Mini Reviews: Cinder & Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Books: Cinder & Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles 1 & 2)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Challenge: 2015 TBR Reading Challenge

Cinder

My Thoughts: I was a bit hesitant at first to read this book, but after starting it, I could not put it down. I really liked the sci-fi aspect of the story, though I would have liked more details on how a colony came to settle on the moon. Cinder is a very likable protagonist. She is clever, a good friend, and a caring step sister. And I couldn't help but love Prince Kai. I was a bit disappointed by how I was able to predict the big twist fairly early on in the story. Otherwise, I found this book to be very entertaining.

Rating: 4 stars

Scarlet

My Thoughts: After reading Cinder and hearing so many people say how much better this book was, I had some pretty high expectations going into this book. Alas, I did not care for it that much. For starters, the book dragged. I almost stopped reading it halfway through. Scarlet got on my nerves. She was gullible, reckless, and never thought things through. I just flat-out hated Wolf. How Scarlet suddenly falls for him after she finds out he's been lying to her is just so unbelievable. The only parts of the book I liked were those from the perspectives of Cinder, Kai, and Carswell. I honestly wish the book had been just about them.

Rating: 2 stars

The Taking by Kimberly Derting

Book: The Taking (The Taking #1)
Author: Kimberly Derting
# of Pages: 357 (hardcover)
Challenge: 2015 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing.

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day.

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

My Thoughts:

This book was so freaking amazing! I loved everything about it.

Kyra has been gone for five years even though for her it only feels like a few hours. Everything she knew has changed and she is forced to accept these changes. Kyra is pretty tough and does a good job of keeping it together considering her life has turned upside-down. Tyler is the only person she can confide in. He's sweet and patient and does everything he can to help Kyra figure out what happened to her.

This book is full of non-stop action and suspense. I could not put it down! And with an ending like that...it has left me pining for the next book. I'm counting down the days until April 28.

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Book: AMillion Suns (Acroos the Universe #2)
Author: Beth Revis
# of Pages: 404 (paperback)
Challenge: 2015 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
Rating: 4.5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
GODSPEED WAS FUELED BY LIES. NOW IT IS RULED BY CHAOS.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. Everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to act on his vision--no more Phydus, no more lies. But when Elder learns shocking news, he and Amy must race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed, all the while dealing with the love that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

Beth Revis catapulted readers into the far reaches of space with her New York Times bestselling debut, Across the Universe. In A Million Suns, Beth deepens the mystery with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: THEY HAVE TO GET OFF THIS SHIP.

My Thoughts:

The one big difference between this book and the Across the Universe was that I grew to really like Elder. In AtU I found to to be a bit annoying, but now I like him as much as Amy.

A Million Suns seemed darker AtU and there was definitely a lot more tension and mystery what with Elder taking on the role of leader and chaos breaking out everywhere. Also, there is a big secret that Amy and Elder unearth about Godspeed. While there was so much suspense building up to the revelation of this secret, the secret itself was kind of underwhelming.

AMS was pretty fast-paced, and I enjoyed getting to know more about Elder and Amy and watching their relationship grow. Even with the slight disappointment of the big secret, this was still a great read.

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Book: Unraveling (Unraveling #1)
Author: Elizabeth Norris
# of Pages: 445 (Hardcover)
Challenge: 2013 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Janelle Tenner is used to having a lot of responsibility. She balances working as a lifeguard in San Diego with an intense academic schedule. Janelle's mother is bipolar, and her dad is a workaholic FBI agent, which means Janelle also has to look out for her younger brother, Jared.

And that was before she died...and is brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a mysterious, alluring loner from her high school. When she discovers a strange clock that seems to be counting down to the earth's destruction, Janelle learns she has twenty-four days to figure out how to stop the clock and save the planet.

My Thoughts:

This book was freaking awesome! I can't believe I waited so long to read it. It was perfect parts sci-fi, mystery, and romance.

Janelle Tenner was a spectacular protagonist. This girl kicks ass. She's smart, sarcastic, and does not let anything or anyone stand in her way. She is determined to figure out the cause of the countdown and does everything she can to stop it. As for Ben, I did not know what to think of him at first because he only made a few brief appearances. But, as the story progressed, it became clear that he was a sweet yet mysterious guy and I quickly grew to like him.

One of my favorite things about Unraveling was the mystery Janelle worked so hard to solve. I used to love reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, and I've come across very few YA mystery stories, so this was like a breath of fresh air. I loved trying to work out the different elements of the situation with Janelle.

Overall, I was very impressed with this book. Its interesting characters and fast pace kept me reading well into the night. I did not want it to end. I'm so glad that I finally read this, and can't wait to find out what happens next.

Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Book: Eve and Adam
Author: Michael Grant & Katherine Applegate
# of Pages: 291 (Hardcover)
Rating: 4.5 stars

Goodreads Summary
In the beginning, there was an apple—

And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.

Just when Eve thinks she will die—not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy.

Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect... won’t he?(

My Thoughts:
Evening 'Eve' Spiker is in a bad car accident. Eve's mother, Terra, takes her from the hospital to her own facility to help her recover. To keep her from being bored, Terra has Eve work with a computer program and tells her to create the perfect boy. Solo, Terra's assistant of sorts, tries to convince Eve that her mother is doing bad things at her facility and she does not want to believe him.

There were a couple times when Eve annoyed me, but overall, she was very intelligent and a great friend. I loved Solo. He's sneaky, funny, and observant. Eve does not like Solo in the beginning, but eventually she grows to trust him. As for Adam, I thought he was pretty two-dimensional.

I loved the action, mystery, and humor. It was fast paced and addictive. Overall, a very enjoyable book.

Lies by Michael Grant

Book: Lies (Gone #3)
Author: Michael Grant
# of Pages: 447 (Paperback)
Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Summary
It's been seven months since all the adults disappeared. Gone.                                                                                                                                             It happens in one night. A girl who died now walks among the living; Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach; and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of the boy he fears the most: Drake. But Drake is dead. Sam and Caine defeated him along with the Darkness--or so they thought.
                                                                                                                                                                     As Perdido Beach burns, battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants; and Sam against Drake, who is back from the dead and ready to finish where he and Sam left off. And all the while deadly rumors are raging like the fire itself, spread by the prophetess Orsay and her companion, Nerezza. They say that death is a way to escape the FAYZ. Conditions are worse than ever and kids are desperate to get out. But are they desperate enough to believe that death will set them free?

My Thoughts: Things in the FAYZ are getting worse. Zil and his band of anti-freaks are desperate for power. Sam is haunted by his experience with Drake. And rumors are going around causing chaos and terror.

For me, the two characters that stood out were Edilio and Quinn. Edilio finally gets gets a chance to be a leader. Though we do not see too much of Quinn, I could tell that his character has grown a lot since the first book. I wonder if either of them are going to develop any supernatural pawers.

Dark and thrilling, this book kept me reading well into the night.

Hunger by Michael Grant

Book: Hunger (Gone #2)
Author: Michael Grant
# of Pages: 590 (Paperback)
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary
It's been three months since everyone under the age of fifteen became trapped in the bubble known as the FAYZ.

Three months since all the adults disappeared. GONE.

Food ran out weeks ago. Everyone is starving, but no one wants to figure out a solution. And each day, more and more kids are evolving, developing supernatural abilities that set them apart from the kids without powers. Tension rises and chaos is descending upon the town. It's the normal kids against the mutants. Each kid is out for himself, and even the good ones turn murderous.

But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.

The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.

My Thoughts: I almost like this book better than Gone. In this book, food is scarce and the kids in the FAYZ are starting to get power hungry and jealous of those who have powers. More kids are developing powers and more animals are mutating. We learn more about some of the characters, and new ones are introduced. Poor Sam is under major stress trying to deal with the complaints and problems of the kids, and he never has any time for himself.

This book is darker than the first. There is betrayal, secrets, and ominous revelations. I wish there had been more Sam and Astrid moments. And I hope that more about Little Pete is revealed in Lies.

Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

Book: Dark Eden
Author: Patrick Carman
# of Pages: 316 (Hardcover)
Challenge: 2012 TBR Pile Challenge
Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Summary
Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night's experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden?

Patrick Carman's Dark Eden is a provocative exploration of fear, betrayal, memory, and— ultimately—immortality.                                       

My Thoughts: This was a creepy, twisted book, and I really enjoyed it. Will has a severe phobia and is sent to "camp" to be cured along with six other teens. Fort Eden has many secrets and Will is the only one suspicious enough to do a little digging. He does not know who he can trust, yet he finds himself falling for one of his fellow campers. 

Filled with mysterious characters, secrets, suspense, and a little romance, this book kept me on the edge of my seat and left me craving for more when it ended.

Gone by Michael Grant

Book: Gone (Gone series #1)
Author: Michael Grant
# of Pages: 558 (Paperback)
Challenge: 2012 TBR Pile Challenge
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary
In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents--unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers--that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...
                                                                                                                        My Thoughts: In the world dubbed the FAYZ, all adults have disappeared along with the Internet and cell phones, and bullies take over. Even stranger, those left develop supernatural powers. And they must try to survive in this new world that is so unlike the one they are used to.

The characters are intriguing especially Little Pete. I love Sam and Astrid. They make such a great team. And Drake, one of the bullies, gives new meaning to the word scary.

This is a thrilling, action-packed read, and I'm so glad I finally read it.