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First sentence: Your noise reveals you, Todd Hewitt.

Premise/plot: The Ask and the Answer is the sequel to the Knife of Never Letting Go. To refresh your memory, these are the first two books in the science fiction Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness. In the first book, readers met Todd and Viola. Todd is the conflicted hero who can't decide if he's willing to kill in order to "become a man." Viola is the newly arrived colonist whose parents died in the crashing of the scout ship. She puzzles Todd because she does NOT have noise. All the men, all the animals have noise. Women are mysteriously noise-free. Their thoughts cannot be heard by others. (Women can and do read the thoughts of men. And MEN hate this so very much). The Knife of Never Letting Go ended in a horrible place. Our two had spent over four hundred pages racing to reach a town called Haven only to arrive and....

Viola spends this book worried about Todd--they are separated for most of the book--and worried about what will happen next. Will the women (led by Mistress Coyle) war with the President's army? The women are THE ANSWER. The army (mainly if not exclusively men) are THE ASK. Both seemed determined to defeat the other no matter the cost. Both seem short-sighted and not really thinking about what is best for the planet, best for humanity. Mayor Prentiss and Mistress Coyle seem to be two peas in a pod--stubborn, selfish, dishonest.

Todd spends this book worried about Viola--as I said, they are separated for most of the book. He will do his duty and do whatever the Mayor (the PRESIDENT) says if he promises to keep Viola safe and allow them to see each other and be together again. He'll bide his time following orders--always kept close by the Mayor's son, Davy--until an opportunity comes along. Todd doesn't like being in the army. He doesn't like working with the slaves--the SPACKLE. He doesn't like banding the slaves or the women. But unlike the women of The Answer he doesn't physically rebel and become violent. He's still conflicted.

Mainly the book is about the skirmishes between The ASK and THE ANSWER...and the lies and broken promises of Mistress Coyle and President Prentiss. Todd and Viola are sad, lonely, angry, confused. More than anything they want to be TOGETHER and live in a peaceful community. This seems impossible.

My thoughts: I really LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one the first time I read it. I can't say the same the second time I read it. Perhaps because you can only be surprised by the story and characters once. One thing that really surprised me the first time was the character arc of Davy Prentiss. The ending of this one is SOMETHING especially the first time I read it.

I would still recommend this series with a few reservations. First, I think you have to read all three books in the proper order, and, close together at that. I think the books will have the biggest impact on readers if they're read back to back. Second, I think that the series isn't for all readers. You have to be fine with a moderate amount of profanity and really enjoy science fiction set on another planet. If you don't enjoy science fiction, then this series probably won't seem all that good.

"If you ever see a war," she says, not looking up from her clipboard, "you'll learn that war only destroys. No one escapes from a war. No one. Not even the survivors. You accept things that would appall you at any other time because life has temporarily lost all meaning." "War makes monsters of men," I say, quoting Ben from that night in the weird place where New World buried its dead. "And women," Mistress Coyle says. (102)

Everyone here is someone's daughter," she says quietly. "Every soldier out there is someone's son. The only crime, the only crime is to take a life. There is nothing else." "And that is why you don't fight," I say. She turns to me sharply. "To live is to fight," she snaps. "To preserve life is to fight everything that man stands for." (215)

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Flame Never Dies. Rachel Vincent. 2016. 343 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: I crouched, tense, in the derelict remains of a high school gymnasium, one of the last buildings still standing in the town of Ashland, which had been mostly burned to the ground during the demonic uprising more than a century ago.

Premise/plot: The sequel to The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent. If you've read the first book, it's likely you won't be able to resist picking up the second book. (And this is NOT a trilogy. So this is not a middle book--feels nothing like a middle book.) So Nina Kane, our heroine, is now officially an outlaw of sorts, on the run from THE CHURCH and hiding out in the badlands. She's not alone...she's surrounded by friends and almost friends. Much of the book focuses on their exorcist lifestyle--fighting the bad guys--the demons--whenever, wherever, and taking risks when needed, which is often.

My thoughts: I read both books one right after the other. I found them impossible to put down. I don't know that they are "great literature" as they say. But if you're looking for ACTION and DRAMA with some romance this is a good series to pick up. I like that the romance is not in any way whatsoever a love triangle. Now that doesn't mean it's an problem free romance...but it does mean it's not your typical YA dystopian novel.


© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Knife of Never Letting Go. Patrick Ness. 2008. Candlewick. 479 pages. [Source: Library]

I have been meaning to reread Patrick Ness' The Knife of Never Letting Go for a couple of years now. It is the first book in the Chaos Walking series. I really did EXPERIENCE the next two books in the trilogy. (I was going to say enjoy, but, can you ENJOY a book that is so dark and suspenseful and emotional.)

Here are a few things you should know before picking it up.

1) It is science fiction. It is set on another planet, aka "New World." The planet has a handful of small settlements, including Prentisstown, the hometown of our narrator/hero. The planet's biggest settlement is Haven.

2) Todd is our narrator. He is a few weeks away from his thirteenth birthday. He "becomes a Man" on his thirteenth birthday. He is an orphan being raised by two men, Cillian and Ben.

3) There are NO WOMEN in Prentisstown. Todd has been taught all his life that there was a plague or virus that killed all the women of the settlement.

4) A virus (perhaps the same virus that allegedly killed all the women?) has made it so that all the men can hear one another's thoughts all the time. This is called NOISE. It isn't just men, though, they can hear thoughts of animals too. Manchee is Todd's dog. And he's a bit too forthright to say the least!

5) The book is thriller-esque. It's essentially one big action-sequence from cover to cover. Well, perhaps it takes three or four chapters to get him on his way. But once he gets started...he stays going. It's an intense, action-packed book.

6) He doesn't go alone. Manchee, his faithful dog that he once didn't even want, is with him....but more importantly he meets Viola.

7) Viola basically "dropped from the sky" and right into his path. Viola is the sole survivor of the settler's scout ship. Her parents died in the crash. The ships with thousands of more settlers is about seven or so months behind the scout ship. Todd cannot hear Viola's noise. Viola is the first female he can remember seeing--apart from reading the memories of the men in his settlement--which is not the same thing I think you'll agree.

8) Both Viola and Todd are in GREAT DANGER. Why?????? Well, it has to do with SECRETS and SCHEMES and PLOTS. The mayor of Prentisstown is ambitious and manipulative....to pick two of his tamer qualities.

9) Todd has some internal conflict going on inside....he cannot bring himself to kill. So while I might have spent a good deal of time emphasizing the ACTION, ACTION, ACTION aspect of this one, that doesn't mean it is without characterization and complexity.

10) Be warned it doesn't really have an ending.

11) It has profanity. A good deal of profanity. For some people it may be off-putting enough to pass on the book. For others that might be a big non-issue.

12) Poor grammar is part of the world-building. This may or may not bother readers!

Men lie, and they lie to theirselves worst of all. (22)

But a knife ain't just a thing, is it? It's a choice, it's something you do. A knife says yes or no, cut or not, die or don't. A knife takes a decision out of your hand and puts it in the world and it never goes back again. (84)

The knife is alive. As long as I hold it, as long as I use it, the knife lives, lives in order to take life, but it has to be commanded, it has to have me to tell it to kill, and it wants to, it wants to plunge and thrust and cut and stab and gouge, but I have to want it to as well, my will has to join with its will. I'm the one who allows it and I'm the one responsible. But the knife wanting it makes it easier. If it comes to it, will I fail? (341)

"War is a monster. War is the devil. It starts and it consumes and it grows and grows and grows. And otherwise normal men become monsters too." (392)

I can read her. Cuz she's thinking about her own parents also came here with hope like my ma. She's wondering if the hope at the end of our road is just as false as the one that was at the end of my ma's. And she's talking the words of my ma and putting them into the mouths of her own ma and pa and hearing them say that they love her and they miss her and they wish her the world. And she's taking the song of my ma and she's weaving it into everything else till it becomes a sad thing all her own. And it hurts her, but it's an okay hurt, but it hurts still, but it's good, but it hurts. She hurts. I know all this. I know it's true. Cuz I can read her. I can read her Noise even tho she ain't got none. I know who she is. I know Viola Eade. I raise my hands to the side of my head to hold it all in. "Viola," I whisper, my voice shaking. "I know," she says quietly, pulling her arms tight around her, still facing away from me. And I look at her sitting there and she looks across the river and we wait as the dawn fully arrives, each of us knowing. Each of us knowing the other. (420)

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Lady Thief. A.C. Gaughen. 2014. Walker Books. 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I wanted to reread Scarlet and Lady Thief in anticipation of the release of the third book, Lion Heart, this May. I read Scarlet and Lady Thief last spring and for the most part LOVED them. Particularly Lady Thief.

The heroine of Lady Thief is Marian (aka Scarlet). She's still very much in love with Robin Hood, but, she's been tempted with an offer almost too good to refuse. Her (abusive) husband will annul their marriage and let her go, if and only if, she plays the role of his wife while Prince John and his wife Isabel visit Nottingham. (A new sheriff needs to be appointed.) Also traveling with the royal family: Eleanor of Aquitaine, the queen mother. There's definite risk involved. But the idea of being free from him forever and ever and getting to have a happily ever after ending with her one true love blinds her for a bit. She agrees. What follows is a LOT of drama and angst and heartbreak. It's exciting and intense and emotional.

I love this adaptation of Robin Hood, a young Robin Hood. I love most all the characters. Robin Hood. John Little. Scarlet/Marian. Much. Tuck. And a few new characters as well: particularly Alan a Dale, Winchester, and Eleanor of Aquitaine. It's oh so easy to hate Prince John and Guy Gisbourne.

It's easy to recommend this series. I am eager to read the third book!


© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Glass Sentence. S.E. Grove. 2014. Penguin. 512 pages. [Source: Library]

The Glass Sentence has an intriguing premise with incredible potential. As soon as I heard the premise, I knew I had to read it. And, in many ways, it is a premise-driven novel. And there's nothing at all wrong with that, not when the premise is so unique. What is the premise? A Great Disruption occurs (roughly 1799) which fragments time itself. Continents and countries are displaced in time, if you will. So explorers are not just traveling from place to place, but also time to time. It makes exploring even more dangerous and unpredictable. Some societies want to forbid travel between Ages, want to stop foreigners from coming to their land, want to forbid travelers from leaving.

In The Glass Sentence, readers meet Sophia Tims. Her parents are explorers that have been missing most of her life. She has been raised by her uncle Shadrack, a cartologer. He insisted that her parents leave her behind. She was just three. She loves him, she does, but she misses her parents. She holds onto the hope that they'll come back OR that she'll go off adventuring and find them. Shortly after the novel opens, he begins to teach Sophia what he knows. He begins to share his secrets with her; he tells her that there are many different types of maps. That maps can be written on things besides paper. They can be written on glass, for instance, or even water. She's looking forward to learning...

But. Just when it is getting started, Sophia returns home to learn that her uncle has been kidnapped and that his study has been destroyed. Sophia and a new friend, Theo, a former zoo exhibit, team up to save the day. Can they find her uncle? Can they rescue him? Can the bad guys be defeated?

The world building works. It's an interesting and complex world. And, as I said, the premise has great potential. It's just an exciting sounding premise with plenty of appeal.

I liked it. I did. I didn't quite love it as I was hoping. But it was well worth a read.

© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Orleans. Sherri L. Smith. 2013. Penguin. 336 pages.

Orleans is intense and I suspect unforgettable. The novel is set after the Delta and/or the Gulf Coast have been cut off from the rest of the United States. (There being an actual wall to prevent people from entering/exiting.) The reason is simple: Delta Fever is too contagious and there isn't a cure. Everyone is infected with the fever, but each blood type responds differently to the disease or virus. This separates everyone into groups or tribes according to blood type.

Fen, our heroine, is O positive. But soon after the novel begins, her tribe is attacked. Her chieftain, Lydia, goes into premature labor because of the attack. The baby survives, she doesn't. Fen and the baby are what is left of this tribe, and Fen is desperate to provide a better life for this baby. Her goal is ambitious and dangerous. She wants to find a way to smuggle the baby out before it catches the fever. She wants to reach the wall.

Sometimes helping, sometimes hindering, Fen's ambitions is a young scientist named Daniel. Daniel dreams big too. He is desperate to find a cure. That is why he is there illegally.

Orleans is incredibly intense and impossible to put down. If you enjoy disaster and/or survivor fiction, then this one is a must read! It is extremely creepy in places, which I think will definitely appeal to some readers! But even if you don't like horror elements, you may find yourself hooked.

Read Orleans

• If you enjoy great world-building
• If you enjoy meeting strong heroines
• If you enjoy survivor or disaster novels
• If you enjoy dystopian or post-apocalyptic fiction
• If you like darker stories with some horror elements

© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Bar Code Tattoo. Suzanne Weyn. 2004/2012. Scholastic. 256 pages.

The Bar Code Tattoo is a quick read that I ultimately found disappointing. Kayla is weeks away from turning seventeen, in just a few weeks she'll have to choose whether she wants to conform or rebel against society and the government. The tattoo is relatively new--at least to the United States, having been tested first in Europe and Asia. And the tattoo is changing lives, for better or worse. For some who receive it, their lives improve dramatically: new opportunities at work, pay increases, etc. For others, it ruins them almost completely. Some lose their jobs, their homes, their credit or money no longer being "good" enough to be accepted anywhere. Not that any of this is being publicized, not really. Those who speak out against the tattoo are in the minority--or so it seems. And while there are rebel groups out there, well, they don't have the power to change things. At least not yet. Kayla's mind is made up almost from the time of her father's death. She blames--and her mother blames--his suicide to the tattoo. He has NOT been the same since receiving it, the changes coming slowly but surely over a month or two. Kayla joins a group she learns about at school, and so her rebellion begins. It may not seem like much of a commitment at first, but Kayla will ultimately have to make some tough choices.

It is a quick read, very fast-paced, very plot-driven. It started off promising enough, but by the end I was disappointed. The last few chapters were odd.

Read The Bar Code Tattoo

• If you're looking for a light, quick read
• If you're looking for a futuristic (2025 or so?) read featuring conspiring evil governments, societies, scientists, corporations, etc. 

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Book of Blood and Shadow. Robin Wasserman. 2012. Random House. 448 pages.

I thought this one started out with a lot of potential. The opening chapter was great, I thought. I definitely wanted to love this one, but, by the end, I had lost my enthusiasm. (I do think others may enjoy this one more than I did.) This unsolved mystery case, which spans several centuries, begins as a translation project for several college students, Max and Chris, and a high school student, our heroine, Nora. The guys are assigned one part of the project, Nora another. Her project includes translating the private letters of Elizabeth Weston. She's looking for clues as to what she has to say about her father's work, and/or her brother's work on this mystery book. Nora becomes involved in her project and Elizabeth's life starts to fascinate her. (Nora's friends aren't always excited to hear about it.) But Nora's "unimportant" private letters become extremely important, but it takes attempted murder (the professor), theft (of the letters), and murder (of her very very best friend) for it all to become clear to her. With each chapter things become more and more complicated. It has plenty of action and suspense plus secrets, lies, betrayals, etc.

If I had cared about the characters more, I think this one would have been a better read for me. The mystery with its dozens of clues wasn't enough to hold my interest. I do think it may work for others better.

Read The Book of Blood and Shadows

• If you like mystery/suspense/thriller novels with puzzles, mysteries, riddles, codes to solve, etc.
• If you are looking for a gothic/horror read
• If you have a special fondness for heroines and heroes that love Latin 

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Monument 14. Emmy Laybourne. 2012. Feiwel & Friends. 294 pages.

Monument 14 was a quick and mostly compelling read. The book has an interesting premise, for the most part. Life as we know it has ended, at least for the near future, and a dozen (or so) students find themselves for better or worse "trapped" in a superstore. The students vary in age, of course, from kindergartners to seniors or juniors. They must find a way to work together to make the best of a very bad situation: the outside world has turned hostile and there is no guarantee that they'll be able to leave the store in the next few months. 

The narrator is one of the older students, a guy named Dean; he happens to be trapped with his brother, Alex. While there are plenty of characters, I didn't really feel connected to anyone. This one was not great at characterization or relationships. Dean happens to have a big, big crush on one of the girls he's trapped with...but she has a boyfriend, another one of the characters. And Dean is having to balance his "love" for her with his need to not make a bigger-than-him enemy.

For those who don't mind a premise-driven post-apocalyptic, this one may work well enough. It was definitely interesting in places, and intense too. But I didn't love it.

Read Monument 14

• If you like survival-catastrophe-thrillers 
• If you don't mind a little teen drama (high school stereotypes abound)

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Mothership: Book One of the Ever-Expanding Universe. Martin Leicht and Isla Neal. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 320 pages.

As far as scientists have been able to determine, the primary function of the human coccyx, or tailbone, is to remind us that once upon a time we were all monkeys or something. But I happen to know that it can still serve a useful purpose. Say, for example, that a pregnant teenager three weeks from her due date, who weighs, oh, approximately 145 pounds (lay off, all right? The baby loves ice cream), were shoved down forcefully on a Treadtrack in gym class by a bitchy cheerleader. 

 Our heroine, Elvie Nara, is one of many students attending a special high school for pregnant teens. The school is in space--a space cruiser in Earth's orbit. When her father enrolled her, she had no idea that Britta McVicker would also be there. The hate is mutual. Their due dates are only weeks apart--and for better or worse--their babies will be siblings. Of course, Elvie isn't sure if Britta is aware of that little fact. The thought repulses Elvie actually. Despite the opening paragraph, Elvie rarely thinks in terms of carrying 'a baby.' An "it" or "goober" at best. Elvie definitely has no intention at all of ever, ever, ever feeling maternal.

On the day of the incident when Elvie is alone and eating ice cream, the ship--cruiser--is attacked by another ship. And thus the scare begins, Elvie racing to join the other girls--hoping to stay ahead of the mysterious gunned invaders. She meets a few other girls on the way, and convinces them to join her in her flight. But what she witnesses next...well...it's almost unbelievable. For she witnesses her teachers drowning her classmates. And then one of the invaders tells her that her teachers were in fact evil aliens. And he should know, because, he is an alien too....

Is there any part of Mothership that isn't over-the-top? I'm not sure that there is. I would say that this one should please fans of Bumped and/or Beauty Queens. The narrator, Elvie, is full of snark. (For those that require clean reads--look elsewhere.) And the book is about as believable as Earth Girls Are Easy. The novel is set in the future--2074.

The story is revealed in alternating chapters--jumping between the present (on board the spaceship) and the past (in the months and weeks leading up to her pregnancy). Ducky, her best, best friend is a big part of these flashbacks.

Read for Presenting Lenore's Dystopian August.  

Read Mothership

• If you like silly, over-the-top, funny adventures that require a suspension of disbelief
• If you like snarky narrators
• If you're looking for aliens in your YA

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Raider's Ransom. Emily Diamand. 2009. Scholastic. 368 pages.

Cat puts up his nose to sniff the breath of wind barely filling the sail, and opens his small pink mouth to speak.

Knowing that I could never quite do justice to Raider's Ransom in my review, let me encourage you to just pick up this one and give it a try. I can't promise that you'll love it. But. You just may. It's that kind of book. The kind that actually delivers what it promises.
If you like action/adventure quests, I think you'll really, really appreciate Raider's Ransom. I think you'll enjoy the world Diamand created in the novel. I think there will be scenes that stay with you. I think you'll enjoy not only her world-building but her characterization and storytelling too.

The heroine of Raider's Ransom is a young girl, Lilly. She may be young, but she's a fisherman with a small (very small) boat of her own. And to the dismay of some, she's the owner of a cat, a sea cat. Not something to be taken lightly in her community of survivors. When she's at home, on land, she stays with her grandmother. But. Readers don't get a chance to see a more relaxed Lilly. For the novel opens with Lilly discovering the tragic truth: when she was out sailing her vessel, out fishing, the raiders (or should that be Raiders?) attacked her village. They were looking for something specific, the attack wasn't just random. I don't know if that makes things better or worse for Lilly since one of the things they were looking for was her cat. The Raiders kill Lilly's grandmother, and kidnap the Prime Minister's daughter. One might think that they kidnapped her for a nice ransom, but, they had something even more in mind. They return without their sought-after object, a particular jewel. And that's only the beginning. The problem? Well, I can't talk about this one without revealing too much. I think this is one of those that is best discovered all on your own. Trust me.

So. I won't go into details. But I will say we get another narrator. And that proves most interesting indeed! For I certainly wasn't expecting it at all.

This one went above and beyond all my expectations. It really did. It surprised me in a good way.

Read Raider's Ransom

• If you like survival stories or starting over stories; 
• If you like action/adventure stories with a quest, a journey, a mission
• If you like action stories with battles and close escapes
• If you like dystopias, novels set in the future with a society quite unlike our own
• If you like good storytelling

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Insurgent. Veronica Roth. 2012. HarperCollins. 525 pages.

 I absolutely LOVED Veronica Roth's Divergent. I just LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. I recently reread it too just to prepare myself for reading the sequel, Insurgent. So how do the two compare? Well, I'm not sure that's ever a fair question. The better question may be did I love it? And the answer to that one is much, much easier! Yes, I loved Insurgent. Now does loving it translate into just love or love, love, love? Only time will tell.

Insurgent starts right where Divergent left off, which was great for me since I'd just read Divergent. Beatrice (Tris) is on the run with a handful of people including her boyfriend, Four, and her brother, Caleb. But among this group of survivors are a few people Tris doesn't trust or exactly like. They are seeking refuge with Amity unsure of their welcome. Well, unsure of how long-term this welcome will be. Amity is the kind of faction that gets along with everyone no matter how good or bad. But Tris and Four are almost sure that they cannot stay with Amity, they still have unfinished business.

While Insurgent definitely introduces new business--new dangers, new threats, new risks, etc--it does a great job in terms of consequences. Tris and Four (and the others) have a big, big mess to deal with. Many people have lost loved ones, many have lost homes, all have lost security. Tris' losses are monumental. She has lost both parents, parents with secrets that are only now coming to light, and she's dealing with her choices. Specifically her choice that led to a former friend, a close friend, losing his life. She is HAUNTED, beyond haunted almost, by what she has done.

But there is no time for Tris to relax, not really, for every day brings more decisions. Tris is having to make some tough, tough decisions; decisions that will impact not only her life, not only her relationship with her boyfriend, but will impact potentially everyone. And she struggles with the weight of it all. Does she have the right to think for herself? Does she have the right to disagree with the leaders? With the leaders of her own faction? Does she have the right to question people she's been told are trustworthy? How does she know who to trust?

I definitely loved this one! And I loved getting to know the characters. I loved the world-building, getting a chance to learn more about the other factions and the factionless too.

Read Insurgent

• If you loved Divergent, or, even if you just liked Divergent
• If you enjoy science fiction and dystopias
• If you like dystopias with good world-building and a little romance too

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Divergent. Veronica Roth. 2011. May 2011. HarperCollins. 496 pages.

There is one mirror in my house. Our faction allows me to stand in front of it on the second day of every third month, the day my mother cuts my hair. It is behind a sliding panel in the hallway upstairs.

What my original review couldn't tell you is how much I've continued to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Veronica Roth's Divergent.  I read this one last February, and it remained a favorite throughout the year. It definitely came close to topping my favorite-and-best list of 2011. And was by far the best YA book I read last year. There was something about Beatrice (Tris) and Tobias (Four) that stuck with me. I wanted to pick it up a half a dozen times at least to reread it, but I restrained myself. I wanted to save it up to read it close to the release date of the second book in the series, Insurgent. The truth is the moment I finished Divergent (the first and second time) I wanted, no, NEEDED, Insurgent to be right there for me to pick up. Of course, that was impossible.

From my original review:

Beatrice Prior, our sixteen-year-old narrator, is about to make the most important decision of her life. For two big days are coming: the day of the aptitude test and the Choosing Ceremony. Soon Beatrice will have to decide which faction she'll belong to for the rest of her life. If she chooses outside her parents' faction, she may never see them again. For ties to one's faction must come first. The five factions are as follows: Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice has been raised Abnegation, but it's always felt like a wrong fit. Selflessness does not come easy for her. She has spent the first sixteen years of her life practically invisible--blending into the background. But Beatrice has secretly been watching her Dauntless classmates. Dare she admit it aloud? She's thinking of choosing the most rebel faction of all!

But not all initiates make it into the Dauntless faction. Only the bravest. Only the strongest. Only the best. Readers follow Tris (Beatrice) on her new journey. We meet fellow initiates--those born Dauntless, and those transferring from other factions. We follow their training through three stages. They will be challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally. We become familiar with their two trainers--Eric and Four. We see the faction's strengths and weaknesses. As does Tris. On the one hand, Tris realizes she is fierce. She can be strong, determined, brave. She is learning to face her fears, learning to face life. But she's also realizing that compassion and love are part of courage. That selflessness has prepared her for her new life. On the other hand, she sees how heartless, how cruel some are. Yes, the Dauntless have their flaws.

Divergent is an action-packed dystopia. It's exciting. It's compelling. It's impossible to put down. The futuristic Chicago setting has been well-crafted. While only two factions are explored in this first novel in the trilogy, the glimpses we get of this world are fascinating. I loved the setting, the world-building. I loved the characters. Tris is such a great heroine. And Four. Well, I don't want to spoil it. But he's definitely a large part of why I loved this one! I would definitely recommend this one. I think I loved it even more than The Hunger Games trilogy.

What I can add:

There's nothing more to think about. I definitely, definitely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one above an

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Out of Sight, Out of Time. Ally Carter. 2012. Hyperion. 304 pages.

"Where am I?" I heard the words, but I wasn't sure I'd said them. The voice was too rough, too coarse to be mine. It was as if there were a stranger in my skin, lying in the dark, saying, "Who's there?"

Out of Sight, Out of Time is the fifth book in the Gallagher Girls Series. Did it disappoint? No!!! It was just as fabulous as I expected, as I hoped. Am I growing tired of this series? No, not yet! I'm not sure I ever will. What do I like best about this series? Well, to be honest I love the balance. How it's plot-driven, premise-driven, to a certain extent, so much does depend on pacing, action, and mystery. But. The main character, the narrator, is such a GREAT character. I mean there's nothing flat about her at all. She's so fascinating. I feel about Cammie Morgan the same way I used to feel about Georgia Nicholson. (These two series are SO VERY DIFFERENT from one another, I don't want you to get the wrong idea about either one.) I suppose what I mean is that I enjoy her character so much that I'm just always glad to spend more time with her. There's also a good balance between action/adventure/mystery and humor/romance.

What can I tell you about this specific adventure? Well. Not much. Not much at all. Because it is the FIFTH book. And you need to read books one through four to meet the characters, to get to know the plot, to know what the big, big mystery is that we're trying to solve. I do think the books are getting even better. (And I loved the first ones!)

Read Out of Sight, Out of Time

• If you're a fan of the Gallagher Girls series
• If you're looking to find a boarding school full of girl spies
• If you're looking for action/adventure with plenty of danger and plenty of fun
• If you're a fan of Ally Carter

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Article 5. Kristen Simmons. Tor. 368 pages.

Beth and Ryan were holding hands. It was enough to risk a formal citation for indecency, and they knew better, but I didn't say anything. Curfew rounds wouldn't begin for another two hours, and freedom was stolen in moments like these.

If you enjoy YA dystopias, then you should give Kristen Simmons' Article 5 a try. There's no guarantee that you'll love it or even like it. You may not even want to finish it. But. I think it's worth trying for yourself--especially if your library has a copy. There are so very, very many dystopias available now that it is easy to tire of them. You do have to be in the proper mood to enjoy a dystopia, and if you're already tired of the genre, well, give it time--plenty of time. It's better to wait and get back in the mood than to push it.

And if romance annoys you, well, Article 5 may be one that you're never in the mood to read. BUT. That isn't a bad thing. I am not against *some* dystopias having *some* romance. I'm just of the opinion that the romance should be natural, should feel authentic and not forced. Romance should never, ever, ever be a requirement for dystopian novels. And when 90% of the focus is on romance and only 10% given over to world-building, well, it can get annoying very quickly. If you LOVE romance, then there shouldn't be a problem with Article 5. (Though I'm not saying that every reader will love this hero and heroine.)

I honestly don't know how I feel about Article 5. So I'll stick with what I do know. Article 5 was not a painful read. I read it in two days. And it was, for the most part, an easy read. It was a book that I definitely wanted to finish. And at the end of it, I didn't regret my time. But did I like it enough to say that I liked it? I'm not sure. Ember, our heroine, was an odd heroine. She didn't seem all that smart. And some of her rigid ideas of right and wrong seemed a little out of place considering the world she lived in. I can't really give an example without spoiling the book. But when you're trying to survive, fighting to live, and there are people hunting you down, people who are very brutal, who wouldn't hesitate to shoot you dead no questions asked, then you shouldn't be lecturing your boyfriend on how he was wrong to use violence to protect you from being raped and possibly killed. You just shouldn't. There were a couple of scenes where Ember was just impossible to like, impossible to understand. Chase is the boyfriend that she has a love/hate relationship with. (She feels she always knows what is best, what is right, what they should do, how they should do it, even though Chase has way, way, way more experience in dealing with the real world.)

Read Article 5

• If you enjoy YA dystopias, YA science fiction
• If you like YA romances
• If you like action/survival novels

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Partials. Dan Wells. 2012. HarperCollins. 480 pages.

Newborn #485GA18M died on June 30, 2076, at 6:07 in the morning. She was three days old. The average lifespan of a human child, in the time since the Break, was fifty-six hours. They didn't even name them anymore. Kira Walker looked on helplessly while Dr. Skousen examined the tiny body. The nurses--half of them pregnant as well--recorded the details of its life and death, faceless in bodysuits and gas masks. The mother wailed despondently from the hallway, muffled by the glass. Ariel McAdams, barely eighteen years old. The mother of a corpse.

It has been eleven years since a deadly virus (RM) killed most of the human race. The survivors who had--for one reason or another--a natural immunity to the virus have joined together and resettled on Long Island. The youngest human alive is a little over fourteen. Not long after the novel opens, the school shuts down because there are no more students to teach, and the teens are deemed old enough to go into a trade or be apprenticed into a trade. (Kira is in the medical field. She's not quite eighteen yet, so she's not "required" to be pregnant yet. But the Hope Mandate legislates women's lives. Humanity must be saved. And that means every woman old enough must do her part. True, no baby has survived past a few days old in eleven years. But they have to keep trying, right? They just can't give up on finding a cure and successfully reproducing, right? Well, hope isn't easy to come by. But when Kira's best friend becomes pregnant, she becomes DETERMINED to find the cure that will save her baby. Nothing is more important to Kira than the cure.

Once Kira's plan is formed, Partials is quite the compelling read!!! Kira and a handful of her friends set out to do something risky--something that appears to be quite insane. But Kira knows it is the only hope for finding a cure.

I enjoyed this one. I did. I'd definitely recommend it.

Favorite quote:

Happiness is the most natural thing in the world when you have it, and the slowest, strangest, most impossible thing when you don't. (78)

Read Partials

• If you enjoy science fiction, dystopias, or post-apocalyptic novels
• If you enjoy fiction with a survival theme
• If you enjoy unique coming-of-age stories 

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Crossed. Ally Condie. 2011. Penguin. 368 pages.

I'm standing in a river. It's blue. Dark blue. Reflecting the color of the evening sky.

I enjoyed Matched, the first book in the series. And I was ready for the sequel, more ready than my library was apparently. I had high expectations for Crossed, and they were more than met!!! While I liked Matched, really liked it in places--though not because of the romance, more of the writing style--I just loved Crossed that much more. I thought the world-building was even better than in the first book. I thought the expanded world-building--the novel follows our hero and heroine on a journey--was great! It was impossible to put this one down. It demanded to be read in a single setting.

So. Crossed was narrated by Ky and Cassia. These two are apart at the beginning of the novel, readers actually see Cassia follow in Ky's footsteps for the first third of the novel, but the two are eventually reunited...but they're never quite alone. For Crossed introduces new characters!!! Cassia has escaped with Indie, and Ky has escaped with Vick and Eli. Each character has a story, a story they're willing to share with others, and a story that they'd never share with others because it hurts too much. I liked seeing these people team up and work together, I did. The story was definitely suspenseful in many, many ways.

Read Crossed

• If you enjoyed Matched, the first in the series by Ally Condie
• If you enjoy dystopia, yes, it's dystopia with a bit of romance, but the world-building can be interesting too
• If you enjoy some action and suspense in your science fiction

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx. James Rollins. 2011. HarperCollins. 370 pages.

Most days people don't kick you in the head. For Jacob Bartholomew Ransom, it was just another Monday.

If the second book hadn't caught my attention, I don't know that I would have picked up the first novel in the series, Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow. This is Jake's second adventure, and it is just as action-packed as the first. I definitely recommend you read the series from the beginning. Because many--if not most--of the characters are introduced in the first book. Even though this book has a different setting, in a way. The books do share a villain.

I don't know how to talk about this one without spoiling the first novel. With fantasy series that is often the case. I can only say that it was a quick read, a very quick read, and quite a satisfying one! I am still liking Jake and his sister, Kady. I'm liking their resourcefulness, their strength. The pacing, the plot, the characters, everything works.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow. James Rollins. 2009. HarperCollins. 400 pages.

First sentence of prologue: The man fled down the steep slope of the jungle mountain.

By the second page of the prologue, I was hooked. He had me with: "Few people had ever set eyes on the giant mountain; even fewer had ever walked its slopes. And only one man knew its secret. He had learned the truth. The Mountain of Bones...was no mountain." Even before the real story of this one started, I just had to know what happened next.

First sentence chapter one: From his school desk, Jake Ransom willed the second hand on the wall clock to sweep away the final minutes of his sixth period history class.

This fantasy novel stars Jake Ransom and his sister, Kady. Their parents were great adventurers, great archaeologists, but they've been missing (and presumed dead) for just over three years. The novel opens with the two children being invited to a museum exhibit (in London) featuring some of their parents' last finds. Jake definitely wants to go; in fact, he feels he NEEDS to go. Kady, well, she isn't sure how she feels about it. She isn't sure if seeing the exhibit will make her feel better or worse about her parents deaths.

But this is no ordinary exhibit, it holds great excitement, great danger, for the two...it is the beginning of all their adventures...

I really, really enjoyed this fantasy novel. I thought it was very compelling, very exciting, very difficult to put down. It so easily could have been a premise-driven novel with underdeveloped characters, but, for me, I thought the characters were done nicely. It's still a plot-driven novel--very action-packed with danger and thrills--but the characters do matter.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (#1 Heroes of Olympus) 2010. Hyperion. 576 pages.


Even before he got electrocuted, Jason was having a rotten day.

I had my doubts. Even though it's Rick Riordan, I had my doubts. How could The Lost Hero hope to compete with The Lightning Thief. It could be good, it could even be really good. But how could it really compare with such a great book?! For me, that was THE best book, the one that was the best of them all. Yes, the series as a whole was a good adventure, but the first one? Well it was OH-SO-MAGICAL!

I was surprised by how much I loved this one. I thought it was a great read. Compelling, exciting, and magical!!! It has multiple narrators. Now practically every book with multiple narrators has me sharing with you how much I really don't like that element in books, but with this one it WORKED and worked well. It didn't feel awkward or silly like it does in Rick Riordan's other series--The Kane Chronicles, The Red Pyramid and The Throne of Fire.

Our narrators, our heroes and heroines, are Jason, Piper, and Leo. Two have been under the protection of Coach Hedge, the third appears out of nowhere on a school field trip. The mist effecting everyone's memories--even Piper and Leo. (Piper just KNOWS that Jason has been her boyfriend for weeks. She can almost remember every moment they've ever shared.) But trouble is coming and the three will have to fight to survive long enough to reach the safety of Camp Half-blood. To complicate matters, Jason has NO MEMORY at all of who he is or where he came from.

So the book does feature a quest, and it is EXCITING. I won't go into the details of this one. Chances are if you're familiar with Percy Jackson and his series, then you'll want to read this new series anyway. And if you haven't read Percy Jackson yet, if you've yet to discover the joys of The Lightning Thief, then this is NOT the place to start your journey with Rick Riordan.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Torn. Margaret Peterson Haddix. 2011. Simon & Schuster. 352 pages.

"We didn't know what we were doing," a voice whispered near Jonah's ear. 

I really loved this fourth novel in the Missing series. I can't say that I've loved each of the novels equally. Though each has had its moments. But I can say that I've really enjoyed the series--or the idea behind the series. I love the time travel element. I love how each novel--or to be more precise, the second, third, and fourth novels--have focused on one time in particular. In the fourth novel, Jonah and his sister have been sent to 1611. They arrive on board Henry Hudson's ship just hours before a mutiny occurs. Jonah is posing as Hudson's son, and, well there is a lot depending on him. For the two have been told--and they have every reason to believe it--that time is falling apart and that they are the only two in position to repair the damage.

I would say that this is definitely a series you need to read in order. I'm not sure that Torn would be such a great read if you weren't familiar with the previous books.

If you enjoy action, adventure, history, mystery, and science fiction, then this series is definitely worth trying.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Sharp North. Patrick Cave. 2004/2006. Simon & Schuster. 528 pages.

The girl nearly didn't find out who she was. What she was.

Sharp North is a perplexing YA novel. Part mystery. Part thriller. Part dystopian. It's set in a future world forever altered by global warming. A future world with a corrupt government. (How many fictional future worlds don't have a corrupt government?) A future world threatened by an underground movement, a revolution in the making. Our heroine, Mira, has a role to play in this world--for better or worse. And it's a role that mystifies Mira. For Mira's future is just as uncertain as her past.

Sharp North begins with a murder. Mira witnesses this murder, this hushed up murder, and it forever changes the way she sees the world, the way she sees her community. In part because she finds out that she is connected to the victim. She finds a piece of paper, a mere scrap, with a list of names. Her name is on the list. And so is the name of one of her friends, Gil Moore. He's listed as "her watcher." But why is he watching her? Is he her friend or her enemy? Is he out to see that she survives? Or is he in place to eliminate her? That's what Mira can't forget, can't erase. Are the people who murdered this mysterious woman, this mysterious stranger, out to get her? What led to this crime? For even if the whole world chooses to ignore it, Mira can't. Was it the woman's curiosity? Well, Mira can't help being curious now!

So Mira sets out on a journey to discover the truth, the truth about who she is, what she is. In a way she's running away from danger just as much as she's running straight into it. For Mira hasn't a real clue who her enemies are and who her friends may be. Is there a safe place for Mira? Or is she destined to upset the balance of those around her?

We meet a few interesting characters in Patrick Cave's Sharp North. Including several members of the Saint family, one of the "Great Families" that govern in this new world.

Maybe other readers can piece together this mystery. Maybe other readers can read it without being confused by the ending--as for me, well, I'm puzzled by how it ended. I still don't know what really happened.

So did I like it? Yes and no. I liked the idea of it. But. It felt like two or three stories pieced together. And it didn't always work for me.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Wither. Laura DeStefano. 2011. Simon & Schuster. 368 pages.

I wait. They keep us in the dark for so long that we lose sense of our eyelids. We sleep huddled together like rats, staring out, and dream of our bodies swaying. I know when one of the girls reaches a wall. She begins to pound and scream--there's metal in the sound--but none of us help her. We've gone too long without speaking, and all we do is bury ourselves more into the dark. The doors open. The light is frightening. It's the light of the world through the birth canal, and at once the blinding tunnel that comes with death. I recoil into the blankets with the other girls in horror, not wanting to begin or end.

Did I like Wither? Yes! I really LOVED it! One of the best 2011 books that I've read so far. Rhine Ellery knows almost exactly when she'll die--and why she'll die. Mad scientists, so called geniuses, from previous generations have manipulated human genes too much. Having created the "oh-so-perfect" generation of children, they've cursed the human race. Every woman dies from a deadly virus at age 20. Every man dies from that virus at age 25.Will there be a cure found in Rhine's lifetime? Maybe, maybe not. She's just sixteen. But she's not that hopeful. Rhine knows one thing for sure. She does NOT want to spend her remaining years in a forced marriage with two other sister wives. Even if her husband, Linden, is ignorant of how his three wives really came to be his. Even if he doesn't know the truth about his father's schemes and manipulations. No, Rhine wants to be free, needs to be free. She wants to find her twin brother, Rowan, and live the rest of her days free. But will she find a way to escape?

I enjoyed Wither! I enjoyed spending time with Rhine and her sister wives, Cecily, the youngest, Jenna, the oldest. I also enjoyed spending time with Gabriel, one of the servants who works at the estate. Their developing friendship adds a great deal of excitement to the novel! I didn't hate Linden. While Rhine may not have fallen for him, may not have found that lifestyle tolerable under any circumstances, I can't help pitying him.

Overall, I found the novel fascinating and compelling. The world Lauren DeStefano created was haunting and horrible and so wonderfully developed. I'd definitely recommend this one.

She wanders down one of the aisles, and I follow her as she runs her finger along the spines of books, taps one of them, eases it out of its place. The book is dusty, the cover eaten away, the pages yellow and brittle as she flips through them. All of these books are from the twenty-first century or earlier, which isn't very strange. The television also airs old movies, and most shows are set in the past. It has become a form of escapism to visit a world in which people live a long time. What was once real and natural has become a fantasy. "There are lots of love stories here," she says. "They either end happily, or everyone dies." She laughs, but it sounds more like a sob. "What else is there, right?" (86)

A few minutes later we're huddled under a blanket on a couch in the sitting room, sharing a gallon of vanilla ice cream she ordered from the kitchen, and we're watching an early-morning rerun of yesterday's soap opera. Along with the romance novels, these are another of her guilty pleasures. The actors are all teenagers made up to look much older. Jenna tells me they're constantly changing the actors, since of course the show has been on for more than a decade and the original actors have died by now. The only consistent actors are first generations. And

4 Comments on Wither (YA), last added: 4/3/2011

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Amanda said, on 4/2/2011 7:31:00 PM

Too funny! I just posted a pile of to-read that included Divergent, Delirium AND Wither. I loved Hunger Games and heard Maze Runner is awesome. Glad to hear this one is as well! Can't wait to read it now!

Liviania said, on 4/2/2011 10:31:00 PM

I pitied Linden too.

The Reading Rōnin said, on 4/3/2011 12:03:00 PM

I loved this one too! Definitely one of the best dytopian ya books I've read since Hunger Games.

http://ivorytowerlibrary.blogspot.com/2011/03/wither-by-lauren-destefano.html

Sorilla said, on 4/3/2011 3:10:00 PM

...last drop...this was...for me to download the book to my iPad! I got "Wither" finally, good its raining outside, gtg ;).
Thanks for your review, as always,
Sorilla

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Divergent. Veronica Roth. 2011. May 2011. HarperCollins. 496 pages.

There is one mirror in my house. Our faction allows me to stand in front of it on the second day of every third month, the day my mother cuts my hair. It is behind a sliding panel in the hallway upstairs.


Beatrice Prior, our sixteen-year-old narrator, is about to make the most important decision of her life. For two big days are coming: the day of the aptitude test and the Choosing Ceremony. Soon Beatrice will have to decide which faction she'll belong to for the rest of her life. If she chooses outside her parents' faction, she may never see them again. For ties to one's faction must come first. The five factions are as follows: Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice has been raised Abnegation, but it's always felt like a wrong fit. Selflessness does not come easy for her. She has spent the first sixteen years of her life practically invisible--blending into the background. But Beatrice has secretly been watching her Dauntless classmates. Dare she admit it aloud? She's thinking of choosing the most rebel faction of all!

But not all initiates make it into the Dauntless faction. Only the bravest. Only the strongest. Only the best. Readers follow Tris (Beatrice) on her new journey. We meet fellow initiates--those born Dauntless, and those transferring from other factions. We follow their training through three stages. They will be challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally. We become familiar with their two trainers--Eric and Four. We see the faction's strengths and weaknesses. As does Tris. On the one hand, Tris realizes she is fierce. She can be strong, determined, brave. She is learning to face her fears, learning to face life. But she's also realizing that compassion and love are part of courage. That selflessness has prepared her for her new life. On the other hand, she sees how heartless, how cruel some are. Yes, the Dauntless have their flaws.

Divergent is an action-packed dystopia. It's exciting. It's compelling. It's impossible to put down. The futuristic Chicago setting has been well-crafted. While only two factions are explored in this first novel in the trilogy, the glimpses we get of this world are fascinating. I loved the setting, the world-building. I loved the characters. Tris is such a great heroine. And Four. Well, I don't want to spoil it. But he's definitely a large part of why I loved this one! I would definitely recommend this one. I think I loved it even more than The Hunger Games trilogy.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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 Clockwork Angel. (Internal Devices #1) Cassandra Clare. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 479 pages.

The demon exploded in a shower of ichor and guts.

After her aunt's death, Tessa Gray comes to England hoping to start a new life with her older brother, Nate. She expected him to have met her when she arrived. Instead, she was met by the Dark Sisters and was imprisoned for many weeks as she was "trained" to take her 'rightful' place by their master, the Magister. For though Tessa didn't know it, she was a Downworlder, a warlock without the markings of a warlock. A warlock with special shape-shifting abilities. Tessa may not know much about magic, but she knows that the Dark Sisters are evil. And anyone they serve? Well, he'd have to be evil too. The fact that he wants to marry her?! It's all a little too creepy for her. To hold her brother--supposedly--hostage so she'll cooperate herself into a marriage?!
Tessa was already planning to try to escape when two Shadowhunters enter the scene. Will and Jem. They take her to the Institute, a hidden, protected place of the Shadowhunters, of the Nephilim. And that's just the beginning, for as the weeks go by she meets some very interesting people--only a few of which are fully human.

Tessa Gray may not have wanted this action-packed life, this dangerous adventure. But she may find that living a "normal" life is impossible now that she knows the truth. It is hard to know who to trust...and who to love. For she definitely finds herself falling in love with someone at the Institute.

I liked this one. It's historical fantasy. It's set in (an alternate) Victorian London. It's the first in a new series by Cassandra Clare. (Clare's previous trilogy--set in contemporary times--includes: The City of Bones, The City of Ashes, and The City of Glass.)

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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