The Book Addict Reviews: Tempest by Julie Cross

Genre:  Young Adult, Science-Fiction, Time Travel
Order Online: Amazon.com  
Author Info: Goodreads | Website
Rating: 2 stars   
Received this audiobook from my book blogging buddy, Jen Ryland from YA Romantics.  

In A Nutshell:  
Jackson Meyer has all the appearance of a "normal" guy.  He goes to school.  He has a girlfriend.  He is unsure how to handle his father.  He misses his sister desperately.  But he has recently learned that he has the ability to time travel.  However, time travel for Jackson is not like what you see in the movies.  His trips do not change the past--the people he meets do not even remember talking to him.  He cannot travel to the future.  But something has changed for Jackson--his normal life has been threatened by people he has never met...

Review:  
I was a little hesitant to jump into a time travel book after reading The Time Traveler's Wife.  Consequently this book sat on my shelf for a long time, but as part of my pledge to get the books I have at home read I decided to give it a try.  I am glad that I did.

In some ways, the characters seem a little stereotypical.  Jackson is the perfect rich kid who is also brilliant.  Holly is the perfect contrast as the good girl from the wrong side of the tracks who is beautiful enough and smart enough to attract Jackson.  Adam is the smart to the point of nerdy side-kick--he does not attract the girl but he is always there to save the day.  Initially, I was not impressed.  But as the story unfolded the characters gained depth that made them more interesting and took them away from these stereotypes.

Julie Cross' approach to time travel helped to draw out some of the complexities of these characters.  Jackson's time travel adventures only affect him--the people he interacts with and the changes he makes to events are only remembered by him.  But we can still learn a lot about him from the choices he makes even when he knows that it is fruitless.  We can also learn a lot about Holly and Adam from the interactions he has with them at different points in time.

Uncovering the complexities helped me to relate more to the characters--but I still felt the characters were a little too good to be true.  Adam seems to always have the answers and the skills needed in every situation.  Holly seems to have every attribute that Jackson wants and needs.  Jackson seems to be able to charm himself into or out of every situation.  Sometimes it feels a little too easy.

But I do not mean to give the impression that I thought Tempest was all bad.  Despite some of concerns about the characters, the story drew me in.  Jackson is a good narrator.  He has wit and a good eye for details.  His charm and charisma work as well on the reader as they do on the other characters.

The approach to time travel is unique.  Jackson's time travel adventures only affect him.  He is the only one that remembers the interactions he has with people during his time jumps.  The people he meets and talks to do not remember the encounter when he returns to the present.  The actions he takes do not change the results of the events in the present time.  But this approach also leaves me with my big question that I hope will be answered as the series continues: if time travel does not typically affect the present--what is the point? 

Recommendations:
I happened to pick this one up just before the release of the next book in the series--after the last couple of chapters I could not wait to read the next book to see where the story went from there:

The Book Addict Reviews: Inside by Maria V. Snyder

Genre:  Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Order Online: Amazon.com  
Author Info: Goodreads | Website
Rating: 4 stars   
Received this book as a gift from my blogging buddy, Jen Ryland from YA Romantics.

In A Nutshell:  
Trella is a scrub.  Trella lives on the Inside.  As a scrub on the Inside, she has very definite ideas about her life.  Some of them come from the education received in her care facility (i.e., uppers are living the life of luxury while she is scrubbing the pipes).  Some of them have come from her interaction with others (i.e., her preference for sleeping in the pipes rather than the crowded barracks).  But her unique strength and her unique talents have given her the unique opportunity to be the instrument of change--if she is willing to take the chance. 

Review:  
Admittedly, I love Maria V. Snyder!  I have not read a book by her that I did not love.  So I had high expectations when I started Inside and Maria V. Snyder did not disappoint me.

First, Maria V. Snyder created a complicated and interesting world where the rules and norms are designed to separate and divide the population.  The distrust is so prevalent that even when they come together against a common enemy, they divide again afterwards and give others the opportunity to destroy them again.  The way that Maria V. Snyder presents this deeply embedded distrust and the way it permeates every aspect of their lives is telling.  It is subtle.  It is not based on any one making a conscience decision.  It is based on these ideas being told in little ways in every aspect of their lives.  It is in what they teach their children, how they interact with each other, and how they interact with people they do not know well. 

Second, Maria V. Snyder created an interesting cast of characters.  In particular, Trella intrigued me.  I felt reasonably confident throughout the story that she was on the good side.  But she is flawed.  She makes mistakes.  She sometimes believes the wrong person.  She sometimes does not believe the right person.  And she sometimes does not take into account the effect her decisions and actions have on other people, particularly those people who chose to follow her when the odds were stacked against them.

Third, Maria V. Snyder created interesting dynamics in the relationships between her characters.  In my opinion, the relationship that most exemplifies this is the one between Trella and Doctor Lamont.  This relationship goes from one extreme to another as each of these characters learns more about how and why they ended up separated.  The lack of trust and understanding mirrors the lack of trust and understanding in the world as a whole.  As the situation of their world changes, this dynamic within their relationship changes.

Finally, Maria V. Snyder always seems to have one more trick up her sleeve.  In all of the books by Maria V. Snyder that I have read, I have found that every time I think I know what is going to happen or who is going to be on the "bad" side--I am wrong.  Things are always just a little different from what I expected--but still realistic and believable within the confines of her story.  This is not an easy combination to accomplish over and over again--but it is one of the biggest reasons I am always excited to hear about a new Maria V. Snyder book.  

Recommendations:
I cannot believe that I missed the release of the second book in the Healer series--I want to read it so bad!

However, buying a new book is not in my immediate plans particularly since I have a Maria V. Snyder book in my box that must be read soon.
 

Short & Sweet: Free Four by Veronica Roth

And to the point! Sometimes it is nice to read a short story or a novella, but it is not always fair to compare them to longer stories with more time for plot and character development.
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Genre:  Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Free Online: Facebook 

Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: 3 stars
Novella available for free at link above.  

In A Nutshell:  
I am glad I read this after reading Insurgent because I would not have wanted to have the surprising fact I learned in Insurgent ruined for me.  But I am also very glad that I read this novella because I think it gave me much more insight into Tobias.  The only downside is that it made me crave more written from his perspective!

Review:  
I just learned about this novella--which meant that I read it after reading Insurgent, and I am not sure that I would have wanted to read this first.  There is an important aspect of Tobias revealed in this novella that is also revealed in Insurgent.  And I am not sure I would have wanted to know that aspect of his feelings about Dauntless before I found out about them in Insurgent.  I enjoyed learning the truth at the same time Tris did.

However, I did really enjoy getting inside Tobias.  I would love to see more stories told from his perspective because in many ways I think they compliment each other well.  Tris seems much more naive and sheltered than Tobias does, but I think that is because she is younger and been away from her family for less time.  In comparison, I think Tobias knows more about what is going on around him but is not always as perceptive as Tris.  Together--I think they give unique, and in important ways, different perspectives on the events going on around them.  And with the complex world that Veronica Roth has created, two different perspectives give us so much more insight into the truth.

Recommendations:
I need recommendations!  I want to find more novellas to read.  Do you know of any good ones?  Please share (pretty please with sugar and honey).  :)

The Book Addict Reviews: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Genre:  Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Order Online: Amazon.com  
Author Info: Goodreads | Website
Rating: 4 stars   
Borrowed book from a friend. 

Note: There may be spoilers to Divergent in this review.  If you have not read Divergent, please see my review. 

In A Nutshell:  
I do not think I have eagerly anticipated a book this much since the last two Harry Potter books.  I was on a countdown for months waiting for this one to be released.  And all I can say is I was not disappointed--but now I am on another countdown for Book 3 because one again Veronica Roth left me begging for more!

Review:  
Dauntless is divided--those that have aligned themselves with Erudite are wearing blue arm bands and acting as guards.  Those that have not are in hiding, planning, waiting for the ideal time to show their fearlessness and the leadership to make a stand.

Tris is divided--she is hiding the fact that she murdered one of her best friends from everyone (even the person she loves most).  She is struggling with how to honor the sacrifice her parents made with their lives.  She is not sure how to best handle her feelings for Tobias.

Tobias is divided--he does not necessarily want to tell the world who he is but more and more his true name is gaining him access to information.  He is cautious about his feelings for Tris--and the more he feels that she is hiding something important from him the more he feels he needs to pull away.  But he made the decision to stay in Dauntless based in part on his feelings for her--he cannot throw that away lightly.

What I wanted most when I started the book was more information about Tobias.  I loved that Insurgent allowed me more insight into who Tobias was, where he came from, and how all of that affects how he approaches the world.  As much as I loved Four in Divergent, I found Tobias in Insurgent more interesting and more compelling.

At some points, I was frustrated with the lack of trust between Tris and Tobias.  Every time they going got tough or the answers were not readily given, they seemed to be willing to drop each other or at least believe the worst of each other.  For people who claim the level of love and dedication that they do, it seemed they had very little faith in that love, that dedication or each other.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realize that this wish-washiness is more of a sign of their background.  Tobias had very little experience with true love or true dedication.  Tris, as a Divergent raised in Abnegation, came from a family who displayed love in a way that she either did not fully understand or did not fully meet her need for love.  

And that is probably what I love the most about Veronica Roth's writing.  She reveals a lot of the details in subtle ways.  A careful reading of her books is rewarded with more insight and more connection with the characters and the story she has woven. 

And then at the end she drops a bomb--now I cannot wait to read the next book!

Recommendations:
According to Goodreads--Book 3 (still untitled) will not be out until Fall 2013.  I do not know how I can possibly wait that long!  But in the meantime, I just found this short story about Four--and really is there ever enough of him?
Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story

The Book Addict Reviews: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Love & Romance
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: First time: 4 stars/Second time: 2 stars
First time: Borrowed the book from a friend/Second time: Borrowed the book from the library. 

In A Nutshell:
This story intrigued me--the idea of love as a disease that must be cured.  My initial reading of this book left me on pins and needles eagerly awaiting the next book's release.  But it is not a book I can re-read often because my second time through I found Lena to be a very annoying narrator.

Review:
Love is a disease--and like many diseases the scientists and doctors have sought for and apparently found a cure.  A procedure that all 18 years old in the established cities have to protect themselves from being infected by love.  But with the loss of the ability to love, they lose some of their memories from before the procedures, their ability to establish meaningful relationships, even their ability to care for their children and families.  

I read this book over a year ago--and I loved everything about it.  Since Pandemonium is coming out soon, I decided to re-read this one to prepare to read the next one.  I found my feelings changed quite a bit upon re-reading.  In particular, I found Lena to be a very annoying character.  She seems incapable to focus on the task or issue at hand.  And since she is the narrator--we have to read all of her scattered unrelated thoughts as we go through the story.  More than one time I wanted to slap her cheek and shake her a little like they do on television in order to get the character to focus.  Focus Lena Focus!!

But Alex kept me coming back for more.  There was something about him that always drew me in--from the first moment that Lena saw him at her evaluation.  I was almost as bad as Lena as I eagerly anticipated the next time that they would hang out so that I could read about him again.

I felt for Hannah.  I think she would have more eagerly accepting of Alex and the opportunities he presented because she already seemed posed to rebel against the life that was prescribed for her.  As I eagerly anticipate Pandemonium, I hope that Hannah is there and that there is something good in store for her.
 
Recommendations:
Despite my so-so feelings after re-reading this book, I cannot wait for the next book.  I am intrigued and excited to see what comes next for Lena, Hannah, and Alex:

The Book Addict Reviews: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction,
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Jay Asher's Blog | Carolyn Mackler's website | Jay Asher's Goodreads | Carolyn Mackler's Goodreads
Rating: 3 stars
Borrowed book from the library. 

In A Nutshell:
I will never look at Facebook the same way again--or maybe it is more accurate to say I wish I had had the access that Josh and Emma had into Facebook and into my future when I was in high school (although I seriously think I would have searched out the opportunity to invest before Facebook hit big!).  Overall, I liked the book but I do not feel that it will stick with me nearly as much as Th1rteen R3asons Why did.

Review:
Josh and Emma have lived next door to each other their whole lives.  For most of that time, they have also been best friends.  Until last November when Josh revealed that he had a crush on Emma.  From that moment everything changed--became more awkward--and they have b.  Until Josh's family gets a free America Online CD-ROM in the mail and have him offer it to Emma who just got a computer.  When she installs AOL on her computer, it opens "Facebook," a website they have never heard of.  Quickly they realize that Facebook is something from the future--and they are seeing where they will be in fifteen years.  Through a series of trial and error, they begin to realize that things they do today have major effects on their future lives.

I got a kick out of how Emma and Josh talk about technology in 1996.  Cell phones were unusual--only one teen has one in this book.  The AOL CD is going to take so long to download that Emma can do some other things while it is downloading, so she decides to put on her walkman and pull her hair up in a scrunchie to go for a run.  Facebook is a complicated website filled with lots of personal (and yet superficial) information and cryptic status updates.   There was a little bit of a nostalgic feel that made me reminiscence about this time in my life which I found charming--but it also made me look at all of the technology around me differently.  Like right now, I am at McDonalds writing this review on my laptop using wifi.  In 1996, this action would have been unheard of.  

I love that this book is written from two different perspectives: Emma and Josh.  This story focuses on their lives both present and the effect of their present decisions on their future.  And with the two distinct perspectives on the events, we get to see the cause and effect reactions of each of their actions--and the emotions that they tie to the events that are hard for them to admit to even to themselves.  I felt like this insight was important to the book, particularly for Emma's character.  There were many instances where I thought she was very shallow, but seeing her motivation and then seeing how Josh sees her (and why he loves her) helped me to like her more.  I think telling this story from a third person perspective would have made it very difficult for me to like Emma much at all. 

I do wish that we got a little more of Tyson and Kellan's perspectives as well because I felt like there was a lot more to their story than met the eye or the awareness of either Emma or Jacob.  Or it could have been with everything going on with Emma, Josh, and Facebook they missed a lot of the details.  In some ways I wonder if Tyson and Kellan's story was inadvertently affected by Facebook too?  With Emma and Josh so focused on their futures, what did they miss?  Were they not available for their friends when Tyson and Kellan needed them?  Was it a good thing that Tyson and Kellan got together or not?  I do not know, but I was intrigued and wanted to know more.  I felt like there were a lot of holes in this side story.

This book felt more to me like a realistic fiction than a science fiction.  The science fiction element did not cause the changes in the characters as much as it a catalyst for the change.  Facebook gave them glimpses into the future--showed them that their actions and decisions today had a profound effect on their future happiness.  Their story unfolded as they reacted to the changes they saw in their future lives--and determined how they want to define happiness in the future. 

Recommendations:
Before reading this book, I had only read Jay Asher's work (particularly Th1rteen R3asons Why which I loved).  After reading this book I am still a huge fan of Jay Asher, but now I want to read more of Carolyn Mackler's books:

The Book Addict Review and Giveaway: Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: 4 stars
Bought this book and had it signed by the author at The Dark Days of Supernatural tour stop.

In A Nutshell:
It's hard to determine my best book of 2012 in January, but Under the Never Sky may very well be the one for me!

Review:
Aria has been falsely convicted--exiled and left to wander alone under the Aether Storms.  Perry has been forced to leave--left to get his kidnapped nephew back.  Their separate upbringings has led them to initially distrust each other--but their circumstances force them to work together.  As their group grows, as they have to escape large groups who want to kill them, as they dodge dangerous Aether Storms--they learn that they may not be as different as they initially thought.

The artist in Veronica Rossi comes out in her striking and visually-compelling descriptions of the world she has created.  The sights, the smells, and the sounds come together to draw the reader into the story--makes them feel like they are part of the group.  I could not stop turning the pages as the characters (who I started to think of as my friends) covered treacherous terrain, dodged cannibalistic covens, tricked their way into guarded pods, learned the truth about themselves, their backgrounds, and their talents.

The only thing that killed me is when it ended--I wanted more.  I cannot wait for the next book in the series to come out and tell me what happens next.  This book ended in a cliff-hanger of all cliff-hangers!  The next installment cannot come fast enough for me!

Recommendations:
Since I think this may be my favorite book of 2012--I do not have a recommendation but a giveaway to share the wealth and the experience!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Book Addict Reviews: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Genre:Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Goodreads | Website
Rating: 4 stars
Picked book up in a Paperbacksawp game.

In A Nutshell:
Since the popularity of The Hunger Games Trilogy, I have seen so many dystopian books coming out that I have started getting a little hesitant to jump into another one.  I kept putting off reading Divergent and now I wholeheartedly regret that decision.  Divergent is one of the best books I read in 2011.

Review:
Beatrice Prior has a big decision to make--a decision that will shape the course of her life.  In the society she lives in, at the age of sixteen each person has to choose a faction that best suits their nature.  And it is a choice they must take very seriously because if they do not choose correctly and do not make it through the initiation into their faction they will be factionless--poor, friendless, uncared for, and considered by many to be the worst drain on society. 

Veronica Roth creates an interesting cast of characters in Divergent.  They feel authentic because they are struggling with some of same issues that all teens go through (finding a place to fit, identifying love) but the world Veronica Roth created makes some of those decisions so striking.  Finding a place to fit in may mean leaving their family forever.  Finding a place to fit may mean doing things that they do not believe in to prove their loyalty.

The reader learns and explores the society that Veronica Roth created, but it never feels boring.  The story is full of twists, turns, and expected revelations.  I was on the edge of my seat the whole time--and now I will not wait so long to read the next installment.

Recommendations:
The next installment is available for pre-order here, but they do not have the cover up yet.  If you want to see a picture of the cover you can see it here.

The Book Addict Reviews: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Genre: Time Travel, Science Fiction, Historical
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: 4 stars
Borrowed this book from the library.

In A Nutshell:
I was not sure what to expect when I started it.  The size of the book and the amount of CDs in the case worried me--would I be able to keep it all straight?  Yes because Diana Gabaldon does a masterful job of creating the story and keeping it compelling and easy to follow.  I loved this book! 

Review:
I admit it--I judged Outlander by the cover; or more accurately I judged it by the size of its cover.  The book looked so huge and unwielding that I was afraid to start it.  But so many people kept recommending the book to me that I gave in.  And I am so glad that I did.

Diana Gabaldon has mastered the details.  Outlander is packed full of details about what people in 1743 Scotland ate, wore, practiced religion, traveled, interacted within the clan organization, practiced religion and even decorated their homes.  At every turn of the story, I felt like I was there in the story.

Diana Gabaldon has mastered characters.  My friends are starting to make fun of me because I have been talking about Jamie Fraser incessantly.  He was the kind of character that stuck with me.  I wanted to meet him--and I most definitely wanted to see him in his kilt!

But even more than that, I wanted to meet Gellie.  Since we hear Claire's story, we know a lot about her 1945 life and her 1743 life.  But Gellie is an intriguing mystery to me.  What did she leave behind in 1967?  Why didn't she try to return?  I wholeheartedly wish that Claire had seen the small pox vaccination scar earlier; early enough to have some long conversations with her.

Recommendations:
I already have the next book in the series and I cannot wait to start it and find out what happens to Claire, Jamie, and all the other characters that Diana Gabaldon created that I love:

The Book Addict Reviews: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Genre: Science Fiction
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Goodreads
Rating: 2 stars
Borrowed this book from the library. 

In A Nutshell:
This book is about reflection.  It is about transitions.  It is about changes.  But it is also about accepting those things in your life that you cannot change.  Accepting, but still striving to have the best life that you can.  Overall, I am glad that I read this book, but I am also very glad that I borrowed it from the library rather than buying it.

Review:
Imagine a world where people are created in order to provide organs for the organ donor program.  But in exchange, these people have no chance at a normal life.  No chance to have children.  No chance to experience love.  No chance to live a full life.  From the time they reach adulthood, they care for other donors until they become donors themselves.

The story is told from the prospective of Kathy, one of the people who was created to be a donor.  She is about to transition from being a Carer to being a Donor.  This transition leads her to reflect on her childhood at Hailsham, a boarding school she attended with other children like her; other children created for the organ donor program.

The details in this book come out slowly.  We get hints about the program, about the role the Hailsham students play in the program, what kind of life the students expect to have, but we do not get a lot of detail until we have finished about three-fourths of the book.  As one of the characters describe it, they are "told, but not told."  And since the reader gets the story through Kathy's experience, the reader is also "told, but not told."

In some ways, the story felt disjointed.  It is told from Kathy's memories and recollections.  She would tell the stories as they came to her.  As one story would remind her of another story, she would make a note in the book to tell us that story later.  Consequently, the book is not really in chronological order.  So it was sometimes hard to see how the stories are connected or how they flow across the course of Kathy's life.

I do appreciate books that are reflective--that make me think about my life, my choices, my freedoms, etc.  And I did find that and appreciate that in this book.  But I also found the book slow to develop.  The book lacked action.  Yes, the characters did things, but the reader was not really part of that action.  The reader is just told about the action.  

Recommendations:
After reading this book, I want to watch the movie and see how it compares:

Series in Review: The Steampunk Chronicles by Kady Cross

Series are a tricky thing. I have series that I love as a whole, but an individual book within the series did not impress me.  So I am not always sure that reviewing the individual books is fair to the author's vision. However, I do not want to postpone all of my reviews of the books within a series until the end. With those thoughts in mind I decided to start Series In Review. In these postings, I will be looking at more than one book in the series or if possible the entire series at one time.
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**This review may contain spoilers for some of the books in the series**

I was not sure if I should put this down as a Series in Review, but I read the prequel as well as the recently released book and I found that my opinion of both were affected by the fact that I had read the other.

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Steampunk, Science Fiction
Books Released in Series: The Strange Case of Finley Jayne and The Girl in the Steel Corset
Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: 3 Stars
Downloaded The Strange Case of Finley Jayne from Amazon and The Girl in the Steel Corset picked up in Paperbackswap games.

In A Nutshell:
I read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde earlier this year, so I was excited when I learned about  The Strange Case of Finley Jayne and eagerly awaited the release of The Girl with the Steel Corset. I would love to say that the wait and the anticipation were worth it, but after finishing both books, I was underwhelmed and even a little frustrated.

Review:
My first frustration with the series is that the prequel, The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, seemed irrelevant. Finley Jayne was in the exact same position in the beginning of the prequel as she was in the beginning of The Girl with the Steel Corset--leaving a recent employment after one of the males in the household made unwanted advances to her. Did the people she worked with in the prequel do nothing to help her find employment after she successfully assisted them? And if we (the readers) were going to learn many of the same things about Finley, her situation, and the reasons she has so much trouble keeping employment in the first few chapters of The Girl with the Steel Corset, why have the prequel at all?

My second frustration with the story was that I found most of the characters flat and I did not think they developed much over the course of the story. Emily was the smart one who is physically weak. Sam was the strong one who is easily duped. Griffin is the rich one who everyone looks to for leadership. I saw those characteristics fairly strongly upon first meeting these characters--and very little about my impressions of them changed at the very end of the story.

As the story progressed I expected to see remarkable changes in Finley Jayne considering that she was supposedly integrating her two opposite personality halves into a cohesive whole. Shouldn’t a transformation like that have made a marked change in her personality and character development? But other than a few comments that Finley thought to herself that indicated she was gaining control over her darker half, I did not see that her personality, her conduct, or her character had changed that much after Griffin and she had worked on integrating her two separate halves.

I did love some of the steampunk elements of the story. I love imagining Victorian England with steam-powered vehicles and robots. I cannot even imagine what the world would be like today if they had really made those advances then?

Recommendations:
I will probably read the next book in the series when it comes out, but I do not think I will rush out to get it immediately.  However, since my favorite parts of this series were the Steampunk elements, I would recommend another Steampunk series (note: these books are not young adult!):

And if you are looking for more books about split personality, I recommend the classic.  I loved it!