Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

This is the second novel in the Lunar Chronicles series by Melissa Meyer.

My review of #1: Cinder.

WARNING - There will be spoilers from the first novel! Proceed reading with caution!

Near Paris, Scarlet's grandmother has been missing for 2 weeks when she got the comm saying that the police were going to stop searching for her. The police thinks that her grandmother, Michelle, ran away instead of being kidnapped like Scarlet believes.

Now that the police are no longer a part of it, it's up to Scarlet to find her grandmother. And she gets a hint as to how to find her when her father lets out a clue after he had been taken by the same men: they have a tattoo on their bicep of letters and numbers.

And Scarlet just happened to meet a man who had that same kind of tattoo on his arm.

So she went hunting for Wolf, the street fighter, to get her answers. And he has answers, just not the one that she's looking for. But Wolf decided that he will help her find her grandmother, since he knows the people who took her and where they are located.

On the other side of the world, Cinder is escaping the prison she was put into after the horrible ball Prince Kai held and where Kai found out that not only is Cinder a cyborg, she is also Lunar.

Now Cinder needs to run away, and fast, before she is exchanged to Queen Levana, queen of Luna, where Cinder will be executed for being a "runaway Lunar". Or that's what the whole world believes. In fact, she is going to be killed because Cinder is the missing Princess Selene, the little girl Levana tried to kill when she was only 3 years old so she would be the only ruler of Luna.

She successfully escaped prison with the help of Captain Thorne, who just happen to steal an American spaceship before he was caught. And so they are two fugitives who are running to survive for their lives.

But Cinder needs to know more about what happened when she was younger, as the Princess Selene. And the one living person who might have some answers is Michelle Benoit - Scarlet's mother.

So the two cross paths together, both having their very own big problems to deal with, but mutually trying to find the same solution: Michelle Benoit and the answers to their pending questions.

It won't be easy though. Wolf is not a normal man, and the men who stole Michelle are really not normal. Things are about to change for Kai, as well, when an attack occurs on Earth, by command of Queen Levana herself.

Can each character find what they are looking for, or will they run out of time and find that everything will crumble? Read Scarlet by Melissa Meyer to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I flew through this novel! Since I was already introduced to this setting, I didn't have the troubles that I had throughout the first novel so I was able to understand what was going on and didn't need to pause to understand certain things.

I loved Scarlet even more than Cinder, I think! She's spunky. She knows how to fly a ship, has a permit for a gun, and even used a few throughout the novel! And she is always looking for the good in everyone, no matter what the situation may look like.

The one thing she wanted the most was to find her grandmother, so when she found out that Wolf may have had a part in her kidnapping, she took charge and confronted the undefeated street fighter - very brave for a small female.

And I also liked how this book had different narrators, unlike the first who was only Cinder's point of view. The reader got to experience Cinder, Scarlet, Captain Thorne and Kai's viewpoint, along with one small chapter from Queen Levana.

It was nice to view all of these viewpoints because we got more of a feeling from each characters and what they were thinking about the events from Cinders revealing at the Ball of being Lunar and a cyborg.

I think the most entertaining character was Captain Thorne. He thinks he's hot stuff and is a ladies man, so the introduction between him and Cinder when she busted through his jail cell was very entertaining.

Cinder is one heck of a fighter, though. Not only is she trying to escape her fate from Queen Levana, but she is also trying to figure out how to control her Lunar powers. She doesn't want to mind control anyone, or make anyone do her bidding or see what she wants to see, which makes her polar opposite of Queen Levana.

I very much enjoyed this novel and I cannot wait for more to come! Unfortunately, the third novel, Cress, won't come out until 2014!! It's just now 2013... I don't want to wait that long! However, it's going to have the RAPUNZEL character in it, and I really love that character :) I do hope Scarlet and Wolf will be in it too, though the small synopsis on Goodreads doesn't say as of yet.

This is turning out to be an amazing series, so I would definitely recommend it to other readers!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

This is the first novel in the Lunar Chronicles series by Melissa Meyer.

Cinder is a cyborg. When she was eleven, she went through a procedure after a hoover craft accident that crushed most of her bones, and now those bones are metal and she has a computer programmed inside of her head.

That was also when she was adopted and taken to the states with her new family. Unfortunately, her new mother and the eldest girl, Pearl, didn't appreciate having a cyborg as a family member. And the adopted father passed away not too long after bringing Cinder with him.

But Cinder has Peony, the younger sibling, and Iko, the android of the house, to keep her company.

When her adopted father died, though, Adri, her adopted mother, made her work for her keep and treated her just like an android to do her every bidding. Otherwise, Adri could sell her for money, since she was technically her ward, and Cinder didn't want that to happen.

It just so happens that Cinder is very good at fixing technical problems, so a lot of people bring their adroids, communication devices, and other technical devices to her and she charges them to fix it. It keeps her busy and brings in money to keep her stay at home.

One day, Prince Kai showed up at her shop, needing her to fix his android from his childhood. That was the day everything changed. Kai thought that she was just a normal human, and Cinder wasn't about to tell him that she was a cyborg.

Then her sister, Peony, got sick - critically sick - and Cinder was sold to use as parts and other materials to try to find a cure for this horrible disease. It just so happens that Cinder is immune to this disease. And the doctor who was treating her seems to know a lot more than he is telling Cinder...

Things go from bad to worse as the Queen of Luna comes to try to marry Prince Kai after his father, the king, passes away. Queen Levana has the ability to make anyone see any illusion she comes up with - so no one knows exactly what she looks like. To have a person of that power in control of the Commonwealth would be horrible, but a war is about to occur with the Lunars if Kai can't find a different solution.

Cinder is stuck in the middle, being immune to the disease and having attracted Kai's attention, but she doesn't realize just how in the middle she is until the doctor finding a cure informs Cinder of just who she really is.

Can Cinder help with the cure since she is immune? Will Kai be able to find another way to save his people now that he is king? Or will a war break out between the two species? And just who is Cinder? Read Cinder by Melissa Meyer to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Many of my friends have read this and rated it very high, so I was intrigued to start reading it. But for some reason I found it very slow going at first. I think it's because this novel is a dystopian plus science fiction and I haven't read too many of that genre to really get into the setting.

However, I've heard that the sequel novel is superb and I knew I needed to get through this novel in order to fully enjoy Scarlet, since it's published now, so I trucked through it and actually enjoyed the story!

Cinder has accepted her fate of being a cyborg slave since she has lived with Adri, but she has used her skills for good and was able to fend for herself to fix machines and technology on hand. When Kai showed up at her shop, she was extremely shocked, but flattered that he would come to her and ask for her help.

I really liked Cinder. Even though I didn't understand half of the things she was fixing or how she was fixing them, she is a girl who does what she needs to do in order to survive. And she has perfected her talent for fixing objects, giving her a great image of a mechanic.

Like I said earlier, the setting is what threw me off, but I got used to it after reading past the first 200 pages. It did take awhile for me, but now that I've delved into this world that Meyer created, I can't wait to read more!

There really isn't a lot of similarities between this story and Disney's version of Cinderella, which I found refreshing and unique to other retellings. Meyer had a great way of detail to the point where I couldn't figure out what the heck was being done, but it seemed very legit that I didn't care if I understood it or not - that's how I could tell that Cinder knew what she was doing.

I'm really hoping that this series gets better, like everyone keeps reviewing about. It was a very interesting viewpoint of this story and I'm glad I finally got a chance to see why my friends gave a steller review for this novel.

So if you want a very unique, techy version of Cinderella, that also dabbles in other planet colonization and the world on a brink of another war, this would be the perfect book for you. I would recommend sticking this book out if you have trouble at the beginning, because it does get better and you'll want more by the end of the novel!

Gravity by Melissa West

This is the first novel in The Taking series by Melissa West.

It's the year 2140. A lot of things have changed, including an invasion against the Ancients - otherworldly people who participated in World War IV. Otherwise known as aliens.

After most of the population died, a treaty was formed between the rest of the humans and the Ancients: they will stop fighting if the humans will allow the Ancients to "take" certain supplements from the humans when they are asleep.

It's called The Taking.

And the one rule is: never peek.

When 17 year old Ari lost her patch - a smooth cloth that clings to the persons face, not allowing them to move, see or feel - she has to go through the Taking very much alert.

And she couldn't help but peek...just a little bit.

Turns out, her Ancient is none other than Jackson Locke - a classmate who competing her for the top spot in  Force Training.

He's supposed to be human, but he is very much not. Instead of reporting Jackson to her father, the Commander, Jackson talks to Ari and she realizes that another war is about to occur. So either Ari helps Jackson stop the war, or she jump starts it by telling her father.

Now Ari is between two worlds, trying to figure out which way is the right decision for everyone she loves and cares about.

But the government doesn't see it the way Ari does, and they go to drastic measures. Ari needs to decide what to do, but either way she will get hurt in the end by losing someone she cares about.

Can Ari find a way to save both humans and Ancients? Or will another war wipe out all of mankind this time? Read Gravity by Melissa West to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Another alien novel! Seems this is going to be a topic to write about now? Not that I'm complaining - I really love the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout and will definitely take more sexy aliens.

This novel is a little different though. It's dystopian and more "governmental" than some others, making it almost realistic because the reader can see this happening with the amount of detail West put into the description of the world in 2140.

Ari is amazing. Growing up as the Commanders daughter, she got no slack and was expected to one day take her father's places as the new Commander. She got up every morning to fight and train with her father, making her one of the best in her class as a Force Training.

She also has a clear head and can see both sides, rather than her father who only sees the world where humans are concerned.

So yeah, I really liked Ari. She stood up for what she believed in rather than what was expected, and I really like female roles that do that.

Jackson is very mysterious and kept a lot of information to himself, making it hard for Ari to trust him. Even at the end of the novel he was still being mysterious! Which is a little aggravating after awhile!

This was definitely set up to be part of a series, and I'm glad because I want to go back to this world and see what happens after this ending! (Read it if you want to know the ending :P)

Unfortunately I have to wait until August 2013!! Way too long for me, but I will get it as soon as it's released.

If you want a governmental, dystopian, alien filled novel to read, this one is for you. I would highly recommend it!

Deceiving Destiny by Nadège Richards

This is the second novel in The Bleeding Heart Trilogy series by Nadège Richards.

My review of #1: Burning Bridges.

Now that Echo and Ayden are running from the king, everything is a little more intense than it used to be. And that was when they were sneaking around!

The king is destroying Echo and Ayden's home, now that she has broke his laws by seeing a Hunter and is also not the king's biological daughter. Everything is upside down now and Echo is only just seeing the beginning of a revolution.

When her and Ayden run away from New Haven, they get a group of followers as well. Many are friends of Ayden's who he grew up with, but all of them have decided that Echo is their leader. She is the Princess, though she doesn't think that way, and what she says goes.

Well, all but a few who have decided to hate Echo for their own personal reasons...

It is decided that they will go to another town ruled by another king to try to get his rule as their ally. The more to revolt against Echo's pretend father, the more they might win against this war of power.

But along the way, Echo is having visions and dreams of a mystery man. The only thing she knows about his is the color of his eyes: amber/gold/yellow. The dreams seem so real to Echo, though, and she is very disturbed by the feelings she gets when she wakes up.

She doesn't know what these visions mean. She doesn't know who the man is, but he sure knows her and secrets that she couldn't have imagined herself.

There are many complications on the way to the other land, and with a group of children and adults, it becomes a struggle to keep going. But Echo is able to keep everyone afloat and figure out a way to give the hope.

But will they make it in time? And will they get the help they need, or will their travels and hardships be for naught? What is happening to Echo? What do the visions and events mean? Read Deceiving Destiny by Nadège Richards to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I was given this eBook by the author to edit and review, since I also did the same for her first novel, and I'm glad I got it! It started right where Burning Bridges ended and even though it's been a few months since I read the first novel, I dove right back into the story without problems to continue Echo and Ayden's story of fight and survival.

Also - side note - I have to say that I LOVE the cover of this book!! Kudos to the artist!

Okay, back to my thoughts! I really think Ayden and Echo's character developed in this novel compared to the first.

Echo is a very caring person and hates the thought of hurting anyone, but when it comes to survival and protecting the ones she loves, she's now realizing that she will do whatever it takes to keep them safe. Even if it means a troubled conscience later.

And the banter between Ayden and Echo is adorable, as always, but now that they are in love with each other, they do it out of habit and to keep the other in line, rather than fighting the attraction between each other.

Of course, not everything is butterflies and sunshine - especially when Feven and Adamo come into the picture. They seem to have a grudge against Echo for obvious reasons and it's always interesting to read about those characters in regard to Echo.

Again, the ending leaves the reader wanting more, but it's not necessarily a cliff hanger. More of the next chapter in the series, so while the reader doesn't know what's going to happen, no one died or anything extreme happened at the end to curse the author for making me wait so many months for the conclusion to the story line.

So yes, I enjoyed this story and really got into it. Wish it wasn't so short! Can't wait for the third, and final, novel in this series to come out in April 2013!

For anyone looking for a dystopian novel about a war and fighting to survive, with a twist a mystery and forbidden love, I would recommend you pick this up ASAP. I would pick up the first novel first, though, so you have the complete story. Also, for the month of January both novels are only $0.99 on Amazon! So hurry!

A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton

This is the second novel in the Gods & Monsters series by Kelly Keaton.

My review of #1: Darkness Becomes Her.

WARNING - This review will contain spoilers from the first book! Be forewarned before reading any further!

Everything changed for Ari when she went into New 2 (New Orleans after a massive hurricane blew through 13 years ago). Sure, Ari was a freak outside of New 2 with her white/silver hair and teal eyes, but in New 2 she is normal - it's were all of the weirdo's are.

But that's not the weirdest thing. Ari found out that she is a direct relative of Medusa, the gorgon, whom Athena cursed centuries ago for her beauty.

And every female in Ari's family will have a daughter and die on their 21st birthday, when the curse comes into full effect. Except Ari is even more unique than her ancestors because she is starting to be able to control her curse at the age of 17.

Now Ari is learning how to fight and to control her curse to prepare to fight Athena. Because Athena took her father and Violet, the 8 year old who is fascinated with Ari, not frightened.

With the help of the Novem, the original 9 families who bought New 2 and have fought Athena 13 years ago, and her adopted family, Ari is trying to find information on how to defeat Athena while also trying to find a way to get rid of this curse.

Ari is also having to figure out how she feels about Sebastian, a warlock vampire who seems more distant toward Ari after finding out she will become Medusa in 3 1/2 years.

But when Ari meets Athena again, she's not nearly ready to defeat her. She just started training and learning about the Olympian history, so figuring out the way to defeat the Goddess of War is low on her learned list.

Can Ari figure out a way to kill Athena? Can she save her father and Violet from Athena's realm, or is that an impossible feat for Ari since she cannot get a handle on her curse yet? Read A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I really enjoyed the first novel in this series, finding that I loved the different characters and what "species" they were, creating a very entertaining and information load novel. It was no different for this sequel!

Now that Ari knows what she is, she is determine to fight not only Athena but also herself and what she will become. But the first thing on her to do list is to get her father and Violet back, because both of them have never judged Ari, nor treated her like a monster when they found out what she was.

This novel did not disappoint in bringing randomness like the firs novel. Ari had to go to school to learn more about Athena, plus she went to another realm to Athena's turf and confront her.

I will admit, there were some parts I had to re-read just to make sure I understood exactly what was going on and other times I had to re-read because I could believe Keaton did that to her characters, but overall it was a great sequel that answered questions from the previous novel. But only to add more questions at the end of this novel.

I'm not sure if this is the last book in the series? I have a feeling that it's not because of the way this novel ended and the unresolved issues still to come. And I rarely say this, but I want more of this world and more of Ari learning about her curse! So far on Goodreads it just has these two novels listed as the series, but I'll keep my eyes out for installments!

I would definitely recommend this to other readers. I would state that I think everyone should read the first novel first, though, because this novel starts right where the first one ends. But it's a mix of topics that I think any reader could grab on to and and enjoy this novel.

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

This is the first novel in the Gods & Monsters series by Kelly Keaton.

Ari has always been different than everyone else. She grew up through foster homes since her mother left her at the age of 4, and some foster homes were worse than others. The current home is pretty fantastic because Bruce and Casey are bail bondsmen, so they go after the perps who don't make it to their court hearings. So now Ari can defend herself, whereas she wasn't able to when she was younger.

But the one thing that is the most unique about Ari is her appearance. She has white/silver hair to her waist and teal colored eyes. Those two features get her attention that she does not want.

However, when she goes to New 2, (what we know as New Orleans, but after a stage 2 hurricane demolished it and was slowly rebuilding), to search for answers about her parents, Ari is not the only weirdo around. In fact, she blends right in with other people who have abilities that humans do not have.

And now Ari is having to fight for her life. She gets attacked by a man that, after she wins the fight and stabs him with is own knife, he turns into dust when he dies. Ari knows that is not normal, but she doesn't trust too many people to figure out what exactly that means.

When Ari gets into New 2, she is fortunate enough to find a ride by a 12 year old named Crank. And she is staying with Crank and her friends, Violet, Henri, and Dub, along with her brother Sebastian. And each one is different from the average kid Ari grew up with.

New 2 is run by Novem, a group of nine people who are not quite human. And now they want to meet Ari. She's a little hesitant to meet more strangers, considering she was attacked not too long before she got into New 2.

But when Ari is told that Athena, Goddess of War, wants her, things just start to get crazy. Who knew supernatural beings actually existed? And for some reason, all of them want Ari on their side. They know something about her that she is ignorant of, and she is determined to figure it out.

Why does everyone want Ari to be on their side? What is so special about Ari? Will Ari choose the right side, or will her decision costs thousands of lives? Read Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow! This book has a ton of subjects in here (look at the labels to see all of the crazy supernatural topics)! I knew that there had to be mythology roaming around because of the series name, but this novel surpassed my expectations for how much I would like it!

One thing that I was really intrigued about in this book was Ari's current foster parents profession: bail bondsmen. I think that would be an interesting subject to write about in regards to a teen's viewpoint, and even though the author didn't get too much into that, I still find it very interesting and it also helped Ari become a stronger and more resilient person.

While this has mythology in it, it is also a dystopian novel because New Orleans got destroyed by a massive hurricane. Also, Ari was born in 2009 and is now 17, so it a few years in the future.

I think Keaton did a great job with this novel. There were so many characters to keep track of and so many different plot lines that were barely discussed that I'm surprised it wasn't a massive amount of information jammed into this book. But somehow it worked enough that I kept up while reading and didn't get confused...well not to much!

I'm really glad that there is another novel following this, because it is about to get extremely interesting now that Ari knows what she is and why everyone wants her on their side. I'll more than likely have to spill it for the next novel's review, but for now you will have to read the book to find out what she is!

My favorite character, aside from Ari, is Violet. She's quite, has a likiness to reptilian animals, and loves wearing masks. She's a hoot and a half and, come to find out, she was a key character to the major ending scene! So I'm even more eager to find out what happens.

I think this book could be liked by multiple readers, because there is so much subjects in here. So I'm going to say that anyone who likes supernatural or mythology stories will really enjoy this novel, and so far there are two novels in the series - both published - so no waiting? Unless there is another following it? I'm not sure, but I'll try to find out as soon as possible!

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Mia is a lightning addict. Ever since she got struck the first time, she knows when a storm is coming and wants to chase after it to get struck by lightning again.

Yes, it hurts. Yes, she has marks all over her body every time she gets struck by lightning.

But that doesn't stop her from wanting the sensation she gets every time it happens.

After an incident occurred in Arizona, her and her family (mother and younger brother Parker) moved to L.A. because there wasn't too many storms that occurred there.

Lightning storms that is. Earthquakes, on the other hand, happen. And just over a month ago, a horrible earthquake came through her town and destroyed homes and killed people.

Right before the earthquake hit, a Prophet claimed that it was going to come. He told them, even though no one believed. But after it hit, he got Followers who started to believe everything he said. Which was basically the end of the world was coming.

On the other hand, there was another group forming against the Followers - the Seekers. They think they can stop the end of the world, as long as they can get a lot of people on their side.

And for some reason, Mia is in the middle of these two groups. Both want her for their own purposes. Mia wants neither of them, just to take care of her mother, who was mentally and physically hurt in the earthquake, and her young brother.

When a mysterious boy comes into the picture, someone Mia has never met before, she feels torn about what to do. And Jeremey is telling her she shouldn't do anything, but not telling her why he's saying something like that.

Will Mia pick a side between the Followers or the Seekers? And what is her purpose in this upcoming storm the Prophet is talking about? More importantly, can the storm be stopped before it wipes out the whole world? Read Struck by Jennifer Bosworth to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This book did not work for me. Right from the beginning, I had to force myself to read it and then I started skimming trying to find dialogue rather than 5-7 paragraphs about religion.

I really wanted to like it. I got to the end of the novel, so I worked really hard to find out what happens to Mia. But I feel like I've wasted a good part of my day reading something that I will never think about again and I don't like doing that.

Even the romance between Mia and Jeremy didn't cut it for me, and that's an unusual thing to happen because the romantic couple can always get me to look forward to their scenes in the novel.

I'm not sure if it's because it had a lot of religion in the novel. I'm not anit-religious, I just think it was on overdrive in this novel and every other word was about God. It got a little repetitive after awhile.

I see on Goodreads that it is part of a series, but I know for a fact that I will not read the second novel if/when it comes out. I'm just happy that I got through this novel as a whole, even with the skimming of pages I did every once in awhile.

For anyone who doesn't mind reading a supernatural novel that also has a lot of content about religion, this might be up your alley. It just didn't go over well for me and I'm glad I just got it from the library instead of buying at the store - which I might have done since it's about a topic I would normally enjoy reading.

Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe

This is the first novel in the Kythan Guardians series by Trisha Wolfe.

In 2040, Dez is fighting against her own people. She's a Shythe, a race of shape-shifters descended from the Egyptian pharaohs. At the age of 17, she gains her full Charge power and will be assigned to humans to protect them from any harm.

The enemy of Shythe's are Narcos, who are also shape-shifters but instead of having a Charge, they have Flame in order to produce steam, fire, and other substances of flame to help humans.

Together, they help the human race, but the Narco's have been killing the Kythan species for years. Now, it's  just the Narco's and Shythe's, who are still mortal enemies, but are now told from the council that they have to live together to keep their race alive.

While this is going on in the Kythan world, Dez is fighting her own battles. She was part of an experiment when she was conceived, and was the only one who survived.

She's half Narco and half Shythe, raised in a Shythe world. Her friends are Shythe. Her mother ran away when the creators of the experiment starting killing everyone, saying the procedure went wrong. So they came to Haven and changed their names, fitting in with the Shythe world.

But she doesn't know if she will have the Charge power, or the Flame power when her abilities come the day she turns 17.

Dez is starting to grow feelings for one of her best friends, Jace, who is a Shythe, and is also one of the council members son. But right when things might be looking up for them, a Narco comes barreling through when they are forced to live with Shythes: Reece.

For some reason, Dez is strangely connected to Reece - in a bigger way than she can imagine. When she turns 17 and gets her immense power, it's not Jace she turns to for help, but Reece.

Things are not as they seem, though, between the Narco's and the Shythe's. Peace is not the only thing they are striving for, and Dez is caught right in the middle of this battle between two races.

Can Dez find a way to contain her massive power of both Narco and Shythe? Can she do it in time to save the ones she loves? Read Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Now I know I have a lot of labels for this book review that don't make sense, like Supernatural, Dystopian, Science Fiction, but for me, this book had all of these genres! It was amazing!

I haven't read too many Sci Fi novels lately - especially YA novels - so it was great to get lost into another world with different rules than I'm used to.

And I found the way the author wrote this novel was fantastic! She didn't overly explain things but gradually let the reader figure out how this world was with the rules and the setting. It wasn't a whole paragraph where it was narration to the reader of what was going on - we have to read it longer than a chapter to figure everything out, which I found refreshing.

Dez is amazing. She has been keeping this secret for years and is scared to death as to what is going to happen when she receives her full power. And then, when she does get it, she's able to use some of it before it gets out of control.

Now, the first scene, directly when the reader starts, is HOT. But then it gets hotter with another boy.

As much as I liked Reece, I think the acceptance of him that Dez gave him was a little odd. He's supposed to be her mortal enemy and after revealing the truth about himself, she trusts him with her life? Yeah, not very realistic or smart, I think.

I think Wolfe did an amazing job with this novel. It sucked me into another world, gave me a different viewpoint on different topics, and kept me wanting a lot more throughout the novel and at the end. It's not a cliffhanger, but the reader will definitely know that there is more to this amazing world.

I cannot wait until the next book comes out. Unfortunately, I can't find any information on Goodreads about the sequel, but I'm hoping that I won't have too long of a wait for it?!?

I would definitely recommend this to any female reader who wants an other worldly novel to read and one with a kick a$$ female lead character to read about! I won't be forgetting this world any time soon!

Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick

This is the second novel in the Ashes trilogy by Ilsa J. Bick.

My review of #1: Ashes.

Note - There will be spoilers from the first novel in this series. Be warned before reading past this sentence!

Alex
When Alex ran away from the town of Rule, she really wasn't expecting to be the next meal for the Changed, or Chucky's, as a ritual for Rule. Because that's what it is. The Chucky's leave the people of Rule alone as long as they get humans to eat and food to feed the humans so they don't die right away.

After trying to fight the Changed, she was taken captive and was forced to travel with them and other human sacrifices. While traveling with them, she realizes that her ability to smell things was starting to become stronger, making her more aware of what the Changed are doing before they decide to act on it. Maybe her ability will help her survive this nightmare?


Tom
Tom was saved by an older couple who took them in when he was shot in the leg. They saved his leg and took care of him, but they were also pretending that Tom was their dead son. There were a lot of similarities between the two and were still devastated over the death of their son.

Tom went along with it for awhile, but it was time to move on and find Alex. He knew it might be a lost cause but he needed to try and find her. But the trip from the farm house he was taken to and Alex, who was now the possibility of the Changed's last meal was not going to be easy. In fact, he got captured so many times by older adults who wanted the rewards of bringing in a young 'un that wasn't Changed that he had to keep a close eye on everyone around him.

Chris
After trying to save Alex from leaving Rule, Chris woke up a week later and couldn't remember all of the details of what happened in those last moments before blanking out. Turns out that he was knocked unconscious by a close friend from Rule in order to let Alex leave to be the next sacrifice for the Changed.

Then Chris was kicked out of Rule because he chose Alex over his family and home. He was able to escape a cruel fate only to have to fight at every turn to find shelter and food during the brutal snow storms that kept coming. Thankfully he was with Lena and Nathan, though they hindered more than helped sometimes on their hike to survival. But Chris was bound and determined to find Alex and correct what was wronged.

Lena
Rule was never a safe place for Lena, where they wanted all of the young females to mate with the older grandpa's there and keep the population booming. So she sided with Chris and was sent out of Rule as well.

Only things weren't going well for Lena. She found out that her semi-sorta boyfriend was working with the Changed and did the exchange for protection by giving them humans to snack on, then found out that he was killed on the last trip out of Rule for supplies. But even worse, she's been sick to her stomach for most of the trip away from Rule and she has a horrible suspicion why... And she's also having the ability to see in the dark - details she should not see and has...cravings and urges that should not be her most priority... What is happening to her?

Peter
When Peter's group was ambushed, he was sure that he was dead for good. But then he woke up strapped to a gurney and found out that the people who ambushed him wanted him specifically to "experiment" on him. Turns out, the ex-militia solider Finn put the Changed's blood inside of him when he needed a transfusion  And now they were putting other things inside of him to see how much he can resist the fluids.

Peter can't escape, but he can fight to stay alive to try to escape later. Finn is making him fight Chucky's that they are capturing, to train the Chucky's how to survive longer by watching Peter. Peter doesn't know how much longer he can keep surviving, but he is not going down without a fight.

All of these characters are fighting for one thing in this nightmare of a world: survival and to find the person they are searching for. Will they be able to succeed, or will the Changed get in their way? Read Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I really enjoyed the first novel in this series, so I was really excited when I got this book from the library.

Except that I didn't really like this one.

The first reason was the narration. It's nice that we had 5 people to follow and get a broader story. I just found it ridiculously hard to figure out which chapter was which character narration at the time. There were times that I would skim the first two pages looking for familiar names, figuring out who it was about and then go back to the beginning of the chapter with that setting in mind.

I didn't find that enjoyable. I like narration that flows and that did not flow for me.

Secondly, the length. Good lord, it was over 500 pages of long, detailed, agonizingly slow narration. Don't get me wrong, I read Harry Potter 7 in a day so length does not scare me. Just slow paced length gives me a problem.

And third, there was too much happening. I couldn't keep everything straight and I read this quite a bit after the first one (in July and just now for the second one). I found myself lost and looking things up online to try and figure out who was who at the beginning of the story.

Now, despite all of the negativity above, I did enjoy it a little bit. I was dedicated and determined to finish it because I really did enjoy the first novel and I want to read the conclusion when it comes out in March 2013. I just found myself not enjoying this book while reading it.

Now that I'm done, though, I appreciate the story and am able to remember what happened and how it all fit together.

I will be reading the final story when it comes out just to see how Bick will finish this world that she created, and how each character fares throughout the story. I'm especially curious to see what happens to Alex, particularly after her last scene in Shadows.

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

The year is 2024. Gas is low, so everyone is required to travel by public transportation. Electronics are run by a main corporation: National Connectivity. They control every single electronic and none have failed to work since the switch.

Until now.

Dean and his brother Alex were running late for their bus for school. But they should have missed it.

While they were in the bus, a severe hailstorm came - hail the size of basketballs. Fortunately, they were able to get to a secure location: a supermarket (think Walmart).

However, the bus drive that survived decided to go to the ER and see who survived and what was going on.

So that left 14 kids in the store, alone. Caroline, Henry, Ulysses, Max, Bastiste, Chloe, Sahalia, Alex, Josie, Dean, Astrid, Brayden, Jake, and Niko. That was all.

When the bus driver left, they decided that Jake would be in charge, though the jock wasn't a good leader in this crisis.

The kids went to the multimedia center after finding out that their electronics didn't work and found an "old" television that connected to CNN (our TV's now are considered "old").

There was a huge natural disaster that started with the volcano on La Palma in the Canary Islands errupting. It covered the whole western front of the island which set off a megatsunami.

When the megatsunami hit the eastern coast of the U.S., that also set off a severe weather condition including the Rocky area in Colorado where hail came down fiercly and triggered an 8.2 earthquake.

Then the chemical plant in Colorado Springs blew up, sending a toxic cloud 800 miles from the plant. The chemicals affect by blood type. O Type becomes rabid - killing everyone in sight. AB Type becomes paronoid; A Type gets blisters all over their body. B Type stays normal but they become sterile after being in the toxic air.

So the kids are trapped in the store. Thankfully they have enough provisions to last for over a year, hopefully waiting out the toxics in the air.

But people from outside are trying to get inside the building. The kids are keeping their territory under lock and key, but can they keep it safe forever? Read Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
When I read the back of this novel, I was very intrigued and wanted to find out more. The idea of kids being locked inside a supermarket seemed so out of the ordinary that I thought I would like it.

And I did like it... for the most part. I think I would have liked it more if it were just high school kids and no little kids. The little kids, for the most part, annoyed me.

But then again, I think the little kids were more mature than most of the high schoolers, so I take that back.

I dunno. There was something missing from this book that made me love it.

I did like the idea of a natural disaster trigger other disasters all over the world. It's a possibility in the future which makes this book possible to see the future.

It was an interesting read, and I think it was very realistic if a group of kids were trapped inside of a super center. They would whine, complain, fight, cry, play excitedly with toys and eat all of the junk food.

Maybe that's why I didn't enjoy it - it was too kidish and not grown up. ...Dare I say I wanted it to be more my age?! 0_0

Anywho, there were some good parts to this novel and I really enjoyed the topic. I think readers who are interested in apocalypse and dystopian will really enjoy this.

Also, Dean is the narrator of this novel, so I think that guy readers will like it because it's not a girl complaining about being stuck with a bunch of kids, but rather what Dead was thinking through the 12 days being stuck in the supermarket.

This is the first novel in the series and the sequel, Monument 14: Sky on Fire, will be released sometime in 2014. If I happen to see it, I might read it but I'm not sure if I will go out of my way to get it.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

When the opportunity comes along for every 16-20 year old girl to "audition" for Prince Maxon to try to be the next princess, everyone is ecstatic.

Except for American Singer. She doesn't want anything to do with the Selection. She already has the man of her dreams, even if he is a caste lower than her.

She's a 5 and Aspen is a 6, so legally it is really difficult for them to be together. Which is why they are keeping their 2 year relationship a secret from everyone they know.

But then Aspen tells American that she should fill out the paperwork to be a part of the Selection. He doesn't want any "what-if's" between them.

America did it because Aspen told her to. And then he broke up with her, breaking her heart.

She didn't expect to be chosen to go to the palace.

She didn't want to go, but once chosen, it was a little hard to say "no thanks" to the opportunity of a life-time for a better, richer life.

So she goes, along with 34 other girls. And the first thing she does is yell at the prince.

Which is how their friendship started.

As more time goes by, her and Maxon get closer as friends. She keeps the distance between them, not feeling romantic feelings for him since she is still devastated by her breakup with Aspen.

After raids happen at the palace, risking the girls's life, Maxon makes a decision to cut the amount of numbered girls to 6, making them the Elite chosen.

Will American be chosen as one of the 6? Will her feelings ever change toward Maxon, or will she still be hooked on Aspen? Read The Selection by Kiera Cass to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
The best way I can describe this book is: It's The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games.

No, there is no killing in this book like The Hunger Games. But the dystopian world and the different levels of society is very similar to THG.

I really, really enjoyed this novel. I heard about it before it was released and wanted to read it, but never got around to grabbing the novel. I'm kinda happy I waited cause the wait for the sequel isn't so long now :)

America is her own person. She's not afraid to do what she has to and the social status of Maxon doesn't intimidate her like it does for everyone else.

Since she also doesn't want to be at the palace, that also brings out the anger in her that she might not have had if she was actually trying to get the Prince's attention.

The one thing that I'm conflicted about is who I want America to end up with. At the beginning, I felt angry when America and Aspen broke up because they had such a great love story.

And then when America got to know Maxon and saw him as a guy, not a prince or a crown, I could see the appeal of her being with Maxon too.

So, overall, Cass did a great job making the reader fall in love with both boys. I think I know who I'm rooting for, but I'm not saying so I can change my mind if one or the other does something so remarkable that it sways to me to the other side.

I would definitely recommend this novel to any female reader, especially one who likes either of the two shows I mentioned above. It is a fast, informational read and is written really well.

I can't wait to read the second novel to see what happens with the Elite 6 and Maxon. The sequel, The Elite, comes out April 2013 and I will definitely be wanting to read it right away!

The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer

**I won this eBook novella from the author through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway free in exchange for my honest review.**

For years now, there has been a drought that has not let up.

Water is timed per month - if a household uses too much water in a month they will lose their water until the first of the next month. Instead of having water bottles to drink, they have gel packs to conserve water.

Food is bland and nothing tastes well. No citrus food at all.

Clothes are dusty and heat stroke is a very common way to die if people aren't carefully when they are outside during the day.

Fortunately, there is a way out of this miserable life. At the age of 17 or older, anyone can sign the Forever Contract, where they get to live in their own virtual world. Wherever they want to live - in the city, country, beach, small town - they will be able to go there in a blink of an eye.

Water and food are there with the very thought of what you want. You will not want anything in Forever - it is a virtual heaven.

Casey is turning 17 soon. She wants to sign the Forever Contract and join her older brother, Ben, who went there a few years ago.

Casey's boyfriend, James, is forbidding to sign the contract. He says that no one is living in this virtual world. They are actually dying in this world.

James knows things that Casey doesn't about the Forever Contract. Things that will make him try to keep her from signing it no matter what the cost is.

But will James stop Casey in time from joining the Forever Contract world? Will anybody listen to James's pleas? Read The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. I didn't think I would enjoy this story as much as I did. There have been a lot of dystopian novels coming out this summer and it's starting to be a "too-much" topic for me to keep reading, but Avery Sawyer really hooked me and got me sucked into this futuristic world!

(Also, side note, it wasn't hard to be sucked into this drought world because this summer has been the driest I've been through, so I could definitely see this occurring in the future! At least right now, when it's 100 degrees every day!)

This story was told by both Casey and James, so we got to see why each character chose the path that they wanted.

Casey is a fighter, and I love tough, strong female characters. She also listened to James even though she disagreed with his viewpoints on the Forever Contract.

James is a smart, nerdy guy but also very attractive and easy going. He was determined to get Casey to listen to him, even if it meant breaking a few laws to get his point across!

There were a few grammatical and punctuation errors that I found while reading this 33 page novella, something I've come to expect when getting either 1) an electronic copy or 2) an early reader copy. Not too many errors, just enough for me to notice while flying through this novella.

Overall, I thought this was a great novella! I did have a problem with the abrupt ending and I'm hoping that Sawyer will continue this story either with more novella's or with regular length novels. I need to find out what happens to James and Casey!!!

I would definitely recommend this novella to everyone - guys and girls since there are narrators of both genders. This goes along with the dystopian genre that has grown popular this past year, but is unique in it's own way to make it stand out from other novels being published.

Burning Bridges by Nadège Richards

*I received a free PDF version of this novel from the author for my honest review.*

This is a dystopian novel of a world where there is a New Haven and an Old Haven.

Echo is from the New Haven world. She is the Princess of Thediby, the one that will combine two families together with her marriage to Prince Noah, Prince of Delentia.

Ayden is from Old Haven, a world that has been picked apart and left in ruins. Work is hard to come by, money is something everyone wishes they have, and just making it to tomorrow is a blessing.

When Echo and Ayden meet, worlds collide. They can't stop thinking about each other. Even though their friendship is forbidden, they have to see each other or they feel as if a part of themselves is missing.

But when Noah finds out and then Echo's father, the King, finds out, things go very wrong. Echo is forbidden to see Ayden again. She can't accept that fate, so she defies the rules and runs away.

Only the King put out a reward for anyone to find both Echo and Ayden to bring them back to New Haven.

Will Echo and Ayden be able to escape from her father's rules? Will they always be running for their freedom to be with each other? Or will the King win and separate the two...for good? Read Burning Bridges by Nadège Richards to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was an intriguing novel. I was automatically sucked into the story as the reader is reading a very intense scene that is on the brink of war, then was transported 5 weeks earlier to how the war started.

The world that Richards created was amazing. Her writing was very easy to follow and before I knew it I had read 100 pages without a single pause in the story.

There were a few grammatical and punctuation errors, a few times where the wrong names were used in areas, but for a first novel I thought those errors were minor to the great story she created.

I did have a few problems with the characters. Yes, there was character development throughout the novel. Echo grew to learn the truth and to obtain what was right and what she wanted rather than what others wanted her to do.

But I felt like she was clinging to Ayden too much. For a strong willed character who went after what she wanted, she kept acting like a girl losing her head over a boy that she couldn't bear to be away from.

And Ayden, who's 5 years older than Echo, acted more like a teenager than a 22 year old when it came to Echo. Don't get me wrong, he was amazing for his family when his father was being absentee with his alcohol. He just seemed...like a lost little puppy when away from Echo...

I think that if the characters were more about "doing" than thinking and wishing, I would have liked them better. They want to be together forever? Great! Do something about it. Go away from the place that will eventually trap them. Not stare longingly into one another's eyes and then be shocked when you get caught.

However, even with my conflicted feelings about Echo and Ayden, I do think this was a great novel. And even better, we get to read more in Richard's second novel, Deceiving Destiny, which comes out December 2012 - so just 5 more months.

For anyone who likes dystopian novels or who likes a girl fighting for what she wants, I would recommend this novel to you. It was very well written and the reader was definitely snared into the story from the first page, making it a quick read and leaving the reader wanting more by the end of it.

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

When Alex decided to skip school and leave Illinois to go to Michigan, she wasn't expecting the beginning of the apocalypse to start. On her way to spread her parents ashes at Lake Michigan like they wanted, she was  hiking through the woods, using the skills from her father when she was younger.

Then an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) occurred, so strong that it killed anyone between the ages of 14-40. Young kids and senior citizens were the main population that survived the EMP.

Only... Alex survived it, and she's 17...

And others around her age survived through it...only they weren't the same. In fact, they were cannibals and killed living people/animals on site.

They turned into zombies.

She also got an unusual gift from the EMP - the ability to smell other people and animals. She could smell their feelings, their essense, and she could also tell if they were survivors or something else - zombies. 

Alex was fighting to stay alive with two other survivors: 8-year-old Ellie and 20-year-old Tom. They decided to stick together and try to find places that were away from big cities, and to head to Canada.

Only things went downhill when a group of older men and women kidnapped Ellie to use her as collateral damage to get into shelters. Kids and animals are very rare after the EMP went through.

Then Tom got shot in the leg and he couldn't walk anymore. So Alex left him to get help in a town close by called Rules. When she got help, though, and returned for Tom he was no longer there.

Alex soon found herself making a place for her in Rules, but all was not as it seemed. Would Alex try to find Tom and Ellie again, or would she stay in the "safe" town of Rules and make a new life? Read Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
A zombie story. I don't think I've ever read one of those... I may have attempted a few but gave up after awhile.

This was the first one that I read from start to finish and really enjoyed it. It's certainly not my favorite genre of book, but it was very different for me and kept me interested throughout the whole novel.

I've read some reviews that say this was a horror novel, and I can see where they were going with that. There were times I was reading and my jaw literally dropped. There were other times when I had to close the book for a minute and try to wrap my head around what I just read.

Overall, this book really kept me on my toes. I didn't know where it was going to lead, and it definitely had a cliffhanger ending for the next novel in this trilogy series.

I think there was a lot of variety of information in here. The town Rules creeped me out when Alex was talking about it - I don't know how she stayed there, but I guess the appeal of a roof over her head and food in her stomache was thinking loud and clear.

I also really liked Alex. She's tough. Before the EMP she had a brain tumor that was slowly killing her, but when the EMP went through, it seemed like all of her symptoms were gone. That's when she got her "ability" of smell.

She was also a great camper/fighter. She never gave up when the zombies were after her and she was always thinking with a clear head - you can't say that about too many 17-year-olds!

For anyone who likes a horror/science fiction book, I would definitely recommend this to you! Also, if you like zombie books, this would be right up your alley!

This is the first novel in a trilogy series. The second novel, Shadows, will be released September 25, 2012. I know I will definitely be checking it out to see what happens to Alex in the situation she is left in at the end of this first novel!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

This is the first novel in the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi.

It has been 264 days since Juliette has seen or talked to another person.

For 3 years, she has been taken to doctors, psychiatrists, legal offices, and, finally, in an asylum where she has been isolated from humans.

All because of an accident that Juliette didn't mean to do.

Every since she was a baby, Juliette has lived with her curse. She cannot touch another human being. If she does, she will kill them - with just one touch.

Juliette stayed far away from everyone, but when she was 14, she tried to help a little boy up. When she did that, though, she felt power and energy rush through her, making her stronger while she was accidentally killing the little boy.

So she was punished, taken to doctors to find out what was wrong with her. When no one could find any answers, they did the next best thing - lock her away from other people.

It was a surprise, then, when she got a roommate. And even more surprising? Finding out that her roommate was a boy, a boy she went to school with.

The Reestablishment has been trying to fix the ecosystem after everything had started to wither and die. Birds don't fly anymore, plants aren't growing, animals are sparse and hard to come by.

So when Juliette and her new roommate, Adam, were forced from their cell in the asylum into the real world, it wasn't very picturesque. However, to Juliette, it was Heaven. She hadn't had fresh air or felt sunlight on her skin in 264 days.

It wasn't so ideal, though, when she was in the company of the Reestablishment's leader, Warner. He wanted Juliette to use her power in his army, being a torturer by just touching the army's victim.

Juliette wanted no part of it. She fought off Warner at every corner, while she started to grow closer to Adam.

When Adam and Juliette decide they want to run away from the army and Warner, they come into trouble. Will both be able to escape and stay hidden from Warner, or will they get caught and make Juliette be a part of his torturous plan? Read Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. I loved this book. If you are a fan of X-Men, this is a book I think you will enjoy. In fact, Juliette really reminds me of Rogue in the first and second movie, and she's my favorite X-Men character :)

Juliette is one tough cookie. She was traumatized as a little girl, never wanting to hurt another person but wanting to be a normal person who her parents could love and hold.

She missed a humans touch, not only through skin but also touching another person's heart. With her "disease" everyone called her nasty names and tried to hurt her, so she never had a friend.

Except Adam. She never talked to Adam while they were in school from 3rd to 9th grade, but he sat closer to her than any other student, he stood up for her when the other students called her names, and he looked at her like a real person, not with evilness like everyone else.

So it was shocking when the one person Juliette would have called a friend just happened to be a new roommate at the asylum.

The world that Tahereh Mafi created was very realistic, with just enough description to describe the setting of the book but not enough to bore young adult readers. It was also helpful that Juliette was so attuned to the outside world, describing all of the things that she had missed throughout those 3 years of isolation.

Mafi's writing was a little unique, and I've read some reviewers who didn't like it.

I found it refreshing, if somewhat odd, where Juliette's thoughts were written in numbers and were repetitive. But I think it was very realistic as Juliette hadn't talked to anyone in almost a year and she remembered events through numbers.

This was an amazing novel. I already want to reread it to experience it again and I cannot wait for Mafi to continue this series to see what will happen next with Juliette, Adam and Warner. Unfortunately, I have to wait until February 2013 to read the second novel :/

I would definitely recommend this book, especially to teen girls as there is a strong, leading female who sticks to her beliefs and is has a very kind, generous heart toward everyone.

Blacklisted by Gena Showalter

This is the second novel in the Teen Alien Huntress series. To see the review of the first novel, click here: Red Handed.

Camille is in her last semester of high school, and to make those last few weeks more exciting, her and her friend Shanel decide that they are going to talk to their crushes.

In order to do that, they decide to go to a club where they know that Erik (Camille's crush) and Silver (Shanel's crush) will be on a Friday night.

What they didn't know was that it was a particularly bad night to pick. Erik is an ex-A.I.R. agent and the A.I.R. has been trying to capture him for some time. That Friday night just happened to be the night they picked.

When Camille got caught in the middle of the A.I.R. affairs, she realized that she never knew about the human/alien war.

At first, she didn't want anything to do with bad-boy Erik when she almost died - two times. But after watching him protect her no matter his own protection, she decided to stay on his side because he promised to protect her.

It seems that he's had a crush on her for awhile too - he just didn't want her to get involved in his troubled past.

But when Camille finds out that he's doing something good even though it's technically breaking the law, she has to decide if she wants to go back to her boring life at home and high school, or if she wants to make a change in the world, no matter the cost.

Whichever road she decides to take, Camille's life will be forever changed.

Which way does Camille go? Will the A.I.R. let her go, or will they decide she can't be trusted? Read Blacklisted by Gena Showalter to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
While the first book followed a different character, the reader was introduced to two other characters, one that was introduced in the first novel briefly (Erik) and a new, courage character (Camille).

I like the way the author took this route. While I could have enjoyed another book following Phoenix and the A.I.R., this gave a different viewpoint of the world that Showalter created - the darker side that needed help in order to survive.

Again, the main female character Camille was a brave girl. She always thought of herself as shy and cowardly, but when she got caught up in Erik's dilemma, she pulled her own weight and decided to help him rather than run.

It was weird seeing Erik as the "bad guy" - the guy who was being hunted by A.I.R. since in the first novel the A.I.R. were hunting criminals. Erik claimed that he wasn't doing anything illegal, but only Camille believed him.

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was a great addition to add to this series (just these two novels) and I wish there were more novels. But since this was published in 2007, I'm not sure if that's going to happen.

I would definitely recommend this novel to any supernatural fans out there. While one doesn't need to read the first novel to get the setting, I think it would be a good idea because then the reader can connect with the secondary characters and understand Erik's dilemma as to why he doesn't want to hurt the A.I.R. agents.

A great series, in my opinion! I saw that Gena Showalter wrote the Alien Huntress series, where the professors and trainers at A.I.R. are the main characters, so maybe I'll live in this futuristic world some more with adults!

Red Handed by Gena Showalter

Phoenix has a bit of a problem... She was a former addict to the drug called Onadyn, a substance that was brought to Earth when the aliens came. It basically takes away oxygen from humans, causing them to go high and "fly" for hours, depending on their dosage.

After going to rehab, Phoenix wants to stay away from this drug. It's done nothing but cause problems between her and her mother - the only person she has left.

When she goes to a party, though, Phoenix almost becomes tempted to try again. That is, until a group of Sybilins attack the party. Phoenix has no idea what they are, but is informed by a very attractive and older guy, Ryan, that they are aliens who suck the water out of humans.

Even though Phoenix has no idea what to do, she stays to help Ryan and his sister, Allison, fight off the Sybilins. While fighting, she realized that she was doing something good in the world and she stayed away from her addiction.

However, she was made to pass out and was taken home to her mother with the story that she was found passed out on the side of the road.

After that, her mother gave up on Phoenix and decided that she was going to drug boot camp where she can get fixed and her mother wouldn't have to deal with her anymore.

Except, that "drug camp"? Not a drug camp, but a training center for teenagers who show potential to fight aliens in the Alien Investigation and Removal (AIR).

Now, Phoenix is trained every day, every hour about the different alien races, their strengths and weaknesses, hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, everything one needs to know about how to fight all aliens harmful to humans.

A bit of a problem? Phoenix's hand-to-hand combat trainer is the very attractive Ryan... who she's not allowed to date since he's an agent and she's only a recruit.

When the training field is breached by a group of Sybilins, Phoenix will have to remember all of her training. Will the group be able to defeat the alien race, or will they be outnumbered? Read Red Handed by Gena Showalter to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Gena Showalter is a great author and has written a lot of adult novels, so this YA book was very well written and sucked me into the storyline right away.

It's set in the future, when aliens invaded Earth. After 60 years, humans and aliens co-exist on Earth and while aliens are supposed to be "human friendly" there are some who go against the rules and try to kill humans, which is why the AIR was formed.

I absolutely love Phoenix. She may have been a drug addict, but she has a survival instinct and finds out that she doesn't want to do drugs anymore. She wants to fight and save everyone, including her mother.

She gets the determination to actually study in classes and to do well in all of her fighting classes in order to stay in the program for the whole year.

I also like the world that Showalter created. She described the aliens in detail and was able to create a futuristic world if aliens every existed and wanted to take over Earth.

The chemistry between Phoenix and Ryan was flying off the page the first time they met and it only got more intense as the book went on. It didn't help that it was forbidden for them to be together, either!

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a story about aliens, a futuristic world, or a book about a girl who wants to kick butt and save the world.

There is a second book in this Teen Alien Huntress series, Blacklisted, which I'll be reviewing next.

The Clone Codes by The McKissacks

The year is 2170. Leanna is in a virtual school, where she can relive historical events, like Harriet Truman rescuing slaves.

When Leanna is not in a virtual world, she lives in a world with clones and cyborgs. Cyborgs are people who are not 100% human. They have bionic parts to them if they've been in an accident. Clones and cyborgs are not treated at humans and are not part of the 13th Amendment, but are not solely slaves either.

Most clones are programmed without thoughts, feelings, or any creative idea for themselves. They do what they are told and they are only known as a number, not a name.

Leanna doesn't have a clone in her household. Her mother doesn't approve of clones.

What Leanna didn't realize was that her mother was part of a society who is trying to grant clones and cyborgs their freedom - so they won't have to answer to humans anymore.

And one other thing that Leanna didn't know? She's a second generation clone! Only she thinks and acts like a human, living longer than normal clones do. Her mother created her but treated her like her own daughter.

Leanna is proof that clones can be treated like a human, but will society see it that way? Or will they only see her as a clone who has no rights and force her into clone codes?

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a fun read! A dystopian world with clones and cyborgs - not something that I'm  used to reading but very fast paced and packed with information.

I really liked Leanna. I was absolutely shocked when I found out she was only 13 years old - I definitely would have pegged her for a 16 or 17 year old, that's how mature she is.

This was a short and easy book to read, and it's the first of a trilogy. I just happened to pick it up at a used bookstore because the backcover sounded interesting. While the ending was a little vague, I'm happy with the ending result and I won't be reading the rest of the series.

I would recommend this book to any teen - girl or guy. I think with the dystopian world it can interested teen guys even though the main character and narrator is a girl.

The Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn

This sequel in the Bar Code series, The Bar Code Rebellion, follows Kayla on her journey to rebel against the bar code tattoo, which by law is required in the year 2025. I did a blog post on the first novel, The Bar Code Tattoo, (title is linked to post) which explains the differences in 2025 and will help you understand the storyline better if you read before this post.

Kayla feels that she can't keep hiding in the mountains from the Global-1 officials. After the officers raid the mountain, she knows for sure that she can't stay there anymore and decides to fight for her freedom and try to stop Global-1 from forcing the tattoos on everyone.

She goes to Washington D.C. where a government official, David Young, is advocating for no requirements on bar code tattoos when everyone who doesn't have the tattoo gets ambushed by the Global-1 officers and are put into jail.

Kayla barely escapes with the help of an old friend, Dusa. They are creating fake bar codes and helping out everyone against the bar code tattoos.

After that, Kayla needs to find answers and goes west to find her friend, Allyson, who is working for a genetic school in California.

Meanwhile, Kayla is having more visions about girls who look like Kayla, but are not her in different parts of the world. Come to find out, Kayla was part of an experiment that initiated the bar code tattoos! She is a sixtuplet - and a clone! All of the visions she's been having are with her other "sisters" and now Kayla wants to find them to find out who they are and where they came from.

Will Kayla be able to save all of her friends from getting the tattoo? Can she stop Global-1 once and for all, or will they keep bar coding everyone? Read both The Bar Code Tattoo and The Bar Code Rebellion to find out how this futuristic series ends!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I was not disappointed with this sequel, and final, book of Suzanne Weyn's books! Kayla definitely grew into more of a leader instead of a hider in this novel, making herself face her fears and find answers to what has been happening to her for almost a year.

Weyn created a future that was believable because of how advanced technology has gotten in the past few years. Her ability to go "back in time" to show how everything was initiated was also a great thing to read because the reader was able to understand how this could possibly happen in today's society.

I also liked how the author was able to explain the scientific terminology and concepts in a way where the reader can understand. I do not enjoy science and do not understand anything about science, but after reading these two novels I was able to wrap my head around what the scientists did to create such a future. That's talent, I think, to break down the concepts of science for anyone to understand!

I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in dystopian worlds, science fiction, cloning, rebellion/war, and survival. Kayla really had a lot going on but she never gave up and fought for her freedom - something a strong character needs throughout the story to keep the reader cheering the main character on until the very end of the story.

The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn

It's the year 2025. Some things are different than we know now, such as:

• There is no paper money - only e-cards, and most recently bar code tattoo's (also called 'too) on a person's right inside wrist where they are scanned, like food at a grocery store. 
• Minimum wage is $18 an hour. 
• Global-1 is issuing that everyone at the age of 17 must get a bar code tattoo or the ones who don't get the 'too will be a felon. 
• AgroGlobal (a district of Global-1) creates all food. They replicate the seeds in plants, creating food when they want to rather than planting seeds in the ground to produce natural food. 
• Robots run cash registers. 
• Desktops in schools now have an iPad or eReader installed in it. 

Kayla Reed has just turned 17 and has been conflicted over whether she wanted to get the bar code 'too. After watching her father go crazy and try to cut the 'too off of his wrist, killing himself, she's inclined to stay away from her own bar code. 

However, Global-1 won their lawsuit against the government, stating that everyone of the age of 17 must get the 'too, or they will be committing a crime. 

After Kayla's world starts crumbling around her, losing everything and everyone she was close to, Kayla finds herself running from the government and police officials. She wants to keep her own identity instead of having her every action being followed. 

She decides to find a haven where others who are rebelling against the 'too live together. Instead of living in high society, they are living in the mountains, living day by day as the cavemen used to without technology. 

But they are also psychic - they can talk to one another through their minds and use energy to move things if they are strong enough. After seeing images of a war in the near future, Kayla is unsure what will happen to her and her new friends in their future. 

My Thoughts/Reflections

I really liked this book. When I first read the back, I got the image of Dark Angel television show with Jessica Alba where she had a bar code on the back of her neck after she broke out of a prison as a child. This is different, though, because everyone wants the 'too rather than only a select few can get one. 

Kayla had to grow up very fast in a short amount of time and I liked that about her. She might have complained about how tough things were, but she never gave up and always tried to find somewhere safe to be. 

This is the first book in a two book series, so I'm excited to see where Suzanne Weyn went in the second novel, The Bar Code Rebellion (which I'll be reading next to find out!). I hope I see more of the rebellion members and see Kayla initiate actions to hopefully get rid of the bar code law. 

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a "futuristic" novel and if anyone is interested in the future of credit cards/banking topics, since this is basically related to those topics. The twists and turns Weyn takes throughout the novel is also refreshing as I didn't see all of them coming ahead of time.