Category Archives: Dystopia or Post-Apocalyptic

They aren’t the same genre, but both deal with a future of uncertainties.

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Review: The Offering by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Offering
Author: Kimberly Derting
Series: The Pledge Trilogy
Rating: ★★★★

After reading The Pledge, I knew this series would be one that I loved. It had wonderful characters, and interesting storyline, and it was well written. Throughout the series, I have only fallen more in love. With the end of the series coming in The Offering, I knew I wasn’t ready yet. Once I read those final words, there was no going back. Sure, I can reread. But it’s never quite the same.

Charlie has done amazing things for her country. She’s brought back communications and removed the evils of Sabara from their country. She’s learned how to control Sabara’s Essence. She knows she’s doing the right things for her country, but with the eyes of everyone on her, she feels the pressure. A neighboring country has delivered a gruesome warning and the only way for her to keep war from entering her borders is to sacrifice herself. She’s not sure what will happen after she meets Queen Elena, but she knows she has to try to save her country.

Charlie finally comes into her own in this novel. She knows how to fight, but she knows how to think, too. Sure, she’s still nervous and has a few flaws, but they are what make her shine. She knows that her country cannot save a war and that one person’s life is not more valuable than another’s, but she is willing to give herself up in order to save her people. She shows true courage and I admire her for that.

Max, although not a huge presence in parts of the novel, is still as wonderful as ever. Whenever he was around, it was perfect. I could feel myself melting anytime the love he has for Charlie was shown. He’s courageous, yet vulnerable. He’s always ready to show Charlie just how much she means to him. I’m a little happy he’s not in the entire book, though. It makes the moments we see him even sweeter.

The story itself was fantastic. I’d always try to guess what was about to happen, and I’d maybe get a little piece right, but I was still shocked when things were revealed. The way Derting can throw something in that’s completely unexpected yet makes perfect sense is amazing. Her curveballs never feel like they were thrown in to make things more dramatic. They always feel like that was exactly how things were supposed to happen.

The Offering is an amazing end to a fantastic series. It has action, love, and a fantasy dystopia that’s perfect for the novel. It’s definitely a must read.

If The Offering sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Review: Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Title: Into the Still Blue
Author: Veronica Rossi
Series: Under the Never Sky
Rating: ★★★★★

I had loved every book in this series. The world and characters Rossi created are so incredibly thought out and real that finishing this book felt like saying goodbye to friends. It was a sad feeling, but in the best possible way. After Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night, I had high hopes and expectations for Into the Still Blue. Rossi far exceeded everything I wanted for this book.

At the end of Through the Ever Night Perry had moved the Tides into the safety of a cave. They knew Hess and Sable had teamed up to travel to the Still Blue. They also had Cinder. Aether storms were getting worse and time was running out for everyone. Soon, the storms would destroy everything, including them. Perry brings a team together to rescue Cinder and steal enough hovers for the Tides population. The team is dysfunctional, though, and from the beginning things don’t always go to plan. The rest of the novel is filled with action, drama, romance, and everything I could have wanted.

The relationships in this book, in this series, are what make it so amazing. Of course there’s the love story between Aria and Perry. They’re just as wonderful in this book, having to go through a few rough patches before coming out stronger and better. But every relationship in the book is that way. They all have dimension and feel incredibly real. Aria and Roar have one of the best friendships I’ve read in a book. Rossi could have easily turned this into a love triangle, but she didn’t. Instead she created a friendship that I envy. They are always there for each other, and love each other, but it’s still friendship. One of the strongest I’ve ever read. Even the relationships with the more minor characters are fleshed out and wonderful.

I don’t want to go into too much about the plot. I don’t want to spoil any piece of this novel for anyone. But something I love about how Rossi writes is how she paces everything. It’s not action upon action upon action through the entire novel. Instead, she throws a lot at you, makes your heart race and your breath catch. Then she gives everyone a break, a few chapters to breathe and to recover. There’s sweetness and swoons, usually, in those breaks. The action and plot make you fall in love with the book, the pauses make you fall in love with the characters.

There were times when I was close to tears. Sometimes it was because of what was written. Other times it was because I knew I was nearing the end of the book. I’m not ready to leave the world of Aria and Perry, yet I also loved how the story ended. This is a series I will be reading over and over again. It’s nearly perfect in every way and I’m incredibly grateful to Rossi for writing it.

If Into the Still Blue sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Perfect Ruin
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Series: The Internment Chronicles
Rating: ★★★★

DeStefano’s first series, The Chemical Garden, was a meh series for me. It just didn’t have the impact and wow factor I thought it would. I did like DeStefano’s writing style, though, which is why I gave Perfect Ruin a chance. It was worth it. Perfect Ruin pulled me right in and I had a hard time putting it down.

Morgan lives on Internment, the floating city in the sky. Everyone there is told to stay away from the edge and to be the best citizens they can be. It’s not enough for Morgan though. She wonders what the ground is like and what else there is to the world. She’s not content with what she’s told; she wants to know more. Her family has a black cloud hanging over their heads because Morgan’s brother Lex is what’s called a jumper. He tried to go off the edge. When he failed, he not only changed his life, but the lives of his entire family.

I liked Morgan. She’s a very relatable girl, with thoughts and dreams that any teen would have. She has a betrothed, a best friend, and a family. She’s smart and pretty. She seems to have everything someone on Internment would want, but she knows there’s more to the world and she can’t help my daydream about it. She’s brave and levelheaded, wanting to do what’s best for the group, although she does have her moments when she doesn’t think things all the way through.

I’m interested in seeing how DeStefano handles the romance side of things. I can see it going a couple ways and I know which one I would like to see. I’m going to place my trust in her, though, and hope she does what her characters need. I am loving Basil, though. He’s there for Morgan and believes in her when she stops believing in herself. He seems to truly care for her because he wants to, not because he was told to.

It will be interesting to see where the story goes from here. This is a concept I haven’t read in quite this way before. Yes, the idea of an isolated society existing without contact from the outside world is an idea that has been written before, but not in quite this way. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, but not so much of one that I wanted to throw my book against the wall. It leaves an amazing setup for the next novel.

Perfect Ruin is a fantastic beginning to another DeStefano series. The world she has created is amazing and I’m already invested in what happens to her characters. I’m anxiously awaiting the release of Burning Kingdoms.

If Perfect Ruin sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Review: Deception by C.J. Redwine

Title: Deception
Author: C.J. Redwine
Series: Courier’s Daughter
Rating: ★★★★★

I’ve been not so patiently waiting for Deception from the moment I finished Defiance. I loved the action and romance of the first novel, and couldn’t wait to see what Redwine had in store for her characters next.

The city of Baalboden has been destroyed and the Commander has run off. All that remains is a small group of survivors who selected Logan to be their leader. Logan and Rachel have both lost nearly everyone they love and care about, with their love for each other needing to be strong enough for each other. Logan decides to take the group of survivors across the Wasteland in search of asylum in the northern territories. With the Commander’s army at their backs, a traitor in their camp, and the unknown in front of them, their travels are dangerous.

Logan and Rachel have moved past the unknowns of their relationship. Redwine doesn’t have to build up their relationship. They love each other and have that foundation to build upon. They have to figure out how to fight for each other while still fighting against the outside forces bent on their destruction. They both have lost their family and a large majority of their friends, and need the other in order to keep their strength going.

For Logan, Rachel is the only person her has left that he considers family. His worries that her self-sacrificing ways will get her killed make him take extra steps to ensure her safety. Rachel has lost all family except Logan and is just as worried about losing him. She’s not sure if she can survive losing another person she loves. The death that has already surrounded her haunts her and she doesn’t know how to get past it, or if she’s even strong enough to. It causes her to become even more self-sacrificing and take bigger risks, even when she knows she shouldn’t.

I loved the storyline of this novel. The trek across the Wasteland, with possible dangers at every turn, and the traitor within the group made for an amazing read. I was never really sure what was going to happen next. I was kept guessing at who the traitor was and I must say, I was pretty shocked. The character deaths made me cry, one especially, and as much as I hated seeing those characters go, I understand why they happened. Everything had a purpose, whether it was to move the story along or to have a character change and grow.

Deception was just as amazing as I hoped, and knew, it would be. It made me weak in the knees. It made my heart race. It was everything I wanted. The ending left me breathless and I really wish I didn’t have to wait to read the next novel. Redwine has an amazing series going and I can’t wait to see how she ends it.

If Deception sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Review: Once We Were by Kat Zhang

Title: Once We Were
Author: Kat Zhang
Series: The Hybrid Chronicles series
Rating: ★★★★

What’s Left of Me introduced me to a different world. In this world, people are only supposed to have one soul, and yet some bodies keep both souls they were born with. It’s almost like a survival of the fittest, but in individual form. It was something I had never read before and even though there was potential for confusion, Zhang pulled it off wonderfully. So when I was given an advanced copy of Once We Were, I was excited and ready to read. There is so much potential in the world Zhang has created that I couldn’t wait to get started.

Once We Were follows the ending of What’s Left of Me right away. We’re introduced to the new world Addie and Eva live in, after breaking out of Nornand, the hybrid correctional facility. They have to hide away from the world out of fear of being recognized. They want to help rescue other children facing a horrible fate of surgeries and possible death. They want to be alone, but don’t know how to live without each other.

Addie and Eva are part of a resistance group, but they feel like they aren’t doing enough. So when the opportunity to make an impact presents itself, Eva jumps on it. As they get pulled further into the band of fugitives, the divide between Eva and Addie grows. They want to do good and help, but at what cost? What are they willing to do in order to show what is really being done to the hybrid children?

Not only are Eva and Addie divided when it comes to how to deal with being a fugitive, but their hearts are going in different directions as well. As Eva falls for Ryan, Addie develops feelings of her own. Neither soul enjoys being a background participant in these relationships, so Addie and Eva begin to disappear for greater lengths of time so one soul can have her private time. Even this causes problems, though. The only thing they can rely on is their trust in each other, but there are moments this is put to the test. Disappearing from your body only to reappear hours later without knowing what happened in between has great potential for problems.

The action in this novel was perfect. I can see the struggle Eva and Addie are going through, trying to decide what is right and what is wrong, as well as how to deal with the mounting pressures around them. They are two entirely different people, living two different lives, and yet they are one in the same. I find this struggle amazing to read. It could easily be confusing and frustrating to read, but Zhang has a way of making everything clear, while still making you feel frustrated. You feel for these characters and the fact that for years, one soul was considered less than, but now there’s a way to be equal again. It’s simply fascinating to read.

Once We Were is a fantastic sequel that doesn’t fall off the Cliff of No Point, like so many other middle novels have done. It moves the story along, but it has its own growth and plot. It takes the feelings from the first novel and magnifies them to a point where they can’t be ignored. Everything about this novel has me anxious and ready for the final novel. The story of Eva and Addie still has so much to be told and I can’t wait to read what comes next.

If Once We Were  sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Thank you to Edelwiess and HarperCollins for providing an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Title: Scarlet
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles series
Rating: ★★★★

I was extremely surprised when I liked Cinder. A cyborg retelling of Cinderella didn’t sound like my thing. But when I loved it, I figured I had found a series that would be worth sticking through to the end. As a sequel, Scarlet is surprisingly unique. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it could be a stand-alone novel, but it doesn’t rely on Cinder more than it needs to. It has its own story that slowly weaves itself with that of Cinder’s.

Scarlet lives on a farm with her grandmother. They are the only two people there, so when her grandmother vanishes, Scarlet is worried. There are too many signs that her grandmother did not go willingly and Scarlet is determined to find her. That’s when Wolf enters her plan. As her only possible link to her grandmother, she must rely on him to reach her grandmother in time.

Scarlet and Wolf aren’t my favorite relationship. Yet, anyway. There’s something that just feels a little forced and not quite right. I believe in the attraction they feel for each other, but that’s about it. I’m really hoping Meyer expands on this relationship as much as possible in the upcoming novels.

We can’t forget about Cinder, though. She’s been captured and put in prison, held until the Lunar queen is ready to get rid of her. Cinder doesn’t wait around for that moment and breaks out. She has questions and she is going to find the people that have the answers.

Scarlet sets a fast pace, but it’s easy to follow along. The jumping perspectives didn’t bother me at all, even though I know some people don’t enjoy that. It works for this book. Aside from Scarlet and Wolf’s relationship, there wasn’t much that I didn’t completely love about this novel. I’m looking forward to reading what comes next.

If Scarlet sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
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Review: Rise by Anna Carey

Title: Rise
Author: Anna Carey
Series: Eve series
Rating: ★★★★

Eve and Once set up a world that was going to crumble before things could change. Rise is that crumbling.

Eve is married to Charles, unhappy and anxious. She is silently working for the rebels from within the castle. The death of Caleb strengthened her resolve and she’s not going to let anything stand in her way.

I didn’t mind Charles. He wasn’t a villain, but he wasn’t a grand hero either. He played his part well and it was obvious that he cared for her in some capacity. I wish Eve had given him the chance to be friends that they deserved.

Eve takes action in this novel. She’s one the move and has to make decisions quickly, thinking through the outcomes as far as she can, but still not knowing entirely if she’s right. There are some deaths in this novel and each one hit hard. Eve’s ability to keep moving even though everything around her seems to be stopping is something I admire.

The supporting characters play an important role in this book. Characters that hadn’t been involved much become key players and without them, Eve would have failed at some of things she needed to do. Without getting into spoilers, there are a few scenes that would have ended the book if Eve did not have support. I’m glad Carey made it a team effort at times. One individual cannot do everything alone, but with help and support, anything is possible.

Rise is the third series finale I’ve read in a row. Like Requiem the ending is left open, but it works. There’s enough of an ending that I feel closure. I don’t know where the characters will end up, but Rise still felt wonderful. I’m glad the Eve series ended the way it did.

If Eve sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
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Review: Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Title: Requiem
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Delirium
Rating: ★★★

So for months, I had been hearing about the lackluster ending Requiem had. I prepared myself for disappointment and was ready to face this questionable ending. I kept reading, waiting for that moment to hit me, where everything I had heard and read came true. And it never came. Requiem is not my favorite series ending book, but it definitely wasn’t what I had been expecting.

Lena has made it through so much to be free. She wants the freedom to choose who she loves. Even though she knows that it’s wrong to take people’s ability to love away, there are moments in Requiem where she questions her life choices. She feels what love is doing to her and even though she welcomes it, there are times she thinks about what it would have been like to never worry about love. I’m glad Oliver made Lena question herself. Even though Lena knows what she’s fighting for is right, those moments when she looks at the other side make her more human. Those moments make her strength and resolve stronger.

Lena has Alex and Julian with her as she travels with her group of rebels. Lena feels something for both of them, but it doesn’t feel like a love triangle. It’s not overdone or drawn out. Alex has his merits, as does Julian. They each have their moments of strength, when I was rooting for each of them to get the girl. They each had their moments of weakness as well, when I just wanted to shake some sense into them.

As for the ending, I’ve already said I don’t mind if there are loose ends left over, as long as everything major has been handled. As long as I feel that sense of closure, I can find peace with an ending. I had been expecting a much more abrupt, out of the blue, full of loose ends ending. Yes, things are left up in the air, but I don’t think it was nearly as bad as I had been led to believe. There are still questions and everything isn’t tied up in a pretty little bow, but it was easy to see where things were headed. I don’t need to see everything else that happened. Oliver wrote enough of the ending to have it feel like closure while still leaving it a little bit open. My mind can wander and fill in the gaps without stepping on any other parts of the story.

I’m sure there are a lot of people who won’t be satisfied with how Requiem ends and I can understand that. But for me, enough was tied up that I can feel piece with the ending. I’m not going to say it was my favorite series, or my favorite ending, but it was good enough. I feel content without knowing the rest of their story. It’s a testament to Oliver’s writing that even though she has left the ending open, I don’t need more. The entire Delirium series was a fascinating look into the future where love is a disease and those who are lucky enough to find love have something to fight for.

If Requiem sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
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Review: Beta by Rachel Cohn

Title: Beta
Author: Rachel Cohn
Series: Annex series
Pages: 331 pages hardcover, 424 paperback, 304 ebook
Rating: ★★★

After reading the reviews for Beta my expectations weren’t all too great. I have a bad habit of wanting to know what is coming before I reach it, so I tend to read spoilers for books, TV shows, even movies. I tried to limit myself on spoilers for Beta, but I still went in with some knowledge.

Elysia is a teenage clone, one of the earliest models–a Beta. She is not supposed to feel human emotion or sensation, but she does. She’s also a Defect. It was interesting reading how she comes to terms with what she is told to be truth and what she experiences as truth. That dynamic is what kept me reading. To be told one thing yet experience something that goes against that “truth” and have to figure out what is real creates a great internal struggle to read about.

Cohn did an amazing job with the descriptions of Demesne. The way she could paint a picture of the world was superb; I felt like I was there. I could see the ocean; feel the sun and the breezes. Unfortunately, for as beautifully as Cohn described the world, she didn’t match it in world building. There is some background given, but not enough for my tastes. I want to know why the Water Wars happened and how the world of today morphed into the world of the novel. Hopefully there is more of that in the net book.

I know I praised the internal struggle of being told one thing and experiencing another, but it is this same struggle that also bothers me about the novel. Elysia is a clone and at the beginning of the novel, she fits that description perfectly. However, once she starts to realize she can feel, she does a complete 180 and feels everything to an amazing degree. There is “insta-love” that feels horribly unrealistic. How can you be sure you love someone when you barely even understand what feeling emotions is like? I’m not sure if this is intentional or if I was really supposed to believe these two love each other.

The end of the novel had so many twists and turns that some felt a little too far out of left field. It seemed like every few pages, a new twist was thrown in. I’m not sure how Cohn will manage to work will all these new elements, but it might be interesting to find out.

Beta is a novel with an interesting premise. It is basically a set up for the Civil War of the future. It debates what makes a person and person. Does a person need a soul in order to be considered whole or does living and breathing give them the title? Unfortunately, Beta has a few flaws that keep it from reaching its full potential. I will probably pick up the next book, just to see how Cohn handles things, but I won’t be rushing out to get it at first release.

If Beta sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
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Review: What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Title: What’s Left of Me
Author: Kat Zhang
Series: The Hybrid Chronicles series
Pages: 434 pages hardcover, 352 ebook
Rating: ★★★★

Addie and Eva share one body. They are two souls living in the same body and that shouldn’t happen. One soul is supposed to fade away and one soul is supposed to stay. Instead, Eva stays in the background, letting Addie live their life. While Addie gets to talk and be around other people, Eva’s only true companion is Addie.

It’s an interesting premise and I wasn’t sure how Zhang would pull it off. It could either be fantastic or completely confusing. Luckily, What’s Left of Me falls into the fantastic side of things.

I am amazed at how well Zhang managed to write two completely different characters and yet they are in the same body. It was easy to tell the difference between Addie and Eva. Their personalities are different and their growth as people is different. Even though they share the same body, they each experience everything in a slightly different way. It was fascinating.

Not only does Zhang manage to write one person with two souls well, she took on the challenge of making other characters the same way. At first, I wasn’t sure which soul was which; however, the more I read, the more I picked up on each soul’s different personalities. For Zhang to have done this is amazing. I wasn’t confused by the warring souls, but found myself drawn in and loving them.

This isn’t an action-packed novel, but it also isn’t a light read, either. There’s not a lot of fighting or other typical dystopian characteristics, but it never feels like things are moving slow. Something is always happening, even if it isn’t happening in big, elaborate fight scenes.

The only thing that had me a little confused was the time frame this story takes place in. Wars are referenced, but I was never really clear on when this story actually takes place. I’m hoping that was deliberate and in the novels to come, it becomes clearer.

What’s Left of Me is a novel that doesn’t disappoint. It’s different and thought-provoking and definitely worth a read. I’m looking forward to reading what comes next in this series.

If What’s Left of Me sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
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