Red Rising

Red Rising
by  Pierce Brown

Series:  Red Rising Trilogy #1
Genre:  Science Fiction, Young Adult
Publisher: Recorded Books on
28 January 2014
Reading with my ears:  Unabridged
16 hours 12 minutes
Narrator:   Tim Gerard Reynolds

The Earth is dying. Darrow is a Red, a miner in the interior of Mars. His mission is to extract enough precious elements to one day tame the surface of the planet and allow humans to live on it. The Reds are humanity's last hope. Or so it appears, until the day Darrow discovers it's all a lie. That Mars has been habitable - and inhabited - for generations, by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. A class of people who look down on Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought. Until the day that Darrow, with the help of a mysterious group of rebels, disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside. But the command school is a battlefield - and Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda.

My thoughts:
I first saw this book on BookTube (a new addiction which my bandwidth hates) where most reviews raved about it.  I could not wait to pick it up and the first few hours were wonderful.  I enjoyed the world building of the Reds living underground on Mars.  The characters were interesting and flawed. Unfortunately this was not what the story was really about and I was soon bored.

When Darrow infiltrates the Gold's world, the story changes.  In some parts I found my mind wandering and I had to consciously remind myself to get my head back into the story.  The story becomes one of the "dime-a-dozen" young adult books where the main character is prettier and smarter than most.  He (or she) is thrown into a "school type setting" where he has to fight his classmates (to the death for the most part) for the top winner position.  As in most dystopian young adult fiction there are lots of fighting, cruelty and death.  Not my favourite characteristics of young adult books although I love dystopian/technology advanced worlds.

And then there is Darrow. . . I disliked Darrow.  I mean I really disliked him which is a problem as he is our main protagonist.  He claimed an undying love for his wife, Eo in the first few chapters of the book but this was very easily forgotten when he was immersed in the Gold's world.  I also felt that he was a bit too comfortable in this new life and conveniently seems to forget what the true purpose of his presence is.

I loved the narration by Tim Gerard Reynolds.  I really enjoyed his calm voice which starts with a vague Irish accent for the Reds and turns British-ish for the Golds.

I am in the minority with my thoughts above as the reviews on Goodreads almost all screams praise of this book. So you might have to read it for yourself to see . . .

{Audiobook} Review: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Date Read: 21 April 2014
Reading with my ears
Narrator: Kate Rudd
Unabridged audio - Length: 7 hours 14 minutes

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

My thoughts:
I have been putting off reading this book for months.  It is such a touchy subject for me.  I am currently going through chemo therapy and I was afraid of what might lie within the pages of the book.  I have done enough crying.  I was worried what would be done with such a serious subject.   Would it be too morbid, would it be too sentimental . . . ?

But now, after having read it, I can honestly say that I enjoyed it so much.  Even if I am not a teenager anymore, I could identify with the characters - a lot of their feelings are my feelings too.  I even had a few moments when I had to laugh out loud.  It is all so true!  Yes, life goes on even with cancer

There is not much that I can say that has not been said before, so I will leave it with my few personal thought above.

I can’t wait to see the movie.

{Movie} Review: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan

Set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray (Lily Collins), discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother (Lena Headey), Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures. Based on the worldwide best-selling book series.

My thoughts:
I have not read the Mortal Instruments books and at first I had no interest in seeing the movie but when your choices are limited . . .
So I wasted a few hours.  And against my better judgment, I enjoyed it.  I don’t usually enjoy fantasy movies (I love fantasy books but not movies) but I was immediately drawn to the lead character, Clary. 

Everyone knows what the story/series is about, so I won’t say more than the blurb above.  The acting is not brilliant but the cinematography is beautiful and there are some amazing special effects.  Clary and Jace are both beautiful people (as are their co-stars my bookish friends pointed out).   So there is a lot of eye candy both in the world and the people.

Just don’t expect too much and open your mind to some mindless fun.  This is the perfect cold weather movie.

{Audiobook} Review: Code Name: Verity

 

 Code Name: Verity
 by Elizabeth Wein
 
Series:  Code Name Verity #1
Genre: Historical Fiction,
World War II
Date Read: 27 February 2014
Reading with my ears
Narrator: Morven Christie,
Lucy Gaskell
Unabridged audio - Length:
10 hours 07 minutes

I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.

That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.

We are a sensational team.

My thoughts:
What an unusual experience this book was!  This was once again one of those books that I went in blind.  Maybe I should make that my standard way of choosing books.  I seem to find a lot of my 5 star reads this way.  Or maybe I should just keep away from others’ reviews so that I don’t get influenced and then be disappointed by their views.  That happens to me a lot!

But to the book. Code Name: Verity is a story of World War II told in two parts.  In part one we meet Verity.  She has been captured for looking the wrong way when crossing the road.  Her first day as a spy and she is captured for just crossing the road!  Now her life is in the balance and she has two weeks to tell her captures everything she knows.  And she will.  She will give them all the names, all the details, all places she can remember - everything.  Because Verity is only a girl named Julie.  A girl who wants to live.  But reality is cruel and often intrudes her reminiscing.   She is convinced that there is only terror in her future and maybe she is right.

The second part shows us all the events through the eyes of her friend, Maddie.  Maddie is a spunky girl that just wants to fly.  She will become one of the many civilian woman pilots that helps in the war effort.  She is a great pilot even trying to save her friend as her plane is coming in for an unavoidable crash.  Maddie is taken in by the French Resistance and hid in a barn while she remembers all the events that led up to her and Julie’s flight into enemy territory.

It is hard to say any more than this without giving away spoilers, so just let me say that Julie and Maddie stayed with me long after I listened to the last sentences.  I am once again amazed at how brave people can be even if it is just to go on living . . . Life is not always just about the joyous moments, sometimes it is just having the courage to open your eyes for one more day.

I think the subject matter is very serious for Young Adult and I would suggest it to older readers.  Also listening to the audio version is a great plus for this book.  Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell takes you right into the reality of Maddie and Julie’s circumstances.  A great combination.

I would love to hear what you thought about Code Name:  Verity.  I am ready for the second book, Rose under Fire.

Author Guest Spot by Julianne Alcott

 

Today I want to introduce fellow South African and author, Julianne Alcott who is visiting my blog.  Julianne’s new book, The Ripmender, will be released tomorrow and we are all so very excited.  To celebrate, Julianne has shared some of her thoughts below.  Enjoy!

Boys aren’t the most important thing in the world, even though they feel like it sometimes!
By Julianne Alcott

I love writing love stories. I love reading love stories. I love being in a love story myself!  So my novel The Ripmender might be a sci-fi action adventure for young adults, but it’s primarily about a boy.
A very special, unusual boy.
Cathy has had a crush on Nathan Jake for four years. It seemed like an impossible crush, because she is an ordinary girl from a tiny town in South Africa, and he is an internationally famous American rock star. The chances of them even meeting each other are practically zero!
And then he becomes part of her life, in a way that she never expected. And do all her dreams come true? Of course not, because this is life, and this is love, and both of them can be painful and agonising and heartbreaking.
Boys! Those impossible, strange creatures from another planet, who can make us feel like we are soaring on clouds of happiness, or make us wish we could crawl under our duvets and never come out again.
And it doesn’t get easier. Boys are just as puzzling when they are men. Dating is just as confusing when you are forty.
But it also feels just as amazing, when the guy you really really like looks at you and says, “You are so beautiful! I love you so much.” Then you feel like you can conquer armies, climb mountains and do all your maths homework, even though it sucks!
I think the trick here is to not make them too important.
As girls we tend to revolve our whole lives around the latest guy.  The relationship affects everything; what we wear, how we feel, what we think about. If things are going well, we are happy and cheerful, but if we are hurting because of something our special guy did, then our whole life seems to be painted with a grey brush.
We don't try a new shampoo, and then base all our thoughts and needs on whether it is a good shampoo or not. Of course the relationship we have with our guy is important, but if we make it the most important thing in our lives, we are going to be stressed, and end up being all crazy.
Yes, that guy is amazing. We love the way his hair curls at the base of his neck. We love his brown eyes and his smile. We love the way he looks at us. But it’s a whole lot better if he is just one part of our lives, and not everything in our lives.
I am trying to do that at the moment! I’m trying to concentrate on writing this blog, and not let myself pick up my phone and tell him that I miss him. I’m going to stop thinking about him and finish writing this. And then I’m going to work on my assignment and my next book, and then go and spend time with friends this afternoon.
Boys aren’t the most important thing in the world, even though they feel like it sometimes! If we can get that balance right, we can work on our own hopes and goals in life, instead of spending time dreaming about the next kiss. And when the next kiss does come along, we will be strong, happy girls who can love our special guy all the better, because we are the best we can be at being ourselves.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Julianne Alcott is the author of The Ripmender that will be published by Wordsmack Publishers on 6 May as an e-book.

The Ripmender by Julianne Alcott:
"In the real world, your idol usually ends up in rehab or, even worse,
at a wedding altar in some tacky Vegas chapel. What they don't do is
tell you they are from another planet... Just my luck!"
Cathy Slater dreams of meeting the love of her life ... teen rock
sensation, Nathan Jake.
He is adored by millions, while she has trouble even fitting into her
own family! Although he is a tutor at her university, there is no way
she can compete with the packs of worshiping fans constantly
surrounding him.
But then fate intervenes and her life changes forever when she
stumbles onto Nathan's biggest secret... She wasn't meant to see what
he can do ... what he is ... Now there's no going back.
Who are the Ripmenders and what is their purpose here on Earth?
Follow Cathy across the galaxy as she uncovers the truth about the
shady organisation behind Nathan's secret. Can she ever truly
understand the mystery behind the man she loves? ... Or will an enemy
from the past ruin everything?

To pre-order, go to:
http://www.word-smack.com/#%21the-ripmender-preorder/c152j

Juliannne Alcott lives in Durban, South Africa, where she works as a school librarian by day and writes young adult novels by night. Her latest book, The Ripmender, is a young adult sci-fi romance and will be published 6 May 2014.  She gets a kick out of creating plots that give her interesting things to research. “I have rubbed stinging nettles onto my arm, visited a mall in a borrowed wheelchair and eaten boiled leaves, all to make my stories more real.” She has a blog: http://juliannealcott.wordpress.com and is on Twitter: @JulianneAlcott
You can also stay up to date with her latest book, The Ripmender, here: http://www.word-smack.com/#%21the-ripmender-preorder/c152j

Audiobook Review: The Program

The Program
 
by Suzanne Young 

Source: my own copy 
Publication date: 30 April 2013 
Genre: Dystopia Sci-Fi Young Adult 
Date Read: 26 December 2013 
Narrator: Joy Osmanski 
Length: 10 hours 56 minutes 

In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories. 

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

My thoughts:
I loved the beginning of The Program. I could not stop listening to the fabulous Joy Osmanski introducing me to Sloan and James and all their friends.

It was strange to think of suicide being a sickness of epidemic proportions. In this future world, suicide is contagious and more and more young people are dying every day. The powers-that-be try to cure this rising tide by erasing the flagged teenagers' memories. So everyone is on edge, trying to not be noticed by hiding all emotions and completing the daily questionnaire by stating that they feel happy and contented. It is smiles all around.

Even with this hard-to-believe concept, I soon gave in to the story's buildup and enjoyed

Sloane's experience in the program. It was definitely fast paced and scary, with a few icky characters making an quick appearance.

Unfortunately when she was released back into the normal world, things started to grate on my nerves. The control that was enforced into all aspects of life was especially hard to take even when I tried to remind myself that that was the point of the story. Sloan's parents was especially irritating and I think the author did an excellent job of us just having to hate them. On the other hand, I can't imagine that Sloan would not want to distance herself from them.

The love story between Sloan and James was very intense for a YA title but I found their re-discovering of their love sweet and heartwarming. Their relationship is just as perfect as we want our fictional romances to be.

I enjoyed some parts of this book and but unfortunately there were stages where I wish I could just fast forward toward the end and the obvious conclusion. I would even go as far to say that if I have not been invested in Sloan and James “finding” each other again, I would have given up. Thinking back, I do not see the point of the introduction of some of the characters and can only imagine that they will feature in the future books.

I liked the story but unfortunately I am not invested in Sloan and James enough to look out for the sequel.