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Another Throwback Review - this time from back in 2012! Enjoy! Green Heart is the combination of two YA novels Green Angel and Green Witch by Alice Hoffman. The day it happened, fifteen-year-old Green was angry and refused to speak to her family as they left. She had wanted to go with them to the city, but they needed her to stay home. Her father, mother, and sister all died in the terrible disaster – leaving Green all alone, and plagued by the memory of her last moments with them. She struggles to survive in a world turned topsy-turvy, a place where nothing wants to grow among the ashes. Green becomes one with the thorny, lifeless realm of her garden – but finds she must allow herself to open back up to life, to possibility… to magic. Even though all she can see is pain. Green Heart was a majestic read! I read The Foretelling by Alice Hoffman years ago and was dumbfounded by it – so I had high expectations, and, my, were they reached! The haunting, mo...

Illuminae is the first book of the YA futuristic sci-fi thriller series The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Krisftoff. It started off like a day like any other in the year 2575 on the human inhabited planet of Kerenza. Kady had made the difficult decision to break up with her boyfriend Ezra – and she thought that would be the toughest thing about the day. She didn’t realize her planet would be attacked that afternoon, the victim of two rival mega-corporations battling over the tiny speck of universe they called their home. There was no warning before nearly everything was on fire and people were dying all around them. Suddenly she and her ex, barely speaking since that morning, are forced to flee together – in a desperate attempt to evacuate the planet. Yet even once they are off Kerenza, it is not the end of the nightmare. There is a warship after their refugee fleets. There’s mysterious talk of quarantines. And the AI that is supposed to be keeping them safe may actuall...

Uglies is a YA dystopian novel by Scott Westerfeld. Still an ugly, Tally is looking forward to her upcoming sixteenth birthday. That is the day she will have her operation to become a pretty, as everyone does at sixteen, and move to New Pretty Town - the place all the newly gorgeous young people in society spend their time having fun all the time. Her best friend Peris has already turned pretty – and the loneliness Tally feels as she waits for her day to join him is hollowing out a hole in her heart. She worries he forgets about her as he adapts to his new, pretty life. When she meets Shay, Tally is shocked to learn that Shay is not as excited to turn pretty. She says odd things, such as not liking the idea of looking like everyone else – not liking that they are unable to consider their current faces pretty. So, Shay running away right before her own operation stuns Tally – but not as much as it might have. Yet, when heretofore unknown authorities in their society approach ...

Shades of Grey is a dystopian satire novel by Jasper Fforde. In a world where color perception determines the hierarchy of a Colortocracy society, what you can see is everything. That’s why Eddie Russet is trying to secure a marriage into the powerful Oxblood family to combine his better-than-average Red perception to their aristocratic name – yet those plans are upended when he and his father are sent to the fringe town East Carmine. Manners, rules and accepted mores in the Chromatacia seem a bit more lax in East Carmine – dangerously so. Beyond the normal fear of lethal swans and lightening, the sneaky Yellows seem sneakier than ever, the deMauve’s are angling to marry their horrid Violet to Eddie and he’s finding himself fascinated by a Grey named Jane. Riskiest of all is the knowledge Eddie begins to gather in East Carmine – truths behind the ordered, peaceful, rule-abiding Colortocracy that shed light on its deceptions… And it’s that innate inquisitiveness that could le...

Seeker is a YA futuristic fantasy novel by Arwen Elys Dayton. After years of training, Quin Kinkaid and her two fellow trainees, Shinobu and John, they are finally ready to take the Oath that will officially make them Seekers – protectors of the weak and wronged. Yet – once the Oath is taken, Quin finds the truth is much darker. After centuries of nobility, the life of a Seeker now is not what it once was. Everything has changed. Nothing is what she thought – her family, the boy she loves, the life she’s been preparing for since a little girl. And it’s too late. Seeker looked kind of cool and interesting, so I went ahead and put it ahead of some other books on my shelf. Sadly, that was not a correct choice. First off, trying to get a handle on the period we are in is very difficult – I finally landed on some sort of futuristic world with a medieval Scottish highlands vibe. Sort of odd. Seeker starts with an action sequence featuring an oily weapon that can change sha...

Cinder is a YA futuristic sci-fi fantasy retelling of Cinderella, and the first book in The Lunar Chronicles , by Marissa Meyer. Being a cyborg is almost as shameful as being an android – despite the fact that Cinder knows she is human, there are many in New Beijing who would argue that fact. So, as she spends her days utilizing her gifts as a mechanic to provide income for her derisive adoptive mother and sisters, Cinder doesn’t advertise her cyborg parts. Not good for business. Yet, she’s never felt the weight of being a cyborg as strongly as when her path crosses with Prince Kai – an admittedly attractive and charming young man. Not to mention royal. Soon, Cinder is pulled deeper into the most concerning struggles of Earth – a ravaging, deadly plague that they’ve been trying to find a cure for without success in twenty-five years and a possibility of war hinging on nothing more than the whims of a mad queen from the country Lunar, on the moon. There are secrets to Cinder...

Savage Run is a YA futuristic dystopia by E. J. Squires. In one of the last hierarchical societies, Newland has a set standard of classes – and seventeen year old Heidi Cruise, being both a Laborer and a female, is in the lowest ranking set. She has already seen her best friend suffer under the ruthless hand of her Master in less than a year and soon it will be Heidi’s turn to be assigned a Master, as well. But she refuses to accept that. It is the time of year that the Savage Run begins – a brutal, male-only obstacle program that offers the lower classes to compete with one goal in mind: survive and become a Master. Determined to find freedom, Heidi is convinced their only chance is to pretend to be male and enter the Savage Run. Yet before they are even able to register, things begin to fall apart. Is it possible for a Laborer, and a female one at that, to ever be free? I will say that occasionally the writing and editing of Savage Run felt like it could use some impr...

The Well of Ascension is the second book in the high fantasy trilogy Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. If you haven’t read Mistborn yet, I would strongly suggest you do not read this review. Instead, go read Mistborn ! Though Vin and her group of thieves-turned-rebels have ended a tyrant government that had been held for a thousand years, the final words of the Lord Ruler haunt Vin. She may not want to believe that the Lord Ruler was holding something even worse back, but she cannot ignore the growing threatening nature of the mists and the figure that is watching her amidst them. Beyond the supernatural concern, Elend’s new freedom-focused government of Luthadel is being confronted with multiple outside armies who’ve decided they’d like to take the kingdom from the young king. Defeating the Lord Ruler was only the beginning… The Well of Ascension was quite something. Just as when I entered into Mistborn , part of me wondered if The Well of Ascension could possibly be w...

Deviation is the first book in the futuristic sci-fi YA series The Sophisticates by Christine Manzari. Cleo is a Sophisticate – one of the children genetically engineered in the Program to combat terrorism since the both economically and murderously destructive Wormwood hit America 30 years ago, changing everything. She’s a Vanguard – focused more on advanced academics to create a brighter economic future for the country one day. Sophisticates do not have family – they do not have control over their own lives – they are owned by the Program and are reminded of it constantly. Yet Cleo is not content with this – and when she’s caught hacking into a Program computer system to try and learn more about her donors she gets very upset. And when she gets upset… something bad happens. A dangerous, unexpected anomaly. As much as Cleo tries to hide what happened, she’s sent to the Academy to switch from a Vanguard to a Mandate – the military branch of the Program, where Sophisticates ar...

Parched is a sci-fi dystopian YA novel by Georgia Clark. Born and raised a privileged Edenite, sixteen-year-old Tessa Rockwood left everything behind after the sudden, violent death of her scientist mother to escape to the Badlands. The Badlands are outside the lush borders of Eden – where water is a precious, rare commodity, as is privacy, prosperity or nearly anything that comes easy in Eden. After years of the Trust – those that govern Eden – leading Edenites to believe the Badlands are simply an exotic, humbler place, Tessa now knows the ugly, brutal truth. So, when she is approached to return to Eden and secretly fight the inequality by joining a rebel group called Kudzu, Tessa does. She attempts to swallow down her gnawing guilt at the secrets only she knows about her mother’s death and tries to slip back into her old life by showing up at her uncle’s home. It’s tougher than she expected to return, though. And as it’s revealed that the Trust may be tinkering with artif...

Fox Forever is a YA sci-fi novel – and the third in the Jenna Fox Chronicles – by Mary E. Pearson. Happily, I was able to take the time to re-read The Adoration of Jenna Fox and The Fox Inheritance before reading Fox Forever . Yet again I was moved and amazed by the originality and characterizations that made both books so stunning. I recommend reading these books in order to get the whole effect – so refrain from reading this review if you haven’t yet read The Adoration of Jenna Fox and The Fox Inheritance . Locke Jenkins has left the relative comfort of Jenna’s home to live the life he’s been robbed of for the last 260 years – time that Jenna has lived, despite still looking a young seventeen-years-old. But he has a Favor to repay – from the time that he and Kara were escaping from the monstrous Dr. Gatsbro and the Network – those who are on the fringes of society as non-civilians in this futuristic, split United States - helped them. They seem to think Locke would be ...

The Here and Now is a YA contemporary novel with a time travel twist from Ann Brashares. This is the first novel I’ve read from Brashares that is not Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants related. Seventeen-year-old Prenna knows the rules. Since she and the others in her community immigrated to New York from the future – a time of disease and death – the rules have been repeated endlessly. Don’t tell anyone where you’re from. Don’t interfere with history. Don’t become intimate with anyone outside of the community. However, Prenna has always felt that nice, good-looking classmate Ethan Jarves knew something. As much as she tried to follow the rules and be very careful to not reveal anything, his eyes held perceptiveness – almost a shared secrecy. When Prenna is faced with the truth about her community and what they are – or are not – doing to prevent the future plague, she’s forced to decide where her loyalties lie. And if she needs to break the rules… Initially, I didn’t fe...

Allegiant is a YA dystopian sci-fi novel and the third in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. You know the drill bibliophiles, don’t read this review unless you’ve already read Divergent and Insurgent . Understood? Final warning… Now that Tris has made the message her mother was protecting known to the factions and factionless alike - risking her life, her relationships and her strength in doing so – she now has to face what it means. Her way of life – the way of life of everyone she’s ever known – has been put into question. Are they all part of an experiment? Have they just been preparing Divergent to save the world?? With the loss of their core understanding, Tris, Tobias and others decide to venture outside of the limits they’ve never passed as the environment around them is shattering anyway. They want to find purpose again… What’s beyond the limits only creates more uncertainty, however. Tris and the others find themselves faced with truths they do not want to ...

Insurgent is a YA dystopian novel, the second in the Divergent trilogy, by Veronica Roth. If you have not read Divergent – this review will have spoilers for that first book – I strongly advise not reading this review until you’ve read Divergent . Understood? UNDERSTOOD?!?!? Okay, I’m trusting only readers of Divergent are continuing on now… Initiation Day in the Dauntless faction should have been one of joy for Tris – she had finally cemented her place in Dauntless, no longer in fear of becoming factionless - and finding her place among the courageous, free Dauntless is what she’s wanted for so long. Instead, it became a living nightmare. Tris, as a Divergent, was one of the few “awake” Dauntless while she witnessed her faction put under a forced simulation that caused her friends to become murderers – and an entire faction to be wiped out. When the morning comes, the horror is not over – and the remnants of what Tris had to do haunting her mind and hurting her resolv...

Divergent is a YA dystopian thriller and the first in a trilogy written by Veronica Roth - as you probably well know. Yes, yes. I know word has been out on these books for a while – but cut a girl some slack! There are too many books and too little time, people!! In a futuristic Chicago, society has been split into factions that define your outlook, beliefs and the loyalties that will define you forever. These factions were originally established to create a peaceful life and to right the wrongs done in the past. At a predetermined time every year, that year’s sixteen year olds have to choose – choose the faction that they will spend their life in. It’s a choice that separates family and friends and defines who you are. When Beatrice makes her choice, it will transform her… Okay, I did not give away much AT ALL. Because if you, like me, haven’t read it until now the less you know the better! Because: Divergent is AWESOME . Immediately Veronica Roth presents an enthral...

The Kill Order is the YA dystopian horror prequel to James Dashner’s Maze Runner series. I know I’ve taken my time on this one, a bit. After being very into The Maze Runner , then slightly less enchanted with The Scorch Trials and quite a bit irritated with The Death Cure – I became quite sure there was no need for me to reenter this world that had disappointed me. Yet… here I am. And, I have to say, it was much better than I expected. A brief synopsis, if you will: When the sun flares hit the earth and the world as we know it changed forever – Mark and Trina were there. Just as they’ve reached a point where survival seems to be getting a little easier – just when the horrifying memories of those early days of terror aren’t the only thing on their minds – it begins. A disease that seems to mutate, change and worsen – a disease of the mind, causing rage and insanity – seems to be spreading across the landscape of what is left of the United States. Hoping to find a cure,...

Inhuman is a YA futuristic sci-fi dystopian novel by Kat Falls, and the first in the Fetch series. After a biological disaster has left all of the United States east of the Mississippi River blocked off by a huge, sprawling wall life is completely different. Time has passed and Lane McEvoy does not know anything different. But there is that stomach churning fear and curiosity over what lies on the other side of the wall. A place now called the Feral Zone, where the millions of people infected with a virus have been mutated into bloodthirsty savages. Curiosity can truly kill you though – punishment for violating the border is execution. But when Lane is faced with the knowledge that someone she loves has passed the wall – and she’s tasked with bringing them back she sees just how unprepared she is to travel through the Feral Zone. Will her humanity prove to be her strength… or her downfall? My synopsis may not do the plot of Inhuman justice, but I definitely didn’t want t...

Burn is the third and final novel in the YA post-apocalyptic Pure trilogy by Julianna Baggott. Being that this is an ambitious, complex, rewarding trilogy – if you haven’t read Pure and Fuse already, you definitely need to! This review will hold inadvertent spoilers of those first two books, so you’ll want to avoid this review and click on the above titles to learn more about the prior novels first. Got it?! But if you have already read Pure and Fuse , then you can obviously continue! Partridge has inherited leadership over the Dome – an enclosed refuge among the ruins of what once was our world – after the death of his father. The inhabitants, soaking in their denial that has become ingrained over the years, wish to mourn him. But Partridge wants to expose his secrets, instead. He wants to unite the Dome and its “Pure” inhabitants with the disfigured, fused “Wretches” on the outside. The ones that had been left to die all those years ago. His new position of power...

For Darkness Shows the Stars is a YA post-apocalyptic romance by Diana Peterfreund. Elliot North is of Luddite nobility. Since she was a child she was taught that the Luddites, who outlawed most technology, were the reason the human race survived after a genetic experiment went wrong many generations ago. That experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction. As one of the Luddite nobility, she has always been aware that her purpose is to protect the Reduced and enforce the Luddite principles to shun technological advances. Yet, as a young adult, Elliot knows things aren’t as simple as that. She was childhood best friends with Kai – a servant that was born to her family. He is not Reduced, but does not have the rights of a Luddite – he is one of the many Post-Reductionists that are changing the way the world looks at the future. Her friendship, her love, with Kai was fractured four years ago when Elliot refused to run away with him. When she chose to stay and look after the es...

Faerie After is the YA post-apocalyptic fantasy conclusion to Janni Lee Simner’s Bones of Faerie trilogy. Of course, you want to read Bones of Faerie and Faerie Winter before Faerie After – click on the titles to read my reviews. In my opinion spoilers are never good, so even though it probably wouldn’t be dire to the overall story, I recommend you don’t read my review/synopsis of Faerie After until you’ve read those first two books… Liza has been away from her home, learning more about her magic from Karin over the last few months. Though she misses her mother, Matthew, Kyle and others at home, life has been steadier than it was for quite some time. And the spring seems strong. But when Liza stumbles across a new danger – piles of ash where living creatures once stood – Liza comes to the realization that both the world of Faerie and the human realm are still deteriorating since the War. Everything will eventually turn to dust. Searching for a solution may mean crossing...