172 Hours on the Moon

  It seems as if mankind has always been curious about outer space. To walk or travel to the moon has been on many people's wishlist. What would we find if we go there? What if we could settle there and make it our second home? Johan Harstad's science fiction/horror novel, 172 Hours on the Moon, explores these questions. Please note that this review is based on an advanced reader's copy of the book provided by Little, Brown (thank you!) which no way influenced my review.

Description (from back of the book): It's been decades since anyone set foot on the moon. Now three ordinary teenagers, the winners of NASA's unprecedented, worldwide lottery, are about to become the first young people in space--and change their lives forever.
   Mia, from Norway, hopes this will be her punk band's ticket to fame and fortune. Midori believes it's her way out of her restrained life in Japan.Antoine, from France, just wants to get as far away from his ex-girlfriend as possible.
   It's the opportunity of a lifetime, but little do the teenagers know that something sinister is waiting for them on the desolate surface of the moon. And in the black vacuum of space... no one is coming to save them.

Review:  I was expecting a science fiction/horror book, which is how this book is marketed but unfortunately, it felt flat for me in both ways. Though the book's premise and cover captures a truly creepy idea that immediately makes us think of movies of its kind such as James Cameron's 1986 movie Aliens or Johnny Depp's The Astronaut's Wife.
  There are several laughable moments such as when the evil government head has an epiphany and suggests sending teens up in space. You really have to suspend your disbelief in order to read the book and ignore the many plot holes that might arguably be as big as black holes. All the buildup to the moon launch only exists to establish the various one dimensional characters, who really felt cardboard cutouts that didn't leave any impression at all. All that we know of the teens selected is how and why they applied to NASA's lottery. I had hoped that once these teens were selected and were on the moon they would get some depth alas there was an unemotional romance between the two characters that seemed to be tacked on to the story. Once the 'suspense' starts, you can practically identify every cliche found in sci-fi horror movies is here. You already know how the book will end, making the book boring and a chore to finish.
 Don't get me wrong, the book had great potential. We are never told what happened to the first mission. Perhaps if the characters had found some kind of captain's log from that mission we could have learned more or maybe if the one person who knew anything wasn't an Alzheimer's patient and could actually remember something? Maybe if we got to actually and get emotionally attached to the characters we could actually feel their terror instead of making it all happen off screen. 
 Overall, this book did absolutely nothing for me and to be completely honest, I'm not really sure who to recommend it to. Maybe those who enjoy a B-rated horror movie or who are excited to see Prometheus.  

Rating: 1 star

Words of Caution: There is strong language and disturbing, violent images. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, BZRK by Michael Grant, Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

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YA Mini-Reviews: Incarnate (Newsoul #1) and New Girl

 I've had a great time getting some much needed R&R during my week of Spring Break. I got a mixed bag of books some of which had a promising start but then lost me as I reached the book's end. Today I'll be reviewing Incarnate by Jodi Meadows and New Girl by Paige Harbison. Please note that the reviews are based on the books' advanced readers copy. Thank you to Katherine Tegen Books, Harlequin Teen , and Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of these books.


Description (from the publisher): New soul Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why. No soul Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame? Heart Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies-human and creature alike-let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all? Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

Review: I've always been curious about the concept of reincarnation. I've read a few books that touch upon the topic, but none of them dwell deeper than the superficial level. I really liked basic concept of Meadow's debut novel: for thousands of years in a place called Range, the same one million souls have been born, lived, died and been reborn. They come back in either gender, but they still retain their past experiences and skills they've gained before they died. When a girl named Ciana died, she wasn't reborn. Instead Ana was born, for the first time. Now she must face her hostile mother and the suspicious of the old souls.
  I really liked the first half of the book. There was intrigue, mystery, and danger. Ana is a likable heroine. She was verbally and physically abused by her mother due to her new soul status. At the age of 18, Ana is booted out of her house and hopefully will gain her independence and knowledge of what it means to be a new soul by traveling to the city of Heart. In route to her travels, she is attacked by a sylph and narrowly escapes from the help of a kind and handsome stranger named Sam.
 My issues with Incarnate come in the second half of the book. Instead of focusing on Ana's mission to find and establish her identity, the romance between Sam and Ana hijacks the plot. We are given pages and pages of gazing, sighing, and "does x/y really like me or am I making it up?" As a result, the pace and plot moves at a snail's pace and I found myself getting really frustrated. To make matters worse, the world building of a really unique society is very weak. There is not much difference between the cities of Range and Heart. Range is populated by both creatures of European mythology and regular North American animals. These elements seem to be thrown in haphazardly, perhaps to build danger in what seems like convenient places. Ana's characterization is also uneven, especially when her emotional scars from her upbringing emerge only when they are important to the plot. Overall, the book which is the first book in a series, really reads like a very long prologue. I didn't care too much about the world or the characters to pick up this series.

Rating: 2 stars

Words of Caution: Mild language and violence. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause, Meridan by Amber Kizer,

Description: It's hard to be the new girl--especially when the spot you're filling at Manderly Academy, an exclusive boarding school, was formerly held by perfect Becca Normandy, the girl everyone loved, including your new roommate and Max Holloway, the boy you're crushing on. Even when Max starts to take an interest, it feels like Becca is still out there, somewhere, watching. And waiting to come back.

Review: Daphne Du Maurier's famous and well loved romantic suspense classic Rebecca gets a CW makeover in Paige Harbison's New Girl. For the most part, many of the major characters and plot points from the original book are retained. Where New Girl fails miserably is building the mystery and suspense around Becca's persona and her connection to Max. Instead of becoming a force of nature, especially in the minds of the characters, Becca is resorted to a one dimensional rich girl who is an attention starved nymphomaniac. Though it was interesting to see Becca play a large part in the New Girl, I found her chapters to be redundant and boring.
  As far as the new girl herself, I liked her for the most part. I didn't understand her desire to go to boarding school, but I guess she has to get to Manderly somehow. I hated how she was jerked around by Max and I didn't support their relationship at all. I thought Max was cold and arrogant. He did absolutely nothing for me. The original Max de Winter was charismatic and charming, which made the ending of the book colorful and shocking. The ending of New Girl, however, was extremely disappointing and takes away all of the questions we have about responsibility. Do yourself a favor: Skip this one and read the original.

Rating: 1 star


Words of Caution: Strong sexual content mentioned, language, and lots of scenes of underage drinking. Recommended for Grades 10 and up.


If you like this book try: Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, Mrs. De Winter by Susan Hill

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YA Mini-reviews: Angelfire, Saving Francesca, and Solitary

  I couldn't decide what to review to today so I'm offering another round of YA mini reviews from different genres. I read these books a few months ago. Some of them I remember fondly while the other I wish I never took the time to read. Like with everything else, some books are a hit or miss. Here are my mini reviews for Angelfire (Angelfire #1) by Courtney Allison Moulton, Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta, and Solitary (Escape from Furnance #2) by Alexander Gordon Smith.

Description: Elisabeth Monroe lives the life of a normal privileged teenage girl. Yet Ellie is anything but. Only she doesn't know it. Not until her seventeenth birthday. The nightmares she's been having are real. She is the Preliator, a being who has a mortal body but an immortal soul, the only one capable of wielding angelfire, who is reborn time and time again in order to serve her sole purpose - to destroy reapers and keep humanity safe. This time is different. Her rebirth took longer than ever before with only limited recollection of her past - a past that even her protector and guardian, Will, doesn't know completely. And this time the reapers aren't the only thing to fear. There is another out there who can threaten Ellie's very existence and alter her future in ways nothing before ever could. As Ellie grapples with recovering her memories about who she is and not yet fully able to control her powers, will she be able to unlock the secrets in her mind in time to defeat Lucifer's growing armies and prevent the Apocalypse? Will the answers she finds be too much to handle? And will her humanity be enough to overcome the darkness within her?

Review: I'm not sure you remember, but I've had Angelfire on my reading pile since January. I kept picking it up and then putting it down. I nearly dropped it altogether until I read reviews from blogs and thought I wasn't giving it a fair shot. I should've trusted my instinct because I didn't like this book at all. While reading this book I could've sworn I've read this story before as the plot unfolded and then I realize that I had. There's a lot things that are startling similar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I didn't mind all that much as people draw inspirations from every where, but the thing that bugged me the most about Angelfire is the main character Ellie. I didn't like Ellie at all. She irritated me. When she was suppose to be strong and fight her battles, she cower in a little corner until the handsome, brooding, the guy 'she can't love but can't help be drawn to for some reason' (who I dub as the dull Angel clone) rescues her repeatedly. I can't take a heroine who is suppose to be a warrior seriously if she doesn't fight. Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Anyway, the plot was predictable including the plot twist that I saw a 100 pgs earlier, and the characters as you can tell were a bore. Needless to say, I'm not going to continue this series. If you're looking for a similar yet stronger plot and great characters, check out Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey instead.

Rating: 1 star

Words of Caution: There are some disturbing images and some language. Recommended for strong Grade 8 readers and up.

If you like this one try: Wings of the Wicked (Angelfire #2) by Courtney Allison Moulton, Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey


Description: Francesca could use her outspoken mother's help with the problems of being one of a handful of girls at a parochial school that has just turned co-ed, but her mother has suddenly become severely depressed.

Review: I can't believe it has taken me so long to read a book by Melina Marchetta. *facepalm* After reading several awesome reviews from fellow bloggers, I was determined to read Saving Francesca. Saving Francesca was an awesome contemporary/realistic fiction book. The plot is very simple yet the carefully constructed and complex characters and relationships make this book shine. I immediately connected to Francesca as she struggles to find and save herself. She has always used her mother as an indicator of what to do and how to be, but when he mother suddenly feels ill Francesca suddenly falls without a safety net. She learns to become comfortable in her own skin and slowly begins to put down roots at her school, bonding with the girls from St. Stella's (her former school) whom she had considered misfits, and with some unlikely guys. I've never read an author who realistically shows how people become friends until now. The friendships are organic that take their time to form but once they do, they are solid. The relationship between Francesca and her brother was incredibly sweet too. Marchetta beautifully depicts the pain experienced by Francesca's whole family and Francesca's anger towards her father. If you're looking for a character driven novel with excellent and realistic dialogue be sure to pick up Saving Francesca. I can't wait to read another book by this author.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language and underage drinking. Recommended to strong Grade 8 readers and up.


If you like this book try: The Pipers Son by Melina Marchetta, Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

Description: Imprisoned for a murder he did not commit, fourteen-year-old Alex Sawyer thinks that he has escaped the hellish Furnace Penitentiary, but instead he winds up in solitary confinement, where new horrors await him.

Review: Solitary is the second book in the Escape from Furnance series. Though the author gives enough information to new readers to the series, I would still strongly urge readers to read the first book, Lockdown, in order to get a better sense of the horrific ambiance of the Furnace Penitentiary. Just as breathlessly paced and soaked with blood and grime, Alex’s escape from the futuristic underground prison and experimental lab called Furnace leads first to recapture and then to a second flight that involves frantic chases through dark caverns and tunnels, face-to-face encounters with flesh chewing human-rat hybrids, and visits to a gruesome “Infirmary”.  Along with lurid imagery, we also get a bit more depth of Alex's character as he tries to make sense of his own guilty conscious. I was highly engaged with this book and definitely recommend it to reluctant readers, particularly boys, who are looking for an action packed story that reads like a thriller/horror movie. I can't wait to find out what happens next and if Alex ever survives and escapes from the Furnance. Books 1-3 are out now and book 4 releases next year.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and disturbing scenes in the book. Recommended for Grade 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Death Sentence (Escape from Furnance #3) by Alexander Gordon Smith, Violence 101 by Denis Wright and I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells

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YA Mini-Reviews: Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society #2), What Happened to Goodbye, and The Predicteds

  I'm writing another slew of mini reviews for YA books I read over a couple of months ago. I apologize if you've been waiting for a long time for my reviews of any of these books. The books listed below are Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society #2) by Ally Carter, What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen, The Predicteds by Christine Seifert.

Description: Kat Bishop and her fellow talented teenagers work together to find and steal the "Cleopatra Emerald" from an unscrupulous dealer and return it to its rightful owner, while a former love of her Uncle Eddie tries to get the gem for herself.

Review: While I enjoyed reading another adventure about Kat and the gang, I didn't like this one as much as Heist Society, the first novel. The main reason why I loved the first book is because the teens are able to pull off an incredibly difficult job with intelligence, skill, and determination despite their young age. The heist in the second book was just too easy, especially when it was mentioned time and again how anyone who attempted to steal the Cleopatra Emerald always failed. Needless to say the book was still fun, the characters are likable, and the romantic tension between Kat and Hale sizzles. It's definitely a book you would want to read to escape for a few hours especially on a cold, dreary day.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is mild language and a scene of underage drinking. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: The Gallagher series by Ally Carter, White Cat by Holly Black, The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker

Description: Following her parents' bitter divorce as she and her father move from town to town, Mclean reinvents herself at each school she attends until she is no longer sure she knows who she is or where she belongs.

Review: I read mixed reviews of Dessen's latest book and I think I can understand why readers are so divided. What Happened to Goodbye is a bit different from Dessen's usual teen romances. Instead of girl who has issues meets and falls for a boy who also has issues and they both work together to solve their problems, Dessen opts out to explore one girl's self-exploration and examines the aftermath of an ugly divorce. I thought the characters were realistic, flawed, but allowed the opportunity to grow and redeem themselves. The book's pacing is a direct reflection of Mclean's growth: it's slow in the beginning as Mclean internalizes everything and comes off as cold and secretive. The story picks up once she's allowed herself to open up to others. While the ending may be wrapped up too neatly for some, I thought it provided a hopeful outlook. Readers looking for a good character driven, contemporary read should definitely pick this one up if they haven't already done so.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and a small scene of underage drinking. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Description: "Who will it be? Will the head cheerleader get pregnant? Is the student council president a secret drug addict? The whole school is freaking out about PROFILE, an experimental program that can predict students' future behavior. The only question Daphne wants answered is whether Jesse will ask her out, but he's a Predicted, and there's something about his future he's not telling her.

Review: I read The Predicteds for a book tour a while ago and opted out to do a review at the time because I could not honestly recommend this book. Neither a dystopian nor science fiction thriller, The Predicteds did absolutely nothing for me. The concept of the Profile sounds really cool, but it wasn't discussed at all in the book. The characters, including the creator of Profile, talked around the subject, which made the plot snooze worthy and as a result, the big 'twist' was anticlimactic for me. I found the characters to be flat and dull. The Predicteds could have really used an editor because it was very wordy. Long passages could have been shortened by using strong, short sentences. Readers looking for a good thriller with a science fiction or dystopian bent to it should definitely look elsewhere.

Rating: 1 star

Words of Caution: There is some strong language, scenes of underage drinking, and some disturbing images. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: The Cassandra Virus by K.V. Johansen, Clarity by Kim Harrington

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Lost

  After reading Mockingjay, I wanted something light and funny to read. I was browsing through the stacks at my local library and came across a book titled Postcards from a Dead Girl. The back of the book's description indicated that this would be a love story starring quirky characters and with a dash of dark humor. I got the quirky characters, but I couldn't seem to find anything else.

Description: Sid Higgins is obsessed with his ex-girlfriend Zoe. He believes she is missing or quite possibly dead, except he is not sure. He has been receiving Zoe's postcards sent from her European adventure on which he was originally supposed to accompany her. The postcards just happen to be a year old. Thus, Sid starts his journey trying to retrace Zoe's footsteps, tries to find new love while dealing with his job as a telemarketer for a travel agency, and hypochondria amongst many other things.

Review: Normally, I'm up for a surrealist read but I need something concrete to hang on to when I'm on a roller coaster ride. Something to help me distinguish what is reality and what is fantasy. I had nothing while reading Postcards from a Dead Girl. I was lost right from the start, but I kept reading in hopes that I would find my way. Instead, I got deeper and deeper in a maze with no exit sign.
  The plot of the book kept going forward and backwards in time. I'm not entirely sure if anything happened or if it did. I liked Sid as a quirky character. He struggles to find some meaning his life, but I wasn't entirely sure how to react to him. Was I suppose to laugh at him, commiserate, or sympathize with him? Thankfully, this was a slender book with many short chapters. I mainly skimmed large chucks of the book until I finally reached the end of the book. If you're looking for a book that has neurotic characters and actually a story you can follow, read Nick Hornby's terrific High Fidelity and leave this book alone.  

Rating: 1 star

Words of Caution: There is language and sexual situations in the book.

If you like this book try: High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

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