Week 51 Review: Polaris

From Goodreads:
Following the events of Avalon, Jeth Seagrave and his crew are on the run. Jeth is desperate to find the resources and funding he needs to rescue his mother from an ITA's research lab and leave this whole galaxy behind for a new life somewhere else. But the ITA is just as desperate, and soon Jeth finds himself pursued by a mysterious figure hell-bent on capturing Jeth and his crew—dead or alive. In a last-ditch effort to save everyone he holds dear, Jeth enters into a bargain with the last person he ever thought he'd see again: Dax Shepherd, the galaxy's newest and most fearsome crime lord. And he's not the only one: upon arriving back at Peltraz spaceport for the first time since he witnessed the death of his old employer, Jeth discovers Dax has a new partner: Jeth's mother, Marian.

This shocking turn of events is only the first in another breathless, action-packed sci-fi adventure rife with danger, love, and betrayal, as Jeth has to once again ask himself how much he’s willing to invest in a morally bankrupt galaxy in the hopes of saving those he cares for.

My Review:
Oh, I enjoyed this book so much! It took what I expected, and then went way beyond that! Mostly because I didn't read the synopsis, which mentions his mom. Needless to say, the rescuing of her, isn't what this book is about, because yeah, it happens way different then expected!

And Trouble's in this book, the girl from Proxy, who almost got Jeth caught when stealing the gem. And yeah, her history, is a pretty important part of this book, because of her actions because of said past, and the results of those actions!

The reason main reason for me, why it's called Polaris? Because that's the name of Trouble-Aileen is her real name-ship, that is the same class as Avalon, which is kinda a good thing, seeing as *gasp of shock* Avalon is destroyed! So the Polaris is a pretty good replacement!

So there's a new bad guy, one that is more dangerous, because he thinks that he's in the right, and that's the worse kind of enemy, because they have the conviction. And yeah, his actions are pretty heinous.

Where it ends, it's a pretty great place, and I wish that Aileen had stayed with them, they could've helped there! But a pretty great place! Really enjoyed it so much!

Author: Mindee Arnett
Series: Avalon #2
Read: December 17th, 2014
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Loved Proxy and Avalon, couldn't wait to read this! And it's a 2014 Dystopia Book, End of Series 2014 Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Book!
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Expected Publication: January 20th 2015s

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 49 Reviews: The Fear Trials, The Murder Complex

From Goodreads:
Meadow Woodson has been trained to survive. This is a prequel to The Murder Complex, by Lindsay Cummings, and it is set in a blood-soaked world where the murder rate is higher than the birth rate. For fans of Moira Young's Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.


Meadow Woodson's father calls it The Fear Trials, and it is a rite of passage in their family. Meadow is up against her brother Koi. The Fear Trials will both harden her and make her brave. If Meadow wins, she will get a weapon of her own and the right to leave the Woodsons' houseboat without her father or mother at her side. Set in the violent, complex, and mysterious world of The Murder Complex, and introducing Meadow Woodson—a teenage girl trained to survive no matter what the cost—and her family, who are together for the last time on their houseboat in the Florida Everglades.

From Goodreads:
An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young's Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn't know it—one of the MC's programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

My Review:
So going into this, I hadn't read the synopsis, so I though that these were an entirely different series, so yeah, there was that brief confusion, but that cleared up quickly, and while I still want to read the series, I'm so glad that I read this one!

I enjoyed the short chapters so much, they did what they were supposed to, they racketed up the tension, and yeah, it was just so entertaining! I just had to keep swiping the page to get to the next one, I wanted to have more!

I would never want to live in this world! The Institution, who are the snobby ruling people, expecting people to be thankful for working so hard for the Institution while the Institution kills them, and be grateful for that? Let's see how well you deal with it, then!! So frustrating!

And then there were the mysteries. Behind the deaths that Zephyr causes, to Meadow's mom, to the dreams of Meadow that Zephyr's had, all these were just so intriguing, and then adding in the blood and survival, there was just like, non-stop action! And that ending! I need The Death Code now, such a cliffhanger!

Favourite line from The Fear Trials: "'I never trusted planes. Sometimes they crashed. And everyone died.' 'That's Dead, always so positive.'" Yeah, not the best outlook on planes!

Favourite lines from The Murder Complex: "Sometimes, you have to trust people. It's fine. You've got your dagger, and you've got me. Crazy automatic weapon here, Meadow." Yes, Zephyr, you're very much like an automatic weapon!

These were an awesome beginning to the series, and now I can't wait for The Death Code, and I really hope that it's going to be up on Edelweiss!!

Author: Lindsay Cummings
Series: The Murder Complex #0.5, 1
Read: November 3rd, 3rd, 2014
Source: Tuebl, Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really good! And they're 2014 Dydstopia Books, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Books, and The Murder Complex is a WoW Book!
Publisher: HarperTeen Impulse, Greenwillow Books
Published: May 27th 2014, June 10th 2014

The Fear Trials:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

4.5/5 Stars

The Murder Complex:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 49 Review: The Treatment

From Goodreads:
Can Sloane and James survive the lies and secrets surrounding them, or will The Program claim them in the end? Find out in this sequel to The Program, which Publishers Weekly called "chilling and suspenseful."

How do you stop an epidemic?

Sloane and James are on the run after barely surviving the suicide epidemic and The Program. But they're not out of danger. Huge pieces of their memories are still missing, and although Sloane and James have found their way back to each other, The Program isn't ready to let them go.

Escaping with a group of troubled rebels, Sloane and James will have to figure out who they can trust, and how to take down The Program. But for as far as they've come, there's still a lot Sloane and James can't remember. The key to unlocking their past lies with the Treatment—a pill that can bring back forgotten memories, but at a high cost. And there's only one dose.

Ultimately when the stakes are at their highest, can Sloane and James survive the many lies and secrets surrounding them, or will The Program claim them in the end?

My Review:
This was a fantastic book! Because someone flat out says that The Program is creating more pressure in teens, making the epidemic worse. And The Program knew that, but covered it up. And yeah, that was something that Sloane pretty much knew, but this was telling the whole world!

So Sloane and  James are the run, and they get picked up by the rebellion quite quickly, and yeah, in the end, that's a mixed bag, considering the rebellion kept them from being captured-until one of their own told The Program where they were in a deal for The Treatment!

I enjoyed that it was James that took it, because while Sloane was around longer, and he went to the Program earlier, she had decided that she was living her new life, and the memories of her old one would just be damaging And on the plus side, James had plenty more to focus on then his memories after taking the treatment, so he was OK there!

So this book took our favourite characters, introduced a few more, and left most of them in a good place, a fraction of the leftovers in a bad one, and then a few others that we're going to get more story in, in the novella set afterwards! And I liked the endings, even the sad ones, because they were fighting a private, but government-funded and sanctioned group, so there was bound to be losses.

Favourite lines: "Are you kidding? I'll kiss you right now if you have coffee. And, baby, if you have a cheeseburger, I'll get down on one knee." Aw, love their teasing! "We're f**king mental for each other-but maybe that's how we survive from here. We just have to be crazier than The Program." Yes, you need to beat the program! "Sure thing, Casanova. And if your man bits lose their ability to reproduce, I hope there are no hard feelings." Take that, Cas!

I enjoyed this book so much, and yeah, I'm so glad for the Realm novella after this, and the prequel duology that's going to be coming-more time spent in this world!

Author: Suzanne Young
Series: The Program #2
Read: November 2nd, 2014
Source: Publisher for Review
Reason Why: Really enjoyed The Program, got this as an ARC, and it's a 2014 Dystopia Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: April 29th 2014

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Cheating Time: Review and Giveaway

From Goodreads:
Carles "Carlie" Enoche's world is one that can barely be imagined. In it, babies have micropharmeceutical devices inserted in their hearts within hours of birth. The MicroPharm implant holds code that secretly counts down until the date of that baby's death (as determined by its genetic analysis) and contains drugs that are released in such a way that chemicals and hormones are in perfect balance at all times, making illness almost unheard of.

Theoretically, the known but unexposed date of the babies' deaths and the maintenance drugs geared toward giving the baby a long life have benign consequences. It is the unknown and unbelievable and unexpected way President John Barone gathers data about every child and the way he releases contraceptives from the device in order to control the population and terminate pregnancies when embryos are identified as weak or mutated that makes the device and its technology as dangerous as any malignancy.

For President Barone, seventeen-year-old Carlie isn’t just a MicroPharm first generation; she is the great-granddaughter of the man who discovered the ability to determine life expectancy down to the day and the daughter of the woman who invented the MicroPharm chip. Carlie and her family are important to President Barone's political career and the plans he has of creating a nation of strong, healthy, and superior people, who give more to their country than they take.

Jayden St. Romaine, one of the Facet's most loyal Surrogate Soldiers, is ordered by President Barone himself to find the Enoche family and kidnap Carlie. Through blackmail, he plans to leverage control over the Enoche's scientific research and the ability to develop even more tools that can be used to genetically engineer a superior race. 

When President Barone sends Jayden on his mission, he never expected his perfect soldier to develop a conscience… betray his trust… fall in love with Carlie, but he's dispatched a backup Surrogate Soldier just in case. With the ticking of the clock and the second Surrogate chasing them, Jayden's chances at redemption and Carlie's chances of living a life where she is free to make choices about her life and her body are in jeopardy.

My Review:
I enjoyed this book quite a bit! It's definitely a world that I wouldn't want to live in, but it's pretty well built, and I enjoyed the details we got, and yeah, between that and the characters, I really enjoyed this book a lot!

Yeah, while the synopsis for me, is a little off-putting because of how much detail is in it, that's just one part of the presentation of the book, and the book itself, and nobody's perfect at everything, so yeah, this story was so good!

So Carlie's family has done a lot for the world. And the current president, that's something that he wants more of, and more in the direction that he's heading in, and Carlie's the perfect pawn in his plan, Except she's not, and that's because of who she is, and because of Jayden!

I really enjoyed how this book ended, because it is the first book in the series, yeah, it was a pretty great place for the characters, a nice rest after all that they've been through before going on the next adventure, and yeah!

This was a pretty great book (and the series I was most reminded of, was Bumped, for some reason!) and yeah, can't wait for more!

Author: T.R. Graves
Series: Longevity #1
Read: December 1st, 2014
Source: IFB Tours Review Copy
Reason Why: Sounded good, and it's a 2014 Dystopia Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Book!
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: December 1st 2014

5/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

4/5 Stars

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bio:
T. R. Graves is the author of several new adult series. She lives in Texas with her husband and two children. Besides being blessed with a supportive family, T.R. counts her career as an administrator and registered nurse in not-for-profit hospitals among her most fulfilling accomplishments.

Contact and Buy AKA Links:

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Week 48 Reviews: This Night So Dark, This Shattered World

From Goodreads:
Tarver still has nightmares about the night, six months before the Icarus crash, when he rescued a group of civilian researchers being held hostage by brutal mercenaries. Now Tarver and Lilac must reconcile his memories of that fateful night with the truth that they uncovered on a mysterious planet after the Icarus crashed. 

From Goodreads:
The second installment in the epic Starbound trilogy introduces a new pair of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a bloody war.

Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.

Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.

Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.

Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war. 

My Review:
I loved reading both of these so much! Being in this world again, even though it's been about a year since I last was in it, was just amazing, and as addicting as it was before! I'm so thankful that I got an eARC of This Shattered World through NetGalley! (And I had Thanksgiving last month, not this one, so totally unconnected!)

I really enjoyed the inserts between the chapters, Dark was like Stars, where there was a conversation about the events in the chapters, which was fitting, seeing as it was Tarver and Lilac in both, while World was a mix of memory and dream, and yeah, that was just fantastic! I really enjoyed them!

So Dark tells the story of how Tarver ended up on Icarus, and as it turns out, is connected to why the Icarus crashed, which is why Tarver's having a nightmare about it. And yeah, this story just highlighted how much of a conscience Lilac's dad has-none. Which was a bit hard for Lilac, but she's getting used to it, which is almost a good thing.

Really enjoyed the setting of Avon, a terra-formed planet that is behind schedule, and as far as the company's concerned, they don't know why. But we readers have a suspicion-it's set in the same world as Stars, after all!

And because of that lack of progress, and the various laws because of that status, there's the rebels, Flynn the younger sibling of the leader of the last rebellion, Lee, whose family was damaged by rebels when she was young. Yeah, it was great to have their story, and then as an added bonus, Tarver and Lilac are in this book, because a) LaRoux are the bad guys, and b) Tarver was once Lee's commanding officer!

Really enjoyed how World ended, it was on a happy note, cautious, but still happy, and with progress being made for the good guys, good progress, and yeah, a bit of an open question as to who the last couple will be, and if Tarver, Lilac, Lee, and Flynn will be in the 3rd and final book!

Favourite lines from This Night So Dark: "We just had to be taken hostage by professionals. I hate well-organized opponents." Yeah, because it makes things harder!  "'Are you even old enough to drink?' 'Who, me? No, ma'am. I lied my way into the military at thirteen years old, they think I'm thirty-nine by now.'" This is just too cute! "You're calling my life's work a glorified seat belt?" Not nice, Tarver! "And miraculously, he does. Apparently sometimes threats do work on civilians." Yeah, just don't get used to it! "'Well, I guess I have Sanjana to thank for preparing you for dealing with civilians in life-or-death situations.' Lilac’s voice is dry. I reach for her to pull her in against my side, putting my own mug down on the empty box serving as a temporary nightstand until we get the rest of our furniture in. 'Beautiful, an entire year of training couldn't have prepared me for dealing with you.'" No, Lilac is in a class of her own! "Beautiful, we're an exception to every rule there is." Yes, you are! You're so cute!

Loved to read these, just fantastic, and now the wait for the 3rd and final book is going to be absolute torture!

Authors: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Series: Starbound #1.5, 2
Read: November 23rd, 24th, 2014
Source: Free, NetGalley
Reason Why: Loved the first book, and they're 2014 Dystopia Books, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Books, and This Shattered World is a WoW Book!
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Published: October 7th 2014
Expected Publication: December 23rd 2014

This Night So Dark:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

This Shattered World:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: The Young Elites

From Goodreads:
I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina's black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family's good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever's survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it's Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all. 

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they've never seen. 

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn't belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

My Review:
This book was really creepy and amazing! From the synopsis, it doesn't really say the fantasy element in it, because it could've just been a dystopian book, but it's not, it's a fantasy one! And yeah, it was just so entertaining!

So in the back, it says that when she was originally writing this book, it was about a hero, and that when it didn't work, someone suggested that Adelina was a very interesting character, and that sparked an idea of it being a story about a villain. And yeah, there were aspects to her character that are villain-ly. The definitions of the word are a) a cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime; scoundrel. or b) a character in a play, novel, or the like, who constitutes an important evil agency in the plot. And Adelina has a darkness in her that makes her a "cruelly malicious person" sometimes. Yeah.

On goodreads, on the series page, it says "The Young Elites is set in a Renaissance-like world where magic is new, chaotic, and misunderstood, and three rival societies with supernatural abilities battle for power. And a girl transforms from an unwanted daughter into a fearsome leader, igniting panic and sparking war between seven nations." And this felt like a prequel novel to that, setting all this up, because this book, has the world, and the start of the transformation, because in the end, she's heading in becoming a leader. So yeah, there's that!

One thing that annoyed me, was, to me, ignorance, saying the Young Elites were bad luck, when we know they have powers that link them to the gods. That storm? The one that was sad to be caused because they let a YE compete? Probably happened because she won, and then you took it away from her! Gah, the ignorance was very aggravating!

That ending was sad. And that he thanked her. Because she unwittingly helped him when she thought she was destroying him. And that really sucks! And that she gets kicked out, and then thinks the line in the synopsis. Which is pretty dark. And then the epilogue that was creepy, and confirms a one liner, and yeah, it was very important!

Favourite line: "At a loss for words, You Highness? I'll take that as a compliment." And you should, because it really is!

I really enjoyed this book, so much, the wait for the next book, it just, I want it now, but we don't even have a title, cover, synopsis, or even a release date, so yeah, it's probably going to be a year, but it's still going to be a long wait!

Author: Marie Lu
Series: The Young Elites #1
Read: November 18th, 2014
Source: Bought
Reason Why: Really enjoyed her first series, and it's a 2014 Dystopia Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Published: October 7th 2014

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: Strange Skies

From Goodreads:
Action, adventure, and romance are heating up in this sequel to the futuristic science fiction thriller Burn Out. Perfect for fans of Across the Universe and The Memory of After.

Caelia is the new Earth. That's what the Consulate told everyone and, against all odds, Tora finally has made it there. She can't see the ocean from her cell in the Consulate's containment center, and she doesn't know what happened to the weapons her father died for and she's risked her life to save.

But as she plans her escape, she runs into the last person she ever expected to see-her dad. The Consulate has kept held him prisoner in a complicated plot designed to lure Tora out of hiding. Now Tora has a new purpose: break free, get the guns, and save her father.

But first she'll have to navigate a strange new planet, track down James (whose loyalties still remain questionable), and find Kale…before he finds her first.

My Review:
Loved reading this book, so soon after Burn Out, because while 3 months pass between the end of Burn Out and the start of this one, I didn't have that wait, and I didn't have to wait to read this one at all-I just had to make time! So good!

So things aren't so good for Tora at first. She's locked up by the Consulate, and they've been drugging her. And then someone turns out to have kept a bit of his story secret, though in the end, that ends up being helpful!

Turns out, that sometime during those 3 months, Tora and James escaped. Well, she tried. He actually made it. And then romance happens, and some explanations. Oh, and some hiding for Kale, because the bastard is hiding the guns. Even if he can't use them. I'm really enjoying hating him!

That ending! So heart-felt, because they were on a paradise, basically, and now they have to leave, to keep the others safe. And while they will come back, they are leaving. And it sucks! Especially seeing what they're leaving!

Favourite lines: "My long-term plan of finding Kale and the guns was toast if my short-term goal of walking didn't go so well." Yeah, it would be! "Because what could be more romantic than wearing the shirt of the guy who shot you?" I want his side of the story, first, though! "Good thing that Markus was part of the Resistance, otherwise I’d feel like the dumbest one around." Agreed! And especially with his talked about drunkenness!

Really enjoyed reading this book, and yeah, I really can't wait for the next book!

Author: Kristi Helvig
Series: Burn Out #2
Read: November 15th, 2014
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Loved the first book, and it's a 2014 Dystopia Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Book!
Publisher: Egmont USA
Expected Publication: June 9th 2014

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 45 Review: After the End

From Goodreads:
She's searching for answers to her past. They're hunting her to save their future.
World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

My Review:
Such a fascinating book! That they grew up thinking that the world ended in the 80's with WWIII, and that their group is about the only beacon of hope, because they're close with nature-with Yara. Which was really interesting, and yeah, part of the reason why her clan was kidnapped.

It was a bit of a shock for Juneau when she finds out that the clan lied about WWIII, which yeah, is not a very great thing, because she's been taught that emotion that's not calm and peaceful, means that the connection of Yara doesn't work as well.

I really enjoyed the back and forth between Juneau and Mile's POV, and how all the all things that the oracles told her, fit in, and just yeah, it was a main part of the book, one that I really enjoyed, and yeah, so good!

So yeah, that ending? What with 2 groups trying to get Juneau, Whit, her teacher, and the pharmaceutical company that Miles' dad, runs, who is looking for the drug that lets people live basically forever, ageing slowly. And with Miles just having that...yeah. And the sleep death!

I can't wait for the next book, we need to know that Miles is OK, and they need to find and rescue her clan!

Author: Amy Plum
Series: After the End #1
Read: November 3rd, 2014
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded good, it's by Amy Plum, and it's a 2014 Dystopia Book, WoW Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Book!
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: May 6th 2014

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 45 Review: Burn Out

From Goodreads:
Most people want to save the world; seventeen-year-old Tora Reynolds just wants to get the hell off of it. One of the last survivors in Earth's final years, Tora yearns to escape the wasteland her planet has become after the sun turns "red giant," but discovers her fellow survivors are even deadlier than the hostile environment.

Holed up in an underground shelter, Tora is alone--her brilliant scientist father murdered, her mother and sister burned to death. She dreams of living on a planet with oceans, plants, and animals. Unfortunately, the oceans dried out ages ago, the only plants are giant cacti with deadly spines, and her pet, Trigger, is a gun--one of the bio-energetic weapons her father created for the government before his conscience kicked in.

When family friend, Markus, arrives with mercenaries to take the weapons by force, Tora's fury turns to fear when government ships descend in an attempt to kill them all. She forges an unlikely alliance with Markus and his rag-tag group of raiders, including a smart but quiet soldier named James. Tora must quickly figure out who she can trust, as she must choose between saving herself by giving up the guns or honoring her father's request to save humanity from the most lethal weapons in existence.

My Review:
I really enjoyed this book! I wasn't expecting to read it, but when I finished another book on my nook, it cleared up space on the reading bar, and this one popped up, and yeah, I'd been meaning to read it sometimes, so yeah, I started to read it!

Tora has not had it easy! First her mom and sister die just outside their home-and it's sad, when we find out why-and then the government kills her dad. And then she was left alone, thinking she was the only one alive on Earth.

And then Markus, and a gang of a few others, go looking for the guns, which her dad made for the government, supposedly for peace-keeping, but there was a sinister purpose to it it, which is why her dad moved them out to an isolated bunker-and why they killed him-because he didn't want them to get their hands on the guns! So he made sure that it was only Tora's frequency that could operate the guns. And then it turns out that James has the same frequency as Tora. Which kinda sucks for everyone!

A funny thing about this, is that when I was reading it, I thought it was longer than it was-because there were over 500 pages in the file. And as I was reading it, it finished, and I looked through-there were 2 copies of the book in the ARC. So cute!

Really enjoyed this book, can't wait for the sequel, which has some twists right in it's synopsis! I can't wait!

Author: Kristi Helvig
Series: Burn Out #1
Read: November 2nd, 2014
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Sounded good, and it's a 2014 Dystopia Book, DAC book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Book!
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Published: April 8th 2014

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 45 Review: Luminosity

From Goodreads:
My name is Beatrice. When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven's wings. And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t been the same since. 

The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the Dreamcatchers, but I'm finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me. 

But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I'm falling in love with him. He says they're coming. He says they're angry. And I think I've already helped them win.

My Review:
I really enjoyed this book! It did take me just a little while to get around to reading it, but yeah, I finally found time to read it, and I really enjoyed it! Some things threw me a bit, but with that ending, I can't wait for book #2!

There were a few things about this society that bugged me. Like the fact that only the Keeper's daughter could survive being born to a Seer, and be a Seer, which is why all seers but the Keeper's daughter are sterilized as babies. I could see it if there was a few bloodlines that did that, but just 1? That sounds like a cover up to me!

Or how to them, being "strong" means shooting their enemies. There are different kinds of strength, and isn't it kinda stupid to have them being part of the physical battle? Of course, they should be taught to defend themselves, but the Citizen's should be more the ones who do the protecting!

There were a few scenes that I felt awkward in, like when the Dreamcatchers are attacking, and the Seers don't shoot them as they're repelling out of the ships, just hiding when the Dreamcatchers start shooting, it seems a bit odd!

Favourite lines: "But if you told her that tomorrow we'd all turn into fish, she'd fill the arena up with water in preparation." That is a really funny thought, though not the main thought behind it.

I really enjoyed this book, and yeah, I can't wait for the sequel!

Author: Stephanie Thomas
Series: Raven Chronicles #1
Read: September 12th, 2014
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Sounded good, and it's a 2014 Dystopia Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Book!
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Published: November 13th 2012

5/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

4/5 Stars