Blackout

So I actually picked this one up at the library for my husband to read, because it sounded perfect for him. But he had picked up another series, which I will no doubt read in the near future and tell you all about. On top of that, the book I picked out was bad. No, I will not mention the name because the writing style got to me instantly so I barely gave the book a chance and so I don't feel that it would be fair for me to say anything about it. Anyway, I ended up picking up this book instead and woah am I glad that I did before turning it in!

Ok, I feel that both the descriptions on the jacket and Goodreads.com are not entirely accurate enough to really portray what this book is about, so I'm going to try and tell you. Look at the three and get the average gist of things, 'k?

Alec, Dan, and Laura are terrorists. This point is clear from the beginning. What is a little less clear is how they have anything to do with Aubrey who is simply trying to live her life and gain a few friends. Well, they are all teenagers for starters. Oh, and they all have superhuman abilities that have somehow turned into a virus and are infecting teens around the world. What's worse, the US government finally figured that part out and are now putting all teenagers in camps to figure out if they are infected or not. Because those with powers would be really useful fighting against the terrorists with powers.

So, I'll start this time with the problems with this books since it is kind of right there in my description. Because that description is half the book. Maybe even more than half. At first Wells moves at a normal pace, or at least normal enough, with events happening, the reactions, the capture of all these kids. And you get the sense that maybe everything feels like it is taking way longer because they are teens and they exaggerated time. Because in reality from the start of the book to the end is maybe 3 weeks and a hell of a lot happens in that time. It all moves way too fast! Kids are being turned into weapons and they are barely given time to adjust! I get it, America is at war, but really, we are going to just toss a 15 year old girl in the mix and hope she doesn't collapse under the strain!

And that's about my only real problem. The fast paced and therefore unpreparedness of this plot. Because at the same time it is kind of realistic. America is being attacked from forces unknown at a very rapid pace and the government is simply trying to keep up. And with this half baked plan of theirs comes the consequences. Things fall apart, people slip through the system, more people die and places are attacked. So I think that fast paced world worked out in the end for this book. It had me reading quickly to find out what was going to happen next. And after only 2 days (during which I was also busy so only had a few hours to read between loads of laundry) I am already picking up the next one.

So yes, I encourage you to pick it up! This is a unique take on the superhuman powers plot. These kids are not ready for what they have been given and they are being used by everyone! The world is in peril and we are trusting teenagers to help fix it. And everyone is power has a big problem with this but they are running out of options! It is really interesting! (Done with the !'s for now, I promise.)

Oh, and if you would like to start a little sooner in the story, Wells did write a prequel in the form of a novella. However, it is only in ebook format, for the Kindle, so it may take me a minute to find it and actually get to read it. But if you read Going Dark first, let me know how it effected the others. I am going to move on to the next book, Dead Zone, for the time being. I'll let you know what I think.

East Of The Sun

October - Bestsellers

I know I am a full month late on this one, but with National Novel Writing Month I got distracted and am just now managing to finish this one. I want to be up front and claim all the fault for this. This novel was great, I enjoyed it for reasons I will expand on in just a moment, but there were parts in the narrative that sort of slowed down just a bit. With those parts lining up with me having to put the book down for whatever reason, I was slow to pick it back up for a few days. This meant this book took far longer than it should have when it was actually a good read. All my fault.

Let me tell you what the story is about: Viva was young when she left India after her parents and sister had died, but now she has reason to return thanks to a letter from an old friend of her mother's saying that she had found a trunk of Viva's parent's and would she kindly do something with it. So to help pay her way, Viva takes on the job of chaperone for other young people making the trip to India: Guy, a young man rejoining his parents after being away at school for so long. Rose, a young woman headed to India to get married to a soldier who had proposed after a very short acquaintanceship. And Tor, Rose's best friend and bridesmaid who is looking to find an escape from her mother. All three women find themselves in a very different world with their lives turned upside down. While maintaining their friendship in this new land, they also grow individually into very different people.

So, why did I like it? Because it was complex. Gregson took three main women and put them in a foreign land and left them to their own devices. Things got chaotic. Specially when the women were so different from each other which led to very different paths begin taken and a very wide range of events to tell of. Which is why this book was a bit longer than what I have been reading lately (with the very notable exception of Game of Thrones). There was far more story for Gregson to tell. And she did it wonderfully!

Not only did the story wind along various paths, but the characters she gives us changed greatly over the course of the novel. Even the characters that we would consider minor, unimportant to the main story, seemed to develop thanks to the things the leading ladies did. I greatly enjoyed the final result of this.

So I encourage everyone to take a chance on this. Pick it up and enjoy the wonderful characters and story that Gregson works with to make a tale that is truly fascinating and touching.

Game of Thrones

I will freely admit that a friend got me hooked on the show a few months back and when I ran out of episodes to watch I immediately jumped to the book series. Just like with Attack on Titan, I was looking to find out what happened next. I also wanted to know how the two compared. Wow, they are so incredibly similar that it really is like HBO brought the books to life.

I wont give away any spoilers by telling you where the book ends in comparison to the series, but I will say that more than just season one is in this first book. Sh, that's all you're getting.

So, in case you have absolutely no idea what these books or the show are about (because you are cozy under your rock) I will try and give you the briefest overview:
Martin created a vast world where most of the land is united under a King with Lords that have sworn fealty to him. This first book starts with King Robert making the trip north to Winterfell to ask his old friend (and almost brother-in-law) Eddard Stark to be his right hand man, the Hand of the King to be exact. Meanwhile, across a sea are the last two members of the Targaryen family, the former rulers of the kingdom before they were overthrown by Robert. Viserys, the brother, is trying to amass an army to help take back his throne, only things are not going his way.

So much goes wrong, chaos fills this world as people betray others, families fight, and the common people kind of get stuck in the middle of it all. And all the while Winter, a years long frozen season, is coming, bringing bad things from the North.

Martin weaves an incredibly complex tale aptly titled that resembled a very intense game of chess. There are a few good guys, plenty of bad guys, and even more people with intentions that are so muddled I am not sure how Martin himself kept them all straight.

I do have to warn you, there is plenty of inappropriate moments throughout the book as well. Scenes of gore that made me a little sick and other...intimate moments that made it a little awkward since I was listening to the book on my phone. It is also a long read. Something like 50 hours on audio that took me a full month to listen to.

All that being said, I think this is an incredible read! If high fantasy, intrigue, plot twists, are your thing, this book will fill your heart with glee. Right before someone you like dies, but that is a risk you won't mind taking because there will be someone new to love!

Pick this one up! Let me know what you think! Or if you have seen the show, let me know too, I love fangirling over it with people!

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane

October - Bestsellers

My mother, a huge fan of Gaiman, had this book autographed and then gave it to me. As soon as I saw the theme for this month, I knew I was going to pick this one up. Gaiman is a bestselling author, and for very good reason, and this book is one among many that have earned a spot at the top of any list.

In true Gaiman fashion, this is a story set in the mundane world, completely possible events happening interwoven with elements of the fantastic. The story follows a man who has gone home for his father's funeral and decides to visit the house of a childhood friend. But sitting in front of the pond in her yard, memories come rushing in, of an event he had forgotten, that was so incredible it is hard to believe fully, and yet looking back on it, he never questions the validity of the memory.

The story moved a little slower than I would have liked, although I think that may have been due to the fact that this wasn't the book I wanted to be reading right now. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. And of course I did, because Gaiman is such an incredible writer, there is no "not liking" his works. I am so glad that I got to read this one, too, because it was all such an incredible tale with an ending that left me thinking simply "wow, huh".

I think this is going to be one that I come back to again in the future, to see if it is different for me, because it was great even n my slight disinterest this time around. Have you read Gaiman? Have you read this one? What do you think? Let me know.

Attack on Titan v. 9

I have been reading the series since I started it two months ago, reading on the mangas between other books and when I was out of the house (yes, this was my purse book). Finally I have reached the point at which the anime stopped with volume 8. Here in volume 9 is what comes next in the story! And wow, in just one manga, a total of 4 chapters, so much more of the story has been revealed, only leaving me with a ton more questions! It is nonstop action for our characters as they are not given a moments rest before the next attack occurs. And we get to see more of the 104th training corp Eren was a part of as they are watched closely and backstories are revealed. Because there are more secrets among these new recruits than anyone could have guessed!

If you are looking to pick up where the anime left off this is the book to pick up. Although,  would recommend reading volume 8 because there was a single scene in it that may prove to be important as we move forward.  Or, you can wait until 2017 when, rumor has it, season 2 will finally be released!

Let me know if you do, did, or will read the manga, I love finding fellow fans of this incredible series!

Bloodline

I discovered Joe Jimenez at this year's Texas Teen Book Festival. I attended a panel, "Pieces of Me", on which he spoke and I discovered that I just had to read this man's work. Quickly I dashed back to the book sales, picked up a copy of Bloodline, and hurried to the signing tent to have him autograph it. Actually, I intend to send it to my friend, Abby, so I didn't have him personalize it to me. But I got to shake his hand, tell him his words on the panel were amazing, and confess I just couldn't wait to read this book. I'm glad for that opportunity.

Bloodline is the story of Abraham, a junior in high school with no real male role models to speak of. When he gets suspended from school the second time, for his third fight, his grandmother decides to invite her other son, Abraham's Uncle Claudio, to come live with them to give the boy direction. What follows is Abraham's struggle to deal: with his uncle being back, his growing feelings for his friend Ophelia, his uncontrollable desire to fight. It's the story of a boy struggling to grow up.

Two things I need to say about this book as a warning: 1) It's written in second person. With this, Jimenez makes you live the story, makes you feel Abraham's struggle. It is now a popular style of writing, and that's ok, because it adds to the impact Jimenez delivers it with. I actually, really enjoyed this style for this story! 2) This is the story of Hamlet. There are some differences, a few details changed to make this story its own, but it is Hamlet, know that.

With those two things clear, I have to say this was a really good read. At first I wondered if I could make it through, not only because of the point of view, but because it seemed far too heavy in metaphor. But as I read on, it grew on me. We feel things n ways that are sometimes hard to describe except by comparing them to other things. Jimenez effectively captures emotions raging in this young man and makes t easier to grasp while giving it more depth. I began to love his writing quickly. Just a few chapters in and I couldn't put the book down. It was an incredible story.

I really look forward to passing this book along, to hearing what my friend thinks of it, to discussing it with her. I would love it if everyone gave it a chance. I think that a lot of people would love the tale Jimenez tells. So go read it! And let me know what you thought of it!

The Sisters

In the beginning was Mabel and Bertie. In the summer of 1927 Mabel knew something would soon happen to Bertie and that the only way to escape would be to take her sister away. She thought she planned out the only way things could be done to give them a restart at life. Only, something went wrong. Bertie never got on the train. Suddenly both Mabel and Bertie are thrown out into the world, alone and uncertain, and full of emotions they keep tucked away from prying eyes.

What follows is a story like most others, Mabel finds herself in photography and unusual friendships, Bertie marries and devotes herself to making sure her little family holds together. But the original tragedy colors everything.

Jensen weaves a tale that may seem simple enough, only that there is a thread running through all of it that most of the characters are never aware of even as it changes things for them permanently. This family that hides truths about what they are doing, what they feel, and they change the course of each other's lives with these hidden facets. Amazingly, something that happened in 1927 effects the great-granddaughters in 2007, even as the child has no idea of the events that occurred.

Not only is this an amazing story to show how tragedy colors each and every one of us without us having gone through the event itself, Jensen is an incredible writer. Her imagination is vast as she develops this family and chronicles their lives. At the worst moments in the book she gives us just enough of the scene to make it stick with you, make you cringe, without having to take it too far. And her characters are so diverse and real that you can't help but feel for each and every one of them.

I am so glad that picked up this novel and I will be looking for more of Jensen's works in the future! I recommend everyone pick this book up!