Defying Mars by Cidney Swanson

Jessamyn has escaped Earth with food for her starving world, but her troubles are just beginning. She must rebuild her life without Pavel, the Terran boy whose kiss haunts her. Her success is further tainted by the loss of her beloved brother. Ethan disabled the deadly lasers orbiting Mars, but this has created a fervor to re-open trade with Earth which Jess knows would be disastrous. Add into the mix a secret which could launch an interplanetary war, and Jess finds herself at the center of an intrigue where, in order to save the world she loves, she must defy it.

My review:

Not normally the type of book I would pick up, but by the time I got to the second half of the first book, Saving Mars, I was racing through the pages to see what happened. And by the end, I was DYING to read Defying Mars, the second book in the trilogy.

I love that Jess has faults. Some of them she overcomes, but mainly she just uses them to save the her world. Someone who was strictly obedient to official commands wouldn't have been able to do what Jess does. They wouldn't even dream of it. I love that by the second book, a bit of her naivety has worn off and she's not so raring to fly to Earth. But she does it anyway. She uses more reason to make her decisions, and basically we get to watch her grow up, which is TOTALLY what you want to see happen in a YA novel.

Imaginative, insightful writing make for a great second addition to Swanson's Saving Mars series.

Saving Mars by Cidney Swanson

When the food supply of Mars’ human settlement is decimated, seventeen-year-old Jessamyn Jaarda, the best pilot Mars Colonial has ever seen, flies to Earth to raid for food. Earth-Mars relations couldn’t be worse, and her brother is captured during the raid. Breaking rules of secrecy and no contact, Jess finds an ally in Pavel, nephew to a government official, but their friendship only makes more agonizing the choice before her: Save her brother or save her planet?

My Review:
I totally fell in love with this book. It was delightful. The first half was a little slow maybe, setting up the story, but I don't see how it could have been different. Once Jessamyn got to Earth, I couldn't put the book down. And then I went on the prowl for the rest of Swanson's books. Here's the blurb for the sequel, which I'm dying to read.

Jessamyn has escaped Earth with food for her starving world, but her troubles are just beginning. She must rebuild her life without Pavel, the Terran boy whose kiss haunts her. Her success is further tainted by the loss of her beloved brother. Ethan disabled the deadly lasers orbiting Mars, but this has created a fervor to re-open trade with Earth which Jess knows would be disastrous. Add into the mix a secret which could launch an interplanetary war, and Jess finds herself at the center of an intrigue where, in order to save the world she loves, she must defy it.

The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies, book 3) by "Pittacus Lore"

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Until the day I met John Smith, Number Four, I'd been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive.

Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others. . . .

I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more, including a tenth member of the Garde who escaped from Lorien alive. Ella is younger than the rest of us, but just as brave. Now we're looking for the others--including John.

But so are they.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They caught me in New York--but I escaped.
I am Number Six.
They want to finish what they started.
But they'll have to fight us first.

Jillian’s Review:

I actually enjoyed this one more than the first two, I Am Number Four  and The Power of Six. It helps that there are more girl point of view parts. I just don't care for the three boys so far, but the girls are great.

I’m happy to say that the author’s writing improves with each book. I refuse to call him Lore—since this is the name of one of the characters in the novel and I hate that the author is using it as his/her nom de plume just to try to convince us that this is non-fiction we’re reading.

There was more action than I care to read. I found myself skimming a lot through those parts, just as I did in the first two. But I did like the storyline... I’m just annoyed that there was no resolution. So, once again, I'll have to wait to find out what happens. How many freaking books will there be?? Please don't make it be like the Wheel of Time!

 

Beautiful Demons by Sarra Cannon

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Harper Madison isn't like other girls. She has extraordinary powers, but her inability to control them has gotten her kicked from so many foster homes she's lost count. Shadowford Home is her last chance, and she hopes Peachville High will be the fresh start she needs. But when evidence ties her to the gruesome murder of a Demons cheerleader, Harper discovers this small town has a big secret.

Jillian’s Reivew:

I was happily surprised to discover that this free Kindle download was actually fairly well-written with an interesting storyline. It's about witches, one in particular, who grows up destroying things with her mind and she doesn't know how or why. Harper is a pretty decent character who doesn't say every annoying that comes to her mind and who is brave when she needs to be.

The romance between her and her love interest was pretty great... the one time they actually kiss. Other than that there's nothing. Yet, there is so much to this story that captures the reader that the lack of romance is forgivable. :)

This reminded me of the Darkest Powers series, though not as well written and with less swearing.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

"New York Times" bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian "Divergent" series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

Jillian’s Review:

As action (and violence) packed as the first book, Divergent. There’s also a good bit of romance without too much detail. I’m annoyed that Tris thinks she has to keep everything inside and secret when every readers knows as soon as the truth comes out it will destroy the relationships of those around her. It’s one of those books that a lot of problems could be solved or eliminated all together if the characters would just talk. Thankfully the truth does come out and not at the very end, so things are resolved throughout the rest of the read. I do like though, that Tris is kind of weak in this second book just because she feels more realistic. We finally find out what this weird society is all for but have to wait until book three, title unknown to be release in 2013, for an ending (hopefully!). I'm looking forward to it, thought I'm glad I get a break from the blood and guts for a while. Best for the older Young Adult reader as there is A LOT of violence…like Hunger Games.

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Maya Delaney's paw-print birthmark is the mark of what she truly is -a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly everyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it's only a matter of time before she's able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.

Now Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they're kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home.

In THE CALLING, the sizzling second book in the Darkness Rising trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong pumps up the romance, danger, and suspense that left readers of THE GATHERING clamoring for more.

Jillian's Review:
As you know by now, I'm a huge fan of Armstrong. She's such a great writer with a wonderful imagination and a gift for combining scifi/fantasy with reality, I just wish she'd cut out the cussing!

This was a great read, but not quite what I was hoping for in a second to the AWESOME novel, The Gathering. It kind of felt like one of those 1 1/2 filler books until the author finishes book two for publication. There was a ton of action, but nothing's really found out until the end, and only kind of (I suggest first reading the Darkest Powers Trilogy to understand what's happening in these ones).

I'm really, really hoping Armstrong gives us some more in book three... more information; more pertinent action; and please, Armstrong, pleeeease, MORE ROMANCE!!!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Jillian’s Review:

This was like reading a cross between the Hunger Games and The Host (after the first 100 pages). Fast-paced, action packed, with enough romance to keep me turning the page without blushing from too much detail.

I loved how each character grew, which is essential for a YA novel. The way the society was broken down was a bit unbelievable, like Delirium, but there’s so much going on that it wasn’t blasting me in the face the whole time.

Intelligently written. Can't wait for the next one in the series.

Probably best for older teen because of the violence, which was on the level as Hunger Games.

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.
 

Until now.
 

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.
 

In The Gathering, New York Times best-selling author Kelley Armstrong brings all the supernatural thrills from her wildly successful Darkest Powers series to Darkness Rising, her scorching hot new trilogy.

Jillian’s Review:

AWESOME! I loved this one! Armstrong creates strong, realistic characters with genuine voices and a great paranormal twist. Great chemistry between the guy(s) with just the right amount of detail (no sex, thank goodness).

This new series takes place in a tiny town in Canada where a pharmaceutical lab is based. There are a lot of secrets the company and even the parents are telling their kids. This is a sister-series to Armstrong's Darkest Power series, which you know I LOVED and I think the Darkness Rising series is going to be even better!

The only drawback is the language. Armstrong has her characters cussing even more than in her Darkest Powers series, though, it may have just seemed like it was more because I listened to the audiobook. BTW, that's a GREAT way to experience this story! The narrator, Jennifer Ikeda (who has narrated about 100 books!) has the perfect voice for Maya and doesn't try to do the strange accent of Rafe, like in an annoying audiobook I'll be reviewing soon. I was swept up from "page" one and got tons of laundry done at the same time! I can't wait to listen to book two.

4 1/2 stars. Half a star deducted because of the excessive cussing.

Fever by Lauren Destefano

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

Jillian’s Review:

I didn't like this as much as the first one (Wither). The first few chapters were really gross—all about them being stuck in the red-light-district—and I'm not happy to think there are teenagers out there reading that nastiness. But it got better as it went along, and it was nice to have more time spend with Rhine (still hate her name) and – together, even if they’re running the majority of the time.

I found it strange how much time was spent inside Rhine's "fevered" brain when only half of it made sense so the reader isn’t quite sure what’s real and what’s not. DeStefano could have condensed it into one chapter and moved on with the story and it wouldn’t have hurt the novel at all.

Even though there was no resolution, it still had an interesting ending and I'm for sure reading the third, and I believe the final one in this series (Untitled, release date: April 1,2013).

Crossed by Ally Condie

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky--taken by the Society to his sure death--only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of a rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices every thing to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again.
 

Narrated from both Cassia's and Ky's point of view, this hotly anticipated sequel to Matched will take them both to the edge of Society, where nothing is as expected and crosses and double crosses make their path more twisted than ever.

Jillian’s Review:

I liked this one better than the first in the series, Matched. It was great to have the characters spend most of their time outside of the crazy Society and I liked the area where they were. This is not one you could read without reading the first in the trilogy. All of the made-up terms used for things weren’t defined, but thankfully I remembered most of them from the first book.

I was disappointed that Cassia and Ky barely had any time together before they’re separated yet again... and what's with Cassia waffling between Ky and the Golden Boy Xander again? She made up her mind who she wanted in the first book, do we really need to go back to that annoying chapter in her life?? She she’s so indecisive that by the last paragraph where she says she’s going to meet him tomorrow, I’m not at all sure who “him” is! Annoying. Just pick a guy and get on with it.

Once again, nothing was really resolved and I will be reading book three (Reached, release date: November 13, 2012) so I will finally know what’s going to happen.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

Jillian’s Review:

My husband told me I should read this book but warned me there was basically zero romance. I gave it a try and I have to say it was extremely interesting. I liked Thomas, who was brave, heroic, and smart—always good qualities in a main character. But there were so many underdeveloped side characters that they blurred together.

There was always something happening. This was obviously written by a man (which isn’t a bad thing, just different from what I usually read) and was like watching an action movie—visual and intense, but my brain was fried by the time I finished it because there was no down time whatsoever. I was frustrated through ¾ of the book because I couldn’t figure out the mystery of the place or the people and there were basically no clues to go on. I would have liked it better had Dashner given the reader a few more clues so we’re not continually in the dark.

What seemed to be the main problem was resolved, but in the end it turns out there’s a much bigger issue to deal with which wasn’t resolved, hence this being the first book in a series. I’m not sure my nerves could handle reading another action-packed, boy’s book… but we’ll see.

Delirium (Delirium, Book 1) by Lauren Oliver

Synopsis (from goodread.com):

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Jillian’s Review:

If you’ve read Matched then don’t bother reading this one. It’s almost the same as Matched, but the society is even more underdeveloped. Also, the thing that makes the society in Delirium so freaky (making people have a surgery to keep them from feeling love) was too unrealistic.

The characters were realistic enough. I enjoyed the main girl, Lena’s, personality but I liked her friend even more. THE GUY was great. I really liked him. The chemistry between Lena and said boy was pretty terrific and I was rooting for them the whole way through. I really cared about Lena’s youngest cousin and hoped Lena would [spoiler alert] take her with her when she left, but there was a good enough resolution that I was satisfied.

But the ending [spoiler alert]… I HATE sad endings and this one was sad. It could have totally been written differently. I understand that not every story is going to have a happy ending, but this one stunk. I may read the next one in the series Pandemonium (expected released date February 28, 2012) just so I know what happens to poor Lena.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

Jillian’s Review:

I was really excited about this book when, by the first page, I was hooked. The first chapter got me even more excited and then it plummeted to the ground. Mara, who I thought would be an enjoyable character, turns out to be a foul-mouthed, annoying psycho. She’s supposedly an artist, but doesn’t think like one (meaning, she doesn’t notice colors, or shading, or the shapes of anything). She sees ghosts and hears things but doesn’t really do anything about it. [Spoiler alert] She thinks she’s able to kill things with her mind, but by the end of the book I’m still not sure if that’s what’s really happening.

This had a great plot and I assume it is well written—the story is so enthralling that I didn’t notice if the writing was good or bad, which is a really good thing. This could have easily been at least a four star book had Mara not been cussing up a storm the entire time.

And then there's the guy. Ick. First off, he doesn’t sound hygienically pleasing—wearing nasty, ratty clothes and smoking half the time, not to mention his “history” with all the girls in the school. Gross. And his mouth is just a foul as Mara’s. I couldn’t believe how many times they dropped the F-bomb in this! But the worst were the sexual innuendos. Really? Did you really have to put all that trash in what could have been a really great read?

And last, but not least, the ending was horrible. It didn’t end. There was no resolution, [spoiler alert] just Mara screaming her head off in a police station. Such a disappointment.

Despite the gorgeous cover (which actually never happens in the book—so annoying!), I have to give this one 2 ½ stars. And those stars are for the great story, if Hodkin had just kept out the filth. No teenager (nobody for that matter) needs to sift through all that garbage to get to the good stuff.