Requiem by Lauren Oliver

I am huge, unabashed Lauren Oliver fangirl, and the first book I read by her was Delirium so I was a little sad when the trilogy came to an end with Requiem. Both of the first two books in the series left on massive cliffhangovers, and when it turned out Alex was alive at the end of Pandemonium? Yeah. I was definitely shocked, and maybe disappointed. I really loved Alex, but I didn't want these books to turn into the typical love triangle situation. I still wasn't a huge fan of that element in this book and there were quite a few points when Lena was annoying to me. Alex was also pretty disappointing considering I loved him in Delirium.

One thing that makes Requiem different than the first two books is that it's actually told from two perspectives-- half from Lena's, and half from Hanna's. It's interesting because it lets the reader inside the mind of somebody who has had the procedure done, and reminds me of the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld for that reason. Regardless of who is narrating, Oliver does an excellent job with the writing, which is always the strongest element of her books.

Unfortunately, I am just not as obsessed with Requiem as I felt about the other two books in the trilogy. This isn't bad, and it's definitely still a trilogy worth finishing, but I was a little disappointed. I am still trying to catch up on 2013 reviews, so this is nearly a year late, but in retrospect my feelings are a bit meh over this one. This is a trilogy I started off loving but the ending got a little bogged in love triangle stuff, and although the story was still lovely to read because of Oliver's amazing prose, it totally win me over like the first two books. Ah well. Can't win them all I guess?

Release Date: March 5th 2013 Pages: 391 Source: Personal  Buy It: Book Depository

Delirium Stories: Hana, Annabel and Raven by Lauren Oliver

I adore Lauren Oliver. Like, I had to use italics just to emphasize how great my love for her is. So of course I'm going to read every word she ever publishes (and more, if I could get my hands on them...). I actually read each of these three stories separately, but Delirium Stories: Hana, Annabel and Raven by Lauren Oliver is a collection, also available in paperback, that combines all three of shorts originally available as ebooks. They all take place in the Delirium universe, and each has a different main character, providing insight into the world, and flushing out the story further from the main three books in the trilogy.

Like always with these short stories, you don't need to read Delirium Stories to understand what goes on in the Delirium trilogy. What they share isn't necessary, or it would be a part of the actual books. But that doesn't mean it's not worthwhile. Firstly, because, like I said, Oliver's writing is amazing. Secondly, I think each one adds a little more insight into the world, from different perspectives, and they help deepen the reader's understanding and knowledge of what happens in the books. So I do think they are worthwhile, if not strictly necessary.

In the first story, Hana, you get to see some of the events that actually take place in Delirium, but from the perspective of Lena's best friend, Hana. Like all of Oliver's books, this was well written with some beautiful imagery, especially involved flyers/papers flapping in the wind, that suck with me in particular. Descriptions like this:

"The wind kicks up, rustling all those flyers, the exhortations of safety. The flyers lift and sigh in unison, like a thousand people waving white handkerchiefs, a thousand people waving good-bye."

Hana's voice is so clear and real in this story, but the moment that leaves the biggest impact is definitely the ending-- such a wow moment.

The second short story is Annabel, and I thought this was pretty cool because Annabel is actually Lena's mother, and she is quite a mystery in the first two Delirium books. I really liked her story, even more than Hana. I found that her voice was a bit vulnerable but strong, in a way that reminded me a bit of Lena. Somehow, despite having all these different female narrators, Lauren Oliver still makes them distinct though and I never thought I was reading a different character than I was.

Annabel alternates between the past and the present in the same way that Pandemonium, but one thing remains constant-- you can't help rooting for Annabel. Her mother's love was just so strong, and she had just such a spirit, that you really just want things to work out for her. The relationship between her and her husband was heartbreaking.

Finally, Raven is the third and final story in Delirium Stories. Also for the record, I am writing these reviews about a year after reading these (except Raven, which I read in April 2013) and wow that is hard. I still need to review Requiem as well. Remind me to stop procrastinating on reviews for a year-- I think some from 2013 will remain unreviewed, but hopefully I can get on top things a bit better for 2014? Anyway, back to this review!

Like Hana, there was an interesting twist to Raven that I didn't expect, but reading her point of view was probably the least interesting of the three in terms of adding to the Delirium world. That said, she is a really strong individual and character, and like always Oliver kept my attention. Reading this before Requiem, and later knowing what happens in that book makes this story even more heartbreaking.

Overall, there's not a lot I can say about Delirium Stories because I waited way too long to review them. But based on what I remember, they were all enjoyable, well written, and heartbreaking in their own way. They aren't necessary, but they are lovely, and if you're a fan of the Delirium Trilogy I definitely recommend checking these out as well (they would make no sense at all if you're not a fan/not reading the books).

Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien

Note: This review contains no spoilers of Promised, but does contain spoilers of the first book in the series, Birthmarked, a review of which can be found here, and the second book Prized, a review of which can be found here. 

Promised (Birthmarked #3) by Caragh M. O'Brien

Release Date: October 2nd 2012
Pages: 304
Format: E-galley
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Also by this Author: Birthmarked (Birthmarked #1); Tortured (Birthmarked #1.5); Prized (Birthmarked #2)
Buy It: Book Depository

After defying the ruthless Enclave, surviving the wasteland, and upending the rigid matriarchy of Sylum, Gaia Stone now faces her biggest challenge ever. She must lead the people of Sylum back to the Enclave and persuade the Protectorat to grant them refuge from the wasteland. In Gaia's absence, the Enclave has grown more cruel, more desperate to experiment on mothers from outside the wall, and now the stakes of cooperating or rebelling have never been higher.

What a satisfying ending to an incredible trilogy! Probably the strangest thing about the first two books in the Birthmarked Trilogy, Birthmarked and Prized, is how different they are. They pretty much tell two entirely disconnected stories so that even though I enjoyed both of them immensely, I sorta wondered what they were doing together. Promised answers that question, and brings the whole series together in a way that makes sense. It's also an action-packed and emotional journey, but completely worthwhile.

One of my complaints about Prized was that I felt Gaia, who had been such an incredibly strong main character in the first book, just didn't have the same power behind her. Even though there were reasons for that, I missed the Gaia from Birthmarked and I'm happy to report that she's back in full force in Promised. However, there were a few times when Gaia had me scratching my head, especially when it came to the romance, including her relationship with Leon.

Because the two worlds, Sylum and the Enclave, meet up, there are a lot of characters in the novel, some of whom I probably would have remember better and cared more about if I hadn't been picking up the novels nearly a year apart. Still, I definitely liked knowing how everyone ended up and what I'd missed while Gaia was busy elsewhere in Prized.

Promised has drama and emotion, plus lots of character development. Still, even though it was a technically perfect book three, there was something about it that just didn't have quite the spark of Birthmarked which is definitely my favourite book of the trilogy, or even Prized. I wonder if part of it is that with the romance settled, the major source of tension for Gaia is far more external, which means there's a bit more distance between the reader and her struggle. It is only near the end of the novel that this struggle becomes incredibly personal to Gaia, and that was the part of the book that had the most impact on me. There definitely some moments with Gaia that left me near tears.

As always, O'Brien has written a really unique story with plenty of twists and Promised provides a great end to an action-packed and emotional trilogy. Definitely one of my favourite dystopian series!

Struck by Jennfer Bosworth

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
 
Release Date: April 26th 2012
Pages: 373
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR
Buy It: Book Depository

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She's survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her. Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

I'm conflicted over Struck, there were some parts I really enjoyed, but a few aspects that didn't quite work and left me wanting a little more from the novel as a whole. In particular, sometimes there is some absurd statements, like a really intense moment right near the climax and Mia is rushing to get somewhere, and she says "This was one instance when it would not do to arrive fashionably late for the party." and it just seemed so out of her voice and character, as well as the story context. This sort of thing happened a few times, like another part that quoted (without credit) the factually inaccurate The Dark Knight saying, "Fear not, for it is always darkest before the dawn. At this moment, things are very dark, in the world at large, but especially here, in the so-called City of Angels."

But even though there were moments that jarred me out of Bosworth's world, those moments when I was one hundred in it were far more frequent. Specifically, I loved the premise of this book, I love the reality that Bosworth has created, the creepiness of these cults and the world on the brink of destruction and the lightning that strikes through it all. Struck is the kind of book that simmers beneath the surface, and when everything finally explodes it is just wow.

As a main character, I really appreciated Mia. She has this physical manifestation of everything she's been through, she's covered in lightning scars, and it gives a unique and intriguing element to her personality. She's also just really strong, she feels an obligation to take care of her family– since her dad is dead and her mom is completely useless. There's a backstory to her mom that makes her actions more understandable but there were definitely still times I wanted to shake her and wake her up.... then again, I think Mia did too!

It took awhile for me to get involved in Bosworth's world, because the background to her story is extreme– definitely relies on some suspension of belief– and not instantly clear, but when I did I found myself in for a really exciting experience. I do wish that it had been more clearly set out from the start, and that some of the phrasing in the book had been rethought. However, ultimately, Struck is an incredibly unique and thrilling book with a strong but realistic main character and a premise that is unlike anything I had ever read before.

Mini Reviews: Divergent and The Gathering Tie-in Short Stories

Note: These reviews contain spoilers of the novels that the short stories tie into, Divergent and The Gathering.

I like to review every book I read, even the tiny ones, and so last time I read a couple short stories that tied into novels I'd loved I did some mini reviews on them (see here). Now I have stories from two other awesome authors, Veronica Roth with a tie-in for Divergent and Kelley Armstrong with two tie-ins for The Gathering. Although both novels have sequels I've read recently, and loved, it's been about a year since I picked up the originals and these stories were a great opportunity to revisit some crucial scenes from those novels.

Roth's Free Four and Armstrong's The Invitation retell scenes from the original novels from the perspective of the male love interest, which seems to be common in these free tie-in short stories, as that's what happened in both Miranda's Eleven Minutes and O'Brien's Tortured. But if that's a new thing for authors to do, I'm not complaining, as I loved the insight into what those moments would have been like for the guys, and it was great to get a chance to find out exactly what the character's voice was like.

In Free Four by Roth, she retells the Divergent scene that involves Four throwing knives at Tris, his future girlfriend. As a reader we get to see how Four feels about her, before any of the romance has had a chance to happen. Tris is such a strong narrator in the Divergent Trilogy that it was really cool to see what she is like from an outside perspective. Unsurprisingly, this is a really intense read– even though you know that Tris isn't going to get a knife into her face, I found myself anxious as things unfolded, because that's how Four feels. Overall, it was really cool to see the other side of the story, and I hope that Roth decides to do this again with an Insurgent scene in the future.

The New Guy and The Invitation are two bonus short stories available in a special e-book of  Kelley Armstrong's The Gathering, but she's also posted them on her website which is awesome. Like Free Four they really compliment the original novel and provide plenty of spoilers if you haven't already read it. If you have picked up The Gathering then these are both a great way to get a little more insight into the characters and the events that unfolded.

In The New Guy, Maya has to deal with her first day back at school, a day that used to be her best friend Serena's favourite day, and it includes some flashbacks into what life was like two years ago when Serena was still alive and gives the reader an even better idea of her personality. It also contains the first meeting between Rafe and Maya, which I thought was really interesting to read especially since I knew how things ended up between them.

The second bonus short story from The Gathering is The Invitation, which is written from Rafe's perspective and shares the scene when he goes to Maya's birthday party. It also showed some interaction between Annie and Rafe, which I found especially neat to read about because I got to see how Rafe felt about his sister, and how much he wanted the "real" Annie back. As a result, it was even more clear why Rafe was willing to use Maya to make that happen. Armstrong also did a great job of showing the complex dilemma going through Rafe's mind, even as he was happy that Maya might be the one he was looking for, he was already dreading having to tell her the truth about what he was doing there, already realizing that it would probably be impossible for her to trust him once she found out the truth.

Overall, I really enjoyed all three of these short stories. Free Four, The New Guy and The Invitation all give added insight and development to two amazing novels. It is especially neat to read scenes you already know from the perspective of another character, and I feel like Roth and Armstrong both did an awesome job with the new point-of-view and male voice. I don't think any of these short stories work on their own, but if you've read and loved Divergent and The Gathering like I have, you'll definitely want pick up these stories as well.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Note: This review contains no spoilers of Insurgent, but may contain spoilers of the first book in the series, Divergent, a review of which can be found here. 

Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

Release Date: May
Pages: 525
Format: Hardcover
Source: Won
Publisher: Harper Collins
Also by this Author: Divergent (Divergent #1)
Buy It: Book Depository

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Unlike Divergent that hooked me from page 1, Insurgent has a slower start, probably because Tris is dealing with huge amounts of grief and guilt from what happened with her parents and her friend Will. I felt like Roth tackled these complex feelings in a way that felt authentic, Tris couldn't just brush them off and pretend like nothing happened– they were eating her from the inside.

The plot in Insurgent is a bit more slow-moving and straightforward than Divergent but that doesn't make it any less exciting. I loved the look into the other faction's lives, in particular Amity and Candor neither of which Tris had an aptitude for but this just shows how people aren't straightforward or just one thing, because even in these factions she finds some connections to the people who belong there. Neither is the relationship between Four and Tris straightforward, it isn't just mushy romance, and in that way it felt more real and genuine, the beautiful moments they had together were even more special. And of course, no love triangle– Roth revealed this before the book was released, but I still found it such a refreshing relief.

And of course, the ending, wow. When I finished Insurgent I couldn't help feeling like the entire book, the first 500 pages, had been preparation for those final 25 pages. Twists and turns and reveals, and even when I saw one coming (minor spoiler: like what happened with the Dauntless and the Factionless at Erudite headquarters) it still felt so perfect it gave me chills. Especially I loved the unexpected bad and good guys, how characters I thought I knew did things I didn't expect, but in the end I still believed it because of how fleshed out and real they were. Plus, as intense and insane as the ending of the book is, there is still a full story and not a cliffhanger midway through; instead, like Divergent it is the kind of ending that changes everything.

Picking up Insurgent reminded me just why Divergent was one of my very favourite reads of 2011, a list its sequel has now made of the following year. These books are just so much fun and excitement to read. Really, if you loved Divergent like I did, I really don't think you'll be disappointed in its sequel Insurgent, because even if the story takes awhile to get moving the ending is completely worth it. Now begins the anxious wait for book 3 in fall 2013.

Mini Reviews: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand and Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien

Two of my favourite novels I read in 2011 were definitely Unearthly by Cynthia Hand and Birthmarked by Caragh M. O’Brien, and I was so excited to dive into their follow-ups. Luckily, neither author disappoints and I've decided to do mini reviews for these two intense novels. Plus, I’ve somehow managed to discuss them without spoiling the first novels in the series, incase you somehow managed to miss out when they were first released (and you can now fix that by getting them in paperback!)

Hallowed is the sequel to Cynthia Hand’s debut novel, Unearthly, in which part angel Clara Gardner is torn between her quest, and reason for existing, and the boy that’s not a part of it. The complicated love triangle continues in Hallowed, in which Clara deals with love, lost, and trying to figure out who she is. Hallowed was even more intense than its predecessor, in particular due to a tragic event I did not see coming. What Hand does so well in her novels, besides for a charming love interest with a Southern accent, is make Clara, despite her powers, relatable.

The Unearthly Trilogy is a unique spin on coming of age novels, in which teenage concerns are only part of the growing responsibility that Clara faces. The only thing that I didn’t enjoy about reading Hallowed is how the final book won’t be released until 2013. There’s also a decision made at the ending of the book that I didn’t agree with and I’m seriously hoping that Clara redeems herself in book three.

As much as I loved O’Brien’s dystopian debut, Birthmarked, featuring the strong heroine Gaia and perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, I did not expect the follow up to be anything like Prized. In fact, Prized takes place in a totally different world than Birthmarked, in which Gaia has to face a slew of new and incredibly difficult trials when she finds herself in a community where women are the minority, and the rulers. The perverse truth is that although things are extremely different than the marginalization that Gaia is used to, they aren’t any better. In this world, a kiss is a crime, and for Gaia, falling in love may be the most difficult struggle of all.

My only disappointment with Prized was that after being accustomed to such a strong heroine in Birthmarked it was disappointed to see how weak Gaia became, accepting society’s norm without the fierce questioning that characterized her in book one. Though in context, it is slightly more understandable, it was a relief when she got some of her fire back.

Overall, at a time when bookstores are flooded with paranormal and dystopian stories, Hand and O’Brien have managed to write two with compelling and authentic characters, as well as storylines so intense it’s amazing I didn’t get paper cuts while flipping the pages of these books, they were that heart-pounding. If you’re unsure about continuing these series, or if you’ve managed to miss out on them so far, the release of the second books in the Unearthly and Birthmarked Trilogies is a perfect excuse to get started because if anything, the second books get better.

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

The Way We Fall (Fallen World #1) by Megan Crewe

Release Date: January 24th 2012
Pages: 309
Format: E-galley
Source: NetGalley/Publisher
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Buy It: Book Depository

When a deadly virus begins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the government quarantines her island—no one can leave, and no one can come back. Those still healthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest. Because how will she go on if there isn’t?

Admittedly a lot of this novel reminded me of Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It, and the fact that it is basically told in journal entries (technically she's writing somebody, but she's not sending the letters, so it might as well be a journal) probably doesn't help that cause. Although it's got a similar post-apocalyptic feeling to it, The Way We Fall has the distinction of being set entirely on one island, contained but separate, while Kaelyn doesn't really know what's going on in the rest of the world, though there are hints.

While there was a lot I loved about this island, like the fact that it was Canadian, and how much scarier it was that they were cut off from the world both literally and figuratively, I admit something left me perplexed. Apparently it was in Nova Scotia, which is awesome, but there are references to Halifax and Ottawa, but nowhere in between. It seems to imply that the island is located somewhere in the middle, while ignoring other cities like Montreal, that would certainly have been closer than Ottawa, if it was in fact Nova Scotia Crewe was writing about. So that's my Canadian geography confusion, left even more perplexed by the fact that the author is actually Canadian. I did read an advance copy, I wonder if anyone who picked up a finished edition noticed the same thing? Did I just misread the book / am I crazy?

Location ramble aside, something I really loved was that, despite being a book about a very deadly virus, many of the important deaths in The Way We Fall are not from infection. Instead, they are caused by consequences stemming from what the virus has done to people and society. It was really near to see how far the impact could spread, so that even those who were healthy weren't necessary safe.

I also enjoyed Kaelyn's unexpected love interest, I could really see how these two people came together in a tragic time, which felt believable. I liked the fact that Kaelyn was biracial– having lived in Nova Scotia for several years, I could appreciate that she would have been a minority, and in certain situations the fact that it made her stand out added an interesting dimension.

The scientific aspect of The Way We Fall was where I had a bigger issue, though I admit to being a grad student in biology which might make me both more informed, and more curious, about it than the average reader. One of my favourite recent films is Contagion, and likely because the novel is told from the perspective of a teenage girl, The Way We Fall lacked some of the detail I was hoping for. Still, I have definitely read other post-apocalyptic type YA books where a teenage narrator didn't prevent the author from giving a more thorough explanation of what was going on, for example the medical mystery in Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien.

The ending of The Way We Fall fell into the "meh" category for series, I didn't feel like I had quite enough answered, but I guess more is being saved for book #2, The Lives We Lost. I'm not entirely sure if this is a trilogy I'll be continuing but there was enough I enjoyed about The Way We Fall that, should the next novel catch my interest, I'll certainly give it a try.

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Note: This review contains no spoilers of Pandemonium, but does contain spoilers of the first book in the series, Delirium, a review of which can be found here. 

Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver

Release Date: February 28th 2012
Pages: 375
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Harper Collins
Also by this Author: Delirium (Delirium #1); Liesl & Po
Buy It: Book Depository

After falling in love, Lena and Alex flee their oppressive society where love is outlawed and everyone must receive "the cure"--an operation that makes them immune to the delirium of love--but Lena alone manages to find her way to a community of resistance fighters, and although she is bereft without the boy she loves, her struggles seem to be leading her toward a new love.

I'll start by getting this out of the way. There was only one thing I didn't like about Pandemonium: the fact that I have to buy a new copy of Delirium if I want my books to match.

Other than that, pure genius.

Because this is the third book I'd read by Lauren Oliver, I knew what to expect when it came to her writing. Perfect tiny details, beautiful images, easy flow, and a raw emotion that is incredibly powerful– Pandemonium delivered. But, if I'm perfectly honest, the book didn't captive me as much as its predecessor, Delirium. I didn't read it in the same rushed spurt. Still, by the time I got to the end, I was absolutely blown away by the way things turned out, and though I may have had my suspicions about the final reveal, that didn't stop it from absolutely tearing my heart out of my chest.

Like I said, pure genius.

Pandemonium transitions between two Lenas, "then" and "now" which alternate every chapter for a chunk of the book, telling the story of the last year, and then the "now" which picks up a year following the events of Delirium. The technique worked okay, as some of the most emotional portions were past events, but I think I would have preferred it in chronological order. My reason for that, is that Lena is grieving over Alex, but when as a reader I was regularly skipped ahead, it was more difficult to see the evolution of that grief. Still, like her middle grade novel Liesl & Po, Oliver captures the grief in a pure, heart-breaking and genuine way. 

As a middle book in a trilogy, I really appreciated how much of a complete story Pandemonium told on its own. There was also a lot of character growth when it came to Lena, and I think that, without Alex to fall back on, she really had to learn to stand on her own. As much as I loved her in Delirium, it was great seeing the character develop and her become less meek. Oliver made her feel like a real person that way. I still missed Alex though!

And actually, I lied. There were actually two things I disliked about Pandemonium. The second thing was that it ended, and now I have to wait another year to finally read the last novel in the trilogy, Requiem. With those final few intense pages of Pandemonium, Oliver has me incredibly anxious to find out how things end for Lena.

Mini Reviews: Birthmarked and Fracture Tie-In Short Stories

So one of the great things about the internet is that many authors have started to release tie-in short stories to accompany their novels. Of course, nothing too curial can happen in these (they save that for the books!) but it does give the reader the chance to get some added insight, often from a different character perspective. And the best part is when, like the two I'm reviewing today, they're free.

Tortured is set between Caragh O'Brien's debut novel, Birthmarked and its sequel, Prized. I think it works best if you've already read the first two books, just because there were some aspects of Prized that I didn't expect, and if I'd picked up Tortured first that would ruin them. Definitely not to be read until after Birthmarked though!

This short story is written from Leon's perspective, and it gives the reader a chance to experience first hand what a strong character he is. The Birthmarked Trilogy is really driven by the strong, female, lead character Gaia, so it was nice to see that O'Brien gave her a courageous love interest. Tortured is also heart-breaking because Leon, like Gaia, doesn't know if the other has survived. Having read Prized, and knowing what happens next, makes Tortured all the more painful. Overall, a nice short addition to a fantastic trilogy, recommended if you loved the books.

In Fracture, Megan Miranda's debut novel, a lot changes in eleven minutes for Delaney Maxwell. Those are the eleven minutes she spends trapped under the ice, while her best friend Decker tries to save her. In the free tie-in short story, Eleven Minutes, the reader gets the beginning of Fracture from Decker's perspective, including the time Delaney spends in a coma. Because Eleven Minutes is written from Decker's perspective and takes place early on, there is no hint of the paranormal that haunts Fracture. The result was actually a short story I preferred to the full novel.

Unlike Tortured, I actually think Eleven Minutes works on its own as a short story, but if you read it without having picked up Fracture it will likely leave you desperate for answers about what happens next.

I think what surprised me most about Eleven Minutes was what a compelling contemporary story it was– it even left me hopeful that Miranda decides to write a full-length contemporary in the future. There were also some beautiful phrases, like "Is this how it feels to drown? Maybe you didn’t even realize you were cold, dead, until something living touched you." And of course, having a look into the events from Decker's perspective only made me more fond of him.

Ultimately Tortured and Eleven Minutes are very different, but what they have in common is that they are two short stories, two different love interests having their say, and two great, quick reads for fans of the books they accompany.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

At first it may seem that, like its main character– a teenage girl named Saba on a search to find her twin brother Lugh in the lawless desert– Blood Red Road by Moira Young has a lot going against it: it's written in dialect, lacks quotation marks, and is over 450 pages long. Also like Saba, it takes a little while to find its footing, but once it gets accustomed to the odds stacked against it, itís unstoppable. Blood Red Road is an epic adventure, and once the reader gets used to the unfamiliar language and intentional misspelling, they become immersed in an incredibly powerful story.

It begins with a kidnapping and two murders. Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake with Lugh, her dad, and the little sister Emmi whose birth killed their mother. Saba doesn't ever expect to leave the wasteland she calls home, but when cloaked horsemen make off with Lugh, leaving two dead in their wake, she has no choice but to follow them into a world where corruption is the norm and power is maintained in horrific ways. On her journey, Saba meets an eclectic cast of people and each of them are memorable and unique in their own ways. However, one of the most notable characters is with Saba from day one and throughout the novel doesn't say a single world– her pet crow, Nero. Young turns an often-repulsive animal into a symbol of hope and friendship. Nero has a distinct personality that compliments Saba perfectly and left a lasting impact on me as a reader.

Although Blood Red Road falls more into the post-apocalyptic genre than dystopia, it is certain to be appreciated by fans of The Hunger Games for its strong (yet imperfect) heroine, quietly growing romance, and adventure-like feel. The writing style is unusual, but once the reader becomes immersed in the story the book is impossible to put down. Blood Red Road has a raw and searing feel to it, a fervent violence and just as fervent love. Saba may be the heroine of the story, but oftentimes she is not very nice, resenting her little sister for taking their mother away and continually wanting to leave Emmi behind when she travels to find Lugh. Saba is real and human and in an incredibly difficult situation in a world that, despite taking place in the future, is in some ways quite medieval.

Young doesn't go into much detail about how the world Saba inhabits came to be that way, but there is reference to leftover things from Wrecker times, a description which seems to say quite a bit on its own. That said, this is the first book in a trilogy and I am hopeful that the next two books will contain more backstory. Fortunately, this story works perfectly as a standalone as well, with the ending wrapping things up nicely but leaving room for further adventures.

The story of Blood Red Road by Moira Young is as blazing and intense as the desert heat. Its characters are passionate, unique and human, and although the language takes some getting used to, it's an effort you'll be glad you made.

Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld

I fell in love with YA dystopia after reading The Hunger Games, but as trend-setting as that novel was, it was certainly not the first and I often heard reference to the Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld. After enjoying my first experience with Westerfeld's writing when I listened to his Midnighters Series on audiobook, I decided to finally pick up the series I'd been meaning to read for the last year. Although I owned the set in paperback, Westerfeld's books definitely make for exciting audio and that is how I experienced them. Like I usually do when reviewing a series at once, these mini reviews will avoid any spoilers for any of the books which means I won't refer to specifics for the latter books.

The first book in the trilogy (+one, since the final book was added later and features mainly different characters) is Uglies. It begins with Tally, a girl whose life is about to change- she's nearly sixteen and on her birthday she'll finally get the chance to turn Pretty. Once she does, she'll get to live in another city full of people who have been turned gorgeous through surgical operations, and Tally will be one of them. While waiting anxiously for that moment (after all, her best friend is already on the other side) Tally becomes friends with Shay. Only Shay isn't quite so sure that being Pretty is everything Tally believes it to be, and when Shay runs away rather than face the operation the authorities leave her with one choice: find Shay and turn her in, or she will stay an Ugly forever.

Uglies was a great introduction to this series, and I was instantly impressed by the creativity and genius of Westerfeld again. While the Midnighters books were strict science fiction, this series is dystopia, and he is just as brilliant in this genre as he was in the former. One of the things I loved about Tally was how she didn't start off aware of all the issues in her world, she was completely excited about turning Pretty, just like most people would be, and it was only over time that she realized that it might not be quite the paradise she has been lead to believe. Tally is a relateable everygir.

I also enjoyed her complex relationship with Shay. For me that was the biggest difference between these books and Midnighters- that I actually enjoyed and rooted for the characters whereas in my first try with Westerfeld I often found them unlikable and so I was definitely a fan of the voice in these first three books despite not at all enjoying the narrator of the audio books I listened to, who sounded a bit stoned or tired in a way that occasionally made me disconnect from the stories.  

After the intensity of Uglies I had high hopes for the sequel, Pretties, and this was shockingly one of those series where the second book actually gets better. It is such an original and riveting look into the genius and complexity of the world Westerfeld has created and really provides an opportunity to get to know it better. Not only does the book answer the questions I'd had lingering from Uglies, but Pretties proves just how easy it can be to change a person in a way that is eerie in its realism. It didn't hurt that it also introduced my favourite character in the series, the absolutely charming Zane.

Tally's final adventure comes in Specials, and although it didn't quite live up to Pretties it was infinitely better than Blue Noon the final book in the Midnighters' Series. It is refreshing to know that Westerfeld can infact write an ending that doesn't make me want to throw the book across the room (although then he goes and doesn't leave it alone by writing an entirely unplanned fourth book in this "trilogy").

Specials was even creepier than Pretties and it is definitely a bleak book. The use of cutting made me a bit uncomfortable at times and it is probably not a novel for those who are concerned by triggers. I guess with all the originality that Westerfeld shows in creating these worlds, I would have hoped for something a little more innovating than cutting to be used in the book. There are many strong parallels in the novels between Tally's World and Our World, but unfortunately cutting didn't work for me that way. My other issue with the book was that Tally's relationship choice felt more out of default than love, but overall Specials was a delightfully creepy story and a perfect conclusion to an original and ground-breaking series. 

Only it wasn't the conclusion, because Westerfeld went and wrote a fourth novel, Extras, which features an entirely different protagonist several years later. Now the problem with the book is that viewed as a continuation of the Uglies Series, it was a let down. But viewed as a standalone Extras works much better. That because so much has changed since Specials ended it really felt like a different world and the transition was a bit awkward for me. I also didn't love the new set of characters nearly as much as the old ones, though it was great to see some familiar faces eventually and find out what they had been up to.

Ultimately, the Uglies Series is an exciting, page-turning, innovative one and I can fully understand why it was such a trend-setter.  Although Westerfeld's characters can be hit or miss for me, I did enjoy the main set featured in the first three books and the changes they went through. As a conclusion to the series, Extras was lacklustre, but it did provide an interesting storyline on its own. Overall, Westerfeld has an amazing and brilliant mind, and he has only left me wanting to read more of his books. Having read seven novels by him in 2011, I'm excited that there are still many more for me to pick up in 2012.

Possession by Elana Johnson

Oh Possession, debut novel by Elana Johnson, how I wanted to love you. Your incredibly gorgeous cover and interesting premise drew me, but ultimately I abandoned you after about a hundred pages of confusing and rushed action without context. Still, I thought perhaps I had judged you too harshly and returned to you two months later, making it to the very end while continuing to wish I had left what we had alone.

Dystopia is one of my favourite genres, so I was drawn to this story of a girl, Vi, who lives in a world where every action is controlled by the Thinkers. But Vi is a rebel, and she can't help breaking the rules, and is caught and sent to prison to be fixed. Apart from her lifelong friend and love Zenn, she ends up cellmates with the charming Jag and the two of them escape and go on the run, but Zenn remains in the back of Vi's mind- is she ready to leave him, and everything else she knew, behind? Or is there another way out of the controlling life she has always known?

Vi is a tough main character, hardcore in a way that reminded me of Ari from Darkness Becomes Her, only then she would suddenly have an emotional breakdown. Plus, the constant obsession with thinking about her own and other peoples' hair was just annoying. Although Vi has two love interests, I was indifferent to which one she ended up with because neither of them felt very real. A lot of the character development in Possession seemed superficial to me, and it is definitely a plot-based story. When it came to the plot though, despite being quick-paced and action-packed, I often had a hard time getting involved in the story because I was confused about what was going on. Often I felt thrust into a world with no understanding of how it became that way, so that I had many of the same world-building issues that I had with Bumped by Megan McCafferty. Maybe the novel simply moved too fast for the reader to really grasp the world it was set in, but although Johnson had some unique ideas I really wanted them to be flushed out more.

I wanted things to work out between Possession and I, but even the ending, although gasp-worthy, left me puzzeled, in a way making the entire book feel slightly pointless. I wanted things to be different Possession, but we never had the connection I craved and your action-filled content still left me longing for complex characters and a believable world. Your story left me confused, but the one thing I am sure about is that whatever I thought we could have, Possession, it was simply not meant to be. I just know there is someone else out there that can appreciate you in ways I never could.

Release Date: June 7th, 2011
Pages: 416
Source: Simon and Schuster Galley Grab
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Divergent by Veronica Roth

If I hadn't listened to the hype, I never would have picked up The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins last year, so you'd think I'd have learned my lesson but that is definitely not the case and I was quite skeptical of Divergent, the debut novel by Veronica Roth and also a much-raved about first in a dystopia trilogy. Divergent takes place in a future Chicago where at the age of sixteen, teenagers are forced to choose which of the five factions they want to join for life. Each faction represents a different virtue and the options are: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity and Erudite. Beatrice, or "Tris", grew up in a selfless Abnegation family, but when she makes the courageous choice for Dauntless her life changes forever in ways she couldn't even imagine. Now, Tris not only has to try to make it through the Dauntless initiation, but she has to do so while carrying a secret that could put her life at risk.

There are lots of comparisons between Divergent and The Hunger Games: both are intense, page-turning, thrilling, adventures, both have very strong female main characters and of course both are dystopia trilogies. Although I will always be grateful for The Hunger Games getting me into reading YA dystopia, I have to admit Divergent blew me away and is the novel I am most likely to reread multiple times in the future. Not only is Tris a strong, vibrant main character, but she has real human flaws and she's both intelligent and a bit insecure at times. There's a believable and intense romantic spark, but no love triangle (thank goodness!) just one really intense boy named Four. Really, Divergent has everything you could want in a dystopia. There's a thrilling plot with twists and turns you won't see coming. There's a complex and authentic world- I've never been to Chicago but Roth makes me feel like I have, albeit a twisted and warped one, and unlike many other dystopia novels which I may have also enjoyed, like Wither, I really understand how the world became the way it is, and what's more, I believe it.

Although Divergent is a young adult novel, there are many graphic distractions of violence, similar at times to Fight Club. Some of the male characters also make some disturbing, though realistic, decisions. Although the storytelling style is straightforward, Roth fills the novel with rich and exciting language. In my skepticism, I decided to test out the first 100 pages of the novel online at Harper Teen, and by the time I was halfway through them I had ordered my copy of the book and was impatiently waiting for it to arrive. When the brutal wait was over I dived into the book instantly and lost myself in the world Roth had created, devouring the book and even after nearly 500 pages I was left lusting for more. Fortunately, the sequel Insurgent will be released next year.

Another fantastic thing about Divergent- seriously, I can't think of anything bad!- is that the book works great as a standalone as well as a part of the series, I definitely want to hear more about Tris and her friends, but I also felt satisfied, albeit pretty sad, when I finished the book.  This is definitely an emotional novel, but dystopia rarely results in a happy ending and the way events unfolded and how the characters responded felt believable. Overall, I found Divergent engaging, well written, and full of awesome characters, and I am very curious to see where Roth takes the story next, wherever it is, I'll be there (and you should be too).

Release Date: May 3rd, 2011
Pages: 496
Source: Personal Copy
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Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari

Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari takes place in the near future when mother nature has gotten her revenge on the planet. Everything from tsunamis to drought to earthquakes to plague destroys the majority of the population. Left behind are the survivors, mostly kept safe from recent vaccinations either in childhood or old age, the mutated smallpox plague has wiped out most of the adults leaving behind the children and elderly. Sixteen-year-old Lucy is one of the lucky one percent left behind, and for the past year she has survived alone in the wilds of Central Park in the wreckage of New York City. However, a chance encounter with another teenager, Aidan, who saves her from a pack of hunting dogs, makes Lucy realize she can't always do everything on her own. Lucy joins Aidan and a band of other survivors, but the dangers, including Sweepers who rid the streets of plague victims and the ever present threat of mutation leading to another plague wave, are only beginning.

After reading so many dystopia novels in the last year, I really thought Ashes, Ashes would be quite similar. However, Treggiari has definitely delved into a different and unique niche with her post-apocalyptic fiction- in this book it is not the government that people have to worry about, but the world itself. The novel is jam-packed full of disasters of every kind imaginable, which makes for an intense and thrilling page-turner. Lucy makes a good main character and heroine because she is brave but not flawless, she has beaten incredible odds but she still sometimes trips or cuts herself by accident. In many ways, Lucy reminded me of Katniss from The Hunger Games for her strength and perseverance, refusing to give up even in tough situations. Treggiari also manages to include lots of little bits of interesting survival information that adds colour to the novel, everything from how to kill a turtle to using a hammer as a weapon.

I really enjoyed the pacing of Ashes, Ashes and I think it is definitely one of those good books for reluctant readers because of the amount of action and excitement in the book. However, because there is so much going on there were a few times when I wished for a little more description. I was also a bit let down by the resolution of the book, there were was just so much foreshadowing that even if it wasn't the sort of "twist" that I had guessed from almost the first chapter, I think it would have been hard not to get way before you reached the ending of the book. That said, the intended audience is definitely a little younger than me, and they have probably also seen a few less post-apocalyptic movies, so maybe it will satisfy them better. What I did find refreshing about how Ashes, Ashes ended was that it worked perfectly as a stand-alone novel, at a time when every book I pick up seems to be a part of a series, it was nice to get a complete story from Treggiari. There is potential for a sequel to follow Ashes, Ashes, and while I'd certainly enjoy another exciting novel with the stubborn but courageous Lucy, Treggiari has me hooked on her intense storytelling and I will definitely pick up whatever she publishes next.

Release Date: June 1st, 2011
Pages: 343
Source: Publisher 
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Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Bumped is the first official young adult novel by author Megan McCafferty, who previously wrote the Jessica Darling series. It takes place in a dystopian world where a virus has made everyone over eighteen infertile, so people looking to have children are instead paying teen girls to conceive and give birth instead. Bumped focuses on the contrasting stories of identical twins, Melody and Harmony, who had never met until Harmony randomly shows up on Melody's doorstep one day. The novel alternates between the two girls' points of view, with Harmony having spent her whole life on the religious Goodside where she prepared to be a wife and mother, and Melody living on the Otherside where she has a conception contract with a couple who will pay her a lot of money... assuming they can decide on a partner before Melody turns eighteen. Harmony's goal is to convince Melody that "pregging for profit" is wrong, but is that really the reason Harmony left her home, or does she have a bigger secret? Things get extra-complicated when Melody finally is matched and a case of mistaken identity begins a journey which shows Melody and Harmony they have more in common than just DNA.

Bumped is the first book I've read by McCafferty, and it definitely made me interested in picking up her Jessica Darling series which is a contemporary series about teenage girls. In fact, I am probably more interested in picking up her other series than picking up the companion to Bumped, despite the fact that the book has one of those unfortunate not-quite-an-ending-endings that sometimes plague the first books in series. The reason for my interest in McCafferty's other books is simply that while Bumped was a fun read with a definite sense of humour, it doesn't work at all as a dystopia. Maybe I'm picky since dystopia is definitely one of my favourite genres, but in Bumped, the reader is simply dropped into the world, complete with a whole new set of slang, with no idea how they got there. What is this virus that has infected everyone? How did the current world develop into the dystopia McCafferty has created? When it came to the ability to world-build believably, Bumped left me with more questions than answers.

When it came to the characters, I definitely have a soft spot for stories about twins since I am one myself, but Harmony and Melody's case of mistaken identity, as well as the whole idea of being raised in two polar opposite worlds not knowing about each other, seemed a little too Parent Trap or It Takes Two for me. I also felt that many of the secondary characters were pretty poorly developed, people like Melody's parents who are conveniently on vacation while all of her mishaps are going on and who pushed Melody to "preg for profit", as well as most of her friends one of whom had a breakdown following giving up her baby. Such characters clearly had an interesting back story, but they often seemed to exist mostly to make a particular statement, for example about parents using their children, and never felt real to me.

An aspect of the Bumped I really enjoyed was the relationship between Melody and her best friend Zen. Zen himself is pretty adorable, smart and funny but unfortunately undesirable because he is vertically challenged. I absolutely loved the banter between him and Melody. The subtle tensions developing between the two of them felt believable, and I just wished for a few more moments like that in the novel. I was less convinced about Harmony's budding relationship, but perhaps it will be more fleshed out in the sequel. Another scene that stuck with me was when Melody visits the hospital and runs into a young girl who she thinks is pretending to be pregnant only to realize the girl actual is about to give birth. It was a moment that is particularly scary in face of current culture and the increasing popularity, or at least publicity, of teen pregnancy and how young girls want to emulate those they look up to.

Although I had high expectations for the book, when I first began reading Bumped I was a little puzzled. Not just because it took me awhile to grasp the details of McCafferty's world, but also because I don't usually associate dystopia with a fun read. In the end I loved the idea, but sometimes found the execution lacking. It also took awhile to get me actually interested in the characters themselves, but once I did I found them charming if occasionally one-dimensional. Overall, Bumped failed as a believable dystopia, but succeeded in entertaining and fun read that has me definitely interested in picking up McCafferty's other books.

Release Date: May 1st, 2011
Pages: 336
Overall: 3/5
Source: Netgalley
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Wither by Lauren DeStefano

"It doesn’t matter how much his mother loves him; love is not enough to keep any of us alive."

Wither by Lauren DeStefano is a dystopia young adult novel set in the future where as a consequence of genetic engineering males only live to be twenty-five years old, and women only live to twenty. Afraid that the population will vanish if it is not quickly replenished, young women are kidnapped and forced in polygamous marriages. One such woman in Rhine, a sixteen-year-old girl taken as a bride to Linden, a twenty-one-year-old man who's first wife and love is dying and who's father has replaced her with three new brides for him. Rhine soon realizes that Linden really does care for her, and she also begins to form a friendship with her two sister wives, but that doesn't stop her from her one true goal: to escape, and go home to her twin brother who has no idea where she has disappeared to. In order to be free again, Rhine will have to contend with Linden's dangerous father who grows even more suspicious as Rhine's attachment to her servant Gabriel grows stronger...

One of the first things that drew me to this book, bad self, is the gorgeous cover. But once I had finished reading it I did have a complaint or two about its accuracy. For one, I do wish that Rhine's eyes were open. One of the most unique things about the girl is the fact that she is heterochromatic- one blue eye, one brown- and I think it would have been a subtle but interesting trait to have in the picture.  I also don't quite understand why there is a bird, I understand that like Rhine the bird is "caged", and the circle around her hand with her wedding ring on it indicates perhaps that she is trapped by her marriage, but it seems a bit silly and forced. That said, it may have been the cover which initially attracted me, but it was the story and writing that keep me turning the page.

Wither is certainly a dystopia, but like Lauren Oliver in Delirium, DeStefano deals with real feelings even if the context is imaginary.  The world Rhine is living in is incredibly different than the ones teens face today but DeStefano manages to capture her essence in a way that is completely relatable. Some of my favourite parts of the book had nothing at all to do with the plot or potential romance, but rather focused on the loss of innocence and nostalgia Rhine, like all teens, faces as she grows up. Of course in her case it is at an exponentially faster rate because she will die so young, but it is so beautiful the way DeStefano has her look back on her past, reflecting:

"Life is much different from the days when there were lilies in my mother’s garden, and all my secrets fit into a paper cup."

When it comes to the world-building aspect of Wither, I felt DeStefano was pretty successful. The idea of a perfect generation followed by diseased offspring fated to die young was original and certainly captures some of the current fears regarding genetic engineering particularly when it comes to humans. The only issue I had was that I occasionally found some of the details vague, and wished DeStefano had elaborated more on exactly what was happening to the people who were dying, which sounds a bit like tuberculosis because she has them coughing up blood, but was an area of the story I wished had been clarified. Another question I was left with was wondering why the rest of the kidnapped girls were killed when they weren't selected as brides- if wombs are so valuable, wouldn't any womb do? And even if they weren't wanted as brides, why did they need to be killed? Although I understand the killing of the girls as a motivation for Rhine to want to escape Linden's mansion, within the broader context of the world she created I didn't think DeStefano addressed this aspect very well.

The characters in Wither were all interesting and believable, and I particularly enjoyed the relationships between Rhine and her sister wives. There was a darkness and defeat in her older sister wife Jenna that was both complex and heartbreaking, in strong contrast to her young sister wife Cecila who is bent on being Linden's favourite even if it means turning her body into a baby factory. The young servants that served the women were painful to read about, as they clearly showed how even a prison can become a home. The only character I had a major problem with was Linden, who felt terribly clueless about pretty much everything.

In general, it was the romantic storylines- Rhine's relationship with both Linden and Gabriel- that I found less interesting than her personal struggles. DeStefano also included a decent number of plot twists that kept me quickly turning the page. Wither is definitely an engaging debut novel, and as the first in a trilogy I am eager to find out exactly what Linden's father is hiding in the basement. Overall, interesting characters and a clear, smooth writing style are what make Wither a memorable debut from DeStefano and although there are aspects I wish would have been fleshed out further I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book. 

Release Date: March 22nd, 2011
Pages: 356
Overall: 4/5
Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab
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Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart

Sometimes a book just doesn't work for you and unfortunately Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart was just such a case for me. It is the story of middle-aged Lenny Abramov, a Russian Jew living in New York City with a bald spot shaped like Ohio and a young Korean love interest he met in Italy, Eunice Park. The novel alternates between Lenny's journals and Eunice's e-mails to tell the story of their unusual love in the context of a dystopia where books are considered "bound media artifacts" and everyone carries an "apparat" which allows them to do things like rate a persons' looks and broadcast what you're thinking about.

Some of the things that bothered me about Super Sad True Love Story was firstly that the dystopia that Shteyngart has created is that it is extremely vague and unclear, so although I could appreciate the satire I never had the potential to connect emotionally to any of the characters, since I didn't buy the world they were living in as even existing. I still don't really understand what an apparat is or how it works for example. There were a few funny moments, for example the girls wear a kind of pants called Onionskins which are transparent and so thin and tight to your body that you don't wear underwear underneath, some that definitely reminded me of the tights some girls wear these days. Overall however, I found the novel extremely pretentious in Shteyngart's attempt to parody, with Lenny writing things like:  

"I longed for the 740 square feet that belonged to me by law, and I rejoiced in the humming of the engines as we sailed toward my concept of home."

Another personal issue I had with the novel might just be my own prudeness showing through, but everything in the world Shteyngart created had words like "ass" and "pussy" in it, shopping at stores such as AssLuxury and JuicyPussy and buying bras without nipples and underwear that snaps off when you touch it. I understand society's obsession with sex and how the novel was probably purposefully tasteless in that regard, but it seemed just a little too obvious and I would have appreciated a bit more subtly instead of constantly bringing home the same point with a sledgehammer, or so it felt.

Overall, I get that Super Sad True Love Story is supposed to be a funny, outrageous satire but I just didn't "get" it. I also realize that my opinion is by far the minority as I picked this one up because of the amazing reviews and how great I had heard it was. Perhaps there is a gem hiding in Super Sad True Love Story, but unfortunately, I just couldn't find it. 

Release Date: July 27th, 2010
Pages: 331
Overall:1.5/5
Source: Publisher
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Delirium by Lauren Oliver

"Love: a single word, a wispy thing, a word no bigger or longer than an edge. That’s what it is: an edge; a razor. It draws up through the center of your life, cutting everything in two. Before and after. The rest of the world falls away on either side.

Before and after—and during, a moment no bigger or longer than an edge."

Delirium is the second book by young adult author Lauren Oliver, the story of a dystopian world where love is a disease and a cure has been developed. Lena Holoway lost her mother to love, after three attempts at treatment she was still suffering from the deliria and ended up killing herself as an escape. Lena lives with her aunt and two cousins who are also orphans because their parents were sympathizers- people who believed that love is a good thing. Counting down the days til her eighteenth birthday when she will finally be free to live a safe life, cured, everything changes when Lena meets Alex and only a couple months before her treatment falls in love.

Although I love dystopia trend permeating young adult literature, I am always a little skeptical when a book receives a lot of hype and so going into Delirium I was hesitant about having my expectations too high. I needn't have worried. Delirium is an excellent and original novel, captivating the reader immediately. Oliver uses her dystopian world to tell a powerful story about falling in love for the first time, and the emotions that Lena has are completely believable. Lena is a really interesting main character, as she repeatedly describes herself as being someone ordinary, ordinary brown hair and brown eyes, nothing remarkable or special about her. But when Lena falls in love, she forgets she is ordinary, the feelings she has make her feel beautiful. It was an extremely realistic portrayal of what falling in love is like, and I loved the edge of danger given to the story due to the fact that what Alex and Lena are doing- falling in love- is illegal.

Another aspect I really enjoyed about Delirium was the world that Oliver created. She begins each chapter of the novel with a quote from some of the government propaganda, and although some of the things are quite similar to contemporary times- Romeo and Juliet is still being taught in schools for example- the messages they give is quite different, as the Shakespeare play is seen as a cautionary tale for what can happen when you get infected. I also found it interesting, though logical, that things such as poetry and most forms of music no longer existed. Instead of the Bible, people have the Book of Shh, which includes such proverbs as "The most dangerous sicknesses are those which make us believe we are well.", referring of course, to deliria.

Delirium is an extremely exciting and captivating story, filled with unique and interesting characters including Lena's best friend, as well as her sister and cousins. I found it really easy to understand the world Oliver had created, and it was also totally believable how it could come into existence- as well as scary- making it a very successful dystopia. Oliver's writing was also excellent, and I am already excited to pick up her debut, Before I Fall, in the near future. Delirium is the first of a trilogy, and unfortunately like most such books it ends on a cliffhanger, and so the only complaint I have about the book is that I'll have to wait till 2012 to read the sequel, Pandemonium, and believe me, my expectations are certainly raised for that novel.

Release Date: February 1st, 2011
Pages: 441
Overall: 5/5
Source: Publisher
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XVI by Julia Karr

"But it’s hard being the only person who thinks like me. Sometimes I wish I could just be like everyone else my age and not think at all."

XVI is the dystopian young adult debut by Julia Karr, which takes place in the weeks leading up to the sixteenth birthday of Nina Oberson. In Nina's world, sixteen is something most girls look forward to because it means they get their Governing Council-ordered tattoo, a XVI inked onto their wrists indicating they are ready to have sex. The Media is constantly telling girls how to dress and act so they can become better "sex-teens" and Nina's best friend Sandy is the epitome of that. For Nina though, sixteen is an inescapable horror that she tries to keep out of her mind. However when her mother is killed Nina's world is shattered as she is drawn into a world of secrets where she may finally learn the truth about not only the Governing Council and her own past, but who in fact killed her mother.

The last year or so has involved the release of a great number of fantastic dystopian novels, including The Hunger Games Trilogy and Birthmarked, a trend I really enjoy and so I was excited when I had a chance to read XVI which I had been looking forward to for awhile. When I first picked up XVI, it took awhile for me to become involved in the story, likely due to the amount of unfamilar vocabulary used in the book, especially acronyms like FeLS and Non-Cons and PAVs which took me awhile to become comfortable with. Once I was able to spend less time focusing on what certain words meant and more time just appreciating the story, I really began to enjoy learning about Nina's journey. Like Katniss in The Hunger Games, Nina is a strong but at first skeptical heroine. However, once Nina becomes fully aware of the awful things going on around her she doesn't waste any time taking action, making her a strong female role model which is something I both admire and appreciate in young adult novels.

In addition to Nina, Karr does a great job crafting realistic secondary characters like her sister, friends and grandparents. Even Nina's mother, Ginnie, who hardly appears in the book at all feels real based on the memories Nina has of her. Nina's best friend Sandy can be slightly annoying and sometimes it was hard to remember why exactly Nina was friends with her, but it is clear why Karr included her in XVI as she provided a clear example of how the Governing Council and Media actually want the sixteens to act. Although I enjoyed Karr's writing there were a few elements of the story I felt were pretty weak, especially since they were played as plot twists despite the fact that they were obvious from the beginning, for example what exactly the FeLS was. In another case, I felt like she killed off a character almost because she didn't know what else to do with them.

XVI finishes with enough loose ends and potential that it is certainly possible there will be a sequel and if so, I'd probably pick it up as I think it would be even stronger since Karr would have to spend less time developing the world for the reader. Ultimately, XVI is a flawed but enjoyable read and a welcome addition to the canon of young adult dystopian literature available today.

Release Date: January 6, 2011    
Pages: 272
Overall: 3/5
Source: Publisher
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