"Unwind" by Neal Shusterman

Unwind the first book in the Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman was amazing to say the least. It wasn't first person or really even third person perspective. It was almost a combination of the both.  I really enjoyed Neal's writing style. The book has a touch of everything: suspense, mystery, love, survival. The story line itself gives me the chills, it's scary to think about what the future of the world could hold.


After a war between pro-life and pro-choice, the country agreed upon the bill of life.
Babies could no longer be aborted, however; they could now "abort" children between the ages of 13 -17.
It wasn't really killing the kids after all; they were just living in a divided state. They called it unwinding.
If parents could no longer handle the kids behavior they sign the papers, and off the kids go. Their bodies get taken apart piece by piece, and they become live organ donors. No piece of them goes to waste, every piece goes somewhere. Then there's storking. You don't want your baby to begin with? Not a problem after you give birth, as long as you don't get caught you can leave it on someone else's door step and make it their problem. It's entirely legal.


There's three main perspectives.

Connor Lassiter: A rebellious teen always getting into fights, so his parents want him gone.

Risa Ward: An orphan, a ward of the state, is being unwound due to cost-cutting.

Lev Calder: A tithe, It's been his parents plan to have him unwound since birth for religious purposes. 

For the better or for the worse their paths intertwine and leave all their lives hanging by a thread.


I LOVED this book so much! I'm already half way through it's sequel, Unwholly.  I had originally thought it was a trilogy, but have just come to the realization that he's writing a fourth book. I'm WAY excited. The excitement doesn't end there, not only is there fourth book, but from what I understand there's also a possible movie in the making. I'm thrilled! Unwind was really unique compared most dystopian novels I've read. It's all fiction obviously, but Neal based a lot of ideas for the book off of real events. I found myself seriously disturbed after looking up the news articles Neal referenced. I HIGHLY recommend this book!

                                                                                                                                                                                         Rating  5 out of 5.

"The Cold Awakening Trilogy" by Robin Wasserman

                                     

                                Frozen          Shattered            Torn

"The Cold Awakening Trilogy" by Robin Wasserman definitely awakens some creative thinking.

It's fast paced, thrilling, and almost scary to think about with technology developing as fast as it is. It' also shows the things that really make us human.

        The download saved me. I keep telling myself to be greatful, hoping eventually I will be. I can handle the fact that no one  likes the new me. What I can't handle though, is when I look in the mirror. I'm nothing like the old me, the human me, I might not even be human at all. Somehow though i'm still Lia.

         I tried fitting in, then I tried running. Someone's out to get us. To get me. Revenge, avenge, justice. Forgiveness or hatred? Should I let go of the things that make me human, or to cling to them for dear life because it's all that I really have, it's the only thing that makes me still me.

       When I took the this path , I didn't expect things to get so out of hand. I didn't truly understand all the secrets there could be covered up, but now I understand. I understand it all and I have to save them.

At first I was very conflicted about this trilogy. It was well written, and creative, plenty of action, but I struggled with it. I'd love it,  then hate it, then love it. I'd hate, then love a character, then hate again. I was just very back and forth. Now having finished all three books I'm disappointed. I'm not disappointed because of the ending, but because it's the end. I want a fourth book. I think the third book was my favorite. We finally get to uncover all the dark secrets, some of which literally made my jaw drop. Robin Wasserman is definitely a great author!

                                                                                                                       

                                                                   My Rating is 4 out of 5.

The only thing negative I can really say now having finished the books, is the "religious" people Robin made it in. I'm a Christian so the fact that the only "religious" people in it were psycho and murderous kind of bothered me, but other then that I enjoyed the books.

"Promised" by Caragh O'Brien

Warning: this is the third & final book in the Birthmarked Trilogy. If you haven't read the first two books you may not want to read this.

Promised by Caragh O'Brien was a great read. It was fast paced, suspenseful, and it had an interesting love story. 


Gaia Stone had survived the Enclave. She had escaped to the waste land and survived that also. She is now ruling Sylum. Sylum is slowly dying and the only way to save it is for Gaia to do the unthinkable. She has to lead her people back to the Enclave. Leaving the Enclave on such bad terms has Gaia feeling frightened, but she has no choice. She knew everything wouldn't go smoothly when they got there, but she also hadn't anticipated all that would be asked of her. All that she would have to sacrifice in order to survive. It's all up to her. 


I loved this trilogy. Some of the things in this last book literally made my jaw drop. I didn't see a lot of it coming. Some of the story was rather heart-breaking, yet in my opinion the good out-weighed the bad, which I liked. Needless to say I recommend this trilogy.

                                                                              Rating 5 out of 5.

"Prized" by Caragh O'brien

Warning: this is the second book in the BirthMarked trilogy. If you haven't read the first book I wouldn't read this.

Prized by Caragh O'brien was even better then the first book, Birthmarked. It was fast paced, suspenseful, and romance came into play. Some of the questions from the first book get answered as well. So far this trilogy seems to be a must read!

Prized picked up where BirthMarked left off. Gaia is scrambling around in the wilderness with her newborn baby sister. She has escaped the Enclave, only to be at death's door step. She's running out of supplies and she doesn't know where to go now. Her sister is starting to die. Gaia and her sister are captured and get taken to Sylum. It's a society inside the dead forest, but every thing is backwards. The woman rule over the men, the men out number the woman, and kissing or any form of affection is a crime unless your married. Gaia's sister is taken from her to see if the Sylum women can save her. There's strict laws in which Gaia needs to learn to follow if she ever wants to see her sister again, assuming she lives. As if that's not enough, once you enter the society you can't leave it for long periods of time or you die. No one has been able to figure out what causes the death. Gaia fears she may not be able to submit to all the rules. If she submits, she'd have to change who she is as a person.

I LOVED this book. I couldn't put it down, and I definitely can't wait to start the next one, Promised. My heart literally broke for Gaia. The love story Caragh Obrien decided to go with was such a tough romance. I'm telling you now, start the trilogy. You won't be disappointed. (Assuming nothing drastically goes wrong with the third book. I'll let you know.)

                                                                              Rating 5 out of 5.

"BirthMarked" by Caragh O'brien

Birthmarked by Caragh O'brien is the first book in an exciting trilogy. This book is a new favorite of mine. It is a suspenseful and an addicting read. Once I started reading it I didn't want to put it down. There's a bit of a mystery in it that slowly gets revealed chapter by chapter.

Sixteen year old Gaia Stone is a mid-wife that lives outside the wall. Gaia and her family have always served the Enclave dutifully. Gaia and her mother deliver all the babies in their sector, making sure to advance the first three babies born each month. Gaia's mother will tattoo the babies ankle then give it to the people inside the walls. Gaia's never really understood why, she has just always followed orders. She followed them until the day her parents were arrested and taken from her for no reason.  An old woman came to her and gave her a ribbon with strange markings and said it was her mothers and to keep it safe. She didn't understand at the time what it was, but she decided to do what the woman asked. A rumor started to float around saying her parents were sentenced to death in a weeks time. She knew then she was going to sneak inside the wall and get them out or die trying. Gaia had thought everything inside the walls would be perfect, however; upon entering there was an execution taking place in the main square. What unnerved Gaia wasn't the execution per say, but the fact that the women was pregnant and could be due any day. When the floor dropped out from the woman's feet and she was hung, Gaia knew then that she was going to find out where the body would be taken. She may not have been able to save the mother, but she was going to try and save the baby, even if it jeopardized everything else. Since there was no oxygen getting to the baby at this point, it became a race against time. Gaia didn't know if she could do it, but she had to try. It was this action that opened a doorway to all sorts of problems and mysteries. Each and everyone Gaia would have to face and overcome. Her life depended on it.

This book was an interesting read, and it was well written. Some of it was rather heart wrenching, and you really felt Gaia's pain. Other parts of it you could jump for joy when Gaia had triumphed over a difficult trial. The book was ever twisting; there was so much I never saw coming, and it turned into such a surprise. I was sad to see it end, but i'm excited as ever to start the second book,Prized.

                                                                               Rating 4.5 out 5.

"Gone" by Lisa McMann

Warning: This is the third book in The Wake Trilogy. If you haven't read the first two books, I wouldn't read this.

Gone by Lisa McMann was rather saddening. Interesting still but sad. There's not really a happy ending like I had hoped. It still has the fast paced reading effect though. 

Janie's life should be almost perfect.  She's graduated high school, and she's spending her summer with the love of her life. She should be living the dream sort of speak, but instead she's living in dreams and it's taking it's toll. She thought she had everything figured out until a stranger shows up in the hospital and her mom claims he's her father. He's in a coma, but he's having nightmares and they're the worst Janie's ever had to deal with. It turns out the curse is genetic, and there's more to it then she knows. Cable has started having nightmares about Janie, about what she'll become. Not wanting to be a burden, Janie has to make a choice. Should she leave Cable or is there another option?

The ending to book made sense I suppose, but I didn't like it. I've pitied Janie throughout the trilogy, and I was really hoping she'd have an over the top happy ending, but it wasn't. It wasn't a terrible ending, but it definitely could have been happier. Once again as I assumed there would be, there's still a lot of unnecessary swearing. Even though this isn't one of my top favorite trilogies, I'd still recommend it as an interesting read.


                                                                          Rating 3 out 5.

"Fade" by Lisa McMann

Before writing about the book, i'd like too apologize for my slacking. I got rather lazy over the holidays, and even though I was still reading books, my reviewing and recommending came to a standstill. Without further a do, I present my thoughts on Fade. Enjoy.

WARNING: This book is the second book in the Wake Trilogy, if you haven't read the first book you may not want to read this review.

Fade by Lisa McMann was just as intriguing as the first book, Wake. What I really loved about both these books is McMann's simplistic writing style. It goes well with the suspenseful chapters, and it makes the book all in all fast paced.


Fade picks up right where Wake leaves off. Janie is still under cover, but this time it's a different crime. This situation is far more dangerous then the last. An accusation has  been thrown out that one of the teachers in their high school is a sexual predator, and they want Janie's help to find out who it is. Even if it means using Janie as bait. Because Cable is completely against the plan, this may just stretch their relationship to the limit. Upon juggling the investigation and her fragile relationship with Cable, Janie also discovers more about what it means to be a dream catcher. Her fate is sealed, and the secrets revealed are darker then Janie could have ever imagined.

Fade was good, it held my attention. I really enjoyed the characters development. I think I liked the story line/ plot more in this book then the first. The only negative thing I could say about the book, is again, there is a lot of unnecessary swearing.

                     
                                                                           Rating 3.5 out of 5.

"Wake" by Lisa McMann

Wake by Lisa McMann was intriguing to say at the least. It's captivating and really makes you think. What is it that you dream about?


Janie Hannagan gets sucked into people's dreams against her will. It's been happening to her since a young age. If someone near her falls asleep and starts to dream, she has to hurry and distance herself or she's going down into a dream state. Some of the dreams interest her while others she can't wait to escape. The nightmares are the worst, they physically drain all of Janie's energy and sometimes leave her unable to move even after they have ended. No one knows about her dream "curse", until she meets Cabel. They've known each other forever but have never really gotten to know each other. He may not be what he seems to be. Janie has everything on her shoulders. She has always had to take care of herself, her mom being the drunkard she is, along with working, doing school, and trying to figure out what is happening to her.The truth in and of itself may not answer all the questions she has. 


Wake was interesting and attention holding. It was a little confusing for me sometimes because they don't really have a lot of chapters, but almost every couple pages there's a date and time and you have to pay attention to those. I just kind of skipped over them at first, so I had to reread a few pages to figure out what day it was in the book. I thought the book in and of itself was well written and had a good story line. I got to the point where I actually did feel sorry for Janie, yet I admired her optimism. I ordered the Wake Trilogy Boxset and the description on the box set versus just the individual book was different so some of the dreams and things were kind of awkward simply because I wasn't expecting them. The only real issue I had with the book was that there was a lot of not needed swearing. Like some it, I guess if it were "real" life would be used, but seriously all of it was not needed. Regardless, the book was still a good read and i'm already half way through the sequel, Fade.


                                                                           Rating 3.5 out of 5.

"Champion" by Marie Lu

Warning: This is the last book in a the Legend Trilogy. If you haven't read the first two books you may not want to read this.


Champion picks up where Prodigy leaves off. Day and June have gone their separate ways only to have their paths intertwined again during crazy circumstances.June is back working for the Republic as a Princeps Elect while Day holds a high level military ranking. As peace is about to be established between the Republic and Colonies, a plague breaks out. The Colonies blame the Republic, and demand the cure. Except this time the Republic doesn't have it. It's a mutated strain and it's deadlier then ever. The Colonies have made an alliance with Africa and are prepared to wipe out the Republic unless a cure is handed over. June knows what must be done, and its breaks her heart. She needs Day to give up the most important person in his life. His little brother. Eden. The cure has to be in his blood.


Champion was phenomenal. My eyes teared up near the end; I was sad it was ending. The prologue lightened my mood though. The character's growth within the book was really awesome to see. I loved every page, I sincerely can't wait til Marie writes a new book.

                                                                              Rating 5 out of 5.

"Prodigy" by Marie Lu

Warning: This is the second book in the Legend Trilogy. If you haven't read the first book you may not want to read this.


Prodigy by Marie Lu was just as well written and captivating as the first book, Legend. I truly loved it, can honestly say it's one of the best Dystopian novels I've read. The love story really progressed. The book was still really suspenseful and there were still some twists I hadn't seen coming that literally made my jaw drop.


Prodigy picks up right where Legend dropped off. 

June and Day make their way to Vegas, and upon their arrival, they're almost marched off to the hospital where they'd be finger printed. That would then lead to their discovery. The patriots, however; decided to intervene, and take them to their bunker. While they are there it is also announced that the Elector Primo has died and has been replaced by his son, Anden. June and Day request for the patriots to help them save Day's brother and get them across the war line and into the Colonies. The patriot leader agrees on one condition. June and Day must help assassinate the new Elector. They agree. Everything is going as planned, except as June starts playing her role in the whole plot she quickly learns Anden is nothing like his father. Some things just aren't adding up, and June isn't hundred percent sure if she can go through with it. She is no longer sure where her loyalties should lie, or what should truly happen if she chooses one side over the other.  There are yet more secrets and puzzles she will have to figure out rather quickly. She hasn't much time to do so and there are lives on the line.


I loved it so much! Like seriously if you haven't started reading them, go read them now! As a couple things got revealed I was so shocked! I liked how many unexpecteds there were for me, usually I can figure out things before they happen, which I guess make a book "predictable", but I solved almost nothing before it was revealed in this book. The only thing I really saw coming was the ending. I had a general idea of what was going on, before it was announced, yet if you read the book i'm sure you'd know too. My mind was/is kind of a jumbled mess, and I have to organize my thoughts and feelings before I start the third book, Champion.  I plan to start reading later tonight. If you start reading the Legend Trilogy, I hope you love it as much as I have! Let me know what you think. :)

"Legend" by Marie Lu

Legend by Marie Lu was another fantastic dystopian novel! The first in the Legend Trilogy. It had a great plot, talented writing, and some really unimaginable twists. It was suspenseful and captivating. There's not a real solid love story in the book, until the end where you see a relationship bloom and it will obviously get carried over to & grow in Legend's sequel, Prodigy. We read the book from two different perspectives. A boy and a girls.


What use to be the Western part of the United States is now the "Republic" and it's at war with it's neighbors. 

My name is June. I'm fifteen. I was born in a higher class family in one with richest districts in the Republic. At ten years old I took a Trial Test, just like every ten year old does. Except unlike everyone else, I got a perfect score. I am now being trained in one of the highest ranked military schools. I have life made for the most part, since I have money I can buy vaccine's so I don't even have to worry about the plague that's running around right now. My parents died when I was really young, so as far as I can remember my brother, Metias has always raised me. Metias is a captain in the military. He said he'd be here for me forever and ever or at least until I got sick of him, but the unthinkable happened. He was murdered. The most wanted criminal in the Republic stabbed him, trying to make a get away. This criminal's name is Day, and I am now determined to track him down. There's one problem though, no one knows what he looks like. 


The book was amazing. Not only was it really enjoyable, but it was touching too see how far a family's love could go. I couldn't put it down.  I flew through the first book. Literally. I read it one day. I  will be starting the second book, Prodigy; later tonight. I'm really on a dystopian/suspense/romance kick right now. There's so many books in this genre.however; if you're a fan of this genre also this book should definitely be at the top of your "To Read" list. This book had so many secrets and twists to uncover. It turned out Day may not be the only person keeping the secrets either. ;)


                                             Rating 5 out of 5.

"City of Ember" by Jeanne Duprau

The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau is the first book in a series. It's a dystopian series, I believe it was originally targeted for younger readers. It's not quite as action packed and gory as some of the newer Dystopian books out, but it's still a very interesting read.


Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow finally get their official job assignments today. Lina wants a fun job like being a messenger so she can run around all day. Doon keeps saying he wants an important job, a job in which he can save Ember. Lina thinks he's over reacting, Ember couldn't possibly be that bad off. She soon comes to the realization that what Doon is saying is true. They just had the longest power outage in their history. One day the lights are going to go off and never come back on, leaving the city of Ember in the dark forever. That day is sometime soon. They need to find a way out, the power, the food, everything is quickly fading away. Past the city's borders is just utter darkness they can't see anything. Lina has always dreamed of a city with tall sparkly buildings, a blue sky, a green earth, and light so big in the sky it never got dark, but she doesn't know where such a place is. Until one day, Lina finds the box. The box that was lost years before. The box with the instructions on how to get out of Ember. The box that holds the key to their salvation. Can they get everyone out in time or will the lights fail before everyone finds their way?


Even though this book series was meant for younger readers, I enjoyed it. It wasn't as tensing obviously, but it was still a very enjoyable read. I will gladly start the next book ,The People of Sparks Jeanne created a very interesting post-apocalyptic world indeed. If you start reading it, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Intended for younger readers or not, I believe it will accommodate to all age groups tastes.

                                                                      Rating 4 out 5.

"Gregor and the Code of Claw" by Suzanne Collins

Warning: This is the fifth book The Underland Chronicles, if you haven't read the first four you may not want to read this.

Gregor and the Code of Claw was written by the well known author of The Hunger Games Trilogy, Suzanne Collins. It's a story that takes place in modern times with a fantasy twist. It has murder, mystery, suspense, love, betrayal, and everything a great novel would have. This is the last book in the series, and everything in the Underland is at stake!


Gregor has one prophecy left to fulfill. He understands it for the most part. Defeat the Bane and save everyone. Everyone's lives are at stake and it's all up to him, but for some reason no one will tell him what the end of the prophecy is. The ultimate battle is about to unfold and Gregor is realizing his feelings for Luxa are growing. He wants her safe. As everything goes down the unimaginable happens. Will Gregor succeed or will he fail, dooming everyone he's grown to love?


I'll be honest the end of this book kinda leaves you hanging. Suzanne could definitely write another book if she wanted too. I'm really hoping she does. I know this book series was targeted for a younger audience, but after reading it myself, and reading tons of reviews, it seems the young adult audience is taking over. It reminds me of the Harry Potter books not because there's wizards or anything, but because it appeals to a large age group. Despite the ending, young, old, or in between; you need to read these books. You won't be disappointed!

                                                                Rating 5 out of 5.