Incarceron

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher is quite different than anything I've read before. A lot of what happens in the book is impossible and unexplained that it distracts me from the story but it's a great read anyway... let me explain.

Incarceron is a vast prison filled with cities, forests, seas and thousands of people (A world within a world). Prisoners are born and die in this prison and as decades have past, the idea of  world Outside of the prison becomes more myth than fact. This novel follows the adventure of one prisoner, Finn, as he tries to escape the prison. Why is he trying to escape? Because he not only believes there is an Outside but he believes he was BORN Outside!

The novel also follows the adventure of a girl named Claudia who lives Outside and whose father is the warden of Incarceron! She has always been fascinated with Incarceron, especially since her father won't tell her much about it.

Eventually Claudia and Finn discover twin Keys (similar to what's on the cover of this book) and find that they can communicate with each other with the Keys. Finn asks Claudia for her help in Escaping Incarceron and Claudia agrees. But, as she's doing so she discovers something incredible about Finn's past.

Pretty interesting concept, right? But the vastness of the prison is difficult to imagine and the technology Claudia has access to is so advanced that it messes with my ability to "believe" the story. The best way I can explain it is to compare it to Harry Potter. All the weird stuff that happens, you can chalk it up to magic, but in Incarceron, it's not explained if it's magic or machine -- very confusing.

Overall, this is a very adventurous novel that takes the reader to unexpected points and leaves us at a precipice of excitement which makes us itching for more! I cannot wait to get a hold of the sequel Sapphique!

Plus, there's a movie adaptation in the works!

Truth

Truth by Julia Karr was an okay sequel to XVI. A lot happened that I didn't expect and some things happened that I predicted.

The story picks up a few days or weeks after the first book ended, with Nina still sad about her friend Sandy dying, and her killing her step father, Ed, in defense. To make her situation worse, her grandfather gets arrested for being a Non-Con sympathizer, her grandmother suffers a heart attack and Nina and her sister get evicted from their apartment.

Some pretty predictable stuff happens like Nina and Sal getting into a fight, Nina meeting someone new and she becomes conflicted about her feelings.

Some not so predictable things also happen, but I won't spoil those.

Overall, it's a good read, a lot happens which keeps the story fast paced. What makes this series great is the message behind it; girls are just as strong as boys and don't have to conform to what society thinks they should be.

Once again, it ends with a cliff hanger, leaving the reader to anticipate the third installment! 

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

Hold Me Closer, Necomancer by Lish McBride is a funny, action-packed, supernatural teen fiction novel and I loved it!

Before reading this book, I had no idea what  necromancy was but after reading it I feel like I could be an expert on the subject.

The story follows Samain LeCroix, a 20 something year old who dropped out of college and is working at a fast food restaurant with his friends Ramon, Brooke and Frank. His life seems pretty pathetic until he discovers that he actually has the power of necromancy!

Unfortunately, a very powerful necromancer, Douglas, wants to kill Sam and take his power away from him. Sam gets kidnapped, meets a werewolf-fairy hybrid, develops his powers and does some pretty amazing things!

What's cool about this book is that it moves from first person (when Sam is talking) to third person so the reader can understand what's going on beyond what Sam is aware of. It gives the book a movie-type feel that just gets your imagination going.

Also, each chapter of the book are lyrics from popular songs; Sweet Dreams are Made of These, Papa Was a Rolling Stone, Come Together, Right Now, Over Me. And the lyrics pretty much sum up what's going to happen in the chapter.

Apparently, a sequel is already in the works Necromancing The Stone but no release date or author confirmation has been made yet.

I really enjoyed this book so I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys action, suspense, supernatural beings, and a little humour.

Nomansland

Nomansland by Lesley Hauge was recommended to me on Librarything.com and I am very glad it did. This book was great!

The book follows the life of a young girl named Keller who was born and raised in a small community of women only, called Foundland. Keller and the other teenage girls live tough lives, training to become the Patrol over Foundland.
These girls have been told of a great disease that killed almost everyone in the "Time Before" and now the few remaining men in the world are mutant creatures who are the enemy.


But, Keller soon discovers secrets about the older women in Foundland and realize that everything they have been preaching is a lie!

I loved the way this story was written. Because Keller couldn't share her findings with anyone, she had to figure it out on her own and as the pieces fell into place I felt like I was discovering the secrets with her.

The ending of the book leaves the reader on a kind of cliff hanger that points to a definite sequel but the author has said she's currently working on a prequel, which could be just as interesting!

I look forward to that, and a possible conclusion :)

Before I Fall

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is an amazingly sad novel. I was brought to tears at least twice and ended the book smiling through my tears.

The story is about a girl named Samantha who, after her and her friends get into a car accident begins to relive the same day, February 12th, over and over. She goes through each day differently, at first rebelling and doing everything and saying everything she ever wanted to and then trying to figure out how to stop the loop.

My only issue with the book is how absolutely annoying Samantha can be. She handles some situations so badly I sincerely hope there is no real person her character is based off of. Other than that, her character is so believable and real it's impossible not to become deeply attached to her.

Overall, this is a great book which I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for some chick-lit, young adult drama with a seriously mature and profound undertone.  

The Fault in Our Stars

As a self declared Nerdfighter, I must say I was tremendously excited about The Fault in Our Stars (#tfios) by John Green and let me say, it did not disappoint.

The novel follows the lives of Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters, two teenagers who had cancer and was in remission. Of course they fall in love but what is so amazing about this story is not what they learn about each other but what they learn about themselves.

They read a book called An Imperial Affliction and because the ending of that book is so abrupt they seek out the author and find out what happens to the characters.

I don't want to give too much away about the plot because it adds so much to the story to walk blindly into it. One moment I have to stop reading because I'm laughing so much and the next SECOND I'm sobbing like a baby; it's just that good.

So, I definitely suggest you go to your local bookstore and buy this book. Don't just borrow it from the library because I guarantee this is a re-read book.

Also, check out John's vlogs that he does with his brother at www.youtube.com/vlogbrothers!

Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore is an absolutely amazing story that is unique to anything I've ever read before.

In this world, there are people who are "Graced" with special abilities like fighting, mind-reading, swimming, running. These Gracelings are marked with two different coloured eyes. This story follows the life of one remarkable Graceling girl, Katsa, who's ability is difficult to pin down because she's great at many different things, especially fighting through brute strength.

One day Katsa seemingly meets her match, Prince Po, and they go on an incredible adventure to discover, and kill, a seemingly corrupt king.

I must admit it took me a while to finish this book because it did have moments where the story seemed to drag on and I got a little bored. But, overall this is definitely a book I would recommend to everyone. The reader is taken along with Katsa as she discovers that she's not just an unbeatable fighter; she's capable of so much more. And I think that element of discovery, and how she evolves is what makes this such an epic story.

Nothing but love for this book.