Tag Archives: dystopian

Book Title:
The Unit
Book Author:
Ninni Holmqvist
Page Count:
273
Publishing Date:
January 3rd, 2010
Publisher:
Oneworld Publications
Date Read:
February 21st, 2020
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Purchased

Synopsis

On her fiftieth birthday, Dorrit Weger is checked into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material: a state-of-the-art facility in Sweden where she will make new friends, enjoy generous recreational activities and live out her remaining days in comfort with people who are just like her. Here, women over the age of fifty and men over the age of sixty who are single and childless are saved from a life devoid of value and converted into productive members of society. The price? Their bodies, harvested piece by piece for the ‘necessary’ ones (those on whom children depend) and sometimes their minds, as they take part in social and psychological experiments, until the day comes when they make their Final Donation and complete their purpose in life. Despite the ruthless nature of this practice, the ethos of this near-future society and the Unit is to take care of others. Resigned to her fate as a ‘dispensable’, Dorrit finds her days there to be peaceful and consoling. For the first time in her life she no longer feels like an outsider – a single woman in a world of married couples with children. But when she meets a man inside the Unit and falls in love, everything changes…

My Review

I had no idea what I was expecting when I started reading this book. I kind of bought it on a whim and started reading it the day I bought it, because it sounded interesting. I’m a mood reader, so … Continue reading

3.5 stars
2 Comments
Book Title:
Last Star Burning
Book Author:
Caitlin Sangster
Book Series:
Last Star Burning, #1
Page Count:
400
Publishing Date:
October 10th, 2017
Publisher:
Simon Pulse
Date Read:
February 1st, 2019
Format:
Hardcover
Source:
Purchased

Synopsis

Sev is branded with the mark of a criminal—a star burned into her hand. That’s the penalty for being the daughter of the woman who betrayed their entire nation.

Now her mother’s body is displayed above Traitor’s Arch, kept in a paralyzed half sleep by the same plague that destroyed the rest of the world. And as further punishment, Sev is forced to do hard labor to prove that she’s more valuable alive than dead.

When the government blames Sev for a horrific bombing, she must escape the city or face the chopping block. Unimaginable dangers lurk outside the city walls, and Sev’s only hope of survival lies with the most unlikely person—Howl, the chairman’s son. Though he promises to lead her to safety, Howl has secrets, and Sev can’t help but wonder if he knows more about her past—and her mother’s crimes—than he lets on.

But in a hostile world, trust is a luxury. Even when Sev’s life and the lives of everyone she loves may hang in the balance.

My Review

Last Star Burning was a book that I bought a while ago, but never picked up until now. It just sounded so amazing, and I fell in love with that gorgeous blue and silvery cover. The whole concept behind the … Continue reading

3 stars
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Book Title:
Your One & Only
Book Author:
Adrianne Finlay
Page Count:
320
Publishing Date:
February 6th, 2018
Publisher:
HMH Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
February 5th, 2018
Source:
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review - Thank you!

Synopsis

Jack is a walking fossil. The only human among a sea of clones. It’s been hundreds of years since humanity died off in the slow plague, leaving the clones behind to carry on human existence. Over time they’ve perfected their genes, moving further away from the imperfections of humanity. But if they really are perfect, why did they create Jack?

While Jack longs for acceptance, Althea-310 struggles with the feeling that she’s different from her sisters. Her fascination with Jack doesn’t help. As Althea and Jack’s connection grows stronger, so does the threat to their lives. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?

My Review

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a dystopian novel.  I kind of stopped reading them because I felt like I read the same story over and over a few times, and I needed to branch out to a … Continue reading

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Book Title:
Gunslinger Girl
Book Author:
Lyndsay Ely
Page Count:
432
Publishing Date:
January 2nd, 2018
Publisher:
Jimmy Patterson
Date Read:
December 21st, 2017
Source:
ARC from publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

James Patterson presents a bold new heroine--a cross between Katniss Everdeen and Annie Oakley: Serendipity Jones, the fastest sharpshooter in tomorrow's West.

Seventeen-year-old Serendipity "Pity" Jones inherited two things from her mother: a pair of six shooters and perfect aim. She's been offered a life of fame and fortune in Cessation, a glittering city where lawlessness is a way of life. But the price she pays for her freedom may be too great....

In this extraordinary debut from Lyndsay Ely, the West is once again wild after a Second Civil War fractures the U.S. into a broken, dangerous land. Pity's struggle against the dark and twisted underbelly of a corrupt city will haunt you long after the final bullet is shot.

My Review

It’s true: I haven’t read that many westerns.  However, since I was a HUGE fan of Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman, I was super excited for Gunslinger Girl.  I haven’t seen all that many really good western style young adult … Continue reading

4 stars
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Book Title:
The Scorch Trials
Book Author:
James Dashner
Book Series:
The Maze Runner, #2
Publishing Date:
October 12th, 2010
Publisher:
Delacorte Press
Date Read:
July 27th, 2016
Source:
I received a copy from the publisher

Synopsis

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end.

Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn't done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.

There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die.

The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch--the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off.

There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers' destruction--and they're determined to survive.

My Review

I don’t know how I feel about this book.  I’m completely torn between liking it and being so bored I kind of just wanted to skip to the last few chapters just so I could stop falling asleep and dropping … Continue reading

3 stars
4 Comments
Book Title:
Alight
Book Author:
Scott Aigler
Book Series:
Generations Trilogy, #2
Publishing Date:
April 5th, 2016
Publisher:
Del Ray
Date Read:
March 9th, 2016
Source:
eARC from publisher via NetGalley

Synopsis

In Alive, Scott Sigler introduced readers to an unforgettable young heroine and a mysterious new world reminiscent of those of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Red Rising. Now he expands his singular vision in the next thrilling novel of this powerful sci-fi adventure series.

“If it’s war they want, they messed with the wrong girl.”

M. Savage—or Em, as she is called—has made a bewildering and ominous discovery. She and the other young people she was chosen to lead awoke in strange coffins with no memory of their names or their pasts. They faced an empty, unknown place of twisting tunnels and human bones. With only one another to depend on, they searched for answers and found the truth about their terrifying fate. Confronted by a monstrous enemy, they vowed never to surrender—and, by any means, to survive.

The planet Omeyocan may be the sanctuary Em and her comrades seek. But the planet for which they were created turns out not to be a pristine, virgin world. Vestiges of a lost civilization testify to a horrifying past that may yet repeat itself. And when a new enemy creeps from the jungle shadows, Em and her young refugees learn there’s nowhere left to run. They face a simple choice: fight or die.

In the midst of this desperate struggle, their unity is compromised from within—and a dangerous zealot devoted to a bloodthirsty god moves to usurp Em’s command, threatening to lead them all down a path to violent doom.

My Review

This book, like the first book in the series, is really difficult for me to review.  I guess that it doesn’t help that I read it months ago, and then kind of got distracted by tons of other things (like … Continue reading

3.5 stars
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Book Title:
The Maze Runner
Book Author:
James Dashner
Book Series:
The Maze Runner Series, #1
Publishing Date:
October 6th, 2009
Publisher:
Delacorte Press
Date Read:
June 1st, 2016
Source:
I received a copy from the publisher

Synopsis

If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.

Everything is going to change.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

Remember. Survive. Run.

My Review

Ah yes, The Maze Runner.  Until now, it has been one of those books that I have been seeing and hearing about for years..and there’s even a movie out for it now.  Honestly, I don’t know what took me so … Continue reading

4.5 stars
10 Comments
Book Title:
Away We Go
Book Author:
Emil Ostrovski
Publishing Date:
April 5th, 2016
Publisher:
Greenwillow Books
Date Read:
March 31st, 2016
Source:
eARC from publisher via Edelweiss

Synopsis

Westing is not your typical school. For starters, you have to have one very important quality in order to be admitted—you have to be dying. Every student at Westing has been diagnosed with PPV, or the Peter Pan Virus. No one is expected to live to graduation.

What do you do when you go to a school where no one has a future? Noah Falls, his girlfriend Alice, and his best friend Marty spend their time drinking, making out, and playing video games on awaywego.com. But when an older boy named Zach (who Noah may or may not be in love with) invites Noah and Marty to join his secret Polo Club, the lives of both boys change as they struggle to find meaning in their shortened existence.

With an innovative format that includes interstitial documents, such as flyers, postcards, and handwritten notes, Away We Go is a funny, honest look at first love and tragic heartbreak.

My Review

I was originally drawn to this book due to the synopsis – it sounded a lot like the kind of book I’d absolutely love (kind of a dystopian/contemporary combo, with some realistic elements thrown in that kind of remind me … Continue reading

3 stars
2 Comments
Book Title:
Prophecy (Legacy #2)
Book Author:
Ellery Kane
Book Series:
Legacy, #2
Publishing Date:
May 29th, 2015
Publisher:
Dog Ear Publishing
Date Read:
June 30, 2015

Synopsis

Over a year has passed since Lex Knightley journeyed alone into desolate San Francisco. The Guardian Force is disbanded, emotion-altering drugs banned, and citizens allowed to return to the seemingly resurrected city. For Lex, life is almost normal, but normal is precarious. Normal has a way of falling apart. One rainy night changes everything. Out on parole, Quin McAllister's father is arrested for the brutal murder of his new wife. As the Resistance resurges, claiming a conspiracy, Lex doesn't know what-or who-to believe. When old enemies resurface in new disguises and trusted friends start keeping secrets, normal splits right down the middle, leaving Lex and Quin on opposite sides. Prophecy-the second novel of Ellery Kane's Legacy trilogy-continues the story of Lex and Quin, testing the strength of friendship, forgiveness, and love.

My Review

If you haven’t read the first book in the Legacy series, you should go check out the review for it here.  There might be some spoilers here that you might not want to read before reading the first book. This … Continue reading

5 stars
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I have had the wonderful opportunity of doing an author interview with Ellery Kane, author of the amazing Legacy series. About Ellery Kane: About Ellery Kane: In my real (non-fiction) life, I work as a forensic psychologist in the San … Continue reading

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