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A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king’s army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince’s guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can’t prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard, and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she’s sworn to protect?

Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Published January 7th 2014 by Scholastic Press

When her parents are murdered and the twins are to be taken to the castle, Alexa’s brother decides to chop off her hair and have the captors believe she is a boy. As a young female, she would otherwise be sent directly to the breeding house, a place where young girls are abused to produce more children for the kingdom.

Alex loves and hates her situation; she enjoys fighting and residing in one of the better positions at the castle. She is better off there with her brother than either outside among the people, or in the breeding house. Her brother is a fierce competitor and stands by her side until she must face her life alone.

She is placed in a precarious situation when she is appointed the direct guard for the Prince himself, but when they are kidnapped her whole world starts to crumble.

The initial story set-up is perfect. It got me interested in Alex, her dangerous position as part of the guard, and the fact that her secret could be found out at any moment. One misplaced wound during a fight or a simple slip of the tongue could do her in. There is an obvious hostility that she holds for the Prince, the King, and the King’s staff. She is always having to watch what she says. This world has different lands with different people and we don’t get to meet all of them. There are wizards and magic and a focus on good versus evil.

There is some travelling during the novel where the pace slows a little. The drama intensifies as the characters get a lot of one-on-one time and reveal their true personalities. The plot develops and plot twists takes hold. During these periods of travel we see a different side of Alexa, one that experiences emotional turmoil and is very different from the one we have known.

I was pleasantly surprised by the twists that this story took. It kept me intrigued and guessing how it would end. Despite this, there was a small section in the middle of the novel that kept me from absolutely loving the story. I would still recommend this book for the main character and her strength and abilities. Through most of the novel Alexa was very much a heroine that I could root for; I just loved her. She has to fight through her own insecurities and shows the true meaning of the word heroine.

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Before getting started on Sever, I wasn’t sure how this trilogy could get any better, but once again Lauren DeStefano has done it. She blew me away, broke me, and absolutely amazed me!

Sever was an explosive ending!

After spending months drugged and passed out in the basement of Vaughn’s mansion, Rhine has been rescued and taken to the hospital. Thanks to her sister wife Cecily and partially thanks to Linden. It’s about time Cecily stepped up to the plate and took charge!

After going through checkups, Rhine, Linden, and Cecily learn that Vaughn put trackers in each of the sister wives thighs, to ensure that if one of them ran away, like Rhine, they could easily be tracked and brought back. Even with so much evidence, Linden still doesn’t believe that his father isn’t who he thinks he is. Linden doesn’t want to believe it, even when Rhine and Cecily are crying for his help.

Lying in the hospital in recovery, Rhine catches a glimpse of the news on TV and she can’t believe her eyes when she sees her brother. Her brother, is still living, breathing, and walking this earth, but also running a rebellion…

After being released from her stay in the hospital, Rhine doesn’t want to go back to the mansion with Linden and Cecily, and I don’t blame her! So instead, Linden suggests his Uncle Reed’s house. Unsure of how to respond or how to feel about the offer to stay with Vaughn’s brother, Rhine is a bit hesitant. But she decides that she doesn’t have anywhere else to go.

Reed turns out to be nothing like his brother; in fact, Reed hasn’t even talked to Vaughn in years, but has become a safe haven for Linden when he can’t deal with Vaughn. At first Reed does come off as a bit standoffish and rough, but Rhine quickly learns that all he expects her to do is do her chores and pull her own weight.

Things are good, but Rhine still wants to find her brother and Gabriel.

Time is running out. Rhine needs to hurry and find her brother, and Linden and Cecily offer to come with her, leaving their baby in Reed’s care. On their journey, things seem to run smoothly, but all that quickly changes, when the three run into the same carnival from the second book.

The first time Rhine sets her eyes on her brother in real life, Rowan is trying to bomb a building. Rhine can’t seem to get his attention at first because there are so many people shouting, chanting, and moving, but once she does, Rowan has to do a double-take to make sure his eyes aren’t fooling him.

Rowan wants to introduce Rhine to a very good friend of his, who has the ability to end this epidemic of dying at a young age. Rowan reassures her that his friend knows what he is doing. But Rhine can’t believe what she hears, when her brother tells her that his name is Vaughn…

I don’t know about Rhine, but my heart definitely stopped when I read this.

I made a bulletin list when I reviewed Sever for my blog, and even after a few weeks I still can’t review this book in any other way, so here it is.

• Gabriel, Where Are You? Where the heck was he? I ADORED him in Wither, and fell in love with him in Fever…but where was he in Sever?! I understand that he made a small appearance towards the end of the book, but come on! I was expecting so much more from him. AND so much more from Rhine. When she finally sees him at the end of the book, I felt like Rhine just brushed him off, like he wasn’t there for her throughout the entire struggle of the first two books. Ugh! I missed Gabriel and I was hoping to see a lot more of him in Sever.
• Linden, Why!? Why Him? Why Did It Have To Happen This Way? My feelings for Linden were back and forth throughout this entire trilogy. He was so oblivious to everything his dad was doing to his wives right in front of him, in the same house! But in Sever I was almost rooting for him. I was almost even wishing that Rhine would go back to him and ask if she could be with him again. I LIKED Linden in Sever, and that’s why my heart was completely crushed when he died. He died in the most useless way, completely randomly, and had no meaning at all. I was so heartbroken.”

Some of the things that I enjoyed, gushed over, loved, and reread a million times.

• Vaughn, You! With all the evil things he’s said and done, you naturally hate him. But he was the perfect villain! He was smart, he did it for science, and even out of love for his son. He wanted to end this epidemic and wants his son and grandson to live normal lives, and not die at such a young age. Vaughn was complex and had real reasoning behind what he was doing, and I liked that about him.
• Cecily. She was still the young naive girl we meet in the first book but now has a child and one more on the way. But she grew up in this book, granted, not enough, but she did. She took initiative and even told Linden what to do sometimes. 
• Rhine and Rowan, For The Win! In Sever we finally get the opportunity to meet Rowan! After three books of stories and Rhine’s memories, we finally meet her twin brother. You have no idea how excited I was. Just like Rhine, Rowan is head-strong and he has a great love for his sister.
• The Ending…WHAT?! I thought the endings to Wither and Fever were completely crazy, but those two combined are nothing compared to Sever’s ending. I don’t want to give away what happened, but WOW is all I can say. I would never have expected it, and I never saw it coming.

Sever was intense, and I hope that each and every one of you gives this trilogy a read! Awesome story, awesome characters and crazy crazy endings!

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A fast-paced, nerve-fraying contemporary thriller that questions loyalties and twists truths.

Appearances can be deceiving.

In the Community, life seems perfect. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Pioneer invited Lyla’s family to join his group and escape the evil in the world. They were happy to be chosen, happy to move away from New York and start over in such an idyllic gated community. Now seventeen, Lyla knows that Pioneer is more than just their charismatic leader, he is their prophet . . . but his visions have grown dark.

Lyla is a loyal member of the Community, but a chance encounter with an outsider boy has her questioning Pioneer, the Community—everything. And if there’s one thing not allowed in the Community, it’s doubt. Her family and friends are certain in their belief. Lyla wishes she could feel the same. As Pioneer begins to manipulate his flock toward disaster, the question remains: Will Lyla follow them over the edge?

From the outside looking in, it’s hard to understand why anyone would join a cult. But Gated tells the story of the Community from the inside looking out, and from behind the gates things are not quite so simple. Amy Christine Parker’s beautiful writing creates a chilling, utterly unique YA story. Perfect for fans of creepy thrillers and contemporary fiction alike.

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published August 6th 2013 by Random House Books for Young Readers

Lyla and her parents have decided to move into a secluded neighbourhood (surrounded by a large thick wall) to feel safer from what they consider to be a very dangerous world. The people that live in the gated community farm their own food, keep to themselves, and make furniture to trade/sell to the local town for supplies.

All of the children have been matched up; one boy and one girl that will eventually marry and be a family of their own. They have to do their part in the community as well as attend classes. A major part of their learning is how to protect the community when trouble comes. Pioneer, the community leader, tells them that their world can come to an end one of two ways: the local towns will attack because they do not understand why the community has secluded themselves away from the larger population or the end of the world. They train to shoot guns, keep their food stocks full, and practice runs in the night to the bunker in case the end arrives.

Very early in the book, Lyla gives a tour to one of the local visitors around the community and his questions take root in her brain–questions that Pioneer does not want her asking. Her parents are happy. Her friends are content. Shouldn’t she feel the same?

What I loved about the book is how well the author draws us in. The whole story is told from Lyla’s perspective and through her actions and questions we get to know how outsiders feel about the community: also, how her parents have come to love the community and would do anything for it. But Lyla chooses to question things. Her determination is admirable, and her situation is not such an uncommon thing in today’s world. It’s very realistic.

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Bel:

Cover

The hard cover’s dust jacket is stark white with two teens hand in hand, backs to the viewer, in yellow scrubs. With the dust jacket off, the fresh faced teens are facing forward. They both, however, are utterly miserable looking.

Characters

There is a plethora of hate-able characters in this angst- filled book–though it is difficult to separate the person from the situations they’re put into and how they survive to the best of their abilities.

Favourite

James. Some things never change.

Least Favourite

Sloane’s parents. UGH!

Beginning

Suicide is at epidemic proportions in the under 18’s. So The Program has been invented to ‘save’ at risk teens.

Storyline

Sloane’s picked for The Program; she endures and assimilates.

Ending

Things are never as black and white or clean cut as the ones in power would like.

Thoughts

I don’t know if I was in a bad head space when I started reading this book, or the book triggered a bad head space, but I do not recommend it for anyone with mental illness. It is far from a happy book, and by the end, I was ready to let my black dog catch me.

Perhaps some parts hit a little too close to home. Perhaps it was the parents and society using medications and ‘reprogramming’ instead of listening and using alternative preventative measures to treat their teens.

Quote

“I bet she looks beautiful,” my mother says. “The returners always look so healthy, don’t they Don?”

Kids help line http://www.kidshelp.com.au/  1800 55 1800

Life line http://www.lifeline.org.au/  13 11 14

 

Krista:

Cover

This cover is the perfect representation of the book. So far it’s been my favourite cover over all. The image of Lyla and James in yellow uniforms staring down a white hall represents the feeling of the book well.

Characters

Favourite

James: He showed the most emotions and things that I wanted to feel as a reader trying to identify with the characters.

Least Favourite

Sloane: I couldn’t connect with her or her family.

Beginning

Suicide rates have been rising and the school systems are implementing new programs to help them cope with the loss of loved ones but also to keep those survivors alive.

Storyline

With suicide now an international epidemic, Sloane knows her parents will do anything to keep her alive. Everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Their depression is gone—but so are their memories. The only person Sloane can be herself with, is James. They are both growing weaker, depression is setting in, and The Program is coming for them.

Ending

What I liked about the ending is that it gives us hope for the 2nd book in the series. It leaves us with the sense that there’s more out there to discover.

Thoughts

I had a hard time getting emotionally invested in a story in which all emotions are suppressed. Everything is so depressing. Mourning is not allowed and the actions that the parents and teachers take were very outlandish in my opinion. What I did appreciate about the book was the ending and the hint at an even bigger idea that could really take this story to exciting places.

Quote

“I’m so alone. It’s like being dead but still conscious.”

“It’s like I never existed. We had so many secrets together and now they’re just mine. The weight of them is too heavy for me to carry.”

 

Lisa:

Cover

I absolutely LOVE the cover on this one, for so, SO many reasons! First off, the white background: I like how it looks so clean, bright, and it makes the yellow suits REALLY stick out. Besides that, I also like that we can’t see the models’ faces. I’m just so tired of book covers where faces take over the entire thing! I feel like it ruins the character for me because the face on the cover doesn’t look anything like I imagine the character to look.

Characters

There were quite a few characters in this book that I despised, and one or two that kind of grew on me.

Favorite

This one is tough…I had such a hard time connecting with characters in this book simply because the way things worked in this world, and how EVERYONE just went right along with it, and never thought to question anything. If I REALLY (and I mean REALLY!!) had to pick someone, I would have to agree with Bel and Krista, and go with James. But I would also have to pick Sloane. Why you may ask? Because of their feelings and because they seemed to be the only ones to recognize just how wrong this entire situation is.

Least Favorite

Where should I start? Sloane’s parents? For goodness sake! Your child is being dragged away to this crazy place, which will completely wash out some of her memories! She will be stuck there for weeks under drugs. What else has to happen to her for their parental instinct to finally kick in?

Beginning

The beginning of this story and the way this society runs is what suckered me in reading The Program: a world without emotions? How is that even possible? With brain washing and lots of drugs, I guess. Sloane and James (her boyfriend/brother’s best friend) are dealing with the lost of Sloane’s brother. But that’s pretty hard to do when you can’t express any sort of grief and when there’s threat of being sent to the “looney bin.”

Middle

Sloane is picked up and brought to the program. She doesn’t know what happens inside, but Sloane does know that the people who come back from The Program are cleansed and cleared of any sort of emotion. The majority of this book follows Sloane’s journey through The Program and the difficulty of dealing with these memories she can’t remember but somehow knows, after she gets released.

Ending

I don’t actually want to say what happens in the end, but this was definitely my favourite part of the book. Like Krista said, there is a little bit of hope and insight into the second book, The Treatment. And just Bel said, things aren’t always what they seem. I couldn’t put it in any better terms than Krista and Bel did.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, the story was interesting. Some of the characters were frustrating, but a few did grow on me. I liked The Program, but I did struggle a bit getting through it. I listened to it on audio (which may be why I was struggling my way through the story) and felt that some parts were just dragged out. When Sloane was in the program, I just felt like this part took SO long, and SO many things said seemed to be repeated over and over again.

I do plan on picking up The Treatment, but before I do, I will be reading The Program in physical form again, instead of listening to it on audio.

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When emotions are erased from the world, creating a civilization of mindless drones, only those with fury can survive.

On the same day each year Josephine Luquet wakes naked, shivering and covered in blood that is not her own. Under the cold gaze of the blood moon she is someone else entirely, but when dawn breaks her memories flee and she is left with only an icy horror, a burning fury. Amid a sea of drones, she alone hasn’t been cured.
It will be the same each year: atrocities forgotten, truths hidden and pieces of herself left to die.

Until Luke.

He isn’t like the other drones. With secrets whispering behind his eyes and a hunger for all things Josephine, he is the only one determined to help her discover the truth before the next blood moon rises.
But time is running out. Is Luke willing to risk his life to be near her? Does he truly understand what violence she is capable of?

Raw and full of passion, Fury is a story of love in a dystopian world, and how much we are willing to forgive in the struggle to remember our humanity.

Kindle Edition, 1st, 348 pages

Published March 25th 2014 by Momentum Books, Pan Macmillan

Fury is a story about Josephine trying to come to terms with the fact that she is unlike anybody else. Stories of her past and present day interweave and we meet the people who try to help her, and those who try to destroy her.  We also get bits of information about how the world has changed and what caused people’s emotions to be erased.

The fact that the novel is told from three different perspectives means that we get to see different sides of Josephine and how she deals with what happens to her every year. My favorite parts of the story were from Anthony’s–her therapist’s– perspective.  Through Anthony, I was able to get more of an idea of the world outside Luke and Josephine’s relationship. His perspective gave me a better understanding to how the “emotions” play out in this world. Though people can feel no anger, there sure were a lot of really mean, abusive people in Josephine’s life.

I felt that the book was a mesh of two different stories. The dystopia (where people are mindless drones) was a fully-conceived separate idea from that of the Fury and its yearly release within Josephine. The combination of the two ideas was interesting, but I found myself a little perplexed with Josephine and how she viewed her world.

What I loved about the story was when the Fury was released within Josephine. It was scary, dark, and gory. I was gripped by suspense, waiting for the next time it would happen and to see how far it would go. It was never disappointing.

I recommend the book to those who enjoy dystopian horror stories. There was some romance as well, and Luke was a fun love interest with secrets of his own. Overall, it’s a pretty fast paced novel that delves deep into Josephine’s past and emotional well-being. 

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