Pandemonium is written by best-selling author Lauren Oliver. It is the sequel to her book Delirium. Alex is gone. The words seem to echo through the weak, empty shell that is Lena's body when she awakens in the wild. She has been saved, but her desire for life is gone. Alex is gone.
In the weeks after her escape, Lena must work hard to rebuild herself and carve out a place in her strange new world, making new friends and learning to trust once again. As a new Lena grows from the ashes of the old, she decides to help others find their way into a world filled with love and freedom. But the stakes are high when she returns to the world of walls and rules. Someone is always watching and Lena finds herself caught up in a tangled web of lies that threatens to turn her world upside down again.
Lauren Oliver is a beautiful writer. She easily weaves together a vivid world that makes her stories compelling. Her characters have good depth and perspective that make them easy to connect to as well as unique. And the themes that run through her books are thought provoking.
I have to say that I really enjoyed Pandemonium though it left me feeling a bit conflicted. I won't say why. You'll have to read the book to find out for yourself. But I'm very excited to see where Lauren Oliver takes the final book, Requiem, that is due out early next year. That story is going to make or break the series for me, so I'm hoping Oliver rises to the occasion and give us something spectacular. If she keeps in line with the first two books then the third will no doubt be amazing. I, for one, have got my fingers crossed.
I have finished off silence, the third book in the hush, hush series by best-selling author Becca Fitzpatrick. Nora Grey has awoken to a nightmare. She can't remember anything that has happened in the past six months. Her mother is dating Marcie Millar's dad and her best friend, Vee, is lying to her. In an attempt to move forward with her life, Nora goes back to school only to find herself haunted by a past she can't remember. Determined to fit together the fractured pieces of her memory, Nora agrees to help a friend. And when her search for answers turns dangerous she crosses path with a boy named Jev who stirs up something inside of her that even her amnesia can't forget.
Becca Fitzpatrick did a really nice job of moving the story forward in this book. It was fast paced and interesting and hard to put down. If I had to lodge one complaint, I find myself wishing there was a little bit more background lore included in her stories because sometimes it feels made up on the fly. A little more foreshadowing would make my day.
All-in-all, another enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to the final book, finale, which should be released sometime this fall.
I've finished off crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick. It's the second book in the hush, hush saga. Life has changed a lot for Nora Grey. After finding out that she's the descendent of a Nephilim, she barely escaped an attempt on her life. And her mysterious biology partner, Patch, is now her guardian angel....and boyfriend. Everything is fine until her mom tries to set her up with a friend from her childhood whose back in town and who is clearly more than he seems. Patch starts pulling away in favor of spending time with Marcie Millar, Nora's archenemy. And things start heating up between Vee and Patch's best friend, Rixon. When a ghost from Nora's past makes an appearance, Nora decides to go looking for answers whether her guardian angel is there for her or not.
In my opinion, Becca Fitzpatrick stepped it up a bit in this second book. Her plot-lines were well kept throughout the story and remained a mystery through most of the book. She continues her solid writing style, using detailed description to draw you into her characters and scenes. Reflecting back, I still think that a little more thought could have developed her ideas even better and made this story really unique. That being said, I can forgive her because I'm still really enjoying the books.
I've started on, silence, the third book of the series and I'm looking forward to the fall when the last book, finale, comes out!
After reading Delirium by Lauren Oliver, I decided that I couldn't wait for my library hold on the sequel, Pandemonium. I decided to buy it through amazon with a gift card I received for my birthday, so I ended up having to wait anyway. To pass the days until it got here, I picked up the book hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick which was recommended by a good friend of mine. It's the first book by Fitzpatrick and it made the best seller list, so I had high hopes going into it. For typical teenager Nora Grey it's just another day in biology class, until her teacher reconfigures the seating chart. Now, she's paired with a mysterious boy named Patch whose bad-boy nature is at once both alluring and scary. When Patch starts showing up wherever she goes, Nora begins searching for information that will shed some light on her mysterious new biology partner. As she delves deeper, she finds herself more drawn to Patch, but the truth waiting for her is far more unsettling than she could imagine. Thrust into a world far beyond her own mortality, Nora must decide who to trust and her decision could have fatal consequences.
To be perfectly honest, I see a lot of similarities between hush, hush and the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer- Teenage girl falls in love with a "bad" guy who originally wants to kill her, but then decides he's in love with her instead. They become inseparable. Then enters the real bad guy whose creepy and sadistic and hell-bent on killing the girl in order to hurt the "bad" guy she's in love with.
Having said that, I have to admit that I liked the story overall. (That's shouldn't be too surprising to those of you who know I love the Twilight books.) Fitzpatrick does a nice job of writing suspenseful scenes that are creepy but not overly scary. And while I knew in the end nothing too horrible would happen, her style kept me turning pages late into the night. In my opinion, she could have spent a little more time flushing out some of her ideas. For example, I feel like she didn't really explain why Patch fell in love with Nora in the first place. I get the animal magnetism of it all, but if it's the real deal shouldn't there be some layering of emotion? Anyway, a little more thought could have made it more interesting and less predictable.
As a first time novel I think hush, hush was a pretty good start. I'm currently reading the second book in the series, Crescendo, and I've already noticed that she's stepped up her game. I'm hoping that Silence, book #3, will be continue the trend.
Teen fiction seems to be going through a prolifically long phase of dis-topian society books these days. And Delirium is no exception. As the second teen fiction novel written by best-selling author Lauren Oliver, it explores yet another way that society can go all wrong. Written from a first-person perspective we follow the thoughts of 17-year old Lena as she counts down the days until she is "cured" of amor deliria nervosa, otherwise known as love. Terrified of being infected, Lena prepares for the evaluation that will set her on the path she will travel for the rest of her life. She willed be given an occupation, a "fit" partner, and a guide for how many children she should have. Her life will be free from choice, but more importantly free from pain. And that is all that Lena has ever wanted, the pain of her past to be taken away.
However, fate steps in on the day of Lena's evaluation and her world changes forever. Stumbling through a world that used to make sense, Lena must decide what is truth and what is a lie before she is "cured" forever.
If you're reading this synopsis thinking that this book sounds a lot like the book Matched by Allie Condie, you would be right. There are definitely some similar themes going on in these books - love, choice, & rebellion. However, despite their similarities, I have to say that I enjoyed Delirium more.
For me, Lauren Oliver, does an amazing job creating a dis-topian society that is tangible. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin, so it's easy for me to imagine a place where they have removed all strong emotions to ensure obedience. From this mentality, Oliver explores the role that love plays in our lives - all that it can give and take away - and whether or not it's better to live life with it or without it.
Delirium lacks some of the typical teen fiction devices that often move the story along. There are no love triangles and the teenage angst is minimal. The characters deal with their problems in a direct way. There's no beating around the bush. I, for one, really appreciate the way Oliver develops her characters and the emotions they have. It doesn't feel contrived or silly.
I am greatly hoping that this continues in the sequel, Pandemonium, which is already available. So, if you loved The Hunger Games or Matched, be sure to check this out.
I've finally caught up on all of the Cassandra Clare books currently in print, having just finished City of Fallen Angels. It is the 4th book in her Mortal Instruments series. When we left off at the end of book 3, City of Glass, Valentine was dead. His army of demons was defeated and the world of the Nephilim was safe again. And to make things even better, it finally came out that Jace and Clary are not brother and sister.
All should be right for Clary and her friends...but as they say, "There's a storm a-brewing."
Despite being able to finally call Clary his girlfriend, Jace starts pushing her away. Simon's mom throws him out of house when she guesses he's a vampire, forcing Simon to make an unlikely friend that sets Maia on edge. Alex and Magnus are forced to deal with the growing pains of their blossoming relationship and Clary bites off more than she can chew when she looks into a cult that's knee-deep in demonic activity.
I have to admit that this book was easier to put down than the previous installments. I'm not sure if that's due to more self-restraint on my part, or the chance that it's just not as interesting as books 1-3.
Simon's story is front and center this time which is both good and bad. On the good side, making Simon a major part of this book allowed Cassandra Clare to expand the world she has created. She brings in more points of view, more details, etc. All things that add depth to the reading experience. And since I'm the kind of person that likes books to feel well-rounded, I really enjoyed seeing the story evolve beyond just the Jace and Clary plot line.
On the bad side, I've never been that attached to Simon. He reminds me a lot of a couple guys I ran around in with in high school which makes him relatable and endearing, but in the end he just doesn't really get my blood pumping. In fairness though, perhaps my lack of interest is simply due to the fact that Simon's story has never been in the lime-light until now.
All that being said, I like how the story has continued on past the end of Valentine and his war. Cassandra Clare has been intentional in her use of fore-shadowing and I'm excited to see how it continues to play out. I have a feeling dark times are coming for our shadowhunters friends and I for one will be waiting not-so-patiently for book 5, City of Lost Souls, to come out on May 8th.
I'm already on the waiting list at my local library. Are you?
Continuing on my Cassandra Clare kick, Clockwork Prince finally came in at the library the other day. Released in December 2011, it is the second book in the Infernal Devices series.
In this book, Tessa continues to search for answers to her past as outsiders attempt to take control of the institute where she is currently sheltered. If they have their way, Tessa will be out on the street with no protection from the Magistrar and his demonic clockwork army. Along the way Tessa gets help from Jem who is quickly becoming more than a friend, and Will whom she drawn to despite his moody behavior. Together, they must follow the trail of the mysterious Magistrar to save the institute and discover what they can about who Tessa really is.
While the first book in this series had a sinister feeling that blanketed this story, this book follows more along the lines of the Mortal Instruments series. Clare took more time developing the background of her characters in this story, leaving me with a better sense of why I should care about them in the first place. The tension that she writes between the Tessa-Jem-Will love triangle is spot on and you can equally see why Tessa would want to be with either boy.
I am enjoying these stories and I'm looking forward to the next book Clockwork Princess which is due out in December. However, I do think that the story line in these books needed to be flushed out a bit more. I find that I am not as attached to the characters in these books despite it being a pretty interesting idea. For me, the Mortal Instrument series is better.
What do you think?
Thank goodness it's spring vacation because I've had more than one late night reading session recently. And I have to say that I just couldn't help myself. I picked up City of Bones by Cassandra Clare just over a week ago and since then I have been on a mission to consume every single word she has written. Not an easy task since her books are very popular and can't always be picked up quickly from the local library. But I digress... Having read Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, I had a pretty good idea what I was getting myself into when I started this series. What I didn't realize is how captivating her tale would be.
Set in modern-day New York the story follows 15-year-old Clary Frey as she discovers something truly amazing about herself. She can see demons...and vampires...and werewolves...and all the other mystical creatures that make up your everyday fairy tale. But discovering the truth about herself holds consequences for her and the people that she loves. Cast into a world of chaos, she must put her trust into a group of Shadowhunters, the warriors that hunt demons, including a brooding and alluring boy named Jace to find the truth and save all that she holds dear.
I loved the first three books of this series (City of Bones, City of Ashes, & City of Glass), and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Cassandra Clare's writing keeps me turning pages late into the night and I'm excited to read the fourth book, City of Fallen Angels when it finally comes in at the library. Plus, I'm already on the waiting list for the fifth installment of the series, City of Lost Souls, due out in May.
If you're looking for a happy distraction these days that is fast paced and gripping with demons, angels and a bit of romance, check this series out. You can find plenty of info about it out there on the web since all of the books have been on the best seller list.
Crossed is the 2nd book in the Matched series by Ally Condie. It continues the story of Cassia and Ky as they search for each other after being torn apart by the society. Along the way they have to put their faith into some unlikely friends in order to find their way through the harsh climate of the outer provinces.
I spent much of my free time last weekend consuming this book and much of my time since then thinking about it. On a whole, I enjoyed the continuation of the story though at times I found it a bit slow. It's hard to root for Cassia and Ky when Xander is such a good person as well and I can't help thinking that Cassia has been manipulated into her interest in Ky, no matter who was behind it.
The menace of the society is not as strong in this book, so the story lacks a little bit with no villain to be running from. On the same note, I can't decide how to feel about the Rising either. Condie gives you the sense that the Rising doesn't care about people, they care about the cause. And while I acknowledge that mentality is needed when fighting for the greater good, I can't help but wonder where the humanity lies in all of this. What does it look like in the light of day?
These ideas make Crossed a thought provoking book that I will continue to think about during my free time and I'm very excited to see how Condie deals with these ideas in the third installment of the series set to be released in November of this year.
The cover of Incarceron by Catherine Fisher caught my eye while I was wondering in the teen fiction area at our local library. The iridescent glow of the key called to me as I reached out and took it off the shelf. I read the inside blurb and was instantly intrigued. Catherine Fisher is a seasoned English author who has written many novels. Incarceron was published in 2007, winning the Mythopoeic Society of America's Children's Fiction Award. It was also selected by the Times, London as its Children's Book of the Year.
The premise of Incarceron is promising. The story follows two main characters. The first is a teenage boy named Finn who is trapped within Incarceron, a living prison. A prison that thinks and feels and changes in order to rule over its prisoners. The other character is a teenage girl named Claudia, the daughter of the Warden who oversees Incarceron. Each is looking for an opportunity to escape the life they live and their best chance seems to lie within the other.
I enjoyed the rich descriptions of the world inside Incarceron and I was intrigued by the world that existed outside of it. However, I kept finding myself waiting for something more to happen and a better explanation of the things that did happen. The story as is didn't lack for action or adventure, but I couldn't help but feel like there was something missing as though the plot line hadn't been fully flushed out. In the end I felt like bones of the story were solid but the meat wasn't there to sustain me. It's a story that I wish could be written again. This time with some more potatoes.
Interestingly, Catherine Fisher wrote a sequel that was published in 2008. And though I'm curious to see where the author took the story, I just don't know if I can bring myself to read it. Do I give it another try? Or do I spend my time on other things?
|
RSS Feed