an unexpected break because my computer had a BIG problem like... two weeks ago, and since laptops are REALLY expensive here in my country I couldn't get a new one. So, had to wait until my cousin helped me fix it. And... well, he did it for free so it wasn't priority. 

But I'm back again and I missed all the lovely blogs I read everyday and I missed Goodreads so much, which was unexpected, too.  

Anyway. Today I want to share with you The Ward by Jordana Frankel. I think it's been forever since I added this book to my TBR, but I never had the chance to read it. Have you? Was it good?

The Ward was published on: April 30th 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books  

 

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Ren is a daredevil mobile racer who will risk everything to survive in the Ward, what remains of a water-logged Manhattan. To save her sister, who is suffering from a deadly illness thought to be caused by years of pollution, Ren accepts a secret mission from the government: to search for a freshwater source in the Ward, with the hope of it leading to a cure.

However, she never expects that her search will lead to dangerous encounters with a passionate young scientist; a web of deceit and lies; and an earth-shattering mystery that’s lurking deep beneath the water’s rippling surface.

Jordana Frankel’s ambitious debut novel and the first in a two-book series, The Ward is arresting, cinematic, and thrilling—perfect for fans of Scott Westerfeld or Ann Aguirre.

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Some Books Ago: Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Every Tuesday I post about the new books I discover. So, I wanted to give a shout out to all those books published some years ago, I don't want to you to forget them!

Hello there! I wish you all an amazing weekend. 
Today I want to talk about Ashfall by Mike Mullin. I read this book some years ago and I really loved it. It was a touching read, but it has a lot of action as well. I don't remember much about, but if you haven't read it, then you really have to check it out!

It was published on October 11th 2011 by Tanglewood Press  

 

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.

For Alex, being left alone for the weekend means having the freedom to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek to search for his family and finds help in Darla, a travel partner he meets along the way. Together they must find the strength and skills to survive and outlast an epic disaster.

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ARC Review: The Epidemic by Suzanne Young

The Epidemic

Series: The Program 0.6

Author: Suzanne Young

Source: eARC provided by Publisher

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD/ B&N

Summary:

In a world before The Program…

Quinlan McKee has spent her life acting as other people. She was a closer—a person hired to play the role of the recently deceased in order to give their families closure. Through this process, Quinn learned to read people and situations, even losing a bit of herself to do so. But she couldn’t have guessed how her last case would bring down her entire world.

The only person Quinn trusts is Deacon, her best friend and the love of her life. Except Deacon’s been keeping secrets of his one, so Quinn must set out alone to find Arthur Pritchard, the doctor who’s been trying to control her life. The journey brings Quinn to Arthur’s daughter, Virginia, who tells Quinn the truth about Pritchard’s motives. The former closer will start to see that she is the first step in fighting an epidemic.

But Quinlan doesn’t want to be a cure. And with all the lies surrounding her, she realizes she has no one left to rely on but herself—even if she doesn’t know who that is anymore.

****

The Epidemic by Suzanne Young is the prequel to The Program (The Program #1) and the sequel to The Remedy (The Program #0.5).

While in the first book of these prequels we knew about the world before The Program, The Remedy was basically the story of Quinn, as a closer. There wasn’t much about the suicide epidemic; it was centered in the closers’ world and Quinn’s fight for identity.

In this second prequel, after a few chocking revelations, Quinn is on the run.

In the beginning it felt a little like The Treatment, when Sloane and James are also on the run, but after a few pages I realized it was completely different. Quinn wasn’t as passive as Sloane; she was a dynamic character, always looking for answers.

I don’t think The Program lacked of answers when it came to the world-building, but I always wanted to know more about the suicide epidemic and how it started. I’m so glad to say that I have now all the answers I was looking for.

The Epidemic has both: an amazing conclusion to Quinn’s journey, and a perfect view of the world before The Program and the suicide epidemic.

I have to say, once again, that Suzanne Young has an amazing ability to write grief. She makes readers connect emotionally with her characters and The Epidemic was just another proof of that.

While I already knew Quinn so well from the previous book, in this book we have a deeper view of Deacon and Aaron, plus a few closers that made their way to my heart easily.

You see, I really enjoyed The Epidemic; I was over the moon when the publisher approved my review request.  I reached THE END with a big smile on my face. But why not five stars then?  Because while I understood the hell Quinn went through, I found her character a little contradictory. There were moments I couldn’t quite catch up with her emotions and decisions, particularly when it was about Deacon, and that really annoyed me. I wish her relationship with him was easier to follow.

Aside from that, The Epidemic is a wonderful read! Suzanne Young’s writing is addictive and the plot was perfectly done.

If you are a fan of The Program duology, then you need to read its prequels soon! 

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Reboot by Amy Tintera

Reboot (Reboot #1)

by Amy Tintera

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

My rating: 3 stars.

Summary:

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

***

The first time I read the synopsis of Reboot, it was because of the Spanish release, and I found it so original and badass that I couldn’t help but to order my ebook copy and started reading it as soon as I could.

I was promised a zombie-like, Robocop-like story that sounded like everything I needed to go back to the dystopian field.

And the first chapter was as amazing as expected, the second one was just as great, but when the “love interest” appeared I don’t know what happened to me, but I somehow lost my excitement.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy stories with a badass girl and a kind of fragile boy. It’s not that I didn’t like those characters: It was that I didn’t appreciate how Wren changed when she met Callum.

It wasn’t insta-love, but Wren One-seventy-eight started so strong and cold. She was truly badass, without much feelings and zero drama. But as soon as Callum appeared, all her world centered on him.

I know it was supposed to be that way. I know that Callum was the reason she started questioning her life and the way Reboots were treated. I know he was the changing factor.

But… I don’t know, I guess in dystopian books I don’t get a story where the romance is the reason behind a rebellion. And at the same time I know it’s what makes Reboot different from other dystopian books: that the main character wasn’t fighting to change the world, to protect her fellows. She was fighting to protect just one person.

This might sound good for some readers, but I didn’t enjoy it. The idea of the Reboots was so freaking remarkable that with a few twists and turns it could’ve been perfect.

Sadly, for me it felt straightforward and predictable.

Meet the boy. Find a way to escape. Escape. That’s all.

While I did not love Reboot, I can’t say the book wasn’t good. It was. It had good characters, an amazing world building and it was well written.

But it was not for me. 

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