X-Isle by Steve Augarde

Title: X-Isle
Author: Steve Augarde
ISBN: 9780385751933
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Page #: 477
Source: From my public library

Summary:
"In the fight for survival, anything goes.

The floods have come. Some are lucky to be alive. Though they might not count themselves lucky. In the aftermath of global devastation, those left barely survive, living in fear and near starvation. They have lost everything, including their future.

But there is one way out: a boat to X-Isle.

And Baz is about to take it.

A hard-hitting novel set in a world where there are no boundaries, and normality is just a word."
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First Lines:

"The steady chug of the diesel engine drew closer, and eventually the salvage boat emerged from the mist, a blank grey shape steering a middle course between the ghostly lines of chimney stacks that rose from the water. It turned right and came sailing up John William Street."
Page 7
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Review:

I was clearly not prepared for this book. It was a crazy story that just kept getting more and more intense by the page... and it honestly didn't let me go - and still hasn't. The ending is ... well, I'll get to that (without giving anything away, of course).

This is a science-fiction post-apocalyptic novel that paints a very rugged picture. I mean, the earth is basically covered in water, but it's the descriptions are just amazingly graphic. If you think about what would really happen if the earth flooded... you would have bodies, you would have so much floating garbage that the water would be sludge. That's exactly how things are pictured in this book. Those left are the ones dealing with the unlivable situation - the ones suffering.

If you can imagine all of that, then you can imagine that anyone who is able to dive in and get stores of salvagable food, tools, etc would be the richest guys around. In this story, those guys took on young boys to do the grunt work. That's who this story is about - the boys and an island and an insane preacher dude who was head of this island.

It took me ages to finish this book. I think it was partially due to the graphic descriptions - the gory stuff... the intensely horrible people... and so on. I as entranced by the story, but there were lots of situations and characters to outright hate. The one thing that really stood out for me was the relationships these boys formed under bad circumstances - and how those relationships were handled. An amazing story, really.

I just need to talk about the ending for a second... not giving anything away, I promise. But I'm still floored by it. The last few chapters held a twist that I could not have possibly foreseen. It's one that makes you want to re-read the whole book with a new set of eyes... a new perspective. It is almost a twist that changes the entire story... I'm going to stop there. It's just worth getting to. Whole new light...

Anyway, I really did like this book. There's a lot to discuss about it - mostly because there are lots of moral issues with the whole religion thing... and deaths... and the earth becoming water and all that. Honestly, you can probably read a whole lot of religion into this story whether it's meant to be there or not. I liked ignoring that a little bit and reading the story for face value - but that's just how I chose to go about it.

I think I will be recommending this book to a very specific group of people. I think it is written well and has lots of amazing plot lines.... I just wonder if all of the gore and the dying and the few angering characters would put some people off of the whole thing. But I still plan on recommending it.

I hadn't heard of this author before, but apparently he's done lots of children's books in the past - and pop-up books! Here's his website if you wanna check him out.
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Other Blog Reviews:

Fantasy Book Review
Book Page
Curled Up Kids
I didn't see a ton of blog reviews out there for this one, so more people should give it a go! It's a crazy story, but it's worth a shot.

Booking Through Thursday (3)

Welcome to another weekly meme! Check out the website and answer the questions yourself!

What are you reading right now? What made you choose it? Are you enjoying it? Would you recommend it?

(And, by all means, discuss everything, if you’re reading more than one thing!)

I am currently reading the book X-Isle by Steve Augarde. I picked it up because I always am looking for a good post-apocalyptic novel. I had heard a few good things about this book, so I'm excited to see where it takes me.

I'm only a few chapters in so far (though it's going faster than I expected)... but it's action packed already. I'm still trying to work out all of the specifics of what happened to the world for everything to be under water (hurricanes, earthquakes, etc). It's intense already and I can only imagine where it's going to go from here!

Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci

Title: Rose Sees Red
Author: Cecil Castellucci
ISBN: 9780545060790
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Page #: 197
Source: From my public library

Summary:
"Rose has given up. She's given up on friendship, on happiness, on life being anything other than black black black.

Yrena wants out. She's a dancer who doesn't want to dance, a prisoner in her own home, a resident of New York who never gets to see the city.

To Rose, Yrena has always been the Russian girl who lives next door, seen through a window but never spoken to. At least not until Yrena crashes into Rose's room, setting in motion a night in New York City that neither one of them will ever forget.

From YA superstar Cecil Castellucci, this is the story of cold hearts and cold wars warmed by simple human connection and the liberty of being young and free in the early hours of a new day.

Rose's life is about to change in ways she never could have seen in the darkness."
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First Lines:

"I was black inside and so I took everything black. Toast. Coffee. Clothes. Heart.
It was the end of October, and a few leaves were still clinging on the trees, all bright yellow, red, and orange. These leaves were suckers, I thought, tricking themselves in thinking this fall would be different, that they wouldn't have to let go and turn brown and make room for snow."
Page 1
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Review:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but not many books for teens about the 1980s or the Cold War. That alone made this book unique and sort of refreshing. I've read several of Castellucci's books in the past and they are always much more than I was expecting. This book was no different.

I really enjoyed getting to know Rose through the first part of the book. You get the whole feel of who she is, how she sees the world, what her life is like... and it's a picture that not many of us would want to live. It's lonely, it's sad, it's worrisome. And, to be honest, it's real. I know a lot of teens feel this way - like they're alone in the world with no one to turn to. I'm pretty sure I spent a while in that mindset when I was a teen.

Her whole story changes when she meets Yrena - a girl from Russia who has lived next door for two years but never spoken. The girls are both dancers, but they had never connected before. This book is about that one day where they start to get to know each other, but it's the night of a lifetime.

There are some stories that take place in a short amount of time (like this one, a day), but it seems like too much is packed in to be reality. This book really feels like it could have happened. It feels more like a story being told to you by Rose a few years later - her looking back on this magical night and how it completely changed her life.

One thing that kinda threw me off while reading this book was the emphasis on the war and the differences in the countries. I guess I wasn't expecting the characters to have such huge opinions and things to say about it. The story started off feeling like a small story about a life that didn't affect anyone elses... and it ended up having a huge impact on a group of people.

In the end, I really wanted this book to be more about relationships than it was about the political stuff... but it was pretty swayed in the other direction. I also was wishing to know more about what happened afterwards - about her family's reactions... more about how friendships were continued... just more. Guess that's what I get for reading a small book, huh? :)

Though this book is short, it sure packs a punch. I think many who love realistic fiction will really dig this one. There's a lot to learn about humanity in it - not to mention the life of a girl who was so in the background. It's a little bit of an adventure - the carefree lives of teens who are just getting to know one another.

I'd recommend this one to those realistic lovers. And even a little to historical - seeing as it was set over 20 years ago. I always look forward to reading more from Cecil Castellucci. Who knows what will come next, right? Check out her website for more things coming :). She also has a fairly active blog that you should check out from there.
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Other Blog Reviews:

The Compulsive Reader
Pure Imagination
Emily's Reading Room
Stacked
Abby (the) Librarian
Reading Nook

Waiting on Wednesday (27)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Here's what I'm waiting on this week:

Belle of the Brawl (Alphas #3)
by Lisi Harrison
To be released: October 5, 2010

Summary from Baker and Taylor:
"After a week of drama-filled days at the exclusive, fiercely competitive Alpha Academy, Skye, Allie and Charlie learn that someone has been keeping a huge secret from them, in the follow-up to Movers & Fakers."

I know I WoW-ed the second book when it came out earlier this year, but I'm excited to WoW this series again! I've loved each of the books so far and I really look forward to getting my hands on this book. They are such fun and easy reading - super clever too. If you like chick lit, this is a great series for you.

Here are my reviews of the first two books:
Alphas
Movers and Fakers (Alphas #2)

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey)
Author: Julie Kagawa
ISBN: 9780373210138
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Page #: 359
Source: From my public library

Summary:
"Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey - ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart."
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First Lines:

"The Iron King stood before me, magnificent in his beauty, silver hair whipping about like an unruly waterfall. His long black coat billowed behind him, accenting the pale, angular face and translucent skin, the blue-green veins glowing beneath the surface."
Page 9
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Review:

If you haven't read the first book, my review of that one is here. Looking back on that review, I realized how "meh" I sounded about the book. I don't know if this second one was just better or I was more into the story, but this review is going to be a bit more complimentary of the author! :)

This book pulled me in hard during the first few chapters and didn't let me go - even after I finished reading it. It didn't take long to get back into the story line. I'm not sure whether that's because the characters and storyline from the first book stuck with me or she just does a seamless job of connecting the two together.

The story is very similar to the first in that our main character Meghan has a huge quest she sets out on and you see every step of the way and the people she meets along the way. Many of the same characters make an appearance in this book, but are treated differently for their own reasons. That gave the story a little different feel than the first one.

Romance is a huge factor in this book. The first book was really more fantasy and adventure, but this one really sits in the paranormal romance genre. That's not a bad thing in the least, I'm just not sure that I was expecting it. One thing seemed to happen once Meghan was focused on her feelings... she turned into a bit of a wuss. I spent a few chapters wishing she would break out of the dreary and just fight! Though, i have to say that the fights/battles are epic in this one.

I still love the whole concept of the iron courts existence and how it's moving in to take over the other courts. It's a cool idea and it works really well with how things could be. I was also very shocked at the ending - like the last few chapters, really. I'm not going to give anything away, but it was just much more than I was expecting.

Take a look at Julie Kagawa's website and keep up with her on her blog. The next book, The Iron Queen, is coming out next February (2011)... and I'm very excited. I'll absolutely be picking it up. I honestly think Kagawa is an author to watch. This first series is fantastic, so I can only imagine what she comes up with next!
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Other Blog Reviews:

All Things Urban Fantasy
Pure Imagination
Karin's Book Nook
Katie's Book Blog
Stiletto Storytime
The Sweet Bookshelf
Reading Teen
There are tons more reviews out there. Please take a look at all of them! It'll give you a good idea of how this story runs :).