Tag: Science Fiction

October Reading Wrap Up | Books I Read Last Month

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Happy Wednesday! It’s been a while since I shared any book reviews with you on the blog. I thought I would jump back in by doing a quick wrap-up of the three books I read last month in October. My reading has definitely slowed down a bit in the latter half of the year as I’ve focused on other things during my spare time. That being said, I did manage to read three books in October, and I’m excited to share my thoughts on them with you. Make sure to let me know in the comments if you enjoy these reading wrap-up posts, or if you prefer full length book reviews.

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Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart [BUY]

Goodreads: ★★★ 1/2

My Thoughts: I absolutely loved E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars, and had high hopes for Genuine Fraud. This young adult mystery novel follows Jule, a teenager on the run. I really liked how the story is told backwards in this novel. That was a unique take on a mystery, and I found the writing to be very well done. However, I was a bit disappointed with this book. While I can appreciate an open ending, Genuine Fraud lacked a true conclusion. The book also ended without much character development for Jule. I’m glad I read this book, as it was truly a creepy mystery for Halloween season, but I would only recommend it if the synopsis really calls to you.

We’ll Always Have Summer (Summer #3) by Jenny Han [BUY]

Goodreads: ★★★★ 1/2

My Thoughts: I absolutely fell in love with the Summer series by Jenny Han. I finished up the third book this month, and I’m really happy with how the story came to a close. This series follows a girl named Isabel (Belly, for short), and her time spent at Cousins Beach with her family and family friends each summer. Readers get to grow up with Belly as she learns to navigate love, loss, and life. I felt a strong connection to these books, and know I will return to them again in the future. This series is often criticized for reading too juvenile, but I disagree with that and find the stories show great depth. If you’ve considered reading this series in the past, I highly recommend it!

Warcross (Warcross #1) by Marie Lu [BUY]

Goodreads: ★★★★

My Thoughts: I picked up Warcross this month after hearing so many good things about it from other readers online. This young adult science fiction book takes place in a not-so-distant future where a virtual reality game called Warcross has taken over the world. Our protagonist is Emika Chen, a bounty hunter who accidentally hacks into the game during the championship’s opening ceremony. Emika is then hired by the creator of Warcross to help find a mysterious figure who is altering the game. I thought this book was imaginative and a lot of fun. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, but I’m still very much looking forward to the sequel. If you like science fiction with a hint of romance, Warcross is a great choice!

What did you read in October? Let me know in the comments!

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Book Review | The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron

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The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron

Published by Scholastic Press on September 13, 2016

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Format: ARC

Pages: 403

Source: #BooksforTrade

Goodreads: ★★★★ 1/2

What isn’t written, isn’t remembered. Even your crimes.

Nadia lives in the city of Canaan, where life is safe and structured, hemmed in by white stone walls and no memory of what came before. But every twelve years the city descends into the bloody chaos of the Forgetting, a day of no remorse, when each person’s memories – of parents, children, love, life, and self – are lost. Unless they have been written.

In Canaan, your book is your truth and your identity, and Nadia knows exactly who hasn’t written the truth. Because Nadia is the only person in Canaan who has never forgotten.

But when Nadia begins to use her memories to solve the mysteries of Canaan, she discovers truths about herself and Gray, the handsome glassblower, that will change her world forever. As the anarchy of the Forgetting approaches, Nadia and Gray must stop an unseen enemy that threatens both their city and their own existence – before the people can forget the truth. And before Gray can forget her.

REVIEW

I knew I wanted to read The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron as soon as I heard initial buzz about the book. This young adult story takes place in Canaan, a city in which every twelve years all of the citizens lose their memories. In order to remember anything about themselves, including their names, their family members, and their jobs, people must write down their lives in books that are kept tied to them at all times. Citizens are supposed to write the truth, but more often than not that doesn’t happen. No one would know if it weren’t for Nadia – a teenage girl who has never forgot.

Not only is this concept of the Forgetting extremely fascinating, but the story captivated me from page one. I was extremely addicted to the book, and finished it in a few days because I couldn’t put it down. While I do have a few small criticisms of The Forgetting, my overall enjoyment of the novel greatly outweighs these minor issues. First, there are a lot of recycled concepts in this book that are found in other books within this genre. Luckily, these tropes are used in a new way. Similarly, some parts of the book felt a bit too contrived. There are sections with a lot of telling and not showing that could have used some strengthening.

Other than that, I absolutely loved The Forgetting. The story is one I will be thinking about for a long time. Can you imagine how frightening it would be to wake up one day with zero memories? Yet, at the same time, I can see how others would find this a refreshing new start. I am also very interested in the concept of truth. Even in our own world we have a lot of power in writing our own histories. How do we ever really know what is true?

Moreover, I also really liked how The Forgetting was completely unpredictable for me. The book starts out with a dystopian vibe, and the genre goes in a completely new direction midway through the story. While the book did not follow a trajectory I expected, I was impressed with the turn it took. It’s always great when a book can keep me on my toes right through to the ending.

In addition, we have a great cast of characters in The Forgetting. Our main character is Nadia, and I absolutely love seeing her grow as a person throughout the novel. I also adored the romance that develops between Nadia and Gray. I was never sure whether to trust Gray or not, and that added an element of mystery to the story.

Finally, I think the ending of The Forgetting is really well done. The story gets wrapped up, but there is still room for a sequel if the author gets the opportunity to write one. At this time, The Forgetting is a stand alone book, but I would love to see what happens next in this world. I highly recommend picking up this book. It is extremely fast-paced, quite thought-provoking, and a fantastic adventure.

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Book Review | Homecoming (The 100 #3) by Kass Morgan

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Homecoming (The 100 #3) by Kass Morgan

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on February 24, 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Format: Paperback

Pages: 340

Source: Library

Goodreads: ★★★★

Weeks after landing on Earth, the Hundred have managed to create a sense of order amidst their wild, chaotic surroundings. But their delicate balance comes crashing down with the arrival of new dropships from space.

These new arrivals are the lucky ones—back on the Colony, the oxygen is almost gone—but after making it safely to Earth, GLASS’s luck seems to be running out. CLARKE leads a rescue party to the crash site, ready to treat the wounded, but she can’t stop thinking about her parents, who may still be alive. Meanwhile, WELLS struggles to maintain his authority despite the presence of the Vice Chancellor and his armed guards, and BELLAMY must decide whether to face or flee the crimes he thought he’d left behind.

It’s time for the Hundred to come together and fight for the freedom they’ve found on Earth, or risk losing everything—and everyone—they love.

REVIEW

I was beyond excited to finish The 100 trilogy by reading Homecoming! This book picks up immediately after Day 21 closes out, with the Colonists on the dropship crashing down on Earth. I really appreciated that the author includes a lot of quick recaps in Homecoming, so that if you forgot the details of the first two books you get a refresher in this one. While these reminders were included a bit too much throughout the novel, they were very helpful. If you’ve read the first two books in the series and it’s been a while, don’t hesitate to jump right into book three!

Moreover, it took a while for me to get into the story, which I found surprising. However, because Homecoming is such a quick read, once I was about 100 pages into the novel the rest flew by. I did really enjoy the inclusion of new characters, and as always I had no idea what was going to happen next in the story. Morgan is great at crafting intricate plot lines that don’t reveal themselves until everything comes together in the end.

The ending, however, was a bit of let down for me. While I like the way the trilogy wrapped up, I was left wanting so much more! I would have appreciated an epilogue to include more of an explanation for something that happens and to check in on the characters. Similarly, the ending was quite cheesy and some things worked out a bit too easily. I’m able to look past a lot of the cliché moments in this book because the characters do go through intense challenges and are going through things I can’t even imagine experiencing. Thus, I think the cheesy moments are understandable in an otherwise bleak world.

All in all, I am happy with how The 100 trilogy concluded, and if you’ve read the first two books I definitely recommend picking up this last one. While this is more of a 3.5 star read for me, I did bump it up to a 4 star rating because I enjoyed it so much. I’m so glad I gave this series a read, as it’s one of my favorite young adult dystopians thus far. I will be watching the television show at some point, and hopefully getting my own copy of this trilogy so I can reread it in the future!

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Book Review | Bleeding Earth by Kaitlin Ward

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Bleeding Earth by Kaitlin Ward

Published by Adaptive Press on February 9, 2016

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Apocalyptic

Format: eARC

Pages: 256

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★

Lea was in a cemetery when the earth started bleeding. Within twenty-four hours, the blood made international news. All over the world, blood appeared out of the ground, even through concrete, even in water. Then the earth started growing hair and bones.

Lea wants to ignore the blood. She wants to spend time with her new girlfriend, Aracely, in public, if only Aracely wasn’t so afraid of her father. Lea wants to be a regular teen again, but the blood has made her a prisoner in her own home. Fear for her social life turns into fear for her sanity, and Lea must save herself and Aracely whatever way she can.

REVIEW

Bleeding Earth is a young adult apocalyptic novel following teenager Lea. She and her friend go to the local cemetery one day to work on a school project when suddenly blood begins seeping out of the ground. Lea hopes this has something to do with the cemetery, or perhaps just a hallucination while being in a creepy place. However, it turns out that it’s not just the cemetery that’s bleeding – it’s the entire earth. The book continues to follow what happens to Lea and her community in this bloodbath.

I found this story’s concept extremely intriguing, but unfortunately the book fell flat for me. My main issue with Bleeding Earth is the writing style, which is going to make or break the story for the reader. The writing is in the first person from Lea’s point-of-view, and sounds as if a teenager was speaking directly to you. Not only is the dialogue in the teenage voice, but all of the other writing is as well. While I think teenagers might connect well with this writing, it did not work for me as an older reader of young adult. I found the prose quite irritating, and that really detracted from my enjoyment of the novel.

Moreover, Bleeding Earth is the type of book in which the author is trying to do too much. For example, Lea is a lesbian and readers learn a lot about her sexuality and coming out process. I think it is awesome that the author included a member of the LGBTQIA+ community as our main character, but I think the lengthy explanation of how it was for her coming out of the closet, how her friends and family treat her, etc. was a bit out of place in this particular book. I wanted to focus more on the crazy apocalypse that was occurring in the world, not Lea’s complete history that didn’t have much to do with what was happening in the present.

I also found Bleeding Earth to be quite unbelievable, mainly due to lack of structure in the novel. For instance, I cannot tell the timespan for this novel because the author doesn’t give the reader any clues along the way. When I accompany that with the small plot holes I found while reading, the book loses a lot of credibility.

That being said, I did really like the aspect of the story dealing with unreliable narrators. I won’t go into this too much because of spoilers, but I love when the reader never knows whether or not she can trust the narrator’s voice. This unreliable narrator added a lot to the book in terms of creepiness, and definitely gave me an unsettling feeling. I also thought the ending was good, but I wish we had an epilogue to fully explain what happened next to our characters.

All in all, I was quite disappointed with Bleeding Earth. The story idea was great, but it just wasn’t executed according to my tastes. I would recommend this book for younger readers, as I do think they will enjoy the narrative voice. Otherwise, I think you can pass on this book without missing much. I hope to find an apocalyptic book that I enjoy very soon!

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Book Review | Day 21 (The 100 #2) by Kass Morgan

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Day 21 (The 100 #2) by Kass Morgan

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on September 16, 2014

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Format: eARC

Pages: 320

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★★★

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries — until now.
It’s been 21 days since the hundred landed on Earth. They’re the only humans to set foot on the planet in centuries…or so they thought. Facing an unknown enemy, Wells attempts to keep the group together. Clarke strikes out for Mount Weather, in search of other Colonists, while Bellamy is determined to rescue his sister, no matter the cost. And back on the ship, Glass faces an unthinkable choice between the love of her life and life itself.
In this pulse-pounding sequel to Kass Morgan’s The 100, secrets are revealed, beliefs are challenged, and relationships are tested. And the hundred will struggle to survive the only way they can — together.

REVIEW

I jumped right into Day 21 immediately after finishing the first book in this series, The 100. This book picks up shortly after the first leaves off, with the 100 realizing that they are not the only people on Earth as they originally thought. I still enjoyed this book immensely, but found a few flaws in it.

First, the writing felt a bit watered down to me in this second book. I loved how rich the writing is in The 100, but Day 21 feels like it was adjusted for a younger audience. I also found two continuity issues in this book, which detracted from my overall rating. For example, in Day 21 Clarke mentions that the only mammal she’s ever seen before is a deer, but in The 100 Clarke saw a rabbit. These continuity issues were very small, but still quite noticeable, especially when reading the books back to back.

Similarly, Day 21 was much more predictable than the first book. I found that a bit disappointing, but thankfully was still wowed at the end of the novel. Morgan tied everything together once again, and I found myself on the edge of my seat. What I really love about this series is how addicting the books are. Because we follow four characters, I am constantly turning pages to find out what will happen next. The twists and turns are my favorite part, and I wish I wasn’t able to predict many of the moments in the book.

My final critique of Day 21 is the back and forth moments of some of the characters. For example, Clarke can’t seem to decide whether or not she wants to forgive Wells and be friends with him. One minute she hates Wells and never wants to see him again, while the next Clarke forgives him. This got a bit annoying, especially when Bellamy goes through a similar battle later in the book. He jumps to a conclusion really quickly, just to change his mind a moment later.

Nonetheless, I still really enjoyed this book and am ready to pick up the third book in the series. While Day 21 is more of a 3.5 star rating, I bumped it up to a 4 because I love it so much. The cliffhanger ending is just amazing, even though I did see it coming. If you read The 100, I highly recommend continuing on with the series. You’ll want to see what goes down in this book for sure!

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Book Review | The 100 (The 100 #1) by Kass Morgan

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The 100 (The 100 #1) by Kass Morgan

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on September 3, 2013

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Format: eARC

Pages: 336

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★★★ 1/2

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries — until now.

Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth’s radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents — considered expendable by society — are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life…or it could be a suicide mission.

CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she’s haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor’s son, came to Earth for the girl he loves — but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind’s last hope.

REVIEW

If you enjoy young adult dystopian novels, you need to pick up The 100! This book was sitting on my Kindle unread for over a year, and I can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner. I want to start out this review by saying that I have not watched the television adaptation of The 100, though I have heard the book and show are very different. Nonetheless, I highly recommend giving this story a chance if it at all sounds interesting to you.

The 100 takes place three hundred years after nuclear winter forced humans to escape to outer space in hopes of keeping humankind alive. Humans now live on a spaceship called the Colony, but this is a temporary solution, and humans must return to Earth before the Colony breaks down. The issue is, no one knows whether Earth is safe, or if the radiation levels still make the planet uninhabitable. The Colony decided to conduct an experiment by sending 100 juvenile delinquents down to Earth to see if they can survive.

We follow four main characters in The 100. First is Clarke, a girl who was confined for treason. Next is Wells, Clarke’s ex-boyfriend and the chancellor’s son. He committed a crime just so he could go to Earth with Clarke. Our next protagonist is Bellamy, who fights his way onto the dropship living for Earth so he can care for his sister. Finally, we follow Glass, who escapes the dropship bound for Earth in hopes of starting a new life with her boyfriend back on the Colony. The 100 is written in the third-person, but each chapter alternates between these four characters. There are also a lot of flashback scenes to help us get to know more about each character and what he or she went through up to this point in life.

I absolutely loved this book! The writing is exceptionally well done. Morgan does an amazing job at weaving together the past and the present, and creating well-developed characters. At times this felt like a slow read and as if nothing was happening in the plot. However, this is simply because we change character perspectives, and Morgan does a fantastic job making everything come together in the end. Thus, The 100 is a real page-turner because I always had to know what would next happen.

Similarly, this novel is full of twists and turns that I did not anticipate at all. The 100 doesn’t have a clear plot line, so I never know what to expect. I am always a fan of books where the author can create shocking moments that are logical, but difficult to predict. Morgan does this extremely well, and when I closed the book I immediately wanted to continue on with the series.

The only reason I deducted a half-star from my rating is because of the weak world-building surrounding the Colony. There are three ships connected together, Phoenix, Walden, and Arcadia, but I never fully understood how they functioned. There are different classes of people based on the ship you live on, but this was never explained. The different ships even have their own accents. I just wanted to know a bit more about the Colony and how it came to be organized.

Otherwise, I loved everything about The 100, and highly recommend it. I would describe this book as a mix of Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century and The Hunger Games, so if that sounds like your thing I would go for it. I cannot wait to continue on with this series and see what will happen in the sequel, Day 21.

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Book Review | More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

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More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

Published by Soho Teen on June 2, 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Science Fiction

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 293

Source: Library

Goodreads: ★★★★

In his twisty, gritty, profoundly moving debut—called “mandatory reading” by the New York Times—Adam Silvera brings to life a charged, dangerous near-future summer in the Bronx.

In the months after his father’s suicide, it’s been tough for 16-year-old Aaron Soto to find happiness again–but he’s still gunning for it. With the support of his girlfriend Genevieve and his overworked mom, he’s slowly remembering what that might feel like. But grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist prevent him from forgetting completely.

When Genevieve leaves for a couple of weeks, Aaron spends all his time hanging out with this new guy, Thomas. Aaron’s crew notices, and they’re not exactly thrilled. But Aaron can’t deny the happiness Thomas brings or how Thomas makes him feel safe from himself, despite the tensions their friendship is stirring with his girlfriend and friends. Since Aaron can’t stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound feelings for him, he considers turning to the Leteo Institute’s revolutionary memory-alteration procedure to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is.

Why does happiness have to be so hard?

REVIEW

After hearing a good amount of buzz for More Happy Than Not, I picked it up from the library without knowing much about the plot. I highly recommend going into this book without knowing too much, and my summary will be purposefully vague. More Happy Than Not follows teenager Aaron Soto. He lives in the Bronx, and when the book opens readers find out that his father recently committed suicide, and Aaron attempted suicide. Now we are following his life in his apartment complex, and seeing how Aaron is dealing with the life he’s been dealt.

More Happy Than Not is a contemporary novel with a science fiction twist. Aaron lives in our time, but there is a new medical procedure called Leteo that can alter our memories. If you get Leteo, you will be able to forget something in your life, and you’ll never know you even got the procedure. Aaron’s neighbor had Leteo before he moved away, and Aaron’s not sure if he believes the procedure even works. I really enjoyed this sci fi element in the book, as it really made things interesting.

As for my critiques of the novel, I will begin by saying that the first 100 or so pages were quite boring for me. There was no clear direction for the novel, and I even considered putting the book down without finishing it. That all changed at a certain point in the book. Things begin happening quickly, and I was sucked into the story. The slow beginning does make sense as the book continues, so I didn’t detract from my rating because of it. However, I tell you so that you can push through the beginning if you find it boring at first. Trust me – it’s worth it!

I also found that the ending of the novel was a bit rushed and not explained as fully as I would have liked. More Happy Than Not is a short novel under 300 pages, and I think expanding the ending a bit would have really helped the story. I also noticed some editing mistakes and grammar issues throughout the book, which will hopefully be fixed in later editions.

Nonetheless, I absolutely loved the story within More Happy Than Not. I know it might not seem that way based on this review, but I really don’t want to give anything away. Trust me when I say that Silvera creates a plot that is detailed and carefully constructed. This is the kind of book I want to read over and over to catch his hints for a later reveal along the way. More Happy Than Not makes an excellent book for a book club, because there are so many elements to be discussed, including memory, mental health, and whether we can change who we are.

I also wanted to quickly mention that I loved the setting of the book. I did live in the Bronx for a semester in college, so I was a bit familiar with where the book took place. However, I really enjoyed being taken inside Aaron’s community. His neighborhood functions in a really interesting way. I loved how Silvera incorporated all of the neighborhood games into the novel, and showed Aaron’s so-called friends as familial yet toxic at the same time.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed More Happy Than Not, and highly recommend it. This is Silvera’s debut novel, and I am impressed with how well his writing is already. I will be picking up his other books for sure, and I hope you’ll give this one a try. If you’ve already read it, please discuss it with me! There are many interesting conversations that may be had from reading this book.

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Book Review | Armada by Ernest Cline

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Armada by Ernest Cline

Published by Crown Publishing on July 14, 2015

Genres: Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction

Format: Hard Cover

Pages: 349

Source: Blogging for Books

Goodreads: ★★★ 1/2

Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure.

But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe.

And then he sees the flying saucer.

Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders.

No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it.

It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar?

At once gleefully embracing and brilliantly subverting science-fiction conventions as only Ernest Cline could, Armada is a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you’ve ever read before—one whose every page is infused with the pop-culture savvy that has helped make Ready Player One a phenomenon.

BOOK REVIEW

I excitedly received a copy of Armada by Ernest Cline for review from the website Blogging for Books. I requested it after hearing so many amazing things about his famous work Ready Player One, and dove in without knowing anything about it whatsoever. Armada follows teenager Zack Lightman and begins when Zack sees a UFO outside his high school’s window while in math class one day. Seeing a UFO would be disturbing in and of itself, but this particular ship is from the video game he plays called Armada. Zack passes it off as a hallucination, and goes about his video-game filled life.

I was immediately drawn into Armada because of Cline’s relaxed writing style. Zack narrates the story in first-person, and his voice is easy to follow. I absolutely loved the beginning of this book. While I’m not into video games, I was really intrigued with the entire world of the gamer. I liked learning more about Armada and Terra Firma, the two games featured in the story, and it was cool to follow Zack and his friends while they played the games, too.

What truly drew me in, however, was the conspiracy theory! Zack’s father died when Zack was just a baby, and he left behind a lot of his possessions. One of those is a notebook in which he wonders if video games are created by the government in order to train an army without anyone knowing. I was hooked! I wanted this theory to be proven true, and had to keep reading to find out whether it would be.

Unfortunately, the story tapers off in the middle, and about one-third of the way through Armada I got very bored. I had to struggle to continue on despite really liking Zack and the other characters in the novel. However, I’m really glad I stuck through to the end, because the finale is excellent. I love the somewhat unsettling and open-ended conclusion. I also loved the discussion on humanity that Cline brings up to the readers.

Overall, I found Armada to be a fun read, and one that was unique to me as someone who doesn’t know a lot about video game culture. I did find the middle section of the book to drag a lot, and I didn’t like that Cline included too many layers of truths and falsities. In fact, to truly understand the intricately woven web of truths and lies, I would have to graph out the novel. Finally, Armada contains multiple typographical errors and other copyediting mistakes.

I recommend Armada if you are looking for a book centered on video games, aliens, or 1980s pop culture. If you are a big fan of Ready Player One, perhaps go into this book with low expectations. I look forward to reading Ready Player One for the first time, because I know it is so praised and can only top Armada.

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Book Review | Extras (Uglies #4) by Scott Westerfeld

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This review is of the fourth book in a series. It will contain spoilers for the first three books in the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. Please read at your own discretion.

Extras (Uglies #4) by Scott Westerfeld

Published by Simon Pulse on January 1, 2007

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 417

Source: Purchased

Goodreads: ★★★

Fame

It’s a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. “Tech-heads” flaunt their latest gadgets, “kickers” spread gossip and trends, and “surge monkeys” are hooked on extreme plastic surgery. And it’s all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of “American Idol.” Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.

As if being fifteen doesn’t suck enough, Aya Fuse’s rank of 451,369 is so low, she’s a total nobody. An extra. But Aya doesn’t care; she just wants to lie low with her drone, Moggle. And maybe kick a good story for herself.

Then Aya meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secretive of it. Aya wants desperately to kick their story, to show everyone how intensely cool the Sly Girls are. But doing so would propel her out of extra-land and into the world of fame, celebrity…and extreme danger. A world she’s not prepared for.

REVIEW

I was a bit hesitant to pick up Extras, the final book in Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series. This fourth book lives up to its title, as it is an extra addition to what was originally a trilogy. I’ve heard mixed reviews, and I was also wondering what an Uglies novel would be like following a different cast of characters. The book takes place three years after Tally took down her government, and focuses on a new main character called Aya. It was definitely weird to follow Aya instead of Tally, and it took me a while to really get into the story, simply because I was adapting to a new world.

Aya’s city has an economy based on face-rank. Basically, the more famous you are, the richer you are. Aya is a kicker, which means she posts stories to her feed in hopes that it will be shared. Sound familiar? This is quite similar to today’s social media culture, and I really liked how this concept is so relevant to today’s world.

That being said, there were definite issues with Extras. First, Westerfeld does a poor job at describing the setting. I was under the impression that the book takes place in Tally’s city, but it wasn’t until the book was half over that we find out Aya is actually from Japan (versus Tally’s California). It would have been helpful to have this set-up earlier in the book.

In the same way, there are a number of grammatical mistakes and copyediting errors throughout the book. It felt as if the release for Extras was rushed for publication. I deducted from the book’s overall rating for these errors, because I really don’t like when published books have so many mistakes.

Moreover, I was very excited when some of our favorite characters from the first three Uglies books made an appearance. I will keep it vague so as to not spoil you, but seeing these characters from another point of view was quite interesting. It really made me think about the first three books, and I liked this new perspective. They added a lot to Extras, but also to the original trilogy.

Overall, I am very glad I read Extras and officially finished of the Uglies series. While it was the weakest book in the series, I still liked the concept and plot, and thought it brought up some issues that are affecting us today. I will also mention that I certainly teared up in the final scene. I really enjoyed this series, and this was a poignant ending that I definitely recommend.

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Book Review | Specials (Uglies #3) by Scott Westerfeld

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

This review is of the third book in a series and contains spoilers for the first and second books. Please only read this review if you’ve read Uglies and Pretties by Scott Westerfeld.

Specials (Uglies #3) by Scott Westerfeld

Published by Simon Pulse on January 1, 2006

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Format: Paperback

Pages: 384

Source: Purchased

Goodreads: ★★★ 1/2 

“Special Circumstances”: The words have sent chills down Tally’s spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then Specials were a sinister rumor — frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast. Ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally’s never been ordinary.

And now she’s been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.

The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more.

Still, it’s easy to tune that out — until Tally’s offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she’s programmed to complete. Either way, Tally’s world will never be the same.

REVIEW

I continued my back-to-back reading of Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series, and picked up Specials immediately after finishing Pretties. This series was originally written as a trilogy, with the fourth book being published later. Thus, Specials can be thought of as a conclusion to the storyline readers have been experiencing thus far. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my favorite of the first three books.

Just as with Pretties, Specials begins with Tally in her new form, except this time she is a Special. I had a very difficult time getting into this book, mainly because the writing was awkward and difficult to follow. I can tell that Westerfeld has again shifted his writing style. This time, the writing takes on the harshness of Specials. While it is impressive that Westerfeld can adapt his writing in many ways, this new tone definitely made the reading experience less enjoyable for me.

In addition, I found that Specials follows a much similar formula that the two earlier books in the series do. Tally beings the story in her city in one form, and then leaves to discover something beyond the borders. While I won’t go into the details of the action so as to avoid spoilers, it was a little frustrating that I could somewhat predict the next step in the book because it was following such a formulaic arc.

My last main critique of Specials flows from Pretties. I really don’t like how Shay and Tally are part of a clique called the Cutters. Self-harm is a series issue in today’s society, and I feel like Westerfeld introduced it in an uncomfortable way. While Tally does stop cutting, it is never truly addressed how serious and dangerous such a habit can be. Not only can this aspect of the series be triggering for those who struggle with self-harm, but it downplays it as well.

Nonetheless, despite the issues I had with Specials, I did enjoy the story overall. While some characters acted outside of their developed personalities, there were a number of scenes that truly shed light on Tally’s society in an intriguing way. I was touched with many of the emotional moments, and the ending itself was solid. If you’ve been wondering whether or not to continue on with this series, I highly recommend doing so! Tally is an incredible protagonist, and I truly enjoyed her story.

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