The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne by Jonathan Stroud

Set in a fragmented future England, The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne introduces us to a world where gunfights and monsters collide, and where the formidable outlaw Scarlett McCain fights daily against the odds. When she discovers a wrecked coach on a lonely road, there is only one survivor – the seemingly hapless youth, Albert Browne. Against her instincts, Scarlett agrees to escort him to safety. This is a mistake. Soon, new and implacable enemies are on her heels. As a relentless pursuit continues across the broken landscape of England, Scarlett must fight to uncover the secrets of Albert’s past – and come to terms with the implications of her own.

Anyone who knows me will know both how much I love Stroud’s Lockwood and Co series and how much I adore a good dystopian. So, this was a no-brainer to me! Set in an apocalyptic future, where Britain has divided itself into seven “kingdoms”, we follow Scarlett and Albert travels through Wessex, the wilds of the Cotswolds! As I live in that area, it was weird to see town names that I recognised but twisted to survive in this future.

Scarlett is a bank robber, primarily, although she also travels, sells dubious “religious artifacts” and, only as a last resort of course, kills. After a job goes very nearly wrong, Scarlett is forced to run to avoid being caught by the town’s militia and discovers a bus crash. Against all odds, amid this bus crash is Albert, a stringy-looking boy who is uncharacteristically bright and chatty for such a bleak world. They form an unlikely and sometimes dangerous alliance to travel together to Stow. Obviously, things go wrong, people get killed, they need to change plans and rob more banks… you know, the usual. As they are chased across Wessex, we learn more about them, and they discover secrets about each other – especially the reason they are being chased in the first place.

Stroud has an excellent way of telling a story without revealing too much; the reader ever so slowly puts the pieces together about Scarlett’s past, about the way this world works (or doesn’t, depending on the point of view) and most importantly, about Albert. Not only was it about unlikely friendships but it had strong themes of family, trust and survival. Another winner from Stroud, as far as I’m concerned, and a world and set of characters that I’d love to hear more about.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Legend trilogy by Marie Lu

Legend
June is an incredibly gifted and bright student at Drake University, in training to become a soldier a few years earlier than her peers because of her perfect score in the Trials. Meanwhile, Day is wondering the streets, looking for scraps and supplies to send to his family to keep them alive. Then things start to go wrong when June’s brother is murdered, presumably by Day, as he makes his escape after stealing plague medicine from a hospital, and June goes undercover in the slums of the city to find the legendary troublemaker who killed her brother. Or so she is led to believe.

This was told in dual narrative; I don’t think I’ve read a dystopia in dual perspective. Apart from Allegiant, and I’m not sure that counts. Anyway, it worked, as June and Day were such different people and ran in very different parts of the city, they each saw different flaws in the system. As June learns more about Day, the more she realises that he isn’t the villain that the Republic have been making him out to be. Especially after she discovers some truths about her brother and his investigation into their parents’ deaths.

I really liked this. I liked hearing from both perspectives, I liked the world building and the mirroring from our world, and the complexity of our characters.

Prodigy

Elector dies and his son Anden takes over – immediately a very different feel with such a young leader and Anden obviously wants different things for his country. We also see a bit more history and learn that the Republic came about after extreme martial law.

Day and June join the Patriots, the radical group that want to bring back the United States – definitely a radical lot, planning the assassination of the new Elector to spark revolution while change has made the Republic weak. On some level I understood this but as June is taken back into the Republic’s army and gets to know Anden, it is very clear that he is not his father. And then comes the moral dilemma on who to believe! The young couple also escape briefly into Colonies land and it was fascinating to see their development – where the Republic is all about the military, the Colonies have super-commercialism.

I actually think it could have ended here – it might have been a crappy ending with June and Day not quite together, but things with the Patriots and Anden were mostly wrapped up and I honestly wasn't sure where the last book was going to go.

Champion

Last book in the trilogy is set 8 months after Prodigy, so we kind of skip the personal growth and the time apart for June and Daniel but get right back into it. The Colonies are attacking and there’s a deadly virus spreading through the public. 

Like I said, I wasn't sure what the last book was going to resolve, especially as the Republic and the Colonies were at war again, but it gave everyone a chance to shine and really put an effort into changing the future of their country.

Still told in dual narrative, we got a balanced story between the two of them and saw things from all sides. It’s a good thing we’re inside both of their heads because if I was only in one of them, or neither, I would not understand either of their motivation! June especially, because with her training she did not display emotion but being inside her head we saw how difficult it was for her, with her brother, with her conflicting feelings for Day, and for Anden. In fact, I think if we weren't inside her head, I wouldn't like June very much. 

Finally, I quite adored the epilogue. It rounded everything up, wrapped things with a cute little bow and gave our couple the happy, hopeful ending they deserved. 

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Mare's blood is red - the colour of common folk - but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from the prince and friend who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by the Silver king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red and Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

I, along with most everyone else, fell completely in love with Red Queen, so I was both excited and nervous about reading the sequel. I really wanted to know what happened next but after the incredible and jaw-dropping ending of the first book, how would it hold up? And I'm happy to report, for me at least, that while it had a very different feel to the first one, I still loved it. It still had the "who can you trust?" thing but we had a definite bad guy to focus on, plus the fear and tension was right up as Mare, Cal and the rest of the Guard literally run for their lives.

While we learned about the well-to-do in book one, in this installment we see more from the outskirts, the slums, the Reds who are desperately just trying to survive or fighting for a better life. We also learn loads more about the spread and influence of the Scarlet Guard, as Farley takes the rag-tag group to save others like Mare. This led to an X-men sort of feel with the recruiting but it was really cool to see other superpowers - well, "blood mutations", whatever!

In other news, the ship has sailed for Mare and Cal! In book one, my heart was torn between Cal and Maven but... well, you know, the thing happened and ruined it all, so yeah, go team Cal! The tension and the frisson between Cal and Mare was thick and heart-felt and just so good! Things did not want to go their way but that didn't stop them from being pulled together. Both of them were also suffering from some serious betrayal and this costs them. Mare especially no longer trusts, in practically anyone, and while she may be right to be cautious, it makes planning things difficult, not to mention building a proper relationship with Cal.

Although it started slightly hesitant, I ended up loving the sequel just as much as the first book. It still had the tension, the action and the betrayal but they all had to keep pushing forward to try and beat Maven and the Silver hierarchy. 

Published 11th February 2016 by Orion. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The poverty-stricken Reds are commoners, living in the shadow of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from the Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Then Mare finds herself working at the Silver palace, in the midst of those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

I know most people have probably already read this, it hit the blogosphere quite hard when it first came out earlier in the year and now I finally know why! Because it was incredible! Everything from the world building to the diversity of the characters was amazing to read about.

I'm sure anything I talk about now has already been said so this is going to be short. First I want to talk about the world; the set up with the division of power is a fairly typical thing of dystopian fiction but what Aveyard did with the colour of blood and the power, both literal and social, was a fresh spin. Speaking of power,  the Queen could give Levana from The Lunar Chronicles a run for her money for best villain! She was so cruel and diabolical, she made me want to throw the book away!

Mare was a fantastic heroine. She wasn't all that smart or that tough but she wanted to do what she could to protect and provide for her family. So when a fluke of a chance came along, she took it and was immediately lost to a power struggle. What I loved was the peek inside the Silver world; Mare saw it wasn't just Silver versus Red, there was a whole complex hierarchy within. And of course that meant that nothing was simple as black and white, good and evil, there was a real struggle for doing the right thing. I am of course speaking of the prince brother Cal and Maven. I thought I knew where I stood and then I didn't, then I really didn't! Just... gah, that ending! The next book can't come quickly enough!

Published 12th February 2015 by Orion. 

The Rain by Virginia Bergin

One minute sixteen-year-old Ruby Morris is having her first proper snog with Caspar McCloud in a hot tub, and the next she's being bundled inside the house, dripping wet, cold and in her underwear. Not cool. As she and Caspar shiver in the kitchen, it starts to rain. They turn on the radio to hear panicked voices -- 'It's in the rain ...it's in the rain ...' 

That was two weeks ago, and now Ruby is totally alone. People weren't prepared for the rain, got caught out in it, didn't realize that you couldn't drink water from the taps either. Even a drip of rain would infect your blood, and eat you from the inside out. Ruby knows she has to get to London to find her dad, but she just doesn't know where to start ...After rescuing all the neighbourhood dogs, Ruby sets off on a journey that will take her the length of the country -- surviving in the only way she knows how.

Bergin's debut was surprisingly terrifying, especially as I was reading it started chucking it down! An alien parasite is hiding in the rain, it loves to reproduce in water, and it's already left some casualties in Africa and isolated Russia. It was a pretty clever concept for a dystopian. The British public were caught unaware and many died immediately, leaving the stragglers to figure things out for themselves.

Typical English bank holiday, people are caught out in the rain but then they start bleeding. It all happens so fast and all Ruby wants is to get home. But it's in the rain and she can't touch it without getting sick too. The story is told through Ruby's  inner monologue, including freak outs and ramblings, as she tries to survive, tries and fails to help her family, her friends, anyone who might need it. But Ruby is not a bad-ass heroine but her survival instinct and protective nature made her real and very relatable. Come on, world's trying to end, the rain is killing people, who wouldn't want to hide in their room and cry for a bit? Her main priority is make up, just in case she's seen by anyone she knows. Vain, yes, but just like many a teenage girl!

As her family die just from a few drops, Ruby decided to make her way to London, to her father. But everything is all the more dangerous when you can't touch water, you can't get caught in the rain and you run out of food and drink very quickly because all the supermarkets have been ransacked. Ruby takes the family car, picks up a few runaways and tries her damnedest not to freak out again on her way to her dad. 

I really liked this story. It was dramatic and incredibly scary, surprisingly well thought out, with some mental characters to make things extra interesting. Ruby was a great protagonist, she wasn't the smartest or the best, just a normal girl, trying to survive the worst thing ever. 

Published 17th July 2014 by Macmillan. Thank you to the publisher and Neygalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Salt and Stone by Victoria Scott

In FIRE & FLOOD, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and a terrifying march across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can’t stop – and in SALT & STONE, Tella will have to face the unseen dangers of the ocean, the breathless cold of a mountain, and twisted new rules in the race.

But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone’s keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you’d relied on most suddenly isn’t there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?

The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the beginning of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the fourth and final part of the race, just forty-one are left . . . and only one can win.

We find Tella where we left her, just about surviving in the Brimstone Bleed, determined to find a cure for her brother and overthrow the horrible people that run it. The first book held the two of four tasks, which meant we still had the ocean and mountain landscapes to survive. These were even more dangerous and terrifying than the first two, which is saying something! 

Tella and Guy have had quite a few things to deal with; since Guy told her of his plan to take down the Bleed, he hasn't touched her and Tella is getting fed up. Then there's this alpha male/Tella can take charge too/ Guy doesn't trust her thing that takes them a while to work through. I really liked the progression of their relationship. Guy might have been trained for this competition but Tella is a smart girl and wants to feel valued, but Guy is used to giving out the orders. By showing a bit of compromise, they do manage to meet in the middle but it takes a bit of awkward silences and death glares to get there. 

After the loss of a few members of their little rag-tag group of survivors, they befriend some other competitors. The existing group is fraught with tension and hurt feelings, plus new members are upsetting the balance and the secrets aren't helping either. With everything riding on getting through the last two tasks, Tella is suspicious of the new allies, especially Cotton. Nothing he said quite added up and, boy, I really didn't see the twist coming but it was a goodie! Another funny one was Willow, a young and shy girl, whom I just couldn't figure out. There is something awful about putting people in these situations, it twists their sense of humanity and common decency, something that Tella especially was having a tough time with.

All in all, an incredible book, definitely didn't lag in the action or the nail-biting drama. The great story was there and continued to pack punches I didn't see coming. A great sequel to Fire and Flood and an amazing set up for the next book - that I need asap please!

Published March 2015 by Chicken House. Thank you to the publisher for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it.

Then, at last, they found the cure.

Now, everything is different. Scientist are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she'll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But then, with only ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable...

I've had my eye on this for quite some time but never had a chance to pick it up. A world where love was seen as a disease, something to treated, something whose symptoms were getting in the way of normal life, was fascinating. And I think Oliver portrayed this quite well, from the rules and regulations of inter-gender mingling to the effects of the cure. I especially liked how Lena wanted the cure; with something like this, you'd expect the heroine to be a rebel but it was only after she fell in love that Lena realised the implications of the way society ran things. 

I really liked Lena. She wasn't the typical dystopian heroine, definitely not used to risking everything but she was sweet and had a horrible life before Alex, and that's why she wanted the cure. She saw it as a way out, a way to never feel things like heartbreak as her mother did. Lena was a little annoying at first, naive and completely susceptible to the big-wig's way of running things, but after Alex, she sees the world differently and realises that love isn't a disease, it's about having utter faith in someone else and letting yourself enjoy the moment. 

Now, I have to mention the ending, but I wouldn't dare spoil it. The last few chapters wrenched at my heart and boy, I cried! Lena and Alex's love story was slow-burning but completely true and I adored watching them learn to trust someone so different to what they were used to. With what happened at the very end, I'm tempted to leave this as a stand alone. I do really want to know what happens with one particular person but I was also looking forward to Lena's happily-ever-after, which can't happen now. 

Published 3rd February 2011 by Hodder and Stoughton. 

Captive by Aimee Carter

The truth can set her free

For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, in a hostile meritocracy on the verge of revolution, Kitty sees her frustration grow as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoat rebels she is secretly supporting keep her in the dark more than ever.

But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.

As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?

The sequel to Pawn, which was an amazing start to the trilogy, introduced the characters and the main story which continues to unfold in Captive. Kitty, as Lila, is trying to do her part in the rebellion but is not trusted by Knox, her fake fiancé. And if he isn't going to tell her the truth, then she wants out; she just wants her happily ever after with Benjy. 

I read Pawn last year so details were foggy but Carter did an amazing job of summarising the best bits of the previous book. The good guys are trying to do what they can with the information gathered in the previous book, mainly the fact that Daxton is also an imposter. But without proof, it isn't much use to the rebellion, so that's what Kitty tries to do. Unfortunately, she is caught and is sent to Elsewhere, the prison and hunting ground for Extra's and criminals. We had seen some of it and heard its reputation in the first book but seeing it fully for the first time was brutal, it was truly an awful environment. 

There was a lot, like an insane amount, of lies and deception. I understand that for quite a few characters it was part of their cover as members of the rebellion, but it was very difficult to keep up with who to trust. Along with several new characters, we also saw a different side to Knox, a more harsh side that made me hate him a little bit. As for Kitty, I could understand her frustration but she also changed her mind about helping the rebellion; she wanted to be involved but she didn't want to get hurt, herself or anyone else. She kept flicking back and forth, which was not only annoying but also endangering to the cause. 

Despite some issues with the secrets and the mind-changing, this was an incredible story, quite possibly even better than Pawn! It was action packed, fast-paced and full of conspiracy and deception. I never knew what was going to happen when I turned the page, who was going to live to see another day, who was going to make it to the rebellion and what was going to happen to Elsewhere. I loved it, I read it in two days, and I cannot wait for the finale, especially after that shocker ending!

Published 1st December 2014 by Harlequin UK. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

In The Age of Love and Chocolate by Gabrielle Zevin

Anya Balanchine is a teenager with the responsibilities of a grown woman. Now eighteen, life has been more bitter than sweet for Anya. She has lost her parents and her grandmother, and has spent the better part of her high school years in trouble with the law. Perhaps hardest of all, her decision to open a nightclub with her old nemesis Charles Delacroix has cost Anya her relationship with Win.
Against the odds, the nightclub becomes an enormous success, and Anya feels like she is on her way and that nothing will ever go wrong for her again. Until a terrible misjudgment leaves Anya fighting for her life.

The final book in Anya's chronicles told the last few struggles of her teenage years and as she enters adult life. Time moved differently in this one, it was spread over a few years as she opened the club, experiences its success and grew up into a young woman. 

Quite a few things happen in this part of the story, from the troubles with the club to relationships issues. It seems to finally be over with Win, which was incredibly sad; even though he gave up on her because of going into business with his father, I wanted them to overcome their differences. It does take a while but they both seem grow up and come to some adult realizations about how they handled their teenage relationship. Then there was the one big mistake Anya recognises as her own and that was her merger/marriage with Yuji Ono so she could take over his sweet company. She went to Japan with Yuji on his deathbed  and was nearly killed. 

Anya really grew up and developed as a character, as a businesswoman and a sister and friend. She had a lot of responsibility with the club and her family and then after her near-death experience, she had to recover use of her entire body. With everything happening, Anya had a lot of time to think about how she handled things with Natty and Win. I really liked how she grew up and had finally learned how to handle the responsibility along with the worry. The finale of Anya's story was just as dramatic and heartbreaking as the first two parts, and I'm really happy to see not only her last few dramatic moments, but also to see that her life has settled into the possibility of a happy ending.

Published 24th September 2014 by Pan Macmillan. 

Breakdown by Sarah Mussi

It is 2084. Nuclear radiation has poisoned the country. Society has fallen apart. Starvation is rampant, and power shortages have resulted in piles of obsolete gadgetry. Necessity has driven those who've survived to complete self-reliance, if they have the means to do so. For Melissa and her Nan, survival is just about possible, so long as they can guard the tiny crop of potatoes in their back garden and find enough fuel to cook on - and as long as they are safely barricaded inside their home by curfew.

For after dark, feral dogs hunt, and violent gangs from the old Olympic Stadium (now a miserable ghetto) roam to loot and plunder. If they catch you, they are not merciful; so when Melissa falls into the hands of Careem's gang, her prospects look bleak. But Careem soon realises that she might just be more valuable alive, as a ransom victim. However, he hasn't reckoned with Melissa's resourcefulness. Soon part of his young gang are completely beguiled by Melissa and her story of a hidden valley in Scotland - a place that sounds like a comparative paradise, if they can get there. But apparently only Melissa knows the way, and only she can lead them there. But Melissa is hiding a secret. She has never been to Scotland in her life, let alone a mythically Elysian valley there. Can Melissa's stories keep her alive long enough to escape - or will they get her killed?

Set in a world where all the bees have disappeared and the food stock is running low, Melissa and her Nan are just about surviving in London. But then cornered by a pack of hungry dogs, her Nan sacrifices herself to keep Melissa safe but she still ends up in the hands of the Game City Gang, with a powerful and violent leader that realises Melissa is a valuable commodity to trade to the General. The world building was amazing, from the rundown London to the dwindling population and the every man for himself attitude. It was harsh and tough and you could not trust anyone, least of all a gang member who said he will trade you to a sadistic nutjob as a plaything. The whole thing made me a little sick; not only was the world dying, the remaining people were just making surviving worse. 

Melissa uses her Nan's advice to set about escaping. Hearing her voice to stay tough and don't let anyone in, Melissa sets about using her rescuer, Tarquin, and his little brother Lenny to help her run away, to a made-up safe place in Scotland. Lenny, only being 6, eats this up and wants to hear everything about it. Even before we really knew them, I could understand why they needed to believe in a place like the cottage; their life sucked. And as Melissa got to know them, she began to feel guilty to lying to them and they became her family.

The overall story was much more fast-paced and action driven than I expected it to be; very much a survival thriller where they have to outrun violent gangs, vicious dogs and the army. Of course they nearly don't make it, with plenty of obstacles that don't want them leaving, Careem being the main one. As they attempt to leave London, they are taken by the army and used to work on a farm. There, we learn much more about the corruption that is limiting the food going to the city or any other place that actually need it. Figures that even in a world where just growing vegetables is a minor miracle, someone is still trying to make money and power off them. 

Written in a colloquial bad-on-purpose slang, Melissa and the boys' stories drag you in and pull at your heartstrings. Even knowing she had to ditch them, Melissa came to care for them and vise versa. Their incredibly tough journey was an amazing story to read, a classic UK dystopia with stubborn and sweet characters that you just have to cheer for.

Published 2nd October 2014 by Hot Key Books. Thank you to the published for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature - freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called "the Blue." They say it's a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it's a place where Nat won't be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies?

In a futuristic frozen wasteland, it figures that Las Vegas survives. But outside the city, there is a different set of rules in this world of ice, with poisoned water, sub-zero temperatures and icebergs made of trash scattered in the sea. And with the ice comes weird new sub-species, magical people with special powers, from witches to dwarves. Not really sure how ice made paranormal creatures but I just decided to go with it. The fear of these people was much like reality anyway, the unknown making people do stupid things. So, it told of Nat as she makes her journey to the Blue, a safe and lush place where she won't be feared and where grass and plants still grow. Every hopeless pilgrim tries to get to the Blue but Nat has a map, one that many other people would love to get their hands on.

Even with all the weirdness and secrets surrounding her origins, Nat was easy to like. She worried about herself and the people around her, she was beginning a terrifying new adventure and she was attracted to this strange new hero in her life. Speaking of which, Wes was pretty cool, typical dark hero with a tragic past. He was quite sweet once he relaxed but he and the rest of his team struggled to fend for themselves and so were often left hungry. Wes especially suffered from the shakes. 

The story had a real action/adventure feel once out on the open sea, with deadly pirates roaming the waters looking for easy prey. It did take a while to warm up, I think because the world building wasn't the best it could have been. Which is unfortunate because the writing was very good but a lot of things weren't explained or explored properly, for example the fact that America had taken over the world before the ice could. Plus, the ending was both insanely weird and sort of made sense. All in all, I think the overall story was entertaining and interesting but there was too many little things going on that confused me. 

Published 2nd October 2014 by Orchard Books. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Under The Never Sky series by Veronica Rossi

Under The Never Sky
Everyone in the Reverie lives in a virtual world where nothing is real and everything is perfect. So when Soren takes Aria and friends into an open dome and starts a fire, things start to get out of control.  Aria gets the blame for it all and is dumped in the Outside to die. Outside the Reverie, Aria essentially has to re-learn everything and it was very strange seeing things for the first time through her eyes, like the lack of pattern in the stones and her fingernails growing. I immediately warmed to Aria, with her absentee mother and non-existent father, her tough lot in life along with the sudden desertion of her home.

Aria and Perry are thrown together as they both hunt for the same thing: a dome called Bliss. Their budding relationship takes a while to warm up of course but is a deep contrast to the secrets they uncover when they reach Bliss. This is a great start to their story, an amazing introduction to the world with lots more to explore in the rest of the trilogy. 

Through The Ever Night
Picking up nearly where we left off, Perry is now Blood Lord of his tribe and is struggling with all the troubles that is causing. The Tides don't trust Aria and that rift is undermining Perry's rule. Meanwhile, Aria is really coming into her own after discovering her heritage, but that doesn't make things any easier to be accepted by the Tides. So Aria leaves Perry behind and  she and Roar go on a mission to the Rim, to find Sable and Liv. Speaking of which, I loved how there was no competition for love between Aria and Roar. It wasn't just that he was already taken, there was simply no jealousy in their relationship. Of course the way they ran away didn't stop Perry from feeling a bit jealous but it wasn't warranted and he knew that. 

Rossi has got the balance between the heart-stopping action and the burning romance exactly right. As the Aether storms get worse and supplies dwindle and friends are no longer so friendly, things are looking tense. Aria and Roar's mission doesn't exactly go to plan and what happened broke my heart into tiny pieces. We also get a bit more information about Cinder and his connection to the Aether. Which is vital information that could change everything for the Tides, until Cinder is kidnapped. What I especially loved about this book was that it didn't feel like a filler between the intro and the grand finale; great and terrible things happen relating to their journey and survival, and I loved every page.

Into The Still Blue
They have all come a long way, but they still have a ways to go before they are safe. The effects of Through the Ever Night are still being felt deeply (which I will not mention for fear of spoilers). Let's just say that Perry and Roar are distant due to differing ways of showing loss. Revenge and desperation are the emotions of the day so when they attempt to rescue Cinder from Sable and Hess, things go quite wrong. At the end of the last book we learned about the alliance between Sable and Hess, and in this one we discover more about Sable and the Horns, and Hess's place in their partnership, which is to say a crappy one. 

Things are looking pretty bleak as they are trapped and separated and literally beaten. But then an unexpected friendly helps, which I will also not mention because spoilers. Sable forces Cinder to use the Aether to open the storms to get to the Still Blue and he was so very brave even though he might die doing so. But of course finally getting to the Still Blue is not the end of the trouble with Sable and once again things look awful for all their futures. 

This was an incredible finale, full of action and breaking points and love and fear, and all these amazing characters that just made this story. I think this is one of my new favourite trilogies and definitely one of favourite relationships between Aria and Perry. They have all grown so much and I loved following every step of their journey.

Anomaly by Krista McGee

Thalli has fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds left to live. The toxic gas that will complete her annihilation is invading her bloodstream. But she is not afraid.

Thalli is different than others in The State. She feels things. She asks questions. And in the State, this is not tolerated. The Ten scientists who survived the nuclear war that destroyed the world above believe that emotion was at the core of what went wrong—and they have genetically removed it from the citizens they have since created. Thalli has kept her malformation secret from those who have monitored her for most of her life, but when she receives an ancient piece of music to record as her community’s assigned musician, she can no longer keep her emotions secreted away.

Seen as a threat to the harmony of her Pod, Thalli is taken to the Scientists for immediate annihilation. But before that can happen, Berk—her former Pod mate who is being groomed as a Scientist—steps in and persuades the Scientists to keep Thalli alive as a test subject.

The more time she spends in the Scientist’s Pod, the clearer it becomes that things are not as simple as she was programmed to believe. She hears stories of a Designer—stories that fill her mind with more questions: Who can she trust? What is this emotion called love? And what if she isn’t just an anomaly, but part of a greater design?





My brain power is lacking, plus I have little to say about this book, so bullet points it is!

• Christian book - very obvious that the Ten Scientists were the bad guys and Christianity had to make its way back into this futuristic world 
• Had such a great premise but the lack of action made it seem very slow 
• More an individual search of identity and purpose than dystopian thriller, which was disappointing.
• Thalli appeared quite weak, although she did have her moments when she stood up against the man trying to drill a hole in her head. But she was always so scared of being found out as an "anomaly", or that the Designer wasn't answering her, or whatever it was that made her whine a lot. It wasn't that I didn't like her, I was just mostly indifferent towards her. 
•  Wasn't very well written, there were some pacing problems and the lack of any action made it quite boring.
• Glad I stuck with it, but not the best book for me personally.

Published 9th July 2013 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

The Memory Keepers by Natasha Ngan

"No one can take your memories from you... can they?"

Seven is a thief with a difference - he steals downloadable memories from banks and memoriums to sell onto London's black market, trading secrets and hidden pasts for a chance at a future of his own. He makes sure he keeps some special stuff back to 'surf' himself though - it's the only real form of entertainment he can afford. But one night, as Seven is breaking into a private memorium in a wealthy part of London, he is caught in the act by one of its residents; Alba, the teenage daughter of London's most famous criminal prosecutor. Instead of giving him away, Alba promises to keep Seven's secret - as long as he allows her to go memory-surfing herself. In doing so, they discover a hidden memory about Seven's past, revealing a shocking secret about Seven's childhood, the government and a mysterious experiment known as The Memory Keepers...

Now Seven and Alba will have to race against time to unlock the maze of The Memory Keepers - but can they keep themselves out of harm's way before the London Guard - and Alba's father - catches up with them?

Everything about this promised an amazing story: the future London, the enticing value of memories, and the absolutely heart breaking character stories. I flew through this, completely gripped to finding out the truth behind the Memory Keepers and what the deal was with Seven's past and how it tied to the memory trade.
 
Told in alternative perspectives, it was as much Alba's story as Seven's, which, much like the fact that is wasn't immediately a romance, was refreshing; they both needed a friend more than a complicated relationship on top of everything else! I really liked Alba and I especially appreciated that she wasn't just a spoiled child who wanted to see the world, she was trapped and genuinely hurting in the home she was in. As for Seven, my heart ached for him. He literally grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, with no parents, barely a home and resorting to stealing to make ends meat. They made an unlikely pair but grew to trust each other and came together for each other in the end.

Futuristic London was awesome and a little scary. North and south of the river were completely divided and world's apart in terms of health, social status and money. The economy based on the trade of memories, the most valuable and personal commodity a person can sell. That's what Seven did, but a little more unethically: he stole them right out of rich people's homes. And that's how he met Alba, in the middle of a heist and learned that there was more to it than just stealing. There was also, of course, secret parts of the ruling government and the horrible things they did that need to be uncovered. It was all very fast-paced and terrifying and amazing! I highly recommend it for fans of great UKYA, unlikely couples and just incredibly rich story-telling.

Published 4th September 2014 by Hot Key Books. Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Vivian Versus America by Katie Coyle

Seventeen-year-old Vivian Apple has just travelled across the country, fended off roving bands of indoctrinated teenagers, re-evaluated everything she ever thought was true, and uncovered the dark secrets about the recent so-called 'Rapture' and the Church of America. And now, she must rescue her maybe-boyfriend Peter from the Church before the world is (supposedly) due to end, which is in less than three months. It's been a busy apocalypse so far.

Stranded in a city on the verge of complete panic, and faced with a society in an ever-increasing state of breakdown, Vivian and her friend Harp don't even know where to begin looking for Pete. But then a tip leads them to Los Angeles, and the somewhat unlikely location of the Chateau Marmont Hotel. Vivian must save the day - or she'll lose everything worth living for a second time...

This is the highly anticipated sequel to Vivian Versus the Apocalypse and we finally get some answers to the Big Questions. I read the first book last year and couldn't recall many details but Coyle did a very subtle summary that filled in the gaps nicely. So once I was all caught up, I dove right in to Vivian's next step, which was apparently to get named as terrorists and be forced into hiding. Yeah, things always go this well for them!

I loved the story arc for this book, it all spun around a militia group that Viv and Harp is caught up in, and the powerful information they share with the group; namely the truth about the Church and discovering the identities of the Angels. Now that we knew that the Church was just a capitalist extremist's dream gone mad, seeing the things that people did in the name of "religion" was just insane. And how many innocent people had been hurt or stuck in it, especially seeing Dylan pretending to be the poster boy for Jesus-approved denim and Peter the new spokesman, the lengths they had to go to just to survive in this ridiculous hostile environment was mind-blowing. 

The development of Vivian and Harper on their quest to bring down the Church was excellently done and corresponded with the developing relationship with secondary characters, especially Winnie and Peter. I loved getting to know Winnie properly; as Vivian half-sister, there was a lot of jealousy and sibling rivalry, inappropriate but they can't help it. And Peter, although he was in some major trouble, his and Viv's relationship wasn't the focus, nor a distraction; it was just hope in the world full of hate and lies. 

Happy with the answers I received, I then supported Viv and Harp as they attempted to spread the truth about the Church. But of course it wasn't going to be easy; a couple of truly awful things happen that I won't spoil for you but just know I was gasping aloud and my heart was hammering. I loved every page of this, especially the big finale, which was just the icing on the cake in many ways but incredibly sad in others. I will cherish this little series for the spin Coyle put on truth and the importance of family over the sometimes-foolish need to belong to something bigger.

Published 4th September 2014 by Hot Key Books. Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rage Within by Jeyn Roberts

After the earthquakes came the infectious rage, turning friends into deadly enemies. For survivors Michael, Aries, Mason and Clementine the battle to stay alive is about to get even tougher. The new world is organising itself, with camps that promise protection for the uninfected. But the reality of the sites is far more sinister. Besides, nobody is safe from the rage within their own soul...

The sequel to Dark Inside, the first few chapters goes back to before the earthquake, with some details about their lives before, then zooms to the present, three months after the initial attack. I'll admit, I was a bit lost but the prequel bit showed how the rage was starting to infect some people, which was interesting to see. We also got a section from Daniel's perspective and seeing how he acted before made his actions in the present that more understandable.

In the present, they were all getting a bit more pro-active in their survival. Clementine still hunting for brother, getting closer all the time, and the rest of them have set up a home with supplies and even contacts with a few other groups of survivors. Meanwhile, Mason and Daniel are being, well, stupid in their attempts to even the playing field, attacking Baggers and amazingly winning. But then they get captured and taken to Bagger Central where they are tortured and put to work in the Bagger's new world order. 

Much like the previous book, the story was told from multiple perspectives, including Nothing. In this one, Nothing's perspective became more of a person than a collective; it was clearly the dark thoughts of someone which was deeply unsettling but very intriguing to read. All of the characters had changed quite a lot; Michael was more open with his feelings, Aries and Clementine were both sore about how they were surviving and aching to do something more, which made for an awkward yelling match but ended in a great rescue mission. 

I really liked having a continuation of the story, it was really interesting to see where it went and how they all adapted and fought back for their world. There were also a few surprises, and some that were completely obvious about who could or could not be trusted. I'd really like another book to see how everything turned out, especially on that ending! But if not, even though it ended openly, I still really enjoyed it, terrifying though it might have been.

Published 30th August 2012 by Macmillan Children's Books.

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Moments after several huge earthquakes shake every continent on Earth, something strange starts happening to people. Michael can only watch in horror as an incidence of road rage so extreme it ends in two deaths unfolds before his eyes; Clementine finds herself being hunted through the small town she has lived in all her life, by people she has known since childhood; and Mason is attacked with a baseball bat by a random stranger. An inner rage has been released and some people cannot fight it. For those who can, life becomes an ongoing battle to survive - at any cost!

An earthquake triggers a primal spirit to emerge in many humans, driving them to do the most dangerous and horrifying things. It was all a bit vague, what had happened and why, but I kinda of liked it like that. There was no logical explanation for these things, for this weird power to come over people that makes them kill. And like it. All we knew was it was happening all over the world and it was scary as hell. 

It was written between four narratives, the main characters experiencing the same event at different parts of the US. It takes a while for them to actually meet but before they do, we get this universal impression of the horror that's happening everywhere. All four of them were scared and left alone to survive as best they could. Split between the four of them as it was, the story should have felt staggered, and it was to a certain extent but not so much that I lost the thread. I actually really liked the way it was written, with a variety of characters in different situations and varying skills of survival. 

It was terrifying to the point that my heart was in my throat for half of it, my breath held until whoever was out of danger. The not knowing, the horrible rage, the lack of power and food made for a very scary and gripping read. I especially liked the girls point of view, Clementine and Aries had no proper skills but were both stubborn and smart enough to get by. Mason was difficult to get a read on but such a tough time of it that I couldn't help but like him a little; at least his strength came in handy! And finally Michael was quite vulnerable, put on a good face but was actually scared out of his mind, but he did pull through when it mattered. 

Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd like it, it's not my usual thing, but was so well written, so easy to get into that I actually loved it. A very good book for fans of horror and zombie-type dystopian. 

Published 24th May 2011 by Macmillan Children's Books.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males born with a lifespan of 25 years, and females a lifespan of 20 years--leaving the world in a state of panic. Geneticists seek a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. 
When Rhine is sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Yet her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can t bring herself to hate him as much as she d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement; her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next; and Rhine has no way to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. 
Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

This has been sat on my shelf for nearly a year, so I'm really glad to finally get into it. I was originally intrigued by the concept of what would happen to society if we all died really young. The breakdown of knowledge and tradition is obvious, but this was set only a few years after the fact, with some of the first generation still alive and frantically searching for a cure for their children and grandchildren. 

Rhine was kidnapped and sold to a rich man looking for women to bring him children. One of three of Linden's new wives, Rhine is trapped in this grand house, expected to bear children and grow "old" with Linden. I didn't really understand why they had been kidnapped, why this guy needed three wives; it's not like there were more women than men. But as I continued, it becomes apparent that Linden isn't the bad guy, his father is. Linden is just as trapped as the three girls.

It was really interesting to see how everything had affected this little world, as the house was so cut off from the rest of society. Apart from the Grand master Vaughn, Linden's father, and a few servants, everyone was under the age of twenty-five, the women dying at twenty. It took a bit of getting used to, especially Rhine's hand-servant being a young girl of about 10. It took some getting used to but it worked, especially once the girls started to trust each other. The youngest being only 13, the oldest a year from dying and Rhine in the middle, I really liked how they bonded, even though Cecily was too naive to understand the consequences of where they were. Rhine and Jenna, as the oldest, knew they were held against their will, knew the dangers of crossing Vaughn and knew not to forget what bought them here. 

Although I didn't quite understand the reasoning behind it, I really liked the sense of community and seclusion being stuck in the house together bought. Rhine has to navigate the house between her sister wives, her new husband, her father in law who may or may not be keeping dead bodies in the basement to test the cure. You know, the usual! There was a lot of stuff going on, from Linden's dying first wife to a possible crush in one of the servants. It all blended together really well and I think it got better once Rhine had settled into the house. I'm not sure about continuing with the series; I'd like to know what happens next but I'm actually pretty happy leaving as if it was a standalone. 

Published 22nd March 2011 by Simon and Schuster.