The Stellow Project: Review

It was suppose to be a fun weekend at the cabin with her sister and best friend, but on the drive up Lilah realizes something is wrong. The wind is getting worse, hail the size of soccer balls begins to fall, and cell service is out. The three girls continue to drive up the mountain to the cabin, knowing that there is a landline and that Lilah’s father is on his way. Only he isn’t.

Calls home are spotty at best, and the girls discover that not only has New York City practically been leveled (along with much of the country), but Lilah’s dad is being blamed.

Mr. Swellows is a well know environmentalist, but the past years have turned him from scientific authority into a crazed end on times environmental terrorist. He is the one who disabled weather satellites, making sure that no one knew of the catastrophic events heading for the cities. It’s is fault that thousands of people are dead, and as it turns out it is his fault that Lilah is sick.

Ever since Lilah can remember, she has trouble breathing. Pills and surgeries have plagued her life, at seventeen she has never been allowed to stay home alone in case she stops breathing and has to be resuscitated and taken to the hospital. Her father has kept her inside their houses, in climate controlled and pressurized rooms. He made her sick, she was his control group for medicines, theories and environmental tests.

After Lilah’s best friend deserts her and informs on her to the FBI, Lilah and her sister are taken in by a group of scientists who know more about her and her family then Lilah knows about herself. Befriending the lead scientists son, Lilah begins to investigate. Files on her and her mother are found behind locked cabinets. Pills in different dosages and animal testing are being done behind doors. Experiments are running rampant and Lilah doesn’t know what to do, or what any of it means. Lilah has to decide if some mistakes and experiments are worth it in the search for the greater good of humanity and the planet. But how much can she tolerate? And what are her father and the secretive scientists going to allow her to see before the Lilah experiment is killed off for the greater good of the research?

The book was okay. I think that the premise is good, but I didn’t like the main character. She was whiney and I felt no real connection to her. It also felt like it ended rather abruptly, almost like the author wrote 300 pages and then decided that was enough so she quickly finished the novel. At the moment there doesn’t appear to be a sequel, but the way the book ended leaves it open to have one in the future.

My Feelings On Ender's Game (non-summary)

Ender's Game is my all time favorite book. I have read it over 20 times cover to cover, plus own in on CD and I just recently purchased it on audible.com so I can listen to it in preparation for the movie coming out in less than a month. It would be difficult, very difficult to write a review without becoming emotional, in fact I don't think that I can. Ender's Game makes me smile, and at times cry hysterically no matter how many times I have read it.
The first time I read Ender's Game was New Years Eve in 2008. I had just gone to the Miley Cyrus MTV party and was at my best friends house waiting for midnight when I started reading it. I missed midnight, I missed the party, midnight kiss, ball dropping, everything. I was so engrossed in the story that I couldn't see or care about anything else. The next few weeks I spent reading the entire series, at least everything that was published at the time. I loved the series, but as someone who rereads books all the time I wasn't in a position to say it was my favorite book.
Ender's Game becoming by favorite book happened almost by accident. The next few years, it was always a book I recommended or gave as gifts to friends and family. When my brother was driving his car to college, a two day journey, I bought him the book on tape. Yes, I reread it a few times, and bought all the books in the series that had been published, but it wasn't until I was having a horrible christmas break in 2011 that I realized Ender's Game had gone from one of the best novels I had ever read, but it had become the best book I had ever read. I reread it two and a half times in less than a week, and whenever I was out of the house I put on my headphones and listened to the CD. Ender's Game had become my escape from being sad, and more than that I still wanted to read it when I was happy. It made bad days better, and when I was happy I want to read it to stay happy.
I think that Ender's Game is the most beautifully written novel in history, and I encourage everyone to read it. I will write an actual review on the book, shortly before the movie and then a comparison of the two as well.

The Ward: A Dystopian Novel (Review)

If the first 23 chapters had been condensed down to four or five, it would have been a whole lot better of a novel. I don't think I really got into it until chapter 24. It spent far too much time giving information that wasn't necessary to the progression of the plot. For instance, the main character Ren is a racer, and while it is important to the story later on, it does not need to be the focus of the first five chapters; it could have been done within the first few pages or a chapter at most. I felt like it also spent far to much time on Ren obsessing over her crush. Yes he is important, and yes her feelings for him lead to some drama later on, but again it could have been taken care of in a page, there was no need to spend that much time on it. Another issue that I had, and other people might not have the same problem, was the way that Ren talked. It felt to forced, using improper grammar and slang to show she was young and somewhat of a rebel. It was just unnecessary.

The book itself wasn’t all bad though, in fact the premise (while a little tired and over done) was decent, and gave a good twist about 2/3 of the way through the book. Set in New York far into the future, water is a precious source, after the water levels rose drastically, and the salt water waves and storms contaminated most of the lakes and reserves, the world has turned into the haves and have nots who can afford water. To make matters in the future worse, a deadly infection has been spreading for years. Causing tumors, coughs and eventually death. There is no cure, and it is easily spreadable.

Ren was an orphan, but unlike most orphans who were never adopted, she managed to escape starvation and prostitution with her ability to drag race. She often won, meaning having enough money to support herself, and her sister who is dying from the infection. One thing about Ren that no one knows, is that she is immune from the illness. During a routine blood test at the orphanage a doctor discovered that her blood was unsusceptible to the virus, which is why she is able to care for her sister while never getting sick.

One day while out racing, Ren receives a message on her com, telling her of a possible clean water source, and if she agrees to check it out her reward will be more than double the winnings of her race. Knowing that money means more pain meds for her sister, Ren checks it out. It turns out to be more than just water however, it turns out to be something similar to the fountain of youth. But Ren’s contact isn’t the only one looking for this water. Ren ends up in the middle of a government conspiracy that goes back to the times before the flood, and a group attempting to protect the water who have been around since the founding of the Americas centuries earlier. What is Ren willing to risk to save her sister and her friends? That is, if the water actually can stop the illness and increase life.

I loved the last half of the book, when Ren is working with different agencies and conspirators, playing whichever side promises to help her sister the most, all the while discovering secrets buried deep under the salt water that covers most of previous New York. I am not sure that I will buy the sequel, not because the book was all bad, but because I actually liked the way it ended.

Harken by Kelab Nation (Review)

It took me over three months to finish Harken by Kaleb Nation. It wasn’t the worst book I have ever read, but it didn’t hold my attention and I kept being distracted by other books and reruns of television shows. I think part of the reason that this book was such a letdown was it was really hyped up in the BookTube community and on book blogs. The writing was only mediocre, it sounded like someone who was used to just writing blogs and reviews online, the language wasn’t fluid enough for me. One of the things I hate most about many new and young authors is how pretentious they try to sound in their writings. That was something that unfortunately happened with Mr. Nation’s first novel.

The plot is a great one that was full of potential. Its one of those stories where a teenager finds out he has a great destiny foretold in prophesy or unknown family lineage. It’s set up like a Percy Jackson novel or one of the Heir Chronicles. Unknown origins, that leads to epic battles and growth. I feel like I should have loved this novel, but again the writing was just a little to difficult to get through.

Michael Asher has the ability to see people’s true emotions. When he looks into their eyes he knows what they are thinking and hiding. He made his money from spying on couples that suspect their significant other of cheating and lying. One night while investigating a possible affair, a man attempts to assassinate him. Turns out, Michael is the reincarnation of a warrior who is tasked with riding the world of evil beings.

His adventures lead him to finding his two protectors, also reincarnations, who have tried to protect him throughout all of his lives. Those who are trying to kill him feed stories to the news about Michael being a terrorist, not hard to fake since Michael keeps being in places he shouldn’t be. Plane crashes, burning houses, and killed law enforcement agents are only a few of the things that are being pinned on Michael.

The end of the book was a decent one. Enough open ending plots to make the second book a smooth transition of story, but not enough of a cliffhanger that I will buy the book. I really wanted to like this book, but again it was only a mediocre read. Three months to finish a novel? That usually isn’t a very good sign, but at least I finished it. It wasn’t bad enough for me to give up on. I can understand why people liked it, there are some great battle and fight scenes, but the writing was a little to pretentious for me, and Michael was a little to whiney for my taste.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense and light conspiracy theory novels. Books with heroes who have special abilities, novels similar to the Heir Chronicles, books by Cat Patrick or The Time I Joined the Circus by J.J. Howard.

Quarantine: The Saints (Book 2) REVIEW

It seemed that the students, lead by Will and the rest of the Loner pack, were finally going to

escape the school they had been quarantined in for almost two years. A group of teenagers outside of the school were trying to break them out, unfortunately it didn’t work and the outsiders got stuck in the school with them. Nicknamed the “Saints” (since they went to the private school about two hours away), they dynamic of life at McKinley High has shifted again. The Saints had brought news of the outside, and it wasn’t good. The infection had not been quarantined by the closing of McKinley and the area round it, but had started to spread all over the state, and teenagers had been killed onsite for more than a year. McKinley High was one of the only places in the entire state that was “safe” for teenagers.

            With the entrance of the Saints power completely shifts inside the school. The “Loners” have disbanded, each person going a different gangs leaving Will alone and scared, just like he was when the quarantine first happened. That is until Gates, leader of the Saints, befriends Will in order to get a foothold in the happenings of McKinley. The two quickly bond, and take over the school with their wild parties and outrageous demands. Not to mention the taking down of former Varsity leader Sam, eventually causing his death.

            Slowly Will begins to realize that maybe Gates isn’t who he says he is. Wild mood swings, talking to himself, and there is murmur from some of the other Saints that maybe some of the deaths that happened on the outside. Deaths that weren’t caused by the government or scared adults, but by Gates, and now Gates is starting to crack in McKinley. All of McKinley is starting to crack.

            Gangs are breaking apart, attacking each other without provocation. Hoarding food and other goods has started again, people are dying, and rape and pregnancy are starting to become an issue. Drops are becoming infrequent again and the few adults who supervise the drops from afar are starting to give up trying to help.

            I thought that this was an amazing follow-up to Quarantine: The Losers by Lex Thomas. The book doesn’t overly dwell on activities from the first novel, which lets this novel have a life of its own. One of the best parts about this series in that the timeline is linear, but each chapter tells the story from a few different people’s perspective. It helps understand the story better, so its not one-sided, but gives a more accurate portrayal of what is actually going on. The story is fast passed, so I never once felt bored. There are enough different storylines to keep you entertained, but not so many that you ever get confused with who’s-who.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys young adult, dystopian novels. He writes in a style similar to Ray Bradbury and Stephen King if they wrote for young-adults. I would compare it to books like Gone, Lord of the Flies, Charlie Higson’s The Fear Series, and other infection type books.

Pure by Julianna Baggott: Review

No one knows who sent the first bomb, but every country with atomic and nuclear bombs sent one out. That doesn’t matter now though, in the wake of a world with no power, poisonous food, ash clouds that cover the sky what is left of humanity has mutated. Humans that lived through the bombs melded with what was around them, not just melted with what they were holding, but the chemicals fused DNA cells together, creating various “things.” Prissia was only six when the bombs went off, and ten years later she is still ashamed of her scars and arm that was fused with the little doll she was carrying the day of the explosions. Now, she is terrified, mutations that are still human enough to function are recruited to the army at sixteen, either to be soldiers, or living moving targets. The day of her sixteenth birthday she runs away, knowing that with only one arm she will most assuredly be used as target practice. While running from a group (multiple people melded together to form one multi-person), she runs into a boy with no scars, no mutations, a Pure.

            Pures come from the Dome. Before the nuclear fallout, the United States had been testing facilities to withstand any forces that might try to harm its citizens; the Dome was one such project. Few made it into the Dome before the first bomb fell, and a week after messages fell from the sky reading “We know you are here, our brothers and sisters…” The Dome knows people are still out there on earth, but will do nothing to help until they believe that they will be safe from all nuclear fallout and the earth has been rejuvenated. No one has ever seen a Pure, because no one from the Dome leaves, why would you? It’s perfect and safe.

            Except maybe it isn’t. Partridge (yeah, its his name, its lame, but you’ll get used to it when reading) is the son of the most influential man in the Dome thinks that something is wrong. He questions the history of the bombings that he is being taught, the genetic coding that all young men are given in hopes of becoming stronger and better able to survive when they return to earth, and the odd suicide of his brother and the fact that his mother never made it into the Dome and died. Except Partridge doesn’t believe that any more. Ten years of eavesdropping on his father and finding old things of his mothers, even though she never made it, push Partridge to try and escape the Dome to find her.

            Prissia and Partridge both on their own, and with different strengths and weakness’ decide that maybe working together they can avoid recruitment and find Partridge’s mother, but they are being watched by the Dome and by the OSR. Their meeting might not have been a chance encounter after all, with the few in power trying to control and manipulate their discoveries what they find will shatter what is left of the already crumbling and mutated Earth.

            This is one of those books that while in a series, I was satisfied with just reading the first. I thought the ending was powerful, without being sappy.  It was a strong, 4-star book, and I really liked how the author fact checked correctly and used information from the original bombings in Japan to bring the futuristic novel to light. I loved the characters, they were so well defined, and intriguing. I love the world that Julianna Baggott created, with mutants and monsters, but it was never Campy or unrealistic.