Review: Aoleon the Martian Girl Part 5 by Brent LeVasseur

Aoleon the Martian Girl - Part 5

By Brent LeVesseur

Category: Middle Grade
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Aoleon Press
Release Date: Feb 1, 2015

Goodreads Synopsis: Aoléon, Gilbert, Bizwat, Helios, and Zoot make it to their final destination - Cydonia where Aoléon’s parents are being held captive. They infiltrate a secret underground base and are confronted by a small army of sentrybots.


Bizwat lends Aoléon and Gilbert some of his advanced combat skills via a psionic brain dump. However, this may not be enough to save them from overwhelming hostile forces that will do anything to stop them.

They finally meet Pax - the Martian who originally set them out on the mission to discover the truth about the Luminon and his plans to invade Earth. However Pax is not who he seems to be, and through a turn of events, they uncover the true power behind all that has been happening on Mars.

Will they be able to rescue Aoléon’s parents and save Earth from invasion?
Join Aoleon and Gilbert in the conclusion to this exciting middle-grade science fiction and fantasy adventure!

GOODREADS . AMAZON . B&N

(This book is NOT part of Merit Press, but I am excited to bring you reviews of all five parts of this book this week as an addition to my July posts!)

Review:  Part 5, the last part of the book, had me just as excited as the first four parts had me. The anticipation for the ending was amazing based on how well LeVasseur had already built up the story at this point. Picking up where we last saw Aoleon and Gilbert, the story continues right on as if there was no break at all. LeVasseur takes his character through the ending of their exciting journey as they learn more about Mars, Pax, and what it is going to take to save Aoleon's parents, as well as the dairy cows back on Earth. He continues to develop the history and politics surrounding Mars and Aoleon's home, as well as the continued friendship between the two main characters...and the other characters they have met throughout their journey.

I do still think that it was a wonderful and fascinating quality to have a female alien as one of the main characters. Typically, we find males in this role when it comes to literature, and having Aoleon was a much welcome change. It was exciting and fun to hear her talk about the technical language that comes with her kind and environment. I think that she was a wonderful sidekick to our main character, Gilbert, who remained completely relate able throughout the entirety of the book, and majored over the five parts of the book.

As usual, incredible illustrations contributed to the overall effect and success of this part of the story. They went along so perfectly with the text that I felt completely emerged in the world; like I was there myself instead of just seeing the pictures. It is incredible to see the things that LeVasseur describes in such vivid color and detail, and I do believe that it is something that will encourage middle grade children to continue reading the story, as if he plot itself was not enough. 

While I believe that LeVasseur finished the story in a fantastic way, it is still incredibly disappointing for it to be over. I had so much fun emerging myself into this world and going along with the characters as they dealt with all sorts of difficult and exciting adventures. I can only hope that we might see the characters again in future books.

Review: Aoleon the Martian Girl Part 4 by Brent LeVasseur

Aoleon the Martian Girl - Part 4

By Brent LeVasseur

Category: Middle Grade
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Aoleon Press
Release Date: Feb 1, 2015

Goodreads Synopsis: Aoléon and Gilbert have become the Luminon’s top priority in stopping the Martian resistance movement, and after being chased by the Royal Paladin Guard, they are forced to flee the Martian Megalopolis. Aoléon, Gilbert and Zoot escape with the help of Bizwat and his newly found friend, Helios, a first generation soldierbot.

After their saucer is destroyed, they crash land somewhere in the deep Martian desert, and they set out to locate Kyrios and the secret base where Aoléon’s parents are being held captive.

After battling the forces of nature, starvation, a Klyklon dust storm, (and not to mention a giant slor that almost swallows them alive), they finally make it to their destination. However, after Kyrios gives Gilbert some basic training to develop his budding psionic power, they learn that their journey is far from over.

Will Aoléon, Glbert, Bizwat, Helios, and Zoot be able to rescue Aoléon’s parents and stop the Martian invasion of Earth in time? 

GOODREADS . AMAZON . B&N

(This book is NOT part of Merit Press, but I am excited to bring you reviews of all five parts of this book this week as an addition to my July posts!)

Review:  You guessed it, I'm back again with my review of the next part of Aoleon the Martian Girl! Today is my review for part 4, and I was just as excited to pick up this part of the book as I was with the first three parts. I honestly was not sure that another part of the book could be as exciting and adventurous as the three previous parts had been, but then I read part 4. I think it is amazing that LeVasseur is able to bring in so many plot twists and adventures without it getting at all repetitive. While it has been able to keep me engaged, I have no doubt that it would keep middle school children engaged as well.

In this part of the book, we see Gilbert and Aoleon getting chased away from her planet as they try their best to save the cows on Earth. They have been found out, though, and so they must run for their lives in order to survive what is going on. Along with making sure that they stay safe, they now have to figure out where Aoleon's parents are being held captive so that they can save them as well. Talk about a lot of stress for two young characters! I do believe that Gilbert and Aoleon have majored thus far throughout the book, and that is an excellent example to set in a middle grade story. The theme of friendship is on that is very relate able, as well. However, I do think that it is beneficial to add in all of the political features as well, as those are often left out of middle school novels.

The thing that is becoming my favorite part of the book, aside from the illustrations, is the language that is used. In a way, it feels as though that LeVasseur has made up a new language to go along with the world that he has created, and that makes things even more exciting. Everything has its own name and meaning, and the characters' names are fun as well (I especially love Helios since I am such a mythology fan!). As with the three previous parts, the illustrations are wonderfully vivid and eye-catching. I don't think that I could ever get tired of looking at them. LeVasseur has created something magical when the words and pictures are put together. I cannot wait to read part five and see how the story ends. 

Review: Aoleon and the Martian Girl Part 3 by Brent LeVasseur

Aoleon and the Martian Girl - Part 3

by Brent LeVasseur

Category: Middle Grade
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Aoleon Press
Release Date: Feb 1, 2015


Goodreads Synopsis: Aoléon and Gilbert investigate the Luminon to try and uncover the plot to invade Earth to steal it’s milk cows. In the process, they discover a disturbing revelation about the Martian leader. After overhearing the Luminon discuss his plans to use sabotage to disrupt Mars’s galact supply, the duo races to try and to warn Aoléon’s father Deimos, who is a manager at the galactworks plant before the saboteur can act.

Meanwhile, Aoleon has to take her pilots exam, which would enable her to eventually join the Martian intergalactic explorational fleet. However, during the test-run, something goes horribly wrong. The two are put in a life threatening situation that only Bizwat, a Procyon commando, and Aoléon’s friend can save them from.

Gilbert finally gets his chance to learn to skyboard. However, things go horribly wrong and they are chased by the Royal Paladin guard.

Will they survive?


GOODREADS . AMAZON . B&N

(This book is NOT part of Merit Press, but I am excited to bring you reviews of all five parts of this book this week as an addition to my July posts!)


Review: So excited to continue on with Aoleon and the Martian Girl! Honestly, I love how this book is in so many separate parts. I think it makes it a lot easier to read through the story, and like I said before it would make things a lot easier for my middle school students. I also enjoy how each part has its own story within itself, that adds to the whole plot once they are all together. I was not sure how this book could get any better, but then I read part 3. The story really picked up in this part, and it led to more adventure and danger for our two main characters. 

This part has our characters, Aoleon and Gilbert, trying to figure out a plan to stop the Luminon from attacking Mars for some of their resources, and then taking the cows from Earth. Their task does put them in quite a bit more danger, though. Throughout the story, we get to see Aoleon take her pilot's test in order to join the intergalactic explorational fleet. Along with that, Gilbert has decided he wants to learn to Skyboard. That leads to some excitement, but then a whole lot more danger! We end this part with a cliffhanger that leaves me eager to pick up and read the next part! 

Again, the illustrations are amazing in this part. As we see new things occurring in the story, we get the detailed pictures to go along with them. I would highly recommend making sure that you read the book in color as well, to make sure that you get the illustrations to their full extent. (I know a lot of Kindles only show pictures in black and white, and that takes away from how amazing they can be). The illustrations continue to impress, just as the text does.

Review: Aoleon the Martian Girl Part 2 by Brent LeVasseur

Aoleon the Martian Girl - Part 2

by Brent LeVasseur 

Category: Middle Grade
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Aoleon Press
Release Date: Feb 23, 2015
Page Count:114

Goodreads Synopsis:
Aoléon and Gilbert receive a special mission from PAX, a wanted criminal and leader of the Martian resistance movement to investigate the Luminon of Mars, who he suspects is planning an invasion of Earth to steal its milk cows. Gilbert has an encounter with the Luminess (the mate of the Luminon) and discovers something strange about her during a procession, and the duo are chased by the Royal Paladin Guard.

At Aoléon’s home, Gilbert meets Aoléon’s family, her sister Una, mother Phobos and father Deimos as well as her overzealous pet Zoot. He is also introduced to Bizwat, a covert operator and Procyon Commando, who uses his Saturn Pizza delivery job as a cover.

Gilbert then gets to visit the Martian Space Academy (Aoléon’s school) where he encounters Aoléon’s nemesis, Charm Lepton and her friend Quarkina, as well as receiving a history lesson on the Martian people by Plutarch Xenocrates. After class, Gilbert and Aoléon get to train in zero-G and Gilbert is treated to a Psi-ball match between Martian Space Academy and Martian Science Academy.

GOODREADS . AMAZON . B&N
 
(This book is NOT part of Merit Press, but I am excited to bring you reviews of all five parts of this book this week as an addition to my July posts!)

Review:  I am so excited that I was given all five parts of this book to review at one time so that I did not have to wait for the next part. I can be very impatient when it comes to stories that I am really enjoying, and I could not wait to pick up and read part two of this after finishing up part one. I don't think I mentioned yesterday, but each part of this story is a fantastic length for middle grade. I find that my middle school students struggle to read long books, and so shorter books with pictures are really ideal for that age level. Due to this, I do think that my middle school students would love to read this story just as much as I am enjoying it.

In part two, we continue to see our two main characters, Gilbert and Aoleon, becoming even better friends as they deal with more adventures. Their characters are still amazing and relate able, and their dialogue really is wonderful. They're witty and fun, and that makes the story that much more enjoyable to read. We get to meet so many different and new characters in this part too, however. Aoleon takes Gilbert to her home where he gets to meet her family (and her fun pet!), as well as go to the Martian Space Academy where Aoleon attends school to meet her friends (and maybe even a couple of enemies).

The conflict within this story is one that is very unique, and also a very fun addition to the plot. When it comes to alien stories, we're usually dealing with something scary or their attempt to completely take over the world. Instead, the aliens here want Earth's cows. You read that right. The cows. Dairy is running short, and they love ice cream and pizza on their planet just as much as Gilbert (and all of us) love it down here on Earth. Aoleon and Gilbert are given a special mission to help with this situation, but we have to wonder who they can actually trust...there are a couple of characters I'm pretty unsure of!

Again, the illustrations in this part of the book were just captivating. I love how graphic they do look, as if they do live in a world of higher or different technology - this is something I certainly think of when it comes to alien and outer space stories. The pictures are just as detailed as the writing, which makes for a wonderful combination throughout the story.   

Review: Aoleon the Martian Girl Part 1 by Brent LeVasseur

Aoleon the Martian Girl - Part 1

by Brent LeVasseur

Category: Middle Grade
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Aoleon Press
Release Date: Jan 31, 2015
Page Count: 94

Goodreads Synopsis: Mars wants our cows (yes, cows!) and they're sending an invasion fleet to take them from us. Only Gilbert and Aoleon the Martian Girl stand in their way!

Gilbert always longed for adventure but now that he has it, he's not sure that it's everything it's cracked up to be. Ever since the night he met Aoleon the Martian Girl sitting in the middle of a crop circle in Farmer Johnson's field, it's been nothing but one wild ride after another.

From fighting off swarms of giant killer robots to dealing with strange aliens from another world, never mind trekking across the vast Martian desert in order to skyboard deep into the center of a (hopefully!) extinct volcano, Gilbert's had his hand full just trying to keep up with it all. And now it's up to him and his new friend, Aoleon, to face off against the evil Martian overlord and keep our cows safe at home where they belong.

The launch of this exciting and innovatively illustrated new series takes the reader deep into the heart of an unforgettable and out-of-this-world friendship in a story full of hijinks, hilarity, and good old-fashioned fun. Join Gilbert and Aoleon in this exciting middle grade science fiction adventure today!

GOODREADS . AMAZON . B&N

(This book is NOT part of Merit Press, but I am excited to bring you reviews of all five parts of this book this week as an addition to my July posts!)

Review:  When I was first contacted about reading and reviewing all five parts of Aoleon, I was very excited. I have not read a lot of middle grade, and I have been trying to get into some more of it since I do teach middle school reading. The fact that this book promised to have great illustrations was enough for me to agree to read and review it. This first part of the book was an amazing introduction to a fun new story. I am a huge fan of science fiction, and while I have only read a couple of other alien books thus far, I have enjoyed them. This book was no different, and I was thrilled to find an alien GIRL in this book. It was a fun change to what we normally get to see.

The main character, Gilbert, is incredibly relate able, and I'm sure that middle school students will feel the same way. As I am from a small town in Iowa originally, right outside of Omaha, Nebraska, I was thrilled to have a character who was from Nebraska. I could already relate to him, and I thought it was quite fun that he lived right next door to a farm. Gilbert has quite a wild imagination and lots of crazy dreams too, but he never expected to find himself brought into this sort of situation.

As this is the first part of the book, we really just get an introduction into the story. We meet Aoleon, our martian girl, and she and Gilbert become quick friends as he gets into her space ship with her to avoid shots fired from the farmer. They then begin their adventure, flying around so many different countries, and seeing wonderful landmarks (like the Eiffel Tower!).  They make their way into outer space where Aoleon shows Gilbert Mars, and then takes him to her home, which happens to be a huge volcano on another planet. There, Gilbert has to paint his face blue to blend in so they can start working to solve problems and go on more adventures. I am quite excited to see what happens next!

Now, the big part, and what I'm sure you're all interested in. The illustrations! They are SO fun! I have not read a lot of highly illustrated books since I was young, so it was quite fun to get to do so. The pictures are so bright and detailed, and they definitely draw you in. The book took me awhile to get through just because I stopped so much to stare at the pictures. There was just the right amount of pictures to go with the text, too. I am very excited to see the pictures throughout the last four parts of the book.

Review | Lucky Strike by Bobbie Pyron

 

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
(February 24, 2015)
ISBN: 978-0545592178
Category: Children's Fiction, Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy, Magic, Friendship, Bullies
Tour Date: April 1-May29, 2015 Available in: Print & ebook,
Page Count: 272 

By the award winning author of 'The Dogs of Winter', Bobbie Pyron.
A rich, southern voice tells the unforgettable story of two vulnerable outsiders, the lightning strike that turns their world upside down and the true meaning of lucky. Nate Harlow has never had a lucky day in his life. He's never won a prize, he's never been picked first, he's never even won a coin toss. His best friend, Genesis Beam (aka Gen), believes in science and logic, and she doesn't think for one second that there's such a thing as luck, good or bad. But only an extremely unlucky person could be struck by lightning on his birthday... and that person is Nate Harlow. By some miracle, though, Nate survives, and the strike seems to have changed his luck. Suddenly, Nate's grandpa is the busiest fisherman in their small, beachside town. And Nate finds himself the center of attention, the most popular kid at school, the one who hits a game-winning home run! This lucky streak can't last forever, though, and as a hurricane draws close to the shores of Paradise Beach, Nate and Gen may need more than just good luck to save their friendship and their town: They need a miracle.

Review:
As most of you know, I don't read a lot of Middle Grade books myself, which is probably a bit ironic since I am a middle school teacher. While some Middle Grade books are a bit low for my seventh graders, a lot of them are right on the level that they need to be as well, and I do like to read what my students enjoy so that I can talk to them about it. This means convincing myself to read more MG books. When I received an email requesting for me to read the book and review it for the blog tour, I decided to go ahead and give this book a try. It sounded like it could be quite fun, and I was looking forward to seeing what I thought about it.

The overall premise of the book was certainly a cute one. We have our main character, Nate, who is horribly unlucky. As in, the worst luck that you could possibly imagine. He goes mini golfing with his best friend, Genesis for his birthday, and things certainly don't go according to planned. Nate is indirectly struck by lightning, saved by Gen giving him CPR while they waited for help to arrive. From that point forward, everything for Nate changes and his life completely turns around.

This book certainly had some merit and lessons that I believe are relevant for children of this age. It was a story about the underdog becoming popular, trying to deal with that new situation, and then realizing that maybe being popular is not the most important thing. While I think it was quite relevant, I don't think that it was extremely unique. It's a story that I believe that we see pretty frequently. Still, I did enjoy the writing, and I thought the voice was very nice to read. It was a fun addition.

The only true negative I have about the book was just how sad it was. We start by learning that Nate lives with his grandfather because both of his parents were killed by a drunk driver when he was young. While things pick up for a little while throughout the book, it does go back to being sad and did not have an ending I was quite hoping for, which was disappointing. It did not ruin the book for me, but it did have me wondering if the ending could have been handled differently. Overall, this book was an enjoyable read, and I am sure that some of my students would really enjoy it.

Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

Praise for Lucky Strike by Bobbie Pyron:

"This well-told story of growth, friendship, and small-town life hits all the right notes. The quirkiness of the characters and the town never goes too far, and there is an overall cozy feeling to the book. Genesis’s dad is the preacher at The Church of the One True Redeemer and Everlasting Light, but she is a scientist through and through, which adds complexity to the text, including musings on destiny, fate, probability, and weather. Fans of Susan Patron’s Higher Power of Lucky (S. & S., 2006), Sheila Turnage’s Three Times Lucky (Dial, 2012), and Ingrid Law’s Savvy (2008; both, Dial) will find something new for their to-read shelves."- School Library Journal starred review "Even lightly sketched characters leap off the pages, adding rich depth to an already satisfying tale. In the slightly fantastical Gulf Coast world that Bobbie Pyron (The Dogs of Winter, 2012) has imagined, people can change in unexpected ways. With just a spark of magic, bullies can become true friends, those without humor can learn to giggle, and perennial victims can emerge victorious. Amusing, endearing and sometimes even electrifying."- Kirkus starred review "Bobbie Pyron offers a gentler take on survival and friendship than in her gritty novel The Dogs of Winter. A dramatic and sweetly poignant story, enlivened by a dash of magical realism."- Publisher Weekly

Praise for The Dogs of Winter:

Junior Library Guild Selection Kirkus Best Books of the Year! “Packs plenty of punch.” The New York Times "This story is amazing. I read it in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. The writing is captivating and the story is heartbreaking. The characters are wonderful, both the good and the bad. The writing is descriptive and filled with emotion. An absolute MUST read."-Bev Sharp, The Wormhole "An amazing story that was emotional and realistic? The book is written in first person, and I think this is a perfect story for young adults and older adults alike. The tenacity of the dogs and the boy will enthrall you. There were no boring portions of the story, and I believe that the author captured the emotions of the characters perfectly. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future."-Ruth  A. Hill, My Devotional Thoughts " I loved this book. I loved the writing. I loved the characters. The book is adventurous, engaging, happy, sad, and an overall emotional roller coaster all rolled into one."-BookAngel, As I Turn the Pages "Bobbie Pyron has a gift for creating characters that live in my heart.  She did it with A Dog's Way Homeand she's done it with this one, The Dogs of Winter.  I wanted to dive into the story, take Mishka in my arms and just love him.  Bobbie Pyron has created an emotionally powerful story about survival, love, and healing.  This is not a story I will ever forget.  It is a truly thought-provoking and unforgettable read."-Heidi, GEO Librarian

About Bobbie Pyron:

Bobbie Pyron was born in Hollywood, Florida and spent her growing up years up in the panhandle, swimming in the Gulf of Mexico and dreaming of being a mermaid.  She has degrees in Psychology and Anthropology, and a Masters degree in Library Science, and has worked as a librarian for over twenty-five years. Her first book, a novel for teens titled The Ring (WestSide Books), was published in October of 2009. Her second book, A Dog’s Way Home (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books), was published to starred reviews in March of 2011. The Dog Writers Association of America recently awarded Bobbie the Maxwell Medal of Excellence and the Merial Human-Animal Bond Award.  It was also named a Banks Street Best Books of the Year. Bobbie Pyron's book, The Dogs of Winter (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic), came out October of 2012. The Dogs of Winter is a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Kirkus Best 100 Children’s Books of the Year. Bobbie lives in Park City, Utah with her husband, two dogs, and two cats. Bobbie Pyron's Website. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BobbiePyron Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bobbie.pyron?fref=ts

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Teddy Rose Book Reviews Apr 2  Spotlight & Giveaway Rockin' Book Reviews Apr 7 Interview & Giveaway Hott Books Apr 8 Review Always Reiding Apr 9 Review & Excerpt Geo Librarian Apr 10 Review Curling Up With A Good Book Apr, 13 Interview & Excerpt fuonlyknew Apr 14 Review & Giveaway Once Upon A Story Apr 15 Review & Excerpt Beneath the Jacket Reviews Apr 16 Indie Review Behind the Scenes Apr 17 Live I 6 pm cst Cassandra M's Place Apr 20 Review & Giveaway The Crypto-Caper Review Apr 21 Review In Bed With Books Apr 22 Review,Interview & Excerpt Allison's Book Bag May 24 Review & Interview Mary's Cup of Tea Apr 27 Review Deal Sharing Aunt Apr 28 Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Bound for Escape Apr 30 Review What U Talking Bout Willis? May 1 Review Lisa's Writopia May 4 Review Books, Books, and More Books May 5 Review & Excerpt Beth's Book-Nook Blog May 8 Review Sweet Southern Home May 11 Review One Frugal Girl May 15 Review

Review: Throwaway Girl by Kristine Scarrow

Throwaway Girl 

by Kristine Scarrow

Category: Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary

Publisher: Dundurn

Publication Date: October 18, 2014

Page Count: 224

Format: e-book

Source: Netgalley (Thank you!)

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Andy Burton knows a thing or two about survival. Since she was removed from her mother's home and placed in foster care when she was nine, she's had to deal with abuse, hunger, and homelessness. But now that she's eighteen, she's about to leave Haywood House, the group home for girls where she's lived for the past four years, and the closest thing to a real home she's ever known.

Will Andy be able to carve out a better life for herself and find the happiness she is searching for?

Goodreads . Amazon . Barnes & Noble

Review: I am always more than willing to pick up a contemporary book when it sounds good to me, as it is my favorite genre to read. When I first saw this one on Netgalley, I do have to admit that a lot of why I requested it had to do with the cover. It looks a little bit familiar to me, though I am not sure why that is. I just really like the simplicity of the picture (and the fact that you can't see the model's face). The font and colors work nicely together, too, I think. I had pretty high hopes when I began reading this book, and unfortunately I was left feeling a little disappointed. 

I did really like the main character, Andy. She has a very rough childhood as she never knew who her father was, and had a mother who had constant issues with drugs. Due to those things, she was often left at home alone and hungry. It was when she told a concerned teacher at school the truth that she was taken away from her mother and put through foster care for awhile. She spent some time on the streets before finally being placed in Haywood House, a home for girls who are in very similar situations to what Andy had dealt with.

When the story picks up, Andy is eighteen and preparing to leave the House. They believe that she is fit to go out and make it on her own. I do think that the way in which the story was written was interesting. It switches back and forth from Andy dealing with life in the present, and then allowing us to see the situations in her past that led to where she was. I did like getting all of these details, though sometimes they did feel far too rushed for me to get a real sense or feel any connection to the characters. 

While the writing was beautiful, overall I think that the book was a bit too short for all of the details that it tried to include. I do not have a problem with shorter books, but I usually prefer when the try to develop one or two ideas instead of throwing in so many that they can barely skim the surface. That is what happened with this book. It talks about drugs, alcohol, suicide, self-harm, rape, and abuse all in a very short amount of writing. Because of this, a lot of these things seemed quite shallow and not quite as real or important as they should have been in the story.

Overall, I do think that this book would be fine for a younger YA audience as the difficult subjects are handled very well without going into too much detail or being too graphic. While I would have appreciated more detail so that I can see how it really affected the character, I do understand why the author may have chosen to leave some of these things out. Overall, I do think that the book was well done, I just wish it had been longer and that a few things would have been worked through differently.

Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

 

Review: Essence by Lisa Ann O'Kane

Essence
by Lisa Ann O'Kane

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Publisher: Angry Robot Ltd
Publication Date: June 2014
Page Count: 243
Format: E-Book
Source: Netgalley (thank you!)

Goodreads Synopsis: Autumn escaped a cult, but now she realizes she's fallen into another.

Growing up in San Francisco’s Centrist Movement, sixteen year-old Autumn Grace has always believed emotions—adrenaline, endorphins, even happiness—drain your Essence and lead to an early death. But her younger brother’s passing and a run-in with a group of Outsiders casts her faith into question.

Ryder Stone, the sexy, rebellious leader of the Outsiders, claims Essence drain is nothing more than a Centrist scare tactic -- and he can prove it.

Autumn follows Ryder to his Community of adrenaline junkies and free spirits in Yosemite National Park, and they introduce her to a life of adventure, romance, sex, drugs and freedom. But as she discovers dark secrets beneath the Community’s perfect exterior, she realizes the more she risks in search of the perfect rush, the further she has to fall.

GOODREADS . AMAZON

Review: I had hoped to get this review posted much earlier in the day, but better late than never, right? I am all about sticking to my April review goal though, which means I needed to finish writing it out before I allow myself to go to bed, so that's what I'm going to do! I have had this book on Netgalley for awhile now, and I should have gotten to it much sooner (story of my life, I guess). While I was definitely interested in the synopsis when I first requested it, it made me a little hesitant once I was accepted and could actually read it. Sure, dystopians are one of my favorite genres, but this one seemed quite a bit different than the others I have read thus far. Turns out, it was pretty different, though I do not think that it was a bad thing at all. 

Essence was incredibly realistic, which was one of the biggest changes for me. A lot of the dystopians I have read seem pretty impossible when you think about it compared to how we live currently. This book was not the same, though. It takes place in the not-so-distant future, seeing people rebuild after a serious of earthquakes have destroyed much of what they have known. Out of this disaster comes to distinct groups or cults, the Centrist Movement and the Community.

It was very interesting to see the drastic difference between these two groups. We don't get as much detail about the Centrist Movement as Autumn decides to leave them, but we are given enough information to realize why she would not be happy to stay there. They believe that adrenaline and showing any sort of emotion, happiness included, will lead to a much shorter life. I cannot say that I would want to live in a place with people that had those beliefs, either! The Community believes the exact opposite. They believe that having emotions and being adventurous will lead to a much longer life. Ultimately, Autumn has to decide what she believes. 

I do think that this book had a lot of exciting parts to it since a lot of it took place at Yosemite National Park. It was fun getting so much description about where they were and what they were doing. I do think that the writing was very nice as well. O'Kane gives a lot of great details that kept me interested and grateful to know the information. She had a style of writing that had me want to continue reading without putting the book down. 

The only thing I did not love about the book was the love triangle. Don't get me wrong, all of the characters were fantastic. I loved Autumn as a main character, and the author did a wonderful job of describing the minor characters as well, so it was quite easy to like them, too. Love triangles can be pretty hit or miss for me though, and this one made it quite obvious who she was going to pick pretty quickly. This is not always necessarily a bad thing, but it was not my favorite in this book. That is just a minor detail though, and certainly not something that made me dislike the book.

I would highly recommend this book to any other dystopian fans out there. It has a lot of unique, different situations to offer than what we have seen in the popular dystopians lately, and I think that makes it even more enjoyable to read.

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Review: Shattered Secrets by Krystal Wade

Shattered Secrets

by Krystal Wade

(Book of Red #1)
Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication Date: March 2014
Page Count: 300
Format: E-Book
Source: Netgalley (thank you!)

Goodreads Synopsis: After being kidnapped, hogtied, and stuffed in the trunk of a car, seventeen-year-old Abigail Nichols' boy problems seem unimportant.
She couldn't be more wrong.

The boy who saves her holds her heart.

But Derick Crawford also holds secrets.

Magical beings who guide human emotions are fighting an invisible war dating back to the dawn of time, and Abigail's one of them. The more she learns of her heritage, the less she wants to know. Armed with a very old, very massive book to teach them about their history, Abigail and Derick run away to a place where they think they can be safe and happy, only to have their troubles secretly hitch a ride.

Her history book is in a sharing mood, and it tells her to keep a secret of her own.

But has she put her trust in the wrong place?

And will the world survive if she has?

GOODREADS . AMAZON

Review: This is a book that I requested on Netgalley quite some time ago, and I feel bad that it took me so long to get to it. I am trying to be much better about getting caught up on my Netgalley books though, so this is my first step! When I first requested this book, I was definitely drawn in by the cover first before anything else (I can be pretty bad about this, after all). However, then I read the synopsis and decided that it sounded great as well. I am not one to usually read things with a lot of paranormal elements, but I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give it a try. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it nearly as much as I had hoped to. 

I had a lot of problems with the characters from the very beginning. Abigail was the exact kind of main character that I do not enjoy reading in my novels. The perfect, beautiful girl with the wonderful family and all of the friends and guys who just love and fawn over her. For the most part, that is not realistic at all (it certainly was not for me growing up, at least). Also, I did not like that Abby was such a Damsel in Distress. There was so much room for her to be an awesome independent and strong female lead, but she just never got there for me. She made a lot of naive choices, and she tended to go back and forth with her thoughts and views quite often.

Her love interest, Derick, was really no better either. All of his thoughts and actions seemed to revolve around Abigail and his feelings for her instead of allowing him to be his own character. Sure, he was likable and seemed like a nice guy, but I really hoped that things would become more than that. It was interesting to find out that he had some special abilities and had something very important in common with the main character, but it did not make me like him too much more.

I did think that there were some nice, unique elements that went along with the story. I certainly would not say that it was all bad at all. However, I do think that it could have been so much more amazing. The pacing seemed to be very hit or miss with this book. There were some moments when the plot was incredibly slow and things were boring, but then there were times when things picked up and were exciting, and I could not wait to read the next page. Unfortunately, it would have been much better if it could have stayed the latter the majority of the time.

Overall, this certainly was not the worst book I have read, but I was not blown away by it, either. I may continue the series in the future just to see if it improves at all, but I doubt that I will be rushing to the bookstore to pick it up or anything. I do think that it is likely that paranormal fans will enjoy this much more than I did. I think it would be worth a try if you do get your hands on it at some point. To each their own!

Rating: 2.0 / 5.0

Review: Loki's Wolves by K.L. Armstrong & M.A. Marr

Loki's Wolves 

by K.L. Armstrong & M.A. Marr

(The Blackwell Pages #1)
Category: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Publisher: Little, Brown Books
Publication Date: May 2013
Page Count: 358
Format: E-Book
Source: Netgalley (thank you!)

Goodreads Synopsis: In Viking times, Norse myths predicted the end of the world, an event called Ragnarok, that only the gods can stop. When this apocalypse happens, the gods must battle the monsters--wolves the size of the sun, serpents that span the seabeds, all bent on destroying the world.

The gods died a long time ago.

Matt Thorsen knows every Norse myth, saga, and god as if it was family history--because it is family history. Most people in the modern-day town of Blackwell, South Dakota, in fact, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt's classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke.

However, knowing the legends and completely believing them are two different things. When the rune readers reveal that Ragnarok is coming and kids--led by Matt--will stand in for the gods in the final battle, he can hardly believe it. Matt, Laurie, and Fen's lives will never be the same as they race to put together an unstoppable team to prevent the end of the world.

GOODREADS . AMAZON 

Review: This is my first middle grade read in quite some time (in fact, I can't remember what other middle grade books I have read, if I'm being honest...). I thought that the cover was gorgeous and the synopsis sounded intriguing, so I thought that I would go ahead and give it a try and see what I think. Overall, I think that I did discover that middle grade is probably not for me, but I did think that the actual story was very fun, so I did enjoy reading it for the most part.

I have not read any of the books in the Percy Jackson series, but I do think that this would probably be similar to those. Enough so that people would probably compare them, at least. However, this book talks about Norse mythology, which I think is an interesting change because it is not something that you see very often. Instead of the usual Greek gods, the main character, Matt, is a descendant of Thor; the other two main characters, Fen and Laurie, are descendants of Loki. As the Avengers and all of those movies are so popular, it was fun to see things in this light.

Overall, I liked how we had more than one POV in the story. I am not sure if that is something that happens often in middle grade, but I think that it definitely added a lot to this story. We get the perspective of all three main characters, which makes things quite interesting as they are all very different. They all had very different voices in the book as well, which I think is very important when trying to write in multiple POVs. If they all sound the same it does not have the desired effect, but that was not the case here.

Of course, nothing about this book is realistic, and that's okay. I had to keep in mind that this book was written specifically for children in the middle grades (which was not too difficult for me since I do teach middle school). It's the kind of adventurous, battle type storyline a lot of them would love to read about. I do think that the ending was a little sudden an abrupt, and there was a definite cliffhanger, but I know that was just done to leave it open for the next book in the series.

Overall, I do think that the book was enjoyable. It was nice to step out of my normal reading comfort zone and read something that I probably would not usually read. I do think that I would be interested in reading more books in this series, but I am not sure that I will read much middle grade in the future.

Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

Blog Tour + Giveaway: How to Unbreakup by Rebekah L. Purdy

How to Unbreakup

by Rebekah L. Purdy 

Release Date: 02/10/15

Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

First rule of breakups: There’s no going back.

For three years, seventeen-year-old Grace Evers has regretted breaking up with Sage Castle.

That day, she lost her boyfriend and best friend. And let's be honest, it's impossible to just be friends with the one person who gets you, faults and all, and loved you anyway. It's impossible not to think about how it felt to be held by him, or the way he looked right before he was about to kiss you with the most perfectly yummy kiss goodnight.

And now that things are over between them, they've become strangers to one another. Sage won’t even look at Grace, let alone talk to her!

Breakup life sucks and Grace is utterly miserable, doing whatever she can to ease the pain of losing Sage. She's spent the better part of high school pretending to be something she’s not and hanging out with people who probably wouldn't notice if she wasn't there. Crappy dates, backstabbing friends, and Sage's cold shoulder have taken their toll.

So when her parents propose going away to their house on Lake Michigan for the summer, Grace is thrilled. No more massively bad dates with horrible kissers or lunch with frienemies. Just three months of swimming,
hiking, and relaxing before senior year starts.

But when Grace learns Sage and his family will be joining them, she readies herself for a totally awkward family vacation of disastrous proportions. How can it be anything but awful if Sage won't even acknowledge she exists?

This is it, Grace's last chance to get Sage back and unbreakup.

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Review: When I decided on my February TBR I chose to read a lot of contemporary books, and I was quite happy to be able to add this one to my list of books to read for the month. It sounded so cute when I got the email about the tour, and it had me eagerly awaiting my copy so that I could get to it. It should come as no surprise that I absolutely loved this book, which is too cute for words. I read it in a day when I had time here and there, though each time I had to put it down I was unhappy. I could have sat and read it all in a few hours and been perfectly content, thank you very much. I loved how sweet and innocent the whole story and plot was, and I do look forward to re-reading this one when summer rolls around.

The book centers around two former best friends, Grace and Sage. In the past they realized that their feelings went past friendship, and so they began to date. They were a wonderful couple too, it seemed. Unfortunately, Grace overheard some of her soccer teammates discussing that her skills on the field had suffered greatly since their relationship began, and she knew that she had to make a choice; either break up with Sage or continue to be the butt of her teammate's disappointment. She decided to break up, something that she has obviously regretted ever since seeing as Sage has refused to say one word to her since that day.

At the beginning of the book three years have passed, and Grace seems to regret the breakup more than ever before. She wants nothing more than to get back together, but Sage seems to want nothing to do with her. Then her parents inform her that they will be spending their summer in the cabin at the lake...and they have invited Sage's family. Suddenly they will be forced to spend the whole summer together after having not spoken for nearly three years. Seems pretty rough!

Grace is determined to get Sage back though, and with the help of Sage's little sister, Allie, they devise a ten step plan that should get Sage to forgive her and fall for her again. Or so she hopes. Naturally, it is a YA contemporary, so it does not come without its problems. Things don't go as planned, other possible crushes come into the picture, and some things don't work out nearly as Grace had hoped. In the end, she completes the steps and everything is left in Sage's hands. 

I think that Purdy did a wonderful job of writing this story in a way that we love both of the main characters. In fact, I really enjoyed all of the characters in the book. I thought that they were all unique and interesting, and definitely well-written. Grace was a great main character, and very relateable. While she was going through a tough situation and was hurting, she never took the low road or was cruel to anyone (like the girl trying to make Sage her summer fling). She handles everything with maturity and understands that she was the one who made the decision three years ago, and so she is the one who has to fix things.

Sure, the ending may have been a bit predictable, but you should all know by now that I am not bothered by that at all when it comes to my YA contemps. In fact, it is usually something that I hope for (and tend to get a little angry about if it doesn't work out that way...). The writing overall was just wonderful. Everything was clear and detailed, and very interesting. I wanted to continue reading to see what was going to happen next throughout the entirety of the novel. I would strongly recommend this book to other contemporary fans.

Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

About the Author

Rebekah Purdy grew up in Michigan, where she spent many late nights armed with a good book and a flashlight. When not hiding at her computer and getting lost in her stories, she enjoys reading, singing, soccer, swimming, football, camping, playing video games and hanging out with her kids. She loves the unexplainable like Bigfoot, the Dogman, and the Loch Ness Monster (lots of good story material)! She admits to still having all the books she bought throughout her childhood and teen years, and she may or may not have an obsession with anything chocolate…

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