Dark Inside

Dark Inside
Jeyn Roberts
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Release Date: September 2, 2011
Pages: 368

Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…Now it’s our turn. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, turning everday people into hunters, killers, crazies.

Mason's mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground, and everyone he knows is killed. Aries survives an earthquake aftershock on a bus, and thinks the worst is over when a mysterious stranger pulls her out of the wreckage, but she’s about to discover a world changed forever. Clementine, the only survivor of an emergency town hall meeting that descends into murderous chaos, is on the run from savage strangers who used to be her friends and neighbors. And Michael witnesses a brutal road rage incident that is made much worse by the arrival of the police--who gun down the guilty party and then turn on the bystanding crowd.

Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad? These four teens are on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found, this is a journey into the heart of darkness – but also a journey to find each other and a place of safety.

This book read like a movie. The whole time I was reading, I could just imagine actually watching this. I haven't read a book like that in a while, if ever. And that is what I really enjoyed about this book. 

This is an apocalyptic book, but in this it's during the apocalypse, which is something that hasn't been touched on as much as post-apocalyptic. And I didn't think of this much before. But I much appreciate this book for bringing a new take into this type of book--not quite dystopian, but apocalyptic nevertheless.

I also like the monsters of this book. It was something of a mix of The Crazies with a more coherent person. And something about that was frightening--that they were still people, but with a desire to hurt and kill. This is also something new that I appreciated.

I think one place that this book fell flat is the characters. While I still really enjoyed this book, it was not because of the characters. It's not that I didn't like any of the characters. It just wasn't a strong point of the book.  

Jeyn Roberts brings something new to the YA genre. I've seen these things in other places, but not in YA. And it was very refreshing and something that I really enjoyed. 

In My Mailbox (80)

We have Kristi at The Story Siren to thank for hosting IMM every week.


For Review:

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
(From NetGalley)

Bought:

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Ophelia by Lisa Klein

Considering each of these were about 2 bucks a piece, I couldn't pass them up.

Library:

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

What did you get this week?

Review: Untraceable

Untraceable

S.R. Johannes

Publisher: Coleman & Stott

Release Date: November 29, 2011

Pages: 315

16 year old Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival. 

When her dad goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to believe he’s dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and nature to find him. 

One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into the wilderness to escape and find her father. 

Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever relationships and lives. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to save everything she loves.

Untraceable was different than anything that I've read. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it was still interesting. 

I have to say, Grace is very kick-butt. It's refreshing to see a heroine who can take care of herself. From the beginning she was the only one who believed her father was still alive. She may have been tough on the outside, but as we read through the book we see that she has a heart filled with loyalty and compassion. When she set her mind to something, she didn't give up, even when everyone told her otherwise. She also has amazing survival and tracking skills. We could probably all learn a lesson from her. On some level, however, I never really connected with her. This usually causes problems but I was able to over look it here. 

Untraceable a lot in it: mystery, romance, danger. Not everything was completely unforeseeable, but there were also quite a few surprises that I din't see coming. I quite enjoyed watching Grace on her journey to find her father. And I must say I quite enjoyed Mo, too. I got kind of worried about about that toward the end, but it was okay in the end. 

Overall, Untraceable was a refreshing and thrilling ride. Very different from what I've read before, in a good way. An interesting story to go with a beautiful cover. 

Top Ten Tuesday (8): Childhood Favorites

Top ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and Bookish. For more information, visit here. 

This week is Top Childhood Favorites. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't a huge reader when I was a kid. I liked to read, but I didn't read nearly as much as I do now. I had this nasty habit of reading about halfway through a book and stopping, leaving it never to be finished. Thankfully, I've gotten over that and actually read a whole book now. 

Anyway, here are some books that I actually got through in entirety. 

(Some of them are series, not specific books)

1. Goosbumps by R.L. Stine- I read through these books like no other. I've always been into horror, whether it be books or movies. I've read a ton of these, but few really scared me. I remember the ones that did creep me out, though were the Night of the Living Dummy ones (there was 4 or 5 of them). Dolls have always freaked me out. 
2. Animal Ark by Ben M. Baglio- I've always been an animal person. Anything with an animal in it, I absolutely adored. I loved this series, too. I had a million of them, but how many I actually read, I couldn't tell you. 
3. Bud not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis- This is one that my teacher had read to the class in about fourth grade, I believe. I remember I loved it. Now, I had a couple other teachers read it to me in later years, so it got a little old, but I still remember liking it the first time. 
4. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo- This is one that I read when I was a little bit older, but I still loved it. It's been a while since I've read it, but from what I remember, I still think it was amazing. 
5. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo-Another DiCamillo book. These are the only two books I've read by her, but based on them, I wish I had read more. Edward Tulane is my favorite, but this one was pretty good, too. 
6. There's a Wocket in my Pocket by Dr. Suess- This list wouldn't be complete without Dr. Suess. And while everyone else loved The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham, There's a Wocket in my Pocket was and remains my favorite Dr. Suess book. 
7. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner- Who didn't read these? I remember a time when I read through several in no time at all. 
8. Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park- I remember my mom reading these to me before bed every night. There are a lot of memories along with these books. 
9. The Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne- These are classics. I remember reading and owning a ton of these. 
10. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume- This is another that the teacher read to my class. I read some of the other Fudge books, but none of them compared to the first. 

Wow, I'm feeling really nostalgic after making this list. I kind of wish that I had some of these now. 

Anyway, what books did you love as a kid?

November Wrap Up

I know this is a few days late, but better late than never. 

I didn't get as much reading done in November as I would have like. But that may have something to do with NaNoWriMo. And yes, I am a NaNoWriMo winner. So, I'm using that as an excuse for not read as much. 

Anyway.

Books Read:

1.) Amplified by Tara Kelly

2.) The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern

3.)Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

4.) Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

5.) The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

6.) The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stievfator

7.) Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent

8.) Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward

9.) Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning

10.) Legend by Marie Lu

11.) Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty

12.) Untraceable by S.R. Johannes

13.) The Next Door Boys by Jolene B. Perry

14.) Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward

Other Reviews:

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Touch of Frost by Jenifer Estep

In My Mailbox (79)

We have Kristi at The Story Siren to thank for hosting IMM every week. 

So, I tried something different this week. I want to do an actual vlog, but every time I try the sound gets jacked up on the computer. I don't know if it would just be on my computer, or if the sound is too quiet for everyone to hear, because it's fine on my camera. So, I figured this would be something different, a video, but not quite what I want. 

Anyway, if you don't like it, let me know and I won't do it again. If you do, tell me that, too!

And I promise there will be better music next time if I do it again!

Review:Legend

Legend
Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: November 29, 2011
Pages: 305

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

There has been quite a bit of buzz revolving around Legend for a while now. I was extremely excited when I got a chance to read it. And I do believe that it deserves the buzz that it was gotten. 


I was instantly drawn to Day. He's the most wanted criminal. Not only was that interesting but I was completely drawn to his character. I first noticed how compassionate he was. He would have done anything for his family. It took me a little bit to warm up to June. I never liked her as much as Day, but after a while I liked her more. One thing I liked about her was how attuned she was to every little detail. I've  never read about a character who does that, and it was very interesting to read about.

Legend was fast paced and action packed. I never wanted to put it down, always needing to know what happens next. I do wish there was more, though. It's not that there wasn't enough. It was just so good that I would have loved to see more. More of the characters, of the story. It wasn't a very long book, but what was there I really enjoyed. 

I do love when in dystopian novels, it is so close to our world. It makes them seem that much real and plausible. And that's how it was in this book. It made connections to our world and society. 

Legend was a fantastic debut. It was as addicting as it was fantastic. I can't wait to read more of the characters and this world.