The First Dragon (2013)

The First Dragon. The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #7 James Owen. 2013. Simon & Schuster. 304 pages. [Source: Library]

If only I'd had time to reread each and every book in the series before starting this last book, I think it would have made me love it and appreciate it even more. That being said, though it took a few chapters to refresh my memory, I ended up loving this conclusion to the series. I would love to do a reread at some point! I think it would help clarify some things for me, to connect all the little things together.

The book begins with the caretakers in quite a mess. The destruction of the keep has changed everything, threatened everything, and much is lost seemingly forever. The number one priority is recovering three people who have been lost somewhere in time: Charles, Rose, Edmund. But though that is the number one priority for all, it's not easy to agree how to go about a rescue, or even to conclusively say that rescue is possible. At the start of the novel, they have no way at all to travel through time. A few caretakers have ideas, but, essentially if a rescue is to come it will be through experimentation.

A rescue operation might have to be a "secret" operation.

I really enjoyed spending time with these characters again. This one had so many twists and turns, though twists and turns have always, always been a part of this series. It was a very enjoyable read.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Aquifer (2013)

Aquifer. Jonathan Friesen. 2013. Blink. 303 pages. [Source: Library]

I really wanted to love Aquifer. I thought the book started off promising. It had an intriguing start. I was curious about the narrator, Luca. I was interested in learning more about Luca's father, and how these two fit into their society, their community. The unveiling of this world was certainly mysterious enough to keep me reading in the beginning. The part that hooked me, I admit, was Luca going with his friend to the cave and finding the long-thought-lost, definitely-forbidden books. Such a good start led me to hope. Unfortunately, the second half of the novel did not work for me. Luca's quest or Luca's journey (I'm not sure it qualifies as a quest exactly), was troublesome for me in that the further he went, the more confused I became. The plot went from being easy to comprehend to super confusing. If I'd read the book over a series of days or even weeks, I would blame that completely on me, on my attention as a reader. But when you read a book in one sitting?! I don't know that it was completely my fault for not following every twist and turn of the plot. I kept reading because I wanted to see how it ended. And I was able to hold onto threads of the plot enough to make some sense of it. But was it satisfying? Only in part.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The 100 (2013)

The 100. Kass Morgan. 2013. Little, Brown. 277 pages. [Source: Library]

I read The 100 when I was in a happy and generous mood. I was enjoying the book, for the most part. I was actually liking the multiple points of view. I liked how readers were able to follow the story down on earth AND yet remain to see what happened up on the colony ship as well. I liked how the stories were unfolding. A few plot details I was able to predict. That is not a bad thing, by the way. It can be good OR bad. It can feel satisfying now and then to guess right. It is only when a reader guesses all the plot ahead of time that it becomes too much. Another thing I was mostly enjoying is how flawed all the characters were. Seriously flawed. Big mistakes. Big issues. It was interesting to see the characters relate to one another. To see them come together...or not.

My only hesitation with recommending this one is the ending. The problem I had with this book is that I was enjoying it (perhaps not ABSOLUTELY LOVING it, but still, a good solid enjoy) until I started picking up on Wells mysterious act of "devotion." The ending. Perhaps it fit with the book perfectly. Perhaps there were hundreds of clues indicating the truth. It isn't that I was surprised that Wells did something stupid, it is just that I didn't guess it would be so completely over-the-top ridiculously stupid.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The 5th Wave (2013)

The 5th Wave. Rick Yancey. 2013. Penguin. 457 pages. [Source: Review copy]

The 5th Wave is probably one of the best books I've read this year. It is definitely one of the best science fiction novels I've read this year. Alien Invasion. That alone may be enough to draw some readers in, though I know it won't be enough to draw all readers into this oh-so-compelling story of survival.

The 5th Wave is an intense sci-fi thriller. There are multiple narrators, perhaps with Cassie being the 'main' narrator. Each voice adds something to the book. Together the story they tell is quite unforgettable.

If Cassie has learned one thing since it happened, she's learned not to trust another soul, to see every single person--no matter their age or gender--as a threat to her survival. That is because the alien invasion has taken an oh-so-human twist. One can't discern the enemy, for the enemy might just be the boy next door or a former classmate.

But the truth is Cassie needs desperately to trust someone. It is incredibly difficult to take care of yourself, to survive, when you've been injured. So when Cassie wakes up in someone's house--after a big injury (a gunshot wound, I believe) she is almost forced to relax while she's being nursed back to health. The name of her rescuer is Evan Walker. Cassie will have to decide if he is just as he seems or if he has a couple of secrets...

Readers also meet other characters, for example, Cassie's younger brother, and Cassie's former crush. But The 5th Wave is such a difficult book to write about because it is so very good and because the less you know before you pick it up, the better.

The sequel The Infinite Sea is scheduled to be released in September 2014.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Across A Star-Swept Sea (2013)

Across A Star-Swept Sea. Diana Peterfreund. 2013. HarperCollins. 464 pages. [Source: Library]

I think I enjoyed this one more than the For The Darkness Shows The Stars. The two are companion books. Across A Star-Swept Sea is a futuristic retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel. (In this reimagining, it is THE WILD POPPY; Galatea = France and Albion = England, of course.) Lady Persis Blake was a delightful heroine. I really enjoyed all of her personas. Readers see her as silly, vain, and gossip-driven. Readers see her brave, resilient, strong, and compassionate. Readers also see her doubts and fears, her vulnerability was touching. The romance, I felt, was well done. I thought the book captured the essence of Percy and Marguerite's troubled attraction. I thought the book also went to great lengths to be thought provoking in terms of gender roles and expectations. For example, in Albion women absolutely cannot inherit. So the Regent, Princess Isla, is just standing in for her brother--a mere toddler. Lady Persis also knows that all of her family's wealth will go to her husband; he will rule and manage it all. The world-building is complex, more complex than you might imagine. I would definitely recommend this one!

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Unsouled (2013)

Unsouled. Neal Shusterman. 2013. Simon & Schuster. 416 pages. [Source: Library]

Unsouled is just as intense and compelling as Unwind and Unwholly. While I don't usually like books told through multiple narrators, in the case of this series, it completely works. Readers still get to spend plenty of time with previous characters (Connor, Lev, Risa, etc.) but the story is always progressing forward. New characters are always being introduced. One of the points of Unsouled seems to be that there are more than two sides. That there isn't a clear-cut "good side" and "bad side" of the coming "war" or conflict. There are at least three sides. All three sides are shown in Unsouled. The world is still complex and full of mystery. More is revealed about the past, about the science behind the unwinding and its original purpose. Unsouled is a very good read!


© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Dangerous (2014)

Dangerous. Shannon Hale. 2014. Bloomsbury. 400 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Dangerous was definitely an entertaining read. Hale has given YA readers a science fiction book with a super-hero twist. I wasn't sure what to expect after reading the prologue. I didn't know what type of science fiction book to expect. Would it be like Hunger Games or The Testing? I suppose it could have gone that way based on the prologue. But what readers get is something very different: it is odd mostly in a good way, and more unique than you might at first expect.

Maisie Danger Brown is the heroine of Dangerous. She wins a contest to go to astronaut camp. The camp is where it all happens; what happens at camp, well, it changes not only Maisie's life, but her whole family's life, and her best friend's life, and that's just for starters.

Dangerous is very much one of those whole-world-in-danger-we-need-a-hero books.

I liked it mostly.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Parallelogram (2013)

Parallelogram. Robin Brande. 2013. Ryer Publishing. 350 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

I have enjoyed the books in this series. I wish I'd had time to reread the two previous books in the series, but, since that wasn't possible, I'll just say that it took me a few chapters to fully remember (in a satisfactory way) what was going on, what had just happened. I found myself remembering the big things, but forgetting the little things. I would encourage readers to read the series as close together as possible.

Seize the Parallel keeps readers in touch with both Halli and Audie. The two have definitely switched places. Halli's consciousness is inhabiting Audie's body. Halli is having to adjust to this parallel universe. Since Halli and Audie are so very different from one another, she's having to make some harsh decisions. She cannot successfully pretend to be Audie and fool anyone. She's having to be Audie-whose-had-a-change-of-heart-transformation. An Audie who is obsessed with exercise and eating healthy. An Audie who loves to cook. An Audie who has lost interest in attending the college of her dreams. An Audie who has suddenly decided to become a nature guide! Audie's consciousness is inhabiting Halli's body. She has an easier time, perhaps, in this book in that she spends the entire book in the hospital in the parallel universe. She is on pain killers. She's barely allowed visitors. She's considerably worried and anxious to get back to her body, to get back her life, to make contact again, but, there is a lack of action.

If Seize the Parallel has a fault, it would be lack of action. It has complex ideas, but, most of the book is just spent waiting for decisions to be made and actions to be taken.

My enjoyment of a book is not determined by the amount of action. I didn't have a problem with it personally. For me, it is almost always matter of characterization. Seize the Parallel does not stand alone. I cared about the characters because I'd read the previous books. I'm not sure I would have cared about them based on this book alone.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Allegiant (2013)

Allegiant. Veronica Roth. (Divergent Series #3) HarperCollins. 544 pages. [Source: Library]

Have you read Allegiant? What did you think? I read the book having read spoilers online about this final book in the series. While every reader is different, I liked knowing from the start what was ahead. I think I approached the book differently having read so many reviews. Did I like it? Did I love it? I don't know. The only thing I can say for certain is that I did not hate it.

This review has vague spoilers about the middle but nothing specific especially in terms of the ending.

Allegiant has two narrators: Tris and Tobias (Four). As much as I love the idea of having Four's perspective, the truth is, that most dual narrative books just don't work well for me. Both narratives are told in the first person. While the chapters clearly state at the beginning if it is "Tris" or "Tobias," it was hard as a reader to discern mid-chapter. They just didn't feel separate and distinct enough.

I did enjoy where the story went. Readers follow Tris and Tobias and other select friends (including Caleb and Peter) OUTSIDE into the 'real world.' Tris and Tobias meet scientists and government officials who have been monitoring the whole experiment. While Tris thought she was digging towards the truth in the last book, it turns out that truth is more slippery that she ever thought possible. What this book has in large doses are lies, truths, and half-truths. These are supposed to serve as answers, I suppose; they are supposed to satisfy readers and characters alike. (But do they?)
Every character reacts differently as these "truths" are unveiled. Because Tris and Tobias react differently, there is drama and conflict, of course.

The ending. I thought the ending was completely in character. I couldn't imagine Tris being in that situation and making any other choice. 

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Rereading Insurgent (2012)

Insurgent. Veronica Roth. 2012. HarperCollins. 525 pages. [Source: Library]

I wake with his name in my mouth.
Will.
Before I open my eyes, I watch him crumple to the pavement again. Dead.
My doing.

Reading Insurgent the first time was an experience. A book that is felt and not "just read." (My first review.) I am so glad I decided to reread both Divergent and Insurgent before the release of Allegiant later this month.

Some novels stand on their own; Insurgent is not one of them. Divergent MUST be read first. Readers may remember that Divergent had quite an ending! The last third of the novel was so intense, so action-packed, so emotional; it was impossible to put down. Insurgent picks up right where Divergent left us.

If you've not read Divergent, this review will be full of spoilers. 

Tris, Tobias (Four), Peter, and Marcus (Tobias' father) on the run, on the way to unite with the Abnegation refugees seeking the mercy of the faction Amity. Tris is definitely in shock, and with good reason!!! Her mother was killed; her father was killed; she was wounded; she had to kill one of her friends, Will; she saw most of her friends mindlessly killing her old faction; she accomplished her one mission: to get the simulations shut off, but, it came at a high price. Yes, she's got Four back, but, still...a physically, mentally, emotionally overwhelming day! But her stamina cannot sustain her forever; the thoughts are coming. She is haunted by what she's seen and heard; she's haunted by what she's done, what she's chosen to do. And it's not over. She knows it. She knows the worst is still to come. There will be no easy peace. There will be no time to rest. Hard decisions will be demanded of her for days, weeks, perhaps months to come. And Tris isn't sure she's dauntless enough to handle it.

Insurgent is a thoughtful novel. It is suspenseful, dramatic, action-packed. It is emotional with plenty of surprises. But it is a thoughtful novel as well. What is right? What is wrong? Who is trustworthy? Who is telling the truth? Who is telling lies? Who is being the most manipulative? Who is twisting the truth? Can Tris discern the truth? Is she brave enough to act on what she perceives to be true even if it means going against those she loves?

Insurgent was a WOW novel for me. I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Tris. It's a complicated situation--very messy. And Tris is courageous and vulnerable. She's her own person. And being in love with someone else isn't going to make her mindless and compliant. 

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Rereading Divergent (Again)

Divergent. Veronica Roth. 2011. May 2011. HarperCollins. 496 pages. [Source: Library]

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. 

If you noticed that this is my third time to review this book, you might guess how much I love, love, love this one. (My second review; my first review).

Factions are everything in Divergent; and there are five factions that make up the community: Abnegation values selflessness above all else; Amity values peace above all else; Candor values honesty above all else; the Erudite values knowledge above all else; Dauntless values courage above all else. Beatrice (Tris), our heroine, was born Abnegation, but she doesn't feel good enough for the faction. For, the truth is that she has selfish thoughts and desires. She's not exactly sure she could spend her whole life wearing gray, serving others, and blending into the background. Her test reveals something shocking--perhaps not shocking to readers, but certainly to her community IF it were to become known--she has aptitude for not one faction, but THREE. The simulation tests are supposed to show THE ONE place a person belongs. Beatrice's results make her Divergent. So when it comes time for Beatrice to choose--along with all the other of age teens--she has quite a decision to make. Should she remain in her own faction, keep her old friends, live the life that is perhaps expected of her? Any other choice essentially would divide her from her parents and keep them separated the rest of her life. Should she choose Erudite? No, that's not even a temptation. She knows that would be a mistake. Should she choose Dauntless? Part of her wants to risk it all and go with the unknown. Life with the Dauntless would be a complete change, offer a life of surprises, risks and dangers too.

Most of Divergent focuses on the initiation process, Tris' training as Dauntless. Readers get a chance to meet other transfers and other Dauntless-born initiates. It is a fierce competition. It is during this intense time that Tris meets Four. And meeting Four, well, it seems almost as life-changing as finding out her brain is different from everyone else's...

I absolutely love Four and Tris! I love them individually and as a couple. I love the characterization. I love the action, the drama, the suspense.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Elite (2013)

The Elite. Kiera Cass. 2013. HarperCollins. 323 pages. [Source: Library]

I enjoyed reading The Selection. I enjoyed it for its lightness, its ease. While it is a dystopian novel, it isn't dark or bleak. The world Cass has created is socially unfair perhaps, but it isn't dark and dangerous. If you're looking for an intense action-packed thriller, The Selection and The Elite will probably disappoint. In some ways, The Elite is all about relationships. America Singer's relationship with Prince Maxon, America's relationship with Aspen (the ex who is now a palace guard), America's relationship with the other ladies (Marlee, Kriss, Elise, Natalie, Celeste). I could see why America's indecisiveness might annoy other readers. Her not being able to make up her mind if she wants to remain in the game. America can't separate her feelings for Maxon (she's falling in love with him; she knows she cares for him oh-so-much) from her feelings of doubt about the crown (she spends three hundred pages doubting that she'd be a good princess).

Readers get a chance to know both America and Maxon better in this second novel; both are shown to have strengths and weaknesses. (I didn't feel we got to know Aspen). The game definitely is getting to America in this one. She hates the fact that she doesn't know what Maxon is doing on his dates with the other girls. She hates the idea that he could be kissing other girls. That he could be getting close to other girls. The more she thinks about Maxon's time with the others, the more stand-offish she becomes with him--which doesn't make her time with Maxon go pleasantly. But when these two do manage to communicate, some of the old magic is there.

I enjoyed this one. I enjoyed spending time with America and Maxon. Her parents came to visit for a weekend, and it was lovely getting a chance to know America's father! If you enjoy romance novels, this one should entertain.


© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Middle Ground (2012)

Middle Ground. Katie Kacvinsky. 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 336 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Middle Ground is the sequel to Awaken. Maddie, our heroine, has had her one last chance to conform. So when she brings attention to herself in L.A. by speaking out against virtual school, she ends up in a detention center; her sentence is for six months. Most of the novel focuses on the detention center, and on how corrupt the system is. Will Maddie survive the torturous rehabilitation process?! Can she hold onto who she is and what she believes in most?

I really have enjoyed this series of books. I liked Kacvinsky's focus on the dangers of technology and addiction. It isn't that technology is bad if used responsibly, but, it can be so addictive. In this future world, technology is used to keep the populace content and conformable--to keep them from thinking, questioning, and possibly rebelling.

There is a romance, but, to me this is a secondary story almost.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Solstice (2013)

Solstice by P.J. Hoover. 2013. Tor. 384 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Solstice hints at being a dystopian novel, but, in truth it is a retelling of a Greek myth. It is set in the future in a devastated world, a world with endless summer and no changing seasons. For eighteen years, the world has suffered tremendously, Piper, our heroine, has never known the world to be any different.

Solstice won't please every reader. Some readers find romance-driven dystopias to be sickening--especially when there are two men madly in love with the same young woman, when it appears that she cannot make up her mind. I can see why Piper might annoy some readers. The author offers readers an excuse, some might see it as completely valid, others might dismiss it.

The two men in Piper's life are Reese and Shayne. Reese is the son of a councilmen. He encourages Piper to break the rules set by her mother, and the two share a memorable first date. Piper has a busy night, however, for that is also her first date with Shayne, a classmate. She finds both men completely irresistible. Though she never really has a second date with Reese, he's never out of influence.

Shayne fascinates Piper, and she loves seeing where he lives...how he lives...though some of what she learns she finds unsettling at times.

Greek mythology is at the heart of this YA romance. It worked for me at times, though not ever  perfectly.   

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Parodox (2013)

Paradox. A.J. Paquette. 2013. Random House. 240 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

The fate of the earth may depend on a young girl with amnesia. Her name is Ana. She wakes up in a rocket with minimum instructions or clues. She's on an alien planet, that much is clear, and there is a countdown. She has twenty-four hours to accomplish something for a mission. But what mission? She hasn't a clue! And neither do readers, not really. The alien world is dangerous, and, full of surprises. Including the fact that she's not as alone as she first thought. There are three others with her, all teens.

Plenty of action, a good dose of mystery. Ultimately, however, I was a bit disappointed. It has its moments, but, it wasn't quite enough to make me love it. It has an interesting premise, but a premise that vaguely reminded me of vintage science fiction. It never felt quite real to me.  

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Frozen: Heart of Dread (2013)

Frozen: Heart of Dread. Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston. 2013. Penguin. 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I love Frozen for many reasons. I love it for the world-building. It is a fantasy novel with post-apocalyptic themes. So there are magical/fantastical elements to this dark dystopian society. I like how everything is not explained all at once, there is some mystery as well. It is a hard world to live in, survival doesn't come easy or without sacrifice. I love it for the characterization. All our characters--major and minor--have some issues, have some flaws. This makes things interesting! Nat, our heroine, is looking for a way to escape. It is not safe for her where she is, though she has made some friends in New Vegas, but her escape is just as dangerous, if not more so, than staying would be. She is, when she admits it, in search of the mythical Blue, a mysterious, legendary place unaffected by the new Ice Age. She hires one man, Ryan Wesson, and his crew to take her. From the start this is a difficult journey. I loved getting to know Ryan, and some of the crew as well. I liked some of the quirkiness to these characters. In a way, the characters were predictable, but in other ways, they were complex too. Nat and Ryan's relationship may be obvious, but, it wasn't rushed either. I definitely appreciated that it was just the one romance and there wasn't a hint of a love triangle!!! I liked the strangeness of some of the characters, and the magical elements of the story. I thought the storytelling was good. I liked the journey aspect, the dangers along the way, the chance to see the world--bleak and harsh and strange as it may be. I liked the different glimpses of society and community on land and at sea.

If you like dark fantasy OR dystopias OR post-apocalyptic fiction, then this one may be just right for you.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Shade of the Moon (2013)

The Shade of the Moon. Susan Beth Pfeffer. 2013. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 304 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

The Shade of the Moon is the fourth 'moon book' by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It is narrated by Miranda's younger brother, Jon, who is now 16. When the book opens, it has been around four years since the moon incident and around two years since Jon, Gabe, and Lisa made it into the Sexton enclave. The events of this novel cover late April through mid-August.

Jon hasn't been a character I've ever really thought about. He's his mother's greatest hope in some ways. In Life As We Knew It, the mom makes clear to Miranda and Matt that Jon is to have every consideration in the world, that he is the chosen one who must survive. In This World We Live In, we see a fourteen year old Jon have a little crush on Julie, I suppose. But honestly Jon has always been uninteresting to me.

Jon is not a nice person. The sad thing? In the enclave, he's still one of the "good guys." The standards have lowered so much that even though Jon is a complete jerk in some ways, in comparison with the other teen boys we see, he's a "nice" guy. Jon has an excuse for why he HAS to act the way he does. He is doing it so he fits in, he's doing it so the family can remain in good standing. (Lisa is coming up for review. If she passes, they'll be guaranteed a spot in the enclave for another three years. If not, well, they'll all be forced to leave unless Lisa allows Gabe to be adopted by an eager childless couple.) Jon thinks he has no choice, that he's not at fault, that this is just how things are.

Sarah Goldman is a new girl in Jon's class. Sarah is instantly drawn to Jon (it seems) and Jon is falling for Sarah just as quickly. Sarah is off-limits according to Jon's "best friends." They want Jon to choose between staying with them, or choosing the different-outsider-girl. He chooses his friends, of course, this is Jon we're talking about! But Jon still is hoping that Sarah will wait for him.

Pfeffer explores the haves and have-nots of the new world; the "grubbers" those who live outside the enclave (the laborers, the domestics, the miners) and the "clavers" those fortunate few who live inside the enclave (the thinkers, the leaders, etc.). The clavers have been taught by their teachers, their parents, their neighbors, their friends that they are THE BEST. They get the best because they deserve the best. They have been equally taught that the grubbers are the worst. The grubbers are a necessary evil. They're necessary because someone has to do the actual work, the dirty work. But to think of the grubbers as more than mere animals is ridiculous.

How does Jon feel about this? You'd think since his own mom, his own sister, his own brother-in-law were grubbers that he would actually KNOW this is complete nonsense. That he would be one of the few clavers with common decency. But Jon tends to think that his family is the exception to the rule. Jon doesn't really like grubbers, he sees them as completely beneath him. He thinks the distinctions are justified in a way.

Does Jon change? Is the Jon we meet in the first chapter the same Jon we say goodbye to in the last chapter? That is the most important thing...

I did not care for Jon, not in the same way I've cared for Alex or Miranda in the past. But his coming-of-age story is interesting in many ways. I found it an absorbing read--difficult to put down. I enjoyed learning more about how the world had changed.

I liked this one better than This World We Live In.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Testing (2013)

The Testing. Joelle Charbonneau. 2013. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 344 pages.

I definitely enjoyed this YA dystopia. The novel opens with a big celebration, a day the whole community comes together to celebrate their survival and continued hope for the future. Each member of the graduating class will need to contribute their all in order to help the community thrive. The world has been devastated, and things that were once easy are now a struggle, an achievement. The community has to have a pioneering spirit. Cia, our heroine, has always been proud of her parents and her brothers. Has always enjoyed working with them, learning with them, she values their knowledge and hopes to continue on--in one way or another--with making the Five Lakes Colony something great.

When the novel opens, Cia and her classmates are nervous. Will anyone in the community be chosen for further education? Will any be chosen for the testing? Will any get a chance to go to university and be assigned essentially a new life--if their studies are successful. Being chosen may mean settling down in another colony, another city far, far away and never seeing your family again. But it also may mean that you are a part of a greater community, a community that values restoring life and balance to the planet. Does Cia want to be chosen? Perhaps she wants to be considered smart enough to be chosen.

After a disappointing graduation day--no one was chosen--life settles down into a routine, but not for long! A few days later, visitors to the colony reveal that FOUR graduates have been selected. This news is quite a surprise! But Cia's father does NOT seem pleased with the news. And he will dare to tell her the truth--what he knows of it anyway, for he too was once chosen. Will this information be enough to help Cia in her darkest moments?

I found this one compelling from the start. I definitely found all stages of the testing fascinating. 

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Only You Can Save Mankind (1992)

Only You Can Save Mankind. Terry Pratchett. 1992. 207 pages.

Our hero, Johnny Maxwell, doesn't believe that he is the only one who could save mankind. The war in Iraq and his parents divorce has got him out of sorts; when the novel opens, Johnny is escaping into the world of computer games. But when his game of the moment--Only You Can Save Mankind--starts acting strangely, his escape becomes more disturbing than reality itself: for the aliens in the game are communicating with him. The aliens are SURRENDERING to him and asking him for safe escort back to their home planet! Johnny thinks that's a bizarre twist for a game. But after thinking about it, he goes with it. And then come the dreams…


Pratchett explores reality and fantasy in this YA drama that examines the whys of war and explores how we define "enemies."

It would be interesting to read this one alongside Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

Only You Can Save Mankind is a bizarre book. It is a bizarre coming-of-age story as Johnny Maxwell learns a few life lessons. What makes the story odd is HOW those life-lessons are learned.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Shades of Earth (2013)

Shades of Earth. (Across the Universe #3) Beth Revis. 2013. Penguin. 369 pages.

This is the third novel in a trilogy. The first two are Across the Universe and A Million Suns. This science fiction romance is told through two narrators: Amy and Elder. I am not usually a fan of dual narratives, but, in this case I think it works well. Elder, as leader of the Shipborn, has a definite opinion on this new, dangerous, thrilling adventure. Amy, of course, has her own opinions as well. On the one hand, she's THRILLED to be off the ship and on the planet, and she's happy to see both her mom and dad. But at the same time, Amy feels a little angry and betrayed. Amy and Elder haven't solved all the mysteries yet, and, there are OBVIOUS DANGERS and slightly-less-obvious dangers for them all to face.

I have enjoyed all three books in the trilogy. While I wasn't absolutely amazed with any of the books, I found each book entertaining enough to be a good read. What I've enjoyed most about the books are the science fiction elements. In the first two novels, readers get a ship adventure; readers meet colonists on their way to a new planet. In the last novel, readers get to see the beginnings of a new colony. I can't say more about their new home and the specific dangers they are facing. BUT. I definitely cared enough to keep reading!

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews