Thursday, October 24, 2013

Light by Michael Grant

This review may contain spoilers of previous books in the series.

Summary:(from goodreads) It's been over a year since all the adults disappeared. Gone. In the time since every person over the age of fourteen disappeared from the town of Perdido Beach, California, countless battles have been fought: battles against hunger and lies and plague, and epic battles of good against evil. And now, the gaiaphage has been reborn as Diana's malicious mutant daughter, Gaia. Gaia is endlessly hungry for destruction. She yearns to conquer her Nemesis, Little Pete, and then bend the entire world to her warped will. As long-standing enemies become allies, secrets are revealed and unexpected sacrifices are made. Will their attempts to save themselves and one another matter in the end, or will the kids of Perdido Beach perish in this final power struggle?  Review: This is the sixth and final book in the Gone series and I am disappointed to see it end. This book was just as action packed and exciting as the rest of the series. The stakes were pretty high and I liked the dynamic had changed a little bit. We also get to see quite a bit of what is going on outside the dome which added an extra layer to the story. I was satisfied with the way the series ended. I liked knowing what happened to the characters. I wish certain parts of the story had been drawn out a little bit more but other than that I was satisfied with where things ended. I don't really have much else to add except to say that I am going to miss this series and will definitely be reading more of Michael Grant's books in the future.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Summary:(from goodreads) When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.
Review: I haven't read that many YA ghost stories. I don't know if that's because they aren't being written or I just don't read them but either way I can count on one hand the number of genuinely creepy ghost stories I have read. This one was really well done. I am a fan of the Beautiful Creatures series and I have been curious to see what these authors could do on their own. There was a lot of new information about this world being thrown out but it didn't bog down the story at all. The plot was well paced with a lot of creepy scenes. My favorite was probably Hearts of Mercy. I was on the edge of my seat during that part of the book. I liked Kennedy as a main character although she wasn't the type of character that stands out, That's what made her seem like a realistic character. Lukas, Jared, Alara and Priest were all awesome characters. Priest was probably my favorite though. His passion about building weapons makes him awesome. I can't believe the way this book ended. It was an intense ending and I need the next book to come out now. The only thing that slightly annoyed me was the uncertainty about Kennedy's family history. I wished we had been given some definite answers. Overall, though I really liked this book.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

SYLO by D.J. MacHale


Summary:(from goodreads) Fourteen-year-old Tucker Pierce prefers to fly under the radar. He’s used to navigating around summer tourists in his hometown on idyllic Pemberwick Island, Maine. He’s content to sit on the sidelines as a backup player on the high school football team. And though his best friend Quinn tells him to “go for it,” he’s too chicken to ask Tori Sleeper on a date. There’s always tomorrow, he figures. Then Pemberwick Island is invaded by a mysterious branch of the U.S. military called SYLO. And sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option for Tucker, because tomorrow may never come. It’s up to Tucker, Quinn, and Tori to uncover the truth about the singing aircraft that appears only at night—and the stranger named Feit who’s pushing a red crystal he calls the Ruby that brings unique powers to all who take it. Tucker and his friends must rescue not just Pemberwick Island, but the fate of the world—and all before tomorrow is too late.
Review: I have been a fan of D.J. MacHale's books for a long time so I was excited when I discovered that he was releasing a new series. This one did not disappoint. There was a lot of mystery and action that had me hooked. I liked the main characters, especially Tucker and Quinn. They were different but their determination to uncover the truth made them strong characters.  The way the book ended made me very interested to see where the next book is going to lead, which isn't going to be released until next year.  There were a few things that happened that I wasn't happy about but I am hoping there will be a better explanation in the next book. This was one of those books where just when you think things can't possibly get any worse for the characters it does. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I am really excited to read the sequel.