Bubble World by Carol Snow

Title: Bubble World
Author: Carol Snow
ISBN: 9780805095715
Publisher: Macmillan Children's
Released: July 30, 2013
Page #: 353
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary:
"Freesia’s life is perfect. She lives on the beautiful tropical island of Agalinas, surrounded by idyllic weather, fancy dress shops, and peacocks who sing her favorite song to wake her up in the morning. She has so many outfits she could wear a different one every day for a year and not run out.

Lately things on the island may have been a bit flippy: sudden blackouts, students disappearing, even Freesia’s reflection looking slightly . . . off. But in Freesia’s experience, it’s better not to think about things like that too much.

Unfortunately for her, these signs are more than random blips in the universe. Freesia’s perfect bubble is about to pop."
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First Lines: (quote from the ARC - subject to change)

"The signs were all there, but Freesia chose to ignore them. She didn't question the power surges. The electrical blackouts. The sudden departures that bordered on disappearances."
Page 1
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Review:

I wasn't sure what to really expect from Bubble World. I mean, look at that cover. You can only imagine how silly a book this might be. But I found it much more intriguing than I thought I would.

Freesia lives the absolute perfect life. She has a wardrobe that never ends, friends that are amazing, and lives on an idyllic island. Things couldn't be better. She goes to classes - only because that means her parents will spend more money (Shells) for her to party. Things are easy. Things are great. But then strange things start happening. Weird blackouts. A day repeats itself. She hears some weird things from a guy who is clearly going insane. But... her life is perfect, so she isn't about to rock the boat.

I'm going to have a hard time reviewing this book without spoiling what happens about halfway through. But I'll sure try! If you're anything like me, you will hate just about everything there is about Freesia in the beginning of this book. She's self-centered, vapid, annoying... Everything you'd expect, I guess. She only starts to take shape as a real person once strange things start happening. She begins to question things that don't make sense in her world. And that has consequences she wasn't expecting.

So... while this book starts out as shallow and insane, it really pulls in some heavy-hitter issues. Education. Family. Obesity (don't question that till you've read the book). Relationships. It's deceptively in-depth. Again, trying not to spoil here. I was impressed at all of things things pulled in here. And in a way that makes you really root for Freesia to do the right thing in the end.

I think this is a thought provoking book that will surprise readers. I know it surprised me. I will probably recommend this to select readers - those who can appreciate a good ditzy, fun story. Because they will need that love to get through the first half of the story. But I think many will appreciate the issues it brings up. It's an easy and fun story, so it's definitely worth a little time once it comes out in July. Plus, you will 100% wish you lived on the island with Freesia and her friends.
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Other Blog Reviews:

In All Serious-ness
The Armchair Librarian
There aren't many reviews yet, but I'm sure there will be more before July. :) Let me know if you review this one so I can link you up.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
ISBN: 9780307582911
Publisher: Random House
Released: October 06, 2009
Series: The Maze Runner #1
Duration: 10 hours, 50 minutes
Source: Audiobook from my public library

Summary:
"When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind."
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First Lines:

"He began his new life, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air.
Metal ground against metal; a lurching shudder shook the floor beneath him."
Page 1 
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Review:

Yep, I'm probably the last person on the planet to read this book. Well, listen to it. I've heard so many rave reviews, that I figured it was probably time. And I have to agree... it's the perfect boy adventure story.

Thomas doesn't remember anything from his life before The Glade. All he knows is that someone is controlling their movements and they have to figure out a way to escape. But he's no ordinary Glader. Some of the boys remember him. And he gets attacked by one of them - saying he remembers him from before. Things are changing - and not for the better. They have to get out before they're all killed by the monsters in the Maze. Thomas just knows that somewhere in his mind is the key to getting them all to safety.

I went into this book knowing it was going to be good. Didn't really know what it was going to be about, but knew I had to read it (listen to it). And I'm so glad that I did! It's now a story that I can't get out of my head. The whole concept of the Glad and knowing that you were sent there by people. People who are now watching you. Waiting to see what you do. It's a creepy concept. But the boys who have been sent there have formed themselves into a working society. They have people who take care of each aspect of life. And they have the runners - the ones who are trying to find a way out. It's a little Lord of the Flies with the boys governing other boys without any sort of adult authority. But that's sort of where the similarities end.

Unfortunately, there's a big, scary threat... the Grievers. Each night they come out into the maze and will kill you if you're caught out there after the walls close each night. And if they do sting you (instead of straight up killing you), then you will go through the Change. None of the boys really understand what the change is, but they know it's scary. And you will get back some memories. But you will never be the same.

The ending is more epic than I ever imagined. There's a huge battle that leaves you breathless and concerned about every character in the story. Thomas grows close with several of the characters and it's very interesting to see how he interacts with each of them. He becomes the central part of the escape. He becomes the one people are scared of. He becomes the one that they can all learn from. Watching that transformation of naive newbie to the end is quite the transformation.

Although everyone on the planet has already read this book, I am definitely recommending it. If you've been putting it off like I have, you should go ahead and get on it. The audiobook was really well done and that is probably the perfect way to get drawn into the story. The reader does a great job with the different boy voices and has a wonderful tempo with the intensity of the story. He really pulls you in without knowing you were being pulled in. I'm definitely on the edge of my seat wondering what happens in the next book - which I'm off to look for now. Again, this is a must read!!
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Other Blog Reviews:

Love, Literature, Art, and Reason
Fangirls of Fiction
Rinn Reads
Readers in Wonderland
Life in the Thumb
Words Can Break Hearts
An Unexpected Book Blog...
Understanding Shae's Story
Reading for Sanity
Project Read and Review

Out This Week (April 28-May 4)

Check out what's being released this week in YA world... 

• 4.30.13 The Last Academy by Anne Applegate
• 4.30.13 Defriended by Ruth Baron

•  4.30.13 Belonging by Karen Ann Hopkins
• 4.30.13 The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa

•  4.30.13 The Loop by Shandy Lawson
• 4.30.13 Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

• 4.30.13 Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick
• 4.30.13 The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise

• 4.30.13 Sketchy by Olivia Samms
• 4.30.13 The Program by Suzanne Young

Shower of Books Giveaway Hop

Welcome to one of the many stops on the Showers of Books Giveaway Hop!

This is hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Books a la Mode. There are a gazillion other stops on this hop, so be sure to visit them all! This will be running from now until April 30th at 11:59PM.

Now, on to what I have to offer ya...
All 8 Books go to one lucky winner! They're mostly ARCs - and one even has a different cover than the official one.  This is a US Only giveaway.

 

 

 Just fill out this handy dandy form and I will email ya when I have a winner!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Princess
Author: Cassandra Clare
ISBN: 9781416975908
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Released: March 19, 2013
Series: The Infernal Devices #3
Page #: 568
Source: My public library

Summary:
"Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan.
He needs Tessa.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are engaged, Will is still in love with her.

The last words of a dying Shadowhunter provide the clue that might lead Tessa and her friends to Mortmain. But their small group cannot stand alone, and the powerful Consul doubts that Mortmain is coming. Deserted by allies, the Shadowhunters find themselves trapped when Mortmain seizes the medicine that keeps Jem alive. With his best friend at death's door, Will must risk everything to save the girl they both love.

To buy Will time, the warlock Mangus Bane joins with Henry Branwell to create a device that could help defeat Mortmain. As they all work to save Tessa and the future of the Shadowhunters that resides with her, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself - for in the discovery of her own true nature, Tessa could become more powerful than she ever dreamed possible. But can a lone girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy."
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First Lines:

"'I'm afraid,' said the little girl sitting on the bed. 'Grandfather, can you stay with me?'
Aloysius Starkweather made an impatient noise in the back of his throat as he drew a chair closer to the bedside and seated himself."
Page 1
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Review:

In my opinion, you can never go wrong with a Cassandra Clare book. This is the third (and final) book in the series. So if you haven't read the rest, I suggest you do so.

Tessa and Jem are finally getting married. Will, of course, isn't happy about it. And there are more people living in the London Institute than before - some of which have only just begun training to be Shadowhunters. Charlotte is being undermined and Jem's medications are becoming scarce. One attack on the Institute throws everything into a whirlwind. Will has to make a huge trip on a whim and Jem is fighting for his life. It is an epic conclusion to an already epic story.

Honestly, I didn't know this was the last book in the series. I could feel that it was getting there when I neared the end, but I wasn't expecting that. I'm notoriously bad about not reading book flaps of series' I'm already involved with. I already know I'm going to love it, so why read about it beforehand? :) So, even though this is the end, the book really captivated me.

In the previous books, there is a huge emphasis on Tessa, Will, and Jem - as to be expected. It's really their story, after all. But this last book pulls in a few more interesting characters. Gabriel and Gideon - brothers that I continually got confused. Even more about Will's sister and his family before he left them. And other fringe characters really started making a name for themselves. It was a really cool way to end the story.

Obviously, I'm not going to tell you what happens. But for those people who have chosen a side (Will or Jem), I think everyone will be happy. I haven't read a book that crafted that particular aspect so well - especially the link between the two boys. You end up loving them both and being torn - just like Tessa. It's a well crafted love story and I think will be appreciated by all fans of the series.  

Even if you haven't read the Mortal Instruments series, I think this story of the Infernal Devices stands well on its own. I do like that you have characters that you can keep up with in the future. But I really think you can get into this earlier story and be just fine. Especially if you're a fan of magical historical fiction. It's all really well thought out and I love how things come together in the end. Cassandra Clare is a true artist.
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Other Blog Reviews:

Under the Covers Book Blog
The Mountains of Instead
Kala's Book Blog
Readers in Wonderland
Booktastic Reviews
Books Complete Me
A Beautiful Madness
A Walk on Words
Random Things in Action
The Reader's Den