My First Dystopian Book

The first dystopian book I ever read was The Giver by Lois Lowry. I remember reading it in 7th grade for English class with Mrs. M. I completely fell in love with this world of books and knew that I needed to have more. At that age, I couldn't imagine living in a world where everything was the same  or equal - the weather never changed, jobs were chosen for people based on their skills, there was no color, and spouses and children were placed with families. It seemed so bizarre and I couldn't understand how a world would ever get that way. I began reading all sorts of dystopian books, like The Divergent series, The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Uglies, etc. I couldn't wait to find more of these books. I still have tons of them on my TBR list. 

The more I read, the more I began to understand how a world could become like that. What intrigues me so much about them now is why the "creators" of these worlds thought it would be a better place for society. Sometimes I think certain aspects of these worlds would be pretty nice. But the more I read that story, or the more dystopian books I read, I always remember why it wouldn't be so great to live in these worlds. They're called dystopian for a reason. 

This is one of those genres that I'm always going to go back to. Even if I haven't read a dystopian in a while (which I haven't), I know that I'm always going to want to read them. I find (most) of these stories to be so compelling and interesting. I want to know how the author came to think of this world; was it a personal experience they thought could be changed, was it another book they've read, did it come out of nowhere? Regardless of the answer, I find it fascinating. 

What was the first dystopian book you've read that made you love this genre? 

[Review] More Than This by Patrick Ness

More Than This by Patrick Ness
Date Started: 6/25/14
Date Finished: 7/9/14
Publisher: Candlewick on Brilliance Audio
Publishing Date: Nov. 26, 2013
Format: audio, library
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis 

From two-time Carnegie Medal winner Patrick Ness comes an enthralling and provocative new novel chronicling the life - or perhaps afterlife - of a teen trapped in a crumbling, abandoned world. A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What's going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this....

My Review

I picked up the audio version of this book because I've heard good things about Patrick Ness and about this book as well. This is the first story by Ness that I've read, though I do have The Knife of Never Letting Go on my shelves at home. I was excited to start listening to this book! They usually take me a while to get through because I generally only listen to them while driving, and though I travel often for work, its still not a lot of time to get through it. But I finally finished yesterday!

On to the book itself... I'm sad to say that I really didn't enjoy this story. I actually thought about stopping it after the first disc, but as I didn't have another audio book at the time, and I would be traveling about 6 hours the next week, I decided to push through. I couldn't connect with the characters and couldn't get into the story. I found it to be kind of boring and I really only looked forward to hearing about Seth's life before he died. To me, that was much more interesting than what happened after he died. 

I know many people really like this story; you can tell just be looking at the Goodreads rating and the reviews. I was really hoping to like it as well, but it just wasn't for me. I'm still planning to read The Knife of Never Letter Go by Ness, so I hope to like that one better. 

[Review] Sever by Lauren DeStefano

Sever by Lauren DeStefano
Series: The Chemical Garden, #3
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publishing Date: 2013
371 Pages
Format: hardcover, purchased
Buy Links

Synopsis 

With time ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers.

After enduring Vaughn's worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuse in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind refuse to stay in the past. While Gabriel haunts Rhine's memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine's side, even if Linden's feelings are still caught between them.

Meanwhile, Rowan's growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future - and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain.

In this breathtaking conclusion to Lauren DeStefano's Chemical Garden Trilogy, everything Rhine knows to be true will be irrevocably shattered.

My Review

Yay! I finally finished this series and found out what happens to everyone! I have to say that this book surprised me! I wasn't sure what to expect and what would happen to everyone. Some parts are definitely a little sad, but others are very happy. I really loved Reed! I thought his character was great; he's so loving even though he tries to act all tough and withdrawn. Deep down, you can see how much he cares about Linden, Rhine, Cecily and Bowen. He's very a very quirky and fun character.

Without giving away spoilers, Vaughn surprised me a lot, and so did Rowan. The story took a different twist that I imagined, but I'm very happy it turned out the way it did! Throughout the whole story we can feel Rhine struggle with the way her life has played out so far, but we also feel the hope that she holds onto, even if she tries to deny it. All the characters in the book seem to have so much hope in what the future could bring, but are so uncertain of how things would change.

This was a very unique trilogy, unlike so much that I've read. Sure, it had dystopian themes of trying to create a perfect world, but the ramifications of those actions are so different. The fact that a virus kills of young adults when they're 20 and 25 is so crazy to think about! I would definitely recommend this series! Plus the covers of these books are just gorgeous; it's what caught my eye first!

Stacking the Shelves 2.2.14

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews. Its all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, whether physical or virtual books. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! Tynga posts this meme on Saturdays, but you can post on any day that works best for you! Check out the guidelines by visiting Tynga's blog!

This week was a great book haul for me! Some I won, some I bought, and some my fiance bought for me (: I wasn't going to buy any books in January, but I received a couple of gift cards for Amazon, so that's why I bought a bunch! 

Purchased

Hate List by Jennifer Brown 

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 

Fever by Lauren DeStefano 

Sever by Lauren DeStefano 

Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony by Jeff Ashton 

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Gifted from my fiance

Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow

Innocent by Scott Turow

7th Heaven by James Patterson 

Won

All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry

Red Blood Road by Moira Young

[Review] Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publishing Date: Aug 24, 2010
390 Pages
Format: hardcover, purchased
Purchase Links: Amazon

Synopsis 

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans - except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future to Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay - no matter what the personal cost.

My Review

What to say about this book... Well, it kept my attention! I had tried to read this book so many times before, but I could never get past the first couple of pages. Then I went to see Catching Fire the other night with my fiance, and I decided I really wanted to find out what happens next! I'm happy it restored my want to finish the series! It actually kept my attention throughout the whole story, which I was really happy about.

I didn't think it was as good as the first book (why does this happen so often in series?!), but it was better than I was expecting it to be. Mostly I wanted to read it just to finish the series, but the further I got into the book, the more I wanted to read it because it was enjoyable. Katniss faces so many struggles throughout this book. What I really love is that she doesn't just breeze through them all. She actually has doubts about what she should do; she withdraws from people when she can't decide what's best for the people of Panen and her family. Things don't just come really easy to her. It makes Katniss as a character so much more easy to relate to. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. It wasn't bad - it was actually a good ending. But who Katniss ends up being with (Gale v Peeta), is not what I expected, nor what I really wanted. But that's all I'll say about it (:

If you haven't read this series yet, or if you just haven't finished it, do so!!

Favorite Quote: 

"It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart." pg 156

  

[Review] Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano 
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Teen
Publishing Date: Mar. 22, 2011
358 Pages
Format: hardcover, purchased
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes and Nobles

Synopsis 

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan on 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crown the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can't bring herself to hate him as much as she'd like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never though existed, and it almost makes it possible to igore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband's strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape - before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

My Review

I can't imagine living in the world that Rhine Ellery does, only living to the age of 20. As I was reading this book, I kept thinking about all the things that I've done in my 24 years that I wouldn't have been able to do if I were Rhine. I graduated from high school, college and law school. I fell in love. I'm marrying my best friend in October. All these things I wouldn't do if I were Rhine. Sure, she had some schooling and does get married. But she doesn't get to marry the person she fell in love with. She doesn't even get to fall in love at all. She's forced into a world that she doesn't like simply because of how short her lifespan is.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ms. DeStefano is an incredibly talented writer; her words are beautifully strung together and made me fall in love with this very unique story. I've read many post-apocalyptic books, but nothing quite like this. Like I said, I can't imagine a world where, for the most part, the max age is 25. There are some older, first generations that are in their 60's or 70's, but a majority of the population is well below the age of 25 and many grow up orphans because their parents have died so young. If you can get a copy of this book, definitely do so! I cannot wait to get the second and third in this series and find out what happens to these characters!

[Review] Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant by Veronica Roth 
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publishing Date: Oct 22, 2013
545 Pages
Format: gift, hardcover

Synopsis 

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered - fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is read. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature - and of herself - while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

My Review

Hmm... I'm very conflicted about this book. I was so excited to read it, but then after Insurgent, I wasn't sure what to expect. There were definitely some things I loved about the book, and the first that comes to mind is writing from both Tris and Tobias' point of view! I thought this added so much to the story! It was good when we just saw Tris' perspective, but I think for the final book, having both of them tell it was so much better.

I also thought the book was pretty fast-paced and an easy read. There was never a time that I wanted to put it down and not pick it back up. I always wanted to find out what happened to the city, the compound, the characters, etc. That being said, I still didn't love it. I shut the book feeling a little disappointed without being able to put a finger on exactly what I didn't like. Maybe it's just that it didn't suck me in like Divergent did. Maybe the story just got tiresome. I'm not sure. Whatever it was, I'm still glad to have read it and finally figure out what happens.

Buy on Amazon

[Review] Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth 
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publishing Date: May 1, 2012
525 Pages
Format: gift, hardcover

Synopsis

I have done bad things. I can't take them back, and they are part of who I am.

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked with grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever... because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

My Review

I read Divergent over a year ago, when it first came out and before it was incredibly popular. I absolutely loved it, so my fiance (at the time, boyfriend) bought it for me for Christmas. That was last year. It took me so long to finally read this book, but I'm not sure why. I think part of me just wanted to wait because I didn't remember everything that happened in the first, so I thought I would reread Divergent before starting this. But that didn't happen so I decided just to jump into it. Well, that wasn't the best idea because I had kind of forgotten the details of the end of the book, so I struggled with the beginning of this one since it pretty much picks up where Divergent ended. But that's ok and it slowly started coming back to me. This is a very fast-paced book with so much going on at once! I have to say that it wasn't as good as the first, but I still loved it! Tris and Four are very fun characters. They are strong, courageous, and incredibly independent, yet really care for others in their city. The end of this book is not what I really expected! I was surprised by actions of certain characters (and mad at first), but it definitely made sense. I can't wait to start the third and final book of this series! I just want to know what happens!!

Buy on Amazon