MICHELLE'S REVIEW: Salvage by Alexandra Duncan

Title: Salvage
Author: Alexandra Duncan
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: April 1, 2014

Publishing House: Greenwillow

ISBN: 9780062220141
Source of Copy: Edelweiss

Summary:

Ava is the captain's daughter. This allows her limited freedoms and a certain status in the Parastrata's rigid society - but it doesn't mean she can read or write or even withstand the forces of gravity. When Ava learns she is to be traded in marriage to another merchant ship, she hopes for the best. After all, she is the captain's daughter. Betrayal, banishment, and a brush with love and death are her destiny instead, and Ava stows away on a mail sloop bound for Earth in order to escape both her past and her future. 

The gravity almost kills her. 

Gradually recuperating in a stranger's floating cabin on the Gyre, a huge mass of scrap and garbage in the Pacific Ocean, Ava begins to learn the true meaning of family and home and trust - and she begins to nourish her own strength and soul.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary from Edelweiss)

Review:

While Ava thinks that she is forced to decide either between life and death after being caught with someone who was not after all her intended, it seems that the fates are in favor of Ava choosing life, but not without sacrifices. Born as the daughter of the ship's captain, Ava knows nothing of life outside the ship, and ergo, definitely nothing of life in another planet. Ava must learn to navigate the intricacies of daily life and understand the nuances of all that she's missing, if she wants to prove to others, but most especially to herself, her inner strength and worth.

Suffice to say, I really enjoyed Duncan's Salvage. It has ships, interplanetary galaxies, a heroine who despite being backhanded by life, struggles to find herself and her place in the world. Ava initially can't care much for others because life on the ship didn't exactly train her to know what to do, but she gradually learns and heals, and I just wanted to give her a hug for getting through all that.

I found myself surprised at a lot of points in the book, because I really didn't quite know what to expect. Last that I read the advance reader's copy summary of Salvage, it was just a paragraph with a lot of blanks and spaces to fill up. I really thought that there would be some revolutions here and there (It's the cover, you see) but you won't find any of that in here, which makes it kind of cleansing to the palate of the reader who's already way in over his/her head with government vs the people scenarios typically found in recent YA books. Salvage is just about a girl, who even if she appears to be in the most fortunate circumstances, is unfortunate enough to be treated as a pawn in a game of money and power. World-building is pretty great, and I had no problem reading this one as it did provide a lot of surmising and surprising. 

If you're in the mood for intergalactic revolutions and stuff, Salvage is not it. It's like a contemporary novel, except that it takes place in a very sci-fi environment, which is pretty cool like that. If you've had too much dystopian novels with conspiracies going on and fancy taking a break but still want to linger in the sci-fi environment (or if you want to check out Mumbai after the apocalypse and everything), pick this one and cheer on Ava who proves that we all learn and grow from our mistakes.

Rating:

          

NICOLE'S REVIEW: False Sight by Dan Krokos

Title: False Sight
Author: Dan Krokos
Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: August 13 2013

Publishing House: Hypersion

ISBN: 9781423149859
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary:

All Miranda wants is a normal life.

She's deterined to move past the horrible truth of her origin as a clone so she can enjoy time with her boyfriend, Peter, ad the rest of her friends at school. But Miranda quickly learns that there's no such thing as normal - not for a girl who was raised to be a weapon. When one of Miranda's teammates turns rogue, it begins a war that puts the world in jeopardy. Now Miranda must follow her instincts - not her heart - in order to save everything she's fought so hard to keep. With the image of a terrible future seared in her mind, what will she have to sacrifice to protect the people she loves?

Dan Krokos' sequel to the tour-de-force False Memory is a mind-blowing thriller that pulls no punches as Miranda searches for the truth - and discovers the deadly consequences that come with it.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

False Sight is the sequel to False Memory. I'll try to keep this spoiler free.

Despite their play at being normal, Miranda knows that that's just not possible. Especially when one of her team turns rogue and she loses someone close to her heart. As they chase this rogue, Miranda and her team realize that the trouble they're in is even more far-reaching than they thought. Think inter-dimensional disaster.

False Sight is an interesting sequel to False Memory. There's never a dull moment in False Sight and Miranda is thrown into one mess after the other all for the sake of saving the world she loves. 

There's no such thing as normal when you're a clone and Miranda's trying to move past that so she can work on her relationship with Peter. Not exactly easy when her teammate goes rogue against her will and she might too. Talk about highly dangerous. 

While Miranda is an interesting narrator and Peter seems like a stable guy I just found it harder to connect with the characters this time around. I'm not sure if it's because I'd forgotten parts of False Memory or something else entirely. It's hard to keep track of things that happen in books when I read so much in a week, unless it's truly something worth remembering. And you know, I did have to wait a whole year for this book. So.

One thing that threw me for a loop was the introduction of a plot twist that was so....out of this world. Something bigger and larger than what I initially imagined that I got a little bit confused. It took some time for me to adjust, because it was a surprise, but once I did I had to admit that it was all kinds of interesting. Those flesh-eating monsters were nothing to scoff at. 

And that ending! That ending makes me so ready for the next book. I'm definitely interested to find out in which direction the next book will take me. 

Rating:

  

                       

NICOLE'S REVIEW: The Lives We Lost by Megan Crewe

Title: The Lives We Lost
Author: Megan Crewe
Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: February 12 2013

Publishing House: Disney Hyperion

ISBN: 9781423146179
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary:

A deadly virus has destroyed Kaelyn's small island community and spread beyond the quarantine. No one is safe. But when Kaelyn finds samples of a vaccine in her father's abandoned lab, she knows there must be someone, somewhere, who can replicate it.

As Kaelyn and her friends head for the mainland, they encounter a world changed beyond recognition. It's not only the "friendly flu" that's a killer - there are people who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the vaccine.

How much will Kaelyn risk for an unproven cure, when the search could either destroy those she loves or save the human race.

Megan Crewe's second volume in the Fallen World trilogy is an action-packed journey that explores the resilience of friendship, the ache of lost love, and Kaelyn's enduring hope in the face of sacrifices she must make to stay alive.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review: 

So you know how second books that are part of a trilogy - in my opinion, judging by the number of middle novels I've read - are not usually up to par with their predecessor? The Lives We Lost felt a little like that.

Kaelyn and the gang go for a road trip, one that involves protecting the vaccine her father created and getting into the hands of someone who can replicate it, at the same time dodging the people who are out to grab the vaccine for their own selfish reasons and the most important of all - survival. 

There are a few things actually that are keeping me from giving this book a lower rating. The love triangle, for example. Now I'm not sure if you know this but I do NOT like love triangles. Surprisingly, this one was acceptable because mainly it wasn't at all forced and Kaelyn does have a strong connection to both boys. But unlike books wherein a love triangle is introduced, it does not consume the protagonist's mind which means plus points for this book. Because seriously, she's on a mission to save the world with a working - as far as she knows - vaccine and I don't really want to read about how she's being all consumed by this love triangle and her confusing feelings. 

The Lives We Lost is undeniably realistic, just like it's predecessor. During the course of their journey nothing extreme really happened, nothing that managed to elicit a strong reaction from me. But what I can say about this book is how real it all felt. Crewe managed to showcase the deeds that man might be capable of doing for the sake of survival and it's none too pretty. Kaelyn is a strong character, she's determined, she's smart and she's capable. These are characteristics that are used to describe a majority of female protagonists today, but one thing I noticed about Kaelyn is how human she is. I have to love Crewe for that.

Although the pacing is slow in this book and not necessarily action oriented, it was fine by me since this was a long trek through Canada and survival was of the utmost importance. If you're up for a very realistic book of the apocalyptic genre, one with all too human characters on a quest to save the world then maybe it's time you gave this series a shot.

Rating:

      

                      

The Twins on "Thursday": The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

"The Twins on Thursday" is reserved for the Twins' joint reviews. It is a special feature of our blog that discusses books that we either both like, dislike, or have mixed feelings about. This is also the day where we post reviews for books (and ARCs/Galleys) that have been sent to us by authors/galley sites/publishing houses. And because we don't believe much in uniformity, we'll be trying to mix things up a bit by adding random stuff in relation to our review (well, mostly for books we purchased anyway).

Title: The Testing
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: June 4, 2013

Publishing House: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

ISBN: 9780547959108
Source of Copy: Received an invitation from publisher via NetGalley

Summary:

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn't that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same?

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation's chose few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing - their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father's advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies - trust no one.

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads.)

Review:

With the number of dystopian books churned out every month, it's difficult to find one that brings something new to the table. Constant comparisons to The Hunger Games are getting old, and truthfully we're on the lookout for something new, something fresh. The Testing is sadly not one of those books and while we found the concept intriguing, there were gaps in the story that begged to be filled out and parts of it reminiscent of The Hunger Games.

After the Seven Stages War - there was nothing much on this incident, just a few mentions of warfare between countries and then boom, everything has been destroyed - what's left of the population are trying to rebuild and survive. Now of course the children still go to school, they are the future's hope and if they do well enough they are chosen for the Testing and they get to go to University. But it's not as easy as Cia thought, it's not just pen and paper tests, there are also practical exams and actual fieldwork which turns out to be something like a test of survival skills and a candidate's willingness to kill. 

Malencia aka Cia Vale is the main protagonist but we don't really have much to say about her other than she's smart and resourceful. We were indifferent towards her, meaning she didn't really have that much personality, and it seems that Cia seems to be very much favored by Lady Luck. Tomas, her love interest, only spurred distrust and wariness from us. Their blossoming love for each other seemed random and forced, and despite having it stated in the summary that he's her "childhood friend", there doesn't really seem to be a connection between them. The other people Cia and Tomas meet throughout the book seemed just as flat to us, and interchangeable with any of the other characters. The only character that seemed to be worth getting to know was Michal, if only because he is mysterious.

Similarities between the Hunger Games and the Testing are well, the games itself. (Yeah, we're pretty sure we wouldn't last a minute on The Testing.) The Testing is a series of tests that not only values book-smarts but street-smarts as well. Tests range from testing water potability to killing other candidates for survival. In The Testing, the stakes are high and the grounds are rigged. There is no room for mistakes, because the penalty usually results in death.

The world-building fell flat, and there wasn't much of a back story, which we think made the novel seem lacking. All the while, we couldn't help thinking about what happened to the other countries, and if any survived at all. What is the bigger picture for the government, and what is it with those secrets that they are willing to kill to keep? Despite its interesting premise, The Testing falls short of gripping the reader to continue on reading, which is kind of what we were expecting.

Are we willing to give the next book a chance? We're thinking maybe, if only because we're curious as to what happens next and if Lady Luck still proves to be on Cia's side.

The Testing is expected to hit bookstores in June 2013.

Rating: