Review: The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

Title: The Eleventh Plague

Author: Jeff Hirsch site

Format: Audiobook, 6 discs

Narrator: Dan Bittner

Published: 8/01/2011

Publisher: Scholastic Audio

Source: eMedia Library

“In an America devastated by war and plague, the only way to survive is to keep moving.

In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing--and their lives--forever.”

-Goodreads

Basic Synopsis:

His mother is long dead and he’s just buried his grandfather when his father gets into an accident and falls into a coma. Now that Stephen is on his own he has no one to follow. Who will Stephen be? Will he follow in his grandfathers footsteps and leave everyone behind, survival his only agenda? Or will he be more like his mother and father and be more than the world would make him?

Characters:

Stephen is really a boy lost. He has always followed others and hasn’t ever had to decide things for himself. He’s trying to find out who he really is. What kind of person he wants to be, and what paths he will take. Stephen is a very admirable character. I feel like he starts from scratch, without a formed personality and decides on his own to be a good person. To help others, and to be loyal to the ones he loves. And also to, eventually, own up to his responsibilities.

Jenny is lovably stubborn. She never holds back and refuses to just stay safe on the side lines. I loved that she’s no one’s damsel in distress. She stands up for herself and whatever she feels is right, never pushed around by anyone. I liked that she was so kick ass without being arrogant.

Plot and Story:

Something that I think is very unique about The Eleventh Plague is that it isn’t just a post-apocalyptic YA novel. The post-apocalyptic element isn’t the main part of the story. It really should be categorized as a coming of age story.

One of the reasons I love this book so much is because I agree with everything the author is trying to convey. And this story says a lot. For a book under 300 pages it speaks volumes. Something that may turn off some readers is that the pace of the book is kind of on the slow side. Usually that is something I would complain about, but the rest of the book is so good it didn’t bother me at all.

Overall:

Do you ever read a book and really liked it, and then a lot of time passes and you think back on the book and doubt it was as good as you thought it was? I started having these doubts after a few books I’d thought I’d loved had their unfortunately obvious flaws pointed out to me by other bloggers/friends. (None that I’ve reviewed though) I’m happy to say that rereading this book I regained some faith in my book critiquing abilities. (I’d originally read the ARC in August 2011) I loved The Eleventh Plague just as much, if not more than before! I give it 5 of 5 stars, and if you haven’t read it yet you should definitely give it a try!

Review: Infinity by Rachel Ward

Title: Infinity

Author: Rachel Ward site

Format: Hardcover, 256 pages

Published: 5/01/2012

Publisher: Chicken House (Scholastic)

Source: Library

**Spoiler Alert** Infinity is a sequel and may spoil the rest of the series for you. You have been warned.

“Because everyone wants to live forever.

No matter what it takes, Sarah's desperate to escape from the numbers.

Always numbers. Sarah loves Adam, but can't bear the thought that every time he looks in her eyes, he can see her dying; can see her last day.

It's 2029. Two years since the Chaos. Sarah and Adam are struggling to survive. She knows he always envisioned them together "'til death do us part." But will a child come between them? The child she loves. The child he saved.

Little Mia was supposed to die that New Year's Day. The numbers don't lie. But somehow she changed her date. Mia's just a baby, oblivious to her special power. But ruthless people are hunting her down, determined to steal her secret.

Because everyone wants to live forever.”

-Goodreads

Basic Synopsis:

It’s 2 years since Adam went on television to warn people of the Chaos and London is in shambles. The survivors are living in tent cities across England, forced to fend for themselves. Adam and again pregnant Sarah are preparing for another tough winter for their family. But everything changes when government workers on motorcycles snatch Adam, Sarah, and Mia away to an underground government facility. They want Adam to tell them peoples number, to decide whether some refugees are worth bringing aid. Or so they say. Saul, the head of the facility seems to want something else from Adam.

Characters:

One of the reasons I was disappointed reading this book is that there’s not really any character development. There aren’t really any new characters, and we’re left with the exact same characters from The Chaos. In all honesty, the characters left me bored. I didn’t find out anything new about them; nothing about them changes.

The only kind of new main character is Mia, Sarah’s biological daughter. There’s a lot of speculation on Adam’s part about whether Nan had given Mia here number or if she somehow stole it. It’s meant to be a kind of mystery throughout the book, but it’s never really answered.

Plot and Story:

I feel like Infinity was a wasted opportunity. I was really disappointed, because I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, Numbers and The Chaos. I didn’t see anything special or new in this book. There were a couple of surprises in the ending, but nothing “mind-blowing” as described.

Overall:

Well, I’m sorry to say that overall Infinity was unsatisfactory. As far as disappointing books go, Infinity is second only to Crossed by Ally Condie. ‘Nuff said. I give it 1 of 5 stars, because I know this one could have been so much better.

Review: Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Title: Monument 14

Author: Emmy Laybourne site

Format: eARC, 294 pages

Release Date: 6/05/2012

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (Macmillian)

Source: Netgalley

Challenges: Ebook Reading Challenge (hosted by Workaday Reads)

“Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.

Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.

But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.”

-Goodreads

Basic Synopsis:

In the year 2024, Dean and his younger brother Alex get on the school bus in Monument, Colorado. Suddenly huge hail rains down on their town and kills many. After a near death experience escaping the bus, the14 surviving kids and their bus driver, Ms. Wooly, flee to a nearby super store. But when Ms. Wooly goes to find help, they end up on their own. Can they survive earthquakes, toxic chemicals, and just plain isolation?

Characters:

I liked Dean. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there was something very authentic and human about him that I liked. He just wants to keep his brother safe and get Astrid to notice him. He’s also kind of an underdog of the group, and I’m a sucker for underdogs.

Plot and Story:

There is something indescribably fresh and real about Laybourne’s writing. It was good on the eyes if you know what I mean.  It was very fast paced, the story was always moving. And that’s a good thing for me. I was on the edge of my seat and my heart was actually beating with excitement at all the right parts. Oh, and that action packed, cliff hanger ending. I’m still buzzing about it. I need the sequel, like, NOW! I know I’m kind of all over the place, but there are s many things to like about this book.

Overall:

I was worried it would be, but Monument 14 isn’t your run of the mill post-apocalyptic. The premise isn’t the most original idea, but it is very well written and the story is quite a ride. If you’re into post-apocalyptic YA, I would definitely recommend Monument 14. I’m giving it 4.5 of 5 stars.

Future Release Review: Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Title: Struck

Author: Jennifer Bosworth site

Format: eARC, 385 pages

Release Date: 5/8/12

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Books for Young Readers

Source: Netgalley

Challenges: Ebook Reading Challenge (hosted by Workaday Reads)

“Mia Price is a lightning addict. She's survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn't who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.”

-Goodreads

Characters:

Let’s be honest, an unwilling heroine is nothing new in YA fiction. It’s a character that has been done countless times, and, in all probability, will continue to be done. And Mia is no exception. She doesn’t want to jump into all the action; she’s not trying to be courageous. She just wants her family together and safe. Mia’s character is by no means original and probably not realistic, but I still liked her.

The rest of the “cast” also had the same problems. They weren’t very original and didn’t seem real. The adjectives that come to mind are “okay” and “fine”, I just couldn’t get excited about the characters.

Plot and Story:

Struck is centered around these two feuding cults, the Followers and the Seekers. The Followers are a religious cult who believe that the coming end of the world is a sort of cleansing brought on by God, and that in following “Prophet” they will be spared and brought to heaven.

The Seekers take the opposite view. They believe that the Followers are being controlled by Prophet’s supernatural power, and that the end of the world needs to be stopped.

Both sides try to lure Mia to their side by different means, and Mia really just wants to stay neutral. But it’s really hard when both of her other family members have chosen the opposite side.

Although there were some twists and turns in the book I didn’t see coming, I found some large parts of the plot obvious. Like Jeremy’s true identity for example. Again, there isn’t anything out-right wrong about the book I just wish it could have been more unique and original.

Overall:

Struck ended up being one of those books that after I read it I thought I liked it, but when I go to review it I ended up seeing it in a new light. Unfortunately, this new light wasn’t as flattering. Having a main character that’s a “lightning addict” was such a cool idea, and the cover really intrigued me. I’m sad to say that, in the end, I was left disappointed. I give Struck 3 of 5 stars.

 I don’t mean to sound harsh. Struck is a fine post-apocalyptic YA novel and it kept me entertained. It was well structured and paced, but it is very similar to countless others of its kind. My blog isn’t about just finding enjoyable books; it’s about finding books that break the mold. Books that stand out for all the right reasons. 

Review: Pure by Julianna Baggot

Title: Pure

Author: Julianna Baggot site

Format: eARC, 368 pages

Release Date: 2/8/2012

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Source: Netgalley
Challenge: Ebook Reading Challenge (hosted by Workaday Reads)

“We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . 

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run. 

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . 
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her. 

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again. ”

-Goodreads

Characters:

At first, Pure seemed to have an interesting assortment of characters. Unfortunately these characters have a nasty habit of behaving out of character, doing things that don’t make sense based on the picture painted of the character. I had really liked Pressia in particular. And El Capitan. I can’t say I cared for Partridge though. Partridge became really uninteresting once he left the Dome. I almost dreaded the parts of the book from his point of view. (Lyda eventually became the same.) Still, even when there were characters I liked, they weren’t consistent.

Plot and Story:

What I’d really liked at the start of the book, were the creepy creatures/ deformities as a result of the bomb. Julianna Baggot has a great voice for creating almost disturbing mental images that are sure to give you goose bumps. But as the story progressed, even this attribute became too much.

There was way too much going on in this book for 368 pages, and that’s saying something. It was like an episode of the 3^rd season of Heroes, you almost need to take notes to follow it. The story became too hurried. All of the different twist and turns of the plot, and all of the new information introduced toward the end of the book was just too much for one novel. It almost seemed like the author was trying too hard, and just kept adding and adding to the story until there wasn’t room left for more. What I read was just a review copy and the final version has almost one hundred more pages, so perhaps the end result will be a little more balanced. Though, I’m doubtful.

Point of View:

Pure is written in third person selective multiple, following the POVs of Pressia and El Capitan, who live outside of the Dome, and Partridge and Lyda, who live/lived inside of the Dome. (For more information on different POV types, click here)

Overall:

Pure had a good start but in the end, left me disappointed. I’m rating it 2.5 of 5 stars for inconsistent characters and an overcrowded plot.

Review: Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Title: Ashfall

Author: Mike Mullin site

Format: Ebook

Published: 10/11/2011

Publisher: Tanglewood Press

Source: Netgalley

“Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.
Ashfall is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. He must travel over a hundred miles in a landscape transformed by a foot of ash and the destruction of every modern convenience that he has ever known, and through a new world in which disaster has brought out both the best and worst in people desperate for food, water, and warmth. With a combination of nonstop action, a little romance, and very real science, this is a story that is difficult to stop reading and even more difficult to forget.”

-Synopsis from Goodreads

How it starts:

Alex is just your ordinary, geeky, brooding teenager. Until one day, the same day his family leaves for their Uncle’s in Warren, Illinois, a super volcano erupts at Yellow Stone. The eruption is so powerful that even though the volcano is in Wyoming, a piece of it sets Alex’s house on fire all the way in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Though he stays with neighbors for a short time, Alex must eventually venture out on his own into the ashfall on a mission to get to his family.

Characters:

Alex, the protagonist, is definitely a likeable character. For one, he has a black belt, so he’s totally kick ass. Secondly, he has a very strong moral compass. And through all the bad things that happen to him, he still tries to help others whenever possible.

Darla was also pretty likable. Although she isn’t the main character, she’s usually the one who knows what to do. From information of mechanics to other survival skills, she was certainly the most knowledgeable character. And thank goodness she’s no weakling. I just hate it when female characters are the ones that cower in the corner, and then need their man to the job. It was a nice change of pace to see this role reversal.

As for villains, there are many of them. Throughout their journey, there isn’t really just one person who’s bad deeds are most focused on. Except maybe for the ashfall itself. Mike Mullin certainly doesn’t skimp on obstacles for either Alex or Darla. 

Plot:

Whether it’s running from an escaped criminal, to just trying to survive from starvation or the ash-induced winter, there really isn’t ever a boring moment in Ashfall. There were times my own pulse was racing with excitement, and even a few tears shed. This book keeps up a steady pace. Not too fast, or too slow. There are is even a bit of philosophical questioning, including talk about religious faith. Though, if you don’t like book that include religion, don’t let that scare you away. It is only a smaller part of a great whole. I will say though that there are a few parts in the book that describe butchering animals. These parts are kind of graphic. They may be necessary to the story, but as a vegetarian, left me thoroughly gross out.

Overall:

I really enjoyed Ashfall. It introduces an entirely new post-apocalyptic world I’ve never read about before. Not many people know this, but starting when I was six, I became very interested in volcanoes. I remember reading all kinds of books, and watching Eyewitness: Volcano a dozen times. This book really brought back a “blast from my blast” so to speak. I really enjoyed this one. It was a truly great read, and I’m looking forward to the sequel, Ashen Winter. I’m giving it 5/5 stars.

Review: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Title: Ashes
Author: Ilsa J. Bick site
Release Date: 9/06/2011
Format: ARC
Publisher: Egmont USA
Source: Won in raffle


"It could happen tomorrow...

A cataclysmic event. An army of "The Changed."

Can one teen really survive on her own?

An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky, destroying every electronic device and killing billions. For those spared, it's a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human...

Desperate to find out what happened and to avoid the Changed, Alex meets up with Tom---a young army veteran---and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse.

This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to survive."

Synopsis by goodreads.com

Ashes had me hook, line, and sinker after the first chapter. This book is completely action packed. It’s a fast paced, page turner that will have you up until 2 in the morning. There’s never a dull moment. Not to mention this book is scary as all hell; as the back cover entails, it really could happen tomorrow. You’ve got a girl, secluded in the woods, and out of nowhere birds start falling from the sky, people dropping dead, and if that weren’t enough you have to worry about fast, smart, flesh hungry, zombies. The descriptions in this book are great, completely sucked me into Alex’s world. Ashes as ambiguous a read as the main characters name, perfect for action seeking male audiences as well. And the cliff hanger ending will leave you begging for more.

**SPOILER ALERT** The only problem I had with this book is the darn love triangle. I mean come on; do we really need another one of those in YA fiction today? But mostly that’s just me. I’m a bit of a hater of the ever cliché, love triangle. I’m sick and tired of them!

But that point aside, I think that Ashes may be the YA book to read this year. “The Hunger Games” may finally have a rival.  Yep, it’s that good. 

Recommendations

If you liked Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick, you might also enjoy…

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Gone by Michael Grant
• Life as We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• Blood Red Road by Moira Young
• Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan