Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Ahhh... finally, I got to read this book. I’ve had the ARC for awhile, but I was waiting until January 1st to start reading it so it would qualify for the 2012 Debut Author Challenge. I knew I was going to love it and boy, was I right.

“Under the Never Sky” is a dystopian with a very sci fi feel or is it a sci fi with dystopian scenery? Heck if I know, but whatever it is - it rocks. In this world, the Earth is falling apart and the land is being ravaged by these “aether storms” that tear apart the landscape and make it difficult to survive. Apparently, generations ago, a part of the population decided to leave the struggle and live in a giant dome structure that would protect them from the storms. To keep from going stir crazy in a confined, bland space, they use a virtual reality technology that keeps them hooked up together and able to go and do anything they want. Aria, our leading lady, finds out the hard way that this way of life can have complications though. When her mom goes missing, she knows she has to do whatever it takes to find her. Unfortunately, she messes with the wrong people and finds herself fighting for her survival in a world she’s only heard horror stories about and with a man, a wild man, who isn’t at all like she expected.

I really enjoyed this one... I don’t dish out 5 stars lightly on Goodreads.com, but I was tempted. This book meshes a lot of my favorite things - sci-fi, action, romance (and good ol’ slow building romance, not INSTA-LOVE), self-discovery, strong female character (who wasn’t INSTASTRONG either), dystopian setting (I love it when the stakes are ridiculously high!), etc. It’s sci fi though for people who wouldn’t necessarily love sci fi. I am trying desperately not to spoil you here, but there are different environments at play and not all of them are virtual, okay?

I know some other reviewers didn’t enjoy the romance aspect because it didn’t make them tingle, but I liked that. Not that I don’t like a good tingly romance, but sometimes, romance grounded in reality is a lot more enjoyable. Romance isn’t all anguish or passion with tingly, fiery intensity. (I am so into the word tingly today.) For a sci fi dystopian who’sawhat’sit, this book is so grounded in reality. I love that. Way to go, Ms. Rossi for making this book feel so real. It is so nice to feel instantly connected to characters and really feel for them when they’re going through this “out of this world” experience. To me, that’s a sign of an amazing writer.

Congratulations Ms. Rossi on your awesome debut. I cannot wait to see what you have for us in book 2!

I received a digital ARC from the publisher for review. This book was the first of many debuts I'll be reading this year as part of the Debut Author Challenge hosted by "The Story Siren". This book is published by HarperCollins and hit shelves this month. Pick up your copy today!

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

I enjoyed this book. What can I say? I’m a sucker for science fiction, or as I have recently learned the proper name for it - SPACE OPERA. I know, doesn’t that genre name just invoke images of the opera singer during the movie “Fifth Element”? Ahhhaaaaahhhhhhhh. (That’s me singing opera, which I can sort of do. I was pursuing it for awhile when I first moved out to California.) Anyways, it’s a fun twisty drama set in deep space. It’s not too science fiction-y as far as technical stuff goes, so true sci fi fans, this may not be your cup of tea. It’s similar to Beth Revis’ Across the Universe... ya know, bad stuff, happening in space.

So, the general premise is that sometime in the future, the earth is in such bad shape that we left to create a new world. We sent out two ships with people grouped together that would get along. On one ship went the more religious sect and on the other, the more secular or people from differing faiths. The religious group left a year before the secular, separatomg the ships by some great distance. However, at the start of the book, we found out that that religious ship (New Horizon) actually slowed down to rendezvous with the Empyrean (the secular ship). To keep this summary from getting ridiculously long, things are not what they appear to be and bad things happen. It’s twisty and turny all the way through the end.

There are no clear “good guys” or “bad guys” in this one, something I really appreciated. The characters are real and truthful. We all have a bit of good and bad in us. Evil can be committed by good people if they think they are justified or doing the right thing. I really loved our heroine, Waverly. She is strong willed, but not to the point of being a walking stereotype. She really emerges as a leader under crisis and at the end, is dealing with some major emotional issues. Of all the characters, I am most interested to see what happens to her in the next book. We left her in the middle of a major decision making process. The plot also follows Kiernan, her boyfriend and the “golden boy” of the Empyrean. He has to go through some major struggles to become a leader and in the end, turns to religion. To be honest, this is my one major qualm with this book. Maybe it will be explained later... but really? God talking to him? Maybe it’s because I just read a fantasy series that had God as a main character, but man, I really hope this doesn’t become a big religious drama set in space. I liked it more as the action packed, survival story that dealt with some morality issues. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what happens in book 2.

Until then, if you’re a fan of SPACE OPERA, la la la!, then you should check out “Glow” by Amy Kathleen Ryan. It’s action packed roller coaster ride of plot twists and turns.

I was provided with an ARC from the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin. “Glow” is scheduled to be released tomorrow, September 13th.

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

I really enjoyed this book. Action packed science fiction with a touch of sexual/romantic tension? Um, yeah, that’s a “must read” for me. “The Power of Six” does not disappoint. It pulled me in immediately and kept me reading as fast as I possibly could. Just to give you a series summary, here is the official description of the first book, “I Am Number Four”.

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real.
Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing. But they know.
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.
I am Number Four. I am next.

This book is from the perspectives of Number Four, John Smith, who we got to know in the first book and Number Seven, Marina, who is currently cooped up in a convent/orphanage in Spain. The change in voice is indicated by a subtle change in font, which I thought was a really nice touch. Marina is sassy and strong, but hasn’t lived her life on the run like John and Six. Once she and her cepan (or guardian) found this convent, her cepan embraced the life as a nun and forgot about their mission. Marina has had to deal with most of her legacies on her own. She has some cool ones too, but I don’t want to spoil ya. Number Four, Six and Sam’s plot line is super fun and I absolutely love Six. She is totally kick butt, but has some real emotional depth. I’m really looking to forward to seeing even more of her in the next installment.

For those of you who haven’t read the first book, I wouldn’t recommend jumping right in unless you read it or watch the movie. (I know I know, some people say the movie isn’t that great, but I loved it.) The movie will give you enough background to move forward if you just can’t wait. I know I couldn’t if I were you! This book is fabulous and it is just came out this week. Go, buy yourself a copy. Any fan of action, adventure or aliens will absolutely love this book. It’s the classic battle of good versus evil. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!

I was provided with an ARC of “The Power of Six” by the publisher, HarperCollins. It was released this week (August 23rd).

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Oh “Hourglass” how I love thee... let me bullet point the ways.

• Smart - It’s obvious that Ms. McEntire is a smarty pants and I mean that in the nicest way.
• Rich, real characters - I fell in love with these characters.
• Unique plot - This book kept me on my toes - THANK YOU.
• Cliffhanger free ending, but yet I am dying for more - THANK YOU x 2.

“Hourglass” is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s a time slip romance, but it’s so real. Em (short for Emerson, which is an awesome name and I may steal it if I have a little girl next time around) is probably my favorite YA heroine of all time. She’s snarky, yet tender hearted. She is definitely a brave and strong young woman, yet she’s vulnerable and has lived her teen years being troubled by her ability and the death of her parents. You see, Em can see (and talk to) images of the past. So, she may strike up a conversation with someone only to find out that she’s the only one who can see them. So, it’s hard to get close to people when most of the world thinks you’re coo coo for Cocoa Puffs. Em lives with her brother and his wife, who are kind souls who just want to help Em. Her brother hires consultants to try and deal with his sister’s ability. Most of the time, they turn out to be whack jobs, but this time... he hires a hottie who also sees the things Emerson does. To steal questions from the goodreads.com summary, “Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?”

This book was addictive and I am sure it will become a big hit. I see it appealing to nerds like me (come on, she makes a reference to Star Trek AND Doctor Who!) and to girls like my sister who love a good addictive YA romance. All the characters are easy to relate to and very real. I love the relationship dynamic with Em and her brother. It’s adorable and so heartfelt. I honestly cannot rave enough about the authenticity of Ms. McEntire’s characters. So often in YA fiction, the character development is sacrificed in order to keep the plot moving and keep teens interested. Ms. McEntire was able to keep the plot moving at an engaging pace and create real, genuine people that we come to care about. (Be sure to have a tissue box handy. She had me sobbing!) She tops it all off with creating a lovely atmosphere for each scene. Seriously, this author is amazing. I cannot say enough nice things, so I think I’ll just shut up now. PRE-ORDER A COPY TODAY! (Oh and if you pre-order, you can also get yourself a poster of the “Hourglass” cover. Check out Ms. McEntire’s blog for details.)

“Hourglass” is published by EgmontUSA and is scheduled to be released on June 14th of this year. I received an ARC from the publisher for review. The author Myra McEntire will be on the AuthorsareRockstars.com podcast this month, so be sure to give it a listen for more on this wonderful debut title.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Okay. I’ve been reading a lot of book reviews lately (since you know, I like other people reading mine so I feel like I should share the love) and it seems to me that people just love to write good reviews. I see so many glowing reviews of books I didn’t like at all and I wonder if maybe I read a different book? I don’t know. I just don’t want to become that type of reviewer where everything is “OMG INCREDIBLE” or done in my best “Comic Book Guy” voice... “Best…Book…EVER.” I want to be honest and tell you what I really think. I hope that you, the reader, will appreciate that.

That being said, let’s get on with the review of today’s book. “Across the Universe” by Beth Revis is a dystopian science fiction novel about two teens who have had their world turned completely turned topsy-turvy. Amy was cryogenically frozen and was mysteriously unplugged decades early. Elder finds out that the world he thought he knew was just an illusion. Together, they discover the truth about the world around them and each other.

The author calls it “a sci fi for teens who don't like sci fi” on her Twitter account profile. What do I call it? Pretty darn awesome, that’s what. However, I have a confession to make. I am a science fiction nerd. I know I know. Not a big surprise considering I am pretty geeky in general, but yeah. I love science fiction. I went as Deanna Troi for Halloween in 5th grade. I’ve always wanted to live on a space ship someday like the Enterprise. So when I read the description for Ms. Revis’ book, I knew I just had to read it. I was lucky enough to pick up an ARC copy at ALA. Thank you Penguin!

Well, now it’s time to talk about the good and the bad. Go go action bullet points!

• “Across the Universe” is an example that top-notch writing can come from a debut author! The prose flows smoothly back and forth between the two characters perspectives. Amy and Elder both have their own identifiable voice, but the transition is never too jarring for the reader. For science fiction, she keeps it light enough that even a non-science fiction reader can enjoy it. It never gets overly technical or bogged down with explanations.
• Showing instead of telling - this was something I was harping on last review. Ms. Revis does an amazing job at this. She has some great resources on her website for aspiring writers, including a WHOLE section on this subject matter. It really makes the book come alive and allows the reader to fully connect to the characters since you are experiencing things along with them.
• The Characters:
• Amy is definitely a teenage girl who has teenage wants and dreams, but she also is able to face this incredibly awful situation she’s been put in without losing herself. She is strong, but yet still vulnerable. She’s just so real and that’s not easy to do when you put someone into cryogenic sleep then wake her up on a spaceship full of problems.
• Elder is such an intriguing character. He is naïve, yet strong. Born to be a leader of the people of Godspeed, he knows that when push comes to shove, he’s got to step up to the plate. He’s the character that grows the most throughout this novel. He starts as this innocent boy and becomes a true leader by the end.
• The Secondary Characters – Harley, Doc, you name it. They were all great and I felt like we got to know each of them a little bit without losing focus on our two leads.
• The Ending – I didn’t even know this was the first in a trilogy until I went to Ms. Revis’ website! She left me wanting more, but still left me with a satisfied feeling at the end. THANK YOU.

Honestly, I don’t really have too much to say that is negative. I think Ms. Revis did a great job writing a great young adult novel that will appeal to the teenagers and adult readers alike. The sci-fi is simple enough for those that don’t usually care for it and engaging enough for those that love it. It’s not the most creative or ingenious book I’ve ever read, but it is solid, well written, and has characters you really care about. I would gladly read this book again, even after unlocking all the secrets with Elder and Amy.

I will definitely be adding Ms. Revis to my favorite author list and watching for her next novels to be released!

Thanks to Penguin Group/Razorbill Books at the ALA Midwinter Meeting for the ARC of “Across the Universe”. It’s already available at bookstores and online. Get your copy today!