Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

It's not hard for me to fall in love with a book. So when I saw everyone raving about Across the Universe I fully expected to be immediately taken in by it too. I wasn't, but that's ok, this was still a worthwhile read for me, one that possessed qualities I liked and ones that I didn't like as much.

The beginning of the novel starts off wonderfully. The scenes from Amy's perspective while she was still frozen were truly haunting. It was chilling to read about Amy going in and out of dreams with no sense of time; no real idea as to whether she was truly living or dead.

Another thing that was fantastic in this novel was the world building and plot. A space ship off on a mission to a newly discovered habitable planet, with cryogenically frozen people from Earth on board, and generations of people breeding and running the ship! That is one of the most original plots I've come across in the YA genre in a long time [Fake Spoiler Alert: There wasn't one vampire on board! *That I knew of.*]. I loved every aspect of life aboard the ship and even found the season to be interesting, even if it was a little revolting. Also I liked that the "mental" people are the ones with deeper feelings... I think we see that a lot on Earth already! I felt like I could imagine the ship clearly, normally I find it hard to imagine something so foreign to my brain, so props to Beth Revis for that! I didn't see the end coming and I thought the plot flowed nicely and reached a satisfying climax.

The things I didn't like about the novel involved Elder and Amy. I didn't buy their romance. It was a little bit too much like "instant love" to me which is something I easily grow tired of in a novel. Besides, I could only hear about Amy's "sunset hair" so many times before wanting to throw up. That's enough, I get it Elder, I think red heads are awesome too. I understand that he'd never seen anything like her before but I think because of this his feelings didn't feel real to me. I felt like Elder didn't receive a lot of characterization otherwise. Honestly, I found myself rooting for Harley and Amy to get together. Harley was actually my favorite character on board the ship. Another thing that irritated me was Amy's penchant for calling her father "daddy" and absolutely nothing else. In the beginning of the novel I thought I had been wrong about her age because I felt like I was reading the narrative of a five year old. Later I counted her using the word "daddy" thirteen times in the span of two pages [pages 234 & 235 if you're curious]. These were actually my only real dislikes in the entire book but it was enough to distance me from Amy and Elder both; especially since I didn't really care for them as a romantic unit.

All of that being said I will definitely be reading the second novel in the series when it releases. I am eager to see where the story goes next (I've got several theories!) and my only hope for the next novel is that Amy's use of the word "daddy" decreases and the relationship between her and Elder is fleshed out a bit more.

Rating: 3/5

Review: The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner #2) by James Dashner

Goodreads

*May contain spoilers for those who have not read The Maze Runner.*

Wow. That is all I can say about this sequel to the wonderful Maze Runner. Our favorite characters are thrown straight back into fighting for their lives. We knew from the end of The Maze Runner that they wouldn't be given more than a moment of safety. They are going outside; where they have not been in many years. This is not a planned maze. The maze is a shelter in comparison. The world has been taken over by a sun that will burn you within a moment spent in its rays and thunderstorms that will tear your body to pieces. People are losing their minds and becoming careless zombies. Will the Gladers lose theirs? There is a lot more I want to say, particularly about Theresa and other new characters, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who has yet to read this. James Dashner is a wonderful writer. He creates a world with his words that sucks you in, holds you there and forces you to ask questions. I read recently on James Dashner's blog that he was a LOST fan and why am I not surprised? If you hate being given mysteries without many answers (yet) then I advise you to look for a new book. James is keeping us on the edge of our seats until the third and final book in the trilogy is released later this year. I have to wonder, with so many questions left to answer, will he come through in the end?

Review: Magic Study (Study #2) by Maria V. Snyder

You know your life is bad when you miss your days as a poison taster...

With her greatest enemy dead, and on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen from long ago, Yelena should be pleased. But though she has gained her freedom, she can't help feeling isolated in Sitia. Her Ixian background has changed her in many ways—and her newfound friends and relatives don't think it's for the better....

Despite the turmoil, she's eager to start her magic training—especially as she's been given one year to harness her power or be put to death. But her plans take a radical turn when she becomes involved with a plot to reclaim Ixia's throne for a lost prince—and gets entangled in powerful rivalries with her fellow magicians.

If that wasn't bad enough, it appears her brother would love to see her dead. Luckily, Yelena has some old friends to help her with all her new enemies.

What can I say about Magic Study that I didn't already say about Poison Study? I read many reviews in which readers claimed that Poison Study was the superior book and Magic Study fell short of their expectations, but for me that was not the case. This book was certainly different from its predecessor and had something different to offer but I found that refreshing. All of the old characters we fell in love with in Poison Study were back along with a cast of new characters who didn't disappoint. We are given a tree climbing mother, a bitter "king" without a throne, "talking" horses, a family of glass blowers, head magicians, etc. While Poison Study was a book primarily composed of "who can Yelena trust?" moments and endless intrigue Magic Study presented us with a story about family and a Hogwarts-esque magic school. In this sequel Yelena had all of her old friends (and her lover) from Ixia to support her. One of my favorite parts of the book was Yelena's ability to communicate with horses. I adored Kiki and Topaz and thought they added a necessary lightness to the book and to Yelena's otherwise complicated and dangerous life. I highly recommend this book and will continue on with the series. I've already got Fire Study, the third and final book in the series (not including its spin off series Glass that is), sitting in my to be read pile.

Rating: 5/5

Review: The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

Vera and her brother, Will, live in the shadow of the Great Panic, in a country that has collapsed from environmental catastrophe. Water is hoarded by governments, rivers are dammed, and clouds are sucked from the sky. But then Vera befriends Kai, who seems to have limitless access to fresh water. When Kai suddenly disappears, Vera and Will set off on a dangerous journey in search of him-pursued by pirates, a paramilitary group, and greedy corporations. Timely and eerily familiar, acclaimed author Cameron Stracher makes a stunning YA debut that’s impossible to forget.

The Water Wars initially drew me in because of its unique dystopian premise, and its warning of the future we could have if we don’t stop wasting one of our most important resources. Another thing that drew me to the book was the beautiful cover art, which is even more lovely when in hand, as you notice the photo on the back as well as the raised drops of water present on the jacket. Unfortunately, this is where my love affair with this book ended. It could have been great, we could have had it all, but in the end we just didn’t mesh. The main characters in the book, Will and Vera, fell flat and were out-shined by their supporting cast; the pirate and female warrior were interesting characters who managed to come to life quickly given the few pages they were given. I also could have cared less about the boy Vera was dead set on rescuing, Kai, and can’t see why Vera and Will would have cared so much about him either. Perhaps they followed the adventure and the promise of hope that he provided and it was more of a rebellion than a rescue mission. Many things happened in this novel but when you don’t feel connected to the characters it’s hard to muster up any interest. It didn’t feel like torture to finish the book but I didn’t enjoy it either. The Water Wars left me feeling very indifferent which is a shame given all of its potential.

Rating: 2/5

A-Z Book Challenge

I am participating in the A-Z book challenge hosted by Stephanie @ The Thoughts of a Book Junky. Here is my list, which is still under construction. Any suggestions for Q?

Bold = already read.

• A - Across The Universe by Beth Revis
• B - Bumped by Megan McCafferty
• C - The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
• D - Delirium by Lauren Olliver
  
• E - Entwined by Heather Dixon
• F - Feed by Mira Grant
• G - Graceling by Kristin Cashore
• H - How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
• I - The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
• J - Jane by April Lindner
• K - The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
• L - Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
• M - Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder
• N - Night Road by Kristin Hannah
  
• O - Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
  
• P - Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
  
• Q -
• R - The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
• S - The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
• T - Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
• U - Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
• V - The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
• W - The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher
  
• X - XVI by Julia Karr
• Y - The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
• Z - Zombies Vs. Unicorns by Holly Black