Ninja Librarian

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Title: Birthmarked

Author: Caragh M. O'Brien

ISBN: 9781596435698
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Released: March 30, 2010
Series: Birthmarked Trilogy #1
Page #: 361
Source: My public library

Summary:
"In the future, in a world baked dry by the harsh sun, there are those who live inside the wall and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. Gaia has always believed it is her duty, with her mother, to hand over a small quota of babies to the Enclave. But when Gaia's mother and father are arrested by the very people they so dutifully serve, Gaia is forced to question everything she has been taught to believe. Gaia's choice is now simple: enter the world of the Enclave to rescue her parents, or die trying."
__________________________________________________
First Lines:

"In the dim hovel, the mother clenched her body into one final, straining push, and the baby slithered out into Gaia's ready hands."
Page 1
__________________________________________________
Review:

I know I'm a little late on this bandwagon for this series, but how can you ignore a first line like that?! Seriously, it only gets more dramatic from there. And it's soooo worth it.

Gaia is a midwife at sixteen. She lives outside the wall of the Enclave - and her life is worse for it. Things are difficult, and she is required to turn over three babies a month to the Enclave. After her parents are arrested, she leaves it all to save them. But she finds out that the Enclave isn't all she had expected. Things weren't as easy as she thought - and she meets lots of people that help her along the way.

So, I really loved this story. I got really sucked in after the world was built for me. It's set in a futuristic time - after we've all ruined the earth - but I constantly forgot that it wasn't historical. Life sounds a lot like it was in ancient times, but then computers and cameras are thrown in. A few times, it caught me off guard. But it's easy to imagine how many steps back we would have to take if the earth started being uncooperative.

When I finished this book, I read a little bit about the author and saw that she is an English teacher. That really made a few things click for me. There are some perfect elements for discussion with classes - the color imagery, the vocabulary, the relationships with adults, and more. I can totally see a teacher picking up this book for use in a classroom. One of the things I really liked was the different colors that were used for the classes in the society. It creates wonderful imagery - a crowd mixed together, but knowing each one belongs to a different group.

Honestly, this book has just about everything - adventure, lurve, mystery, dystopian society, etc. It makes for a wonderful story and now I'm completely hooked. I absolutely HAVE to find out what happened! I've already requested the second book at my library and I'm waiting anxiously. This story will suck you in and totally leave you hanging.

The whole birthmark thing is very interesting to me. I love that Gaia's mother marked every baby she delivered and sent into the Enclave. It pulls those people together, but also makes those people targets in the society. There are several codes and cyphers in this story as well. Those really intrigued me and I found myself trying to decipher them on my own. It's a really cool element in this story.

I 100% recommend this book. There is so much that this book offers and I know it will find many readers. I'm sure it already has... I'm just a little late on this one :). I will probably be reviewing this second book as soon as I get my hands on it. So stay tuned and go find the first one! You won't regret it.
__________________________________________________
Other Blog Reviews:

The Bawdy Book Blog
The Teen Bookworm
Bittersweet Enchantment
Curled Up With Books
YA Litwit
The Book Belles
Carina's Books
Owl Read It
What Makes YA Beautiful

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (120)

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

Mystic City

by Theo Lawrence

To be released: October 9, 2012

Summary from Barnes and Noble:

"For fans of Matched, The Hunger Games, X-Men, and Blade Runner comes a tale of a magical city divided, a political rebellion ignited, and a love that was meant to last forever. Book One of the Mystic City Novels.

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself."

I am a total sucker for all of these action-packed fantasy/sci fi books. And this one sounds like it fits the bill. And it's going to be a series?! I'm in, for sure. It sounds a little like Romeo and Juliet with a lot of twists, which could be awesome. Yes, I know this book is on NetGalley - I'm hoping to read it sooner rather than later!

What are you waiting on this week?

Monday, September 3, 2012

The Dark Unwinding Tour: Sharon Cameron Interview

This book tour is presented by The Book Vortex. I am so excited to present to you Sharon Cameron who has recently published her first book: The Dark Unwinding. You can see my review of it here. And now her interview...

_________________________________________________________

Photo by Rusty Russel (2011)

1. Why did you decide to write about England when you live in Tennessee? Did you have to do a lot of research to get the place and feel right?

I’m a great believer in writing about whatever lights your own inner fire, and for me, that’s Britain. I feel incredibly at home there, especially in the West Highlands of Scotland (maybe it’s my DNA!). As far as the Victorian era, I’ve always found it fascinating, and had read a ton of writing, both fiction and non-fiction, from the period long before I ever began The Dark Unwinding. So I was coming from a very comfortable place even before I started my (exhaustive!) research. I’m a nit-picky researcher, so it helps to be researching an era you love.

2. Since your book has a historical setting: If you could go back, what historical time period would you want to live in?

Ooo, fascinating question! And one that I’ve actually given thought to many times. I can think of so many interesting historical events I’d love to see and clothes I just KNOW I’d look good in, but when I think of dentists, doctors, and the justice system I remember that “now” is really not so bad! But, if I had to choose, I think I’d want to live right at the turn of the century, before World War I, in a small idyllic village where a lost cow or what sort of pie needs baked that day might be life’s biggest problems. I think I’d like to be Anne of Green Gables, except in Scotland.

3. Are there any authors who have influenced your writing?

Oh, yes. For The Dark Unwinding, Charlotte Bronte (a la Jane Eyre) is obviously a huge influence, but I also have to give major kudos to Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca. I think that book more than any other showed me how to make the ordinary and everyday seem just a little bit creepy.

4. Did you base any of the characters off of people you know in real life?

The truth? No, not at all! For me, characters are products of their setting. What kind of person do you become if you spend your early years in Aunt Alice’s morning room? If you spend you childhood taking care of Uncle Tully? We’re all somewhat shaped by our environment, and I think a character in a book is no different.

5. Did you originally write this title with young adults in mind? It seems like a story that adults would find interesting as well.

Confession: I’ve never actually specifically written for any age group. I write for people that love stories, and when you love a story, I don’t think it matters a whit what age you are or what age that story is “supposed” to be for. I think great stories transcend age groups.

6. Will there be a sequel? It seems like there is a lot more story that could be told.

Absolutely! The sequel is scheduled for the fall of 2013. Stay tuned!

_______________________________________________________

Thank you so much for the interview!

Find Sharon at:

Her website

On Facebook

On Twitter: @CameronSharonE

On Goodreads

Also, I have a little giveaway for you! :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Definitely go check out this book today! I loved it and I know you will too.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Nevermore by James Patterson

Title: Nevermore
Author: James Patterson
ISBN: 9780316101844
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Released: August 6, 2012
Series: Maximum Ride #8
Page #: 344
Source: My public library

Summary:
"One last chance...
For Max, Fang, and Dylan...
Before it all ends.

Are you ready for the final chapter?
Are you ready for the ultimate fight?
Because THIS IS IT.

One last incredible, explosive adventure with an astonishing ending that no one could have seen coming."
___________________________________________________
First Lines:

"It was night, and Angel was perched on the hot surface of the scorched rock cliff. Her wings were spread out behind her, her ravaged legs swinging into nothingness, her ears straining in the strange new silence."
Page 3
___________________________________________________
Review:

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE OTHER 7 BOOKS, THEN I WOULDN'T READ ON.
EXPECT SPOILERS!
Okay, kids. I've been a fan of the Maximum Ride series for a long while. When I found out that this was the last book, I got excited to see what crazy stuff was going to happen. But I'm not sure I got the ending I was expecting...

So, Max and her flock have been through hell and back. They've been experimented on, poked and prodded, they've been split up, they've fought for their lives more times than you can count, and so on. What more could be thrown at them? The end of the world, perhaps?

On the surface, you have this epic love triangle between Max and her two boys - Dylan and Fang. One who has left her and the other who was engineered to be her perfect match. It doesn't help that they are pretty much opposites and Max has no idea what to do about it. That's a story line that came around a couple of books ago. I was looking forward to the conclusion of it. SPOILER: she doesn't pick. It's still left open ended. So that was a little annoying...

There is also this crazy storyline about the scientists who made the bird kids. The kids are always being hunted and the whitecoats want them back to experiment on them. The problem is that they created even scary-er creatures to take them down. So there's constant battling and people start dying left and right. All of the adults in their lives are suspect. SPOILER: But here's the problem... none of those people are the issue in the end. The world just explodes? I'm still not sure...

Maybe my expectations were just too high. I thought the ending was going to hold all of the answers. It just didn't for me - though, some might be able to find some answers there, but it wasn't enough for me. I think it was left a little too open-ended. And there seems to be a possibility of more books. Of course, what author would want to completely close off a popular series. Alas! I was just hoping for more closure.

If you haven't read this series yet, then I've probably told you far more than you needed to know. But I do think that this is a series you need to try. Each book has been a quick read and I have enjoyed all of them. So I still recommend them, for sure. Just don't expect some epically amazing ending :). I do look forward to more from Patterson. I think he's got the formula down for a great YA series. Worth your while, in my opinion.
___________________________________________________
Other Blog Reviews:

Justin's Book Blog
Reading Writing Breathing
Book Fanatics
Beneath the Moon and Stars
Living for the Books
Kelly Walker Writes
The Maniacal Bookworm
Frozen in Fiction
Nori's Closet