Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
Published: 24th April 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Series: Blood of Eden #1
Source: eARC thanks to NetGalley and publisher

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.
Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.
Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.
Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.
But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for. - From Goodreads

I had heard very little about this book and had blown it off as "just another vampire story". The reason I decided to read the book was Julie Kagawa. I have not read the Iron Fey series, it is one of those series I keep meaning to read, but I have heard so many good things about them. So with this series under her belt, I was hoping that Julie Kagawa would bring something different to the genre.

Allie lives in a future where society as we know it has totally broken down. A plague known as Red Lung has killed a massive number of humans, and in the search for a cure rabids were born. Now humans live in Vampire Cities protected from the rabids in walled cities, but there is a cost. Registered humans get food, but are kept as pets and willing blood donors. Allie is unregistered and this means that every day for her has been about surviving. Her whole world is turned on it's head when she is turned into a vampire and sent out to fend for herself.

I like Allie, she is quite a closed off character and at the start of the story when she was scavenging for survival I found her a little difficult to relate to. I began to warm to her, the internal struggles she had while discovering herself as a vampire were well written and made me like her even more. There are a number of other characters in the book that appear and then disappear. I liked Zeke, he made a great counterpart to Allie. All of the characters she encounters on her journey, from a human surviving in New Covington and on to a Vampire searching for Eden, were great. Don't get too attached to anyone though, this is an apocalyptic vampire book after all! 

We are all quite familiar by this point and some of them were beginning to feel really familiar. However the pairing of a broken society run, in the most part, by vampires made an interesting read. The story is a journey and there were a couple of times when the pace felt a little slow, but I always wanted to know what was coming next. The book is split into parts and these felt like they were well defined sections and I really enjoyed the change in tone or feeling that a new section brought.

I really enjoyed this book. The only thing I had a problem with was the cover. From the start we are told that Allie is a short Asian girl, but this does not fit with the girl on the cover. Details like this are a little annoying, how hard would it have been to find a model that looked like the description of Allie? Putting this aside, I will be reading the next book in the series, I need to know where Allie will be going from there!

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Published: 3rd May 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Series: Divergent #1
Source: Own Kindle Copy

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

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

I will happily put my hands in the air and state that in the past I have not always been a fan of a dystopian story. I often find the worlds hard to relate to or the situations the characters are in just too unusual, so I tend to stay away. I am happy to state that there have been a few dystopian books recently that I have loved, and the more of them I read and love, the more I think I could probably get into the genre, I just stumbled across a couple of duds early on. With Divergent I found I could not put it down, to the point that I was trying desperately to fit in reading wherever I could.

In this future version of Chicago, socitey is split into five distinct factions: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity and Ertude, each with their own particular virtue. Beatrice has grown up as a member of the Amity faction which stands for utter selflessness over all else, so it is a shock to all that she would choose to become a member of Dauntless who follow the path of courage. Since Beatrice has to leave her family and her life as a member of Amity behind she renames herself Tris as she enters the initiation.With death threats, secrets and a potential love interest this book kept me on my toes.

I felt an instant bond with Tris. She has grown up in a life where her inner voice is at war with how she should be acting and behaving for a member of Amity. This gave Tris instant relateability for me and I found I was invested in her story right away. Then we have Four... OMG Four!! He is one of the instructors leading the new recruits through the dangerous initiation for Dauntless and all I can say is that he can pin me in a fight any time!! He embodies everything you want in a male character, he is strong but also sweet and caring. He is also complex and deep, but not too shut off or devoid of emotion with glimpses of the pain he has encountered in the past. These glimpses make me want to reach into the book and give him a hug.

I found that the relationship between Tris and Four was rather refreshing. For a change Tris does not dwell or punish herself for her attraction to Four, instead she focuses on surviving so that she can see him again. Tris reminded me of one my other kick-ass favourite heroines Katniss Everdeen... yes that Katniss Everdeen of Hunger Games fame!! Both of these amazing women seem to spend massive amounts of time covered in bruises and trying to survive even when the odds are stacked against them!!

I was dragged into this beautifully written world, in which the details seemed to come alive. I loved all of the characters, even the ones that I was supposed to hate. I enjoyed seeing how the story played out for all the characters. The story is mainly based around Tris's induction into Dauntless but there are some great threads weaving through the story which all come together for an ending that had me on the edge of my seat and feeling every emotion that Tris did! It was a brilliantly executed story which had a good pace and had me finishing the book very quickly.

I absolutely can't wait to see what is next for the Divergent Tris!

Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: 24th August 2010
Series: The Hunger Games #3
Source: Own Kindle Copy

Warning: Synopsis and Review Contain Spoilers For Hunger Games #1 and #2.

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final instalment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding. - From Goodreads

I am constantly telling people they should read this book. The one thing I struggle with is trying to convey to them just how amazing the story is. Whenever someone asks what the story is about I either give them With the all the love I had for The Hunger Games and Catching Fire still running through me, I quickly moved on to Mockingjay.

Right away I thought there was a different feeling to this book. There was a different kind of tension running through the story. We pick up about an hour after the end of Catching Fire and the action starts right away. This book stays away from hunger games and focuses on the aftermath from the end of book 2 and how it changes the districts. By the way did I mention that I went to The Capitol and I was registered to District 1. Here's my id -

I think we saw a different side to Katniss in this book. She seemed to step up to the plate in the first book and sulk in reluctance in the second book. In this book she seemed to just want to pretend that she is not a pivotal figure and focus on her own worries, namely Peeta. Oh Peeta, his part to this story made my heart break and I wanted nothing more than for everything to be back to normal!!

This had to be my least favourite of the 3 books due to the political nature of the story and because in a strange way I love the Hunger Games and I missed them. However, for me, the ending to this book made up for no hunger games and left me weeping and heartbroken! I finished this series crying but feeling very satisfied.

I can't wait to see these films, I will be first in the queue. I say again to anyone who has not picked up any of these books yet, what are you waiting for go and get them now and start reading the minute you get home. I know I will be giving a few sets of these books to people for their Christmas, lucky them!!

Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Title: Beauty Queens
Author: Libba Bray
Publisher: Scholastic Pres
Published: 24th May 2011
Source: Own Copy

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program--or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan--or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again. - From Goodreads

So I wanted to read this book for a couple of reasons, firstly I absolutely love the cover and secondly I thought the story sounded great.

I remember at school Lord of the Flies was the first book we read in class that I could not get enough of. The premise of  a group of strangers being stranded on a desert island and having to fend for themselves is one of my favorites. There are so many different stories which can be explored with on top of this base storyline. What will they do for food? Is the island hostile? Will they all get along or will there be tension within the survivors? Will they be the only humans on the island? Do they have the knowledge to get everything they need to survive? Will any of them go crazy due to the situation? I could continue asking questions on and on and on... I am an absolutely massive Survivor fan.

I was expecting that Beauty Queens would feel a bit like reading Lord of the Flies, but I found that this was not the case. I felt that there was a lot more menace to the whole story with a weird alt-reality government and a wannabe president who wants to do deals with a psycho dictator who likes to dress as Elvis. All in all it seemed far more like Lost than Lord of the Flies. I had no problem with this and I think the alt-reality lent itself to some unexpected story twists.

So the deal with the alt-reality is that there seems to be a single overseeing body called The Corporation who are kind of like a national puppet master. They seem to have control over most things including pharmaceuticals, beauty products, clothes, weaponry etc... The story is interrupted every so often with "Commercials", which often made me laugh out loud, for products, programming or facts about the surviving Beauty Queens. I also got the impression that within this society there was massive pressure for women to conform to what is perceived as beautiful and that men could do as they liked.

I really enjoyed this book and by about halfway through some of the characters which had annoyed me to begin with had grown on me and I was rooting for them all. For me the real enjoyment in this book was the details, like the boy band song titles, or some of the male characters who were introduced later on in the story, however at times this could slow the flow of the story. My experience of this book may have been helped by the fact that I read most of this book on holiday lying on the beach.

Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Published: 1st September 2009
Series: The Hunger Games #2
Source: Own Kindle Copy

WARNING - DESCRIPTION AND REVIEW CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR HUNGER GAMES

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol. Catching Fire maintains the adrenaline rush of Suzanne Collins's series launch. - From Goodreads

My love of Hunger Games saw me transitioning straight from one book right into the next. I absolutely adored the Hunger Games and wanted to clap my hands at the end of the book when Katniss and Peeta won!! Woo Hoo, those two deserved it, they worked hard to survive against the odds and it turns out that their triumph was the spark needed to cause unrest within the Districts.

This book had a slightly different feel to Hunger Games. We already know from the first book what the Hunger Games are about and the power wielded by The Capitol to keep the Districts in line. I thought that the start of Catching Fire felt a little unsettled, almost like it did not know where it was going, however I think we are supposed to feel this way.

Katniss and Peeta are back from the Hunger Games and as you would expect, after surviving against the odds, they are feeling like they don't know their place within the society they have returned to. Quickly though the story returns to the Hunger Games and the environment we are familiar with, not failing to deliver on the suspense we found in the first book.

I can't rave about this series enough and will be forcing my Mum read these as soon as she has the time, along with anyone else who will listen to me about how good they are!! I can't wait for the film to come out!

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Published: 14th December 2009
Series: The Hunger Games #1
Source: Own Kindle Copy

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love. - From Goodreads

I have been sitting on this review for a while as I was unsure just how to express my passion for this book. I picked it up off the back of lots of good reviews. Reading the back of the book it sounded like a teen version of Battle Royale which is right up my street. I love a story which is a fight for survival which is exactly what this book held and more. I actually can't wait for the film to be made and I keep pushing this book on everyone I know (and some people I don't know!!)!

Every year there is a draw in every district surrounding Capitol where 1 boy and 1 girl are chosen to fight to the death in a televised event called the Hunger Games. Unsurprisingly we find the lead character in this story, Katniss Everdeen, chosen to be the girl from her division. Katniss is everything you want from a heroine. She is headstrong, stubborn, smart and often questions herself.

The book feels like it is split into sections. The first being with her family in her district, then going through prep and training, and finally the games themselves. I dont' want to give too much away from the story as to me the whole book was a joy with new delights on every page. All I can say is that if you have not read this already, do it now!!

Review: Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Title: Bumped
Author: Megan McCafferty
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Published: 26th April 2011
Series: Bumped #1
Source: eARC with thanks from Netgalley and publisher

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.
Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.
Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

As soon as you start to read this book you are thrown into Melody and Harmony's world. This is a world where teens live to and are paid to "preg". You are thrown directly in to the new speech patterns and technology with no explanation as to what anything is. I found this a little off putting as it felt like being left out of an in-joke that your friends keep telling over and over again. Also I was very thrown off as one of the slang words used has quite a different meaning in the UK and every time I read it I did a double take and it threw me off.

I thought the premise of the story was really interesting. All diseases have been cured but the result is that women have the inability to become pregnant after their late teens. This results in couples paying teens to be surrogates. This story is told from the point of view of identical twins who had been separated at birth. One twin was raised to be the perfect surrogate and the other was raised in a religious commune where marriage must come before a child. Harmony leaves her religious confines to find her twin and tell her of the word of god so that she may come home.

The book alters chapter about between Harmony and Melody. Personally I preferred the Harmony chapters as I related to her the most. Like her we had not grown in this world and the surroundings were unfamiliar. I think this made it easier to relate to her. This book was interesting and I am a huge fan of Megan McCafferty (Jessica Darling is amazing) but this book did not captivate my attention in the way I hoped it would.