Happy Memorial Day and review of Divided by Elsie Chapman

                First and foremost Happy Memorial Day everyone.  I hope you all enjoy your day and thank those who have fought so hard for us to enjoy our lives and freedoms. 

                It was my great pleasure to receive another sequel to read and review thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's.  It was provided to me for an honest opinion and as I enjoyed the first book I was eager to read book 2 which comes out tomorrow, May 27th. 

               

                Divided by Elsie Chapman is the sequel to the Dualed which I previously reviewed here.  A dystopian series about a world protected from the Surround, the only catch to live in the safety  you must prove yourself and be a killer.  Each person is born with an Alt, an alternate them which upon activation both Alts have 30 days to find one another and kill.  Only one can live if neither finishes both die.  Only the worthy can live and protect the city if the walls should ever fall.  A tough society.  Everyone who completes is considered worthy and accept for few acceptations, a killer.  Now from here there are spoilers for Book 1 so read on at your own risk.     
            In Dualed we left our main character West dealing with her completion and adjusting to what she did by becoming a striker, assassin for hire, to hone her skills and dull out the pain of losing the last of her family.  Some may not agree with her choice.  I personally look at it from an objective angle.  I'm not in that situation, thankfully, and enjoy the ride.  Besides if characters made decisions we wanted every single time there wouldn't be any story and wouldn’t be unique.  Now West is done with that life, only the nightmares and marks to remind her.  She has plans for her future with Chord, as a complete, making plans is more real and solid. 

                That is until a head honcho from the board, those who control everything, approaches West with an offer she can't refuse.  Become a striker again for 3 unworthies for a chance at something much more precious.  Is anything worth going back to that?  And is there really a choice?  What happens when she realizes she's been lied to and in order to secure her future she'll have to dig deeper to get to the bottom of things without endangering everyone she has left.

                Much like Dualed this book is not only about the action and violence as it may seem but more importantly it's about ones struggle of self worth.  West has been through so much and is just starting to get her feet on solid ground when the rug is ripped out from under her yet again.  Life is all about the choices we make and how we live our lives. 

It's not always this clear...

                As a character, West is different and I don't always agree with her train of thought sure but I can see her struggle with it and that back and forth with oneself.  Still I like her and root for her get through it.  See where she saw a choice given to her I didn't.  I saw a threat laid out like a choice which is how I looked at everything that happened and sometimes when she would go through her rationalizations though I might not agree I still enjoyed hearing her ideas.  Then you have the sturdy Chord who is her rock and you had to admit easy to love.  He struggles with the past like West and with everything she does now but he loves her and he wants to be there for her even when he struggles to accept some things. 

                In Divided we get a better understanding of the world itself.  Before it as about the Alts and the program to keep them all strong.  Now we see more into that and how it came about, which was really interesting and have much more dimension.  Seeing behind the curtain of the world and how it ticks and everyone works inside like bees of a hive.  I give Divided 4-4.5 Stars.  It had everything I expected in a sequel and I enjoyed it.  Share your thoughts and comments below, I want to know what you think about this series and/or premise. 

                 

                

Fates by Lanie Bross

                So I'm catching up with a couple of reviews in one because between my wonky internet and me being just plum tired at night I need to catch up.  First we have Fates by Lanie Bross.  Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's and Delacorte Press.   It’s a story of a about fate, obviously, but more about how fate really does come to be. 

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people's fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she is falling all over again--this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die. In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in? 

               

                I enjoyed the story .  It moved along rather quickly and the characters were interesting, even crazy at times.  The enduring part was that the characters made jokes about it, "Why do I have the urge to caress her check when she tried to kill me?" I believe I connections and all but plain stupidity if you don’t register that part.  Corinthe was a bit harder to get to know, she was a bit cold but I could appreciate that in the story given what and who she is.  Though I still found myself more interested in Luc by far. 

                There was also a vast amount of different worlds to discover.  Each one unique and different offering different things that entice the senses.  The burning world with two suns and moons, the lush world of blood nymphs, and so much more.  I don't want to give to much away but I am eager to see what happens next with Luc and Corinthe, even Rhys. 

                I give this book 3.5-4 starts given it was a bit slow to start and had a few moments throughout that seemed to drag a bit but overall I liked the book.  So have you read the book?  What are your thoughts?  Do you believe in fate?  That everything happens for a reason?  

Dualed by Elsie Chapman

                Hello again my readers!  I have for you as the title might have given away a review for Dualed by Elsie Chapman.  This book I got courtesy of NetGalley and Random House Children's Books.  Thank you.

                This book takes place in a city of Kersh, a safe haven of sorts.  It's a safe haven from the war but it comes at a high cost.  Everyone has a genetic Alternate, a twin raised by another family, and to live in this safe haven you have to kill your Alt before your twentieth birthday, 30 days after activation.  So to live a life and have a life or even a family of your own as an adult you must murder a form of yourself in a way, 'You or Your Alt, Only One Can Survive' is the tagline and it is compelling.

                We follow the story of 15 year old West who has trained as a fighter, in her school classes and on her own but she is by no means able to afford the high priced schooling offered.  She prepares but a tragic misstep shakes her confidence.  Stricken with grief and guilt, she is no longer certain that she's the best version of herself and worthy to be the one to survive.  If she has any chance she has to stop running from everything, her life, her Alt, and love, because it has the power to destroy her.

                West is a strong female character for this story, she has strength but she is also very vulnerable.  She has a lot to deal with and she has very human and very natural emotions.  She's strong and fierce until her confidence is shaken and she is left questioning everything in her life.  That is some pretty heave stuff for a teenager, even if you grow up in this world and learn how to kill in school, it's still a harsh reality. 

                I've read some of the reviews and am shocked that some people didn't get as into it or felt it was too bogged down.  I read this book and really enjoyed it.  My main issue, only dislike, was that the chapters are pretty long and that's nothing against them just that I tend to like the shorter chapters as I can sit down for a spare 10 mins at work or while doing other things and say just one chapter.  Or my more likely, just one more chapter…8 chapters later…just one more really.  It's easier to do that with short 10 page chapters, but these not as easy and I was left having to leave off in the middle of things which is very unnerving for me.  This by no means too away from the story.  Just a reading preference of mine.

                The story in itself was compelling.  How do you cope in a world where you are forced to kill before the age of 20 or die?  What is right or wrong?  Who says the better one lives?  I liked the ideas in the book and I was compelled to read through it as quickly as my schedule would allow.  I wanted to know what was happening with West, would she face her Alt?  Would she survive?  Then you have the Chord who I adore.  How can you look at someone the same when their face is not only the friend you've known for so many years but now also the one that took away something precious?  On the reverse, how do you make up for it?  What is done because of a promise, what is done for ones own will?

                I loved being inside her head.  She has a very rational train of thought, it gets clouded by everything else of course but it starts off rational.  I know I have these moments all the time. I start with a clear and defined plan that makes perfect sense but then…well the things you can't account for mess with your game plan.  I liked seeing that, I'm also using it as proof that I'm not crazy.  So we have a good story, so great action that is thought out and very impactful.  I could see each move in my head as it happened like a mini movie. 

                Anyone who was a fan of sci-fi action YA enjoy this book.  There is major violence, if the blub wasn't clear enough but I give it a solid 4.5 Knives.  Dualed comes out February 26th, check it out and let me know what you think.  If you had an Alt…would you survive?

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

                This book is curtsey of NetGalley.com and Random House Children's Books.  I was lucky enough to receive this book a little while ago, and I have to say as soon as I started it I couldn’t put it down.  I'm slowly but surely putting a dent in my reading list, I'm the little reader that can.

                Now Shadowfell summary curtsey of goodreads.com:

Sixteen-year-old Neryn is alone in the land of Alban, where the oppressive king has ordered anyone with magical strength captured and brought before him.  Eager to hide her own canny skill--a uniquely powerful ability to communicate with the fairy-like Good Folk-- Neryn sets out for the legendary Shadowfell, a home and training ground for a secret rebel group determined to overthrow the evil King Keldec.

During her dangerous journey, she received aid from the Good Folk, who tell her she must pass a series of tests in order to recognize her full potential.  She also finds help from a handsome young man, Flint, who rescues her from certain death--but whose motives in doing so remain unclear.  Neryn struggles to trust her only allies.  They both hint that she alone may be the key to Alban's release from Keldec's rule.

Homeless, unsure of who to trust, and trapped in an empire determined to crush her, Neryn must make it to Shadowfell not only to save herself, but to save Alban.

                Sounds pretty amazing right?  Well yes it's a completely different world of Alban which is magical and dangerous.  People are not allowed to trust or even really enjoy any moment knowing that anything they do could be seen as unusual and in turn be sent to the evil King.  It's a horribly dark tale and I enjoyed every minute of it.

                Now don't worry it's not a dark depressing tale by any means.  It is dark but the point of the story is that there is hope.  Out main character Neryn, whom I adore as a strong heroine, has been through so much in her short life, things that would knock down stronger people but still she keeps moving forward.  She keeps hope that she will find that peace she was once told about. That to me is a much more vivid representation of what most of us go through every day when we have things to make it through, be it a long shift at work or just some dreadful task before you, always look to the end and the peace to be found.  I know I kept thinking pretty profound thoughts as I read this book.  If Neryn can keep going through all of this, I can make it through 8 hours of annoying people at work, okay so maybe not that profound.

                Marillier creates a vivid world for sure, but that world would be empty without equally detailed characters to fill it.  Now we have our main character Neryn who is on this journey.  She is young but she has not grown up in a happy place, all she has known was the horrible place of Alban which over the years has gotten darker and darker, still she holds on to hope.  She is scared for herself and those around her.  She is a wonderful character full of flaws and even when she was being stubborn and I wanted to strangle her for doing something I clearly knew was a bad idea (being a reader and not in the situation of course why don't characters know what we know), she was real. She has to figure things out each and every day, try to learn to trust these new allies of hers when she's been on her own for so long. 

                Now onto these allies for which I spoke.  There are a bunch of 'Good Folk' like Sage, Red Cap, Silver, and countless others for whom I am not going to even try to remember or spell.  They are all described so beautifully its amazing.  They each have different personalities which was fun to read.  Then more importantly, to me anyways, is Flint.  The mysterious man who saves her life but his motives seem unclear.  Even after he explains what little he can to her she is suspicious.  Can you really trust someone who you really know nothing about?  And what happens when you find out what/who they are?  He was beautifully written.  Strong, silent, mysterious, and haunted he is a man who invades your every thought trying to unravel. 

                Neryn has a special gift that is rare.  One that could be a great power to the war on either side.  Her ability to communicate and see the Good Folk even when they are hiding is strange enough to her but when she learns the deeper meaning of her gift she figures out just how perilous it really is.  Can she learn to use her gift and fight the good fight or will she be used as a weapon to squash out what little hope there is in Alban?

                This is only the first book in a series, of course if I'm reading it then it should be known the chances of it being a single book are 1 in a 100, so we have to wait for more.  Can Neryn learn to use her gift to help turn the tides in the war and bring the much awaited peace to Alban?  We shall have to find out.  This book came out September 11th.  If you're ready to be swept away into another world check it out.

5 Stars

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

                I know I have been slacking with my reviews in a bad way but all I can do is try to regain order in my life and do better.  That being said I do have a juicy review for you for Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown.  This ARC is curtsey of NetGalley.com and Random House Children’s Books.

                First I must say that as you all know I’m all about a cover.  I see a pretty cover (my definition of pretty is vast as the ocean), and just can’t help myself but to pick it up and see what it’s about.  This one looked very promising and let’s face it mermaids sounded so cool.  Also in all honesty The Little Mermaid, is one of my top 5 Disney movies (Beauty & the Beast is #1). 

                The cover got my attention, the description got my interest.  Now I will say even from the description I could see the deception of the cover art.  It features a mermaid but the story is focused around Calder White a merman.  There are mermaids don’t get me wrong but when I clicked I surely thought the main character would be a girl.  I only really bring this up because I read another review of someone who had been expecting the same thing so warning there, but the book is a great read.

                Lie Beneath, follows Calder White merman.  He’s not the Disney cartoon type of mermaid, more Pirates of the Caribbean type.  He lives in Lake Superior with his three sisters.  To survive they have to prey on humans and absorb their positive energy, which doesn’t work out so well for the human.  Normally they select victims at random but they have been searching for years for one target.  They aim to kill Jason Hancock to satisfy a debt of revenge blaming him for their mother’s death.

                The trick though is they have to get him into the water and he doesn’t go near it.  So the sisters task Calder to gain his trust by getting close to his family, mostly his daughters.  He relies on his good looks and charm to try and seduce Hancock’s daughter Lily but he sorta screws everything up by discovering that he has feelings he didn’t know they could have.  Lily is sharper than any of them thought and might find out there’s more to the myths of mermaids in the lake than anyone realized putting her in danger.  Forced to choose between the girl he loves and the bond of family and duty there is no good outcome.

                Calder is a great character to me because he has so much going on in his head.  Even before he falls in love he wonders if this life was really a life worth living.  He is different and knows it and struggles with it through everything else that happens in the book.  Lily is a determined girl, who is both strong and fragile.  A romantic trying to see the good in the bad but she doesn’t fall for the pretty boy right away which I like.  I also like that it’s a guy trying to get the girl where so many books I read are the opposite so this was a nice break.  The mind of boys can be such fun places to lurk.

                His sisters, her family and friends are also well written and enhance the story.  Lily’s father is after all supposed to die for revenge so getting to know him and the mystery around what happened to bring down the wrath of this mer-family is a good read.

                The setting was described so beautifully I wish I could drive up to the lake and check it out, though I’m not sure if I’d go in.  I could feel the water, the temperature, the bubbles, the sand in the water, I was submersed, pun intended. 

                Overall, I give it 5 stars.  I really liked it and will read it again in the future.  My only complaint would be that the ending was a tad bit brief.  I felt like the last few pages could have been longer to explain a few more things but that’s it and it didn’t affect my enjoyment.  Lie Beneath, comes out June 12, 2012 check it out and let me know what you think.