NUMBERS
Author: Rachel Ward
Source: Publisher
* I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: The Chicken House; Reprint edition (February 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545143004
ISBN-13: 978-0545143004

SUMMARY:

Ever since the day her mother died, Jem has known about the numbers. Numbers that pop into her head when she looks into someone’s eyes. They’re dates, the numbers. Dates predicting with brute accuracy each person’s death. Burdened by such horrible knowledge, Jem avoids relationships. Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. Maybe they can find happiness together, if only in the brief time that remains before his expiration date. But on a trip to London, Jem foresees a chilling chain of events: The city’s a target. The clock’s running out. The countdown is on to a blowup!

MY THOUGHTS:

Jem’s mother died from a drug overdose when Jem was little.  After her death, Jem was forced to live in foster homes.  She has not only had a hard life, but she also has a hard time dealing with the fact that she can look at a person and see the date of their death in her mind.  Spider has also had a rough life, but he tries to be a little more upbeat about it.  


When Jem and Spider are in London, she notices many of the people with the same date for death.  She knows something bad is going to happen and she begs Spider to leave with her.  What happens next is explosive.  The explosion occurs and many people die.  When the police are after Spider and Jem, they decide to go on the run and try to have a better life.  


While I enjoyed the premise of the book, I couldn’t find myself enjoying the book.  Jem was always on guard, which I could understand, but she was so much on guard that she had no warm personality traits for me to cling to.  She was cold and distant and didn’t fit together with Spider.  Spider being the complete opposite emotionally, I found him to be the better character of the two. 


The story started out strong and had me intrigued.  Then when the explosion occurs it starts to take off but fizzles out too quickly for my taste.  It did have some eerie moments that left me wondering, but not enough to keep me satisfied.  


MY RATING:

ENCLAVE
Razorland #1
Author: Ann Aguirre
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge 
in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (April 12, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312650086
ISBN-13: 978-0312650087

SUMMARY:

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first she thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.

MY THOUGHTS:

Wow! I am in awe of this book.  I will be the first to admit that I am not a big fan of the dystopia genre. I really didn’t start enjoying this genre until I read The Hunger Games series.  When the publisher sent me the copy of Enclave, I wondered if it was going to have the same impact on me.  I literally stayed up late reading this book.  I could not put it down.

Deuce and Fade were great together.  I found the writing to be wonderful and gripping.  I was rooting for these two young fighters.  I wanted a romance to blossom between the two.  Deuce has grown up underground and never seeing the topside of the world.  She has believed everything her elders have told her and is determined to make it as a Huntress.  In the underground world after the Apocalypse, they have Hunters, Breeders, and Builders.  Deuce has been chosen to become a Huntress.  When she officially becomes one, they have a naming ceremony where you receive your rank with marks on your body.  Whatever the blood drips on amongst the gifts laid at your feet, that becomes your name. Until this time you are just a number amongst all of the children that are referred to as Brats.

Fade came from Topside.  He lived above ground until he lost his way and the Enclave took him in and kept him under close watch.  They eventually marked him as a Hunter and is paired up with Deuce on her naming day.  At first, things are tense between the two, but on patrol they form a bond that sparks some romance.  We slowly learn more about Fade the more you read, and I grew to love him with every page I turned.  They were a perfect fit together that I enjoyed.

When they are both exiled from the Enclave, they are forced to live Topside.  Together they make new friends, find more enemies, and decide to find a better way of life.  As each one discovers new things about the other, the author also portrays the awe perfectly as the two find artifacts and learn new ways to survive.

When I reached the end of the book, some questions were left unanswered, but left you with just enough to satisfy you and keep you hungry for the next book in the series.  I wish we could have learned more about the cause of the Apocalypse from the beginning instead of in the authors notes at the end of the book.  I  am curious to know what comes after the last chapter and personally can’t wait for the next book titled Outpost that is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2012.  It will be a long wait, but if Enclave is just a sampling of what is to come, then it will be worth it!

MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS

SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK
Author: Sydney Salter
Source: Purchased

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 360 pages
Publisher: Graphia; 1 edition (April 5, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0152066497
ISBN-13: 978-0152066499

SUMMARY:

You’d think Polly Martin would have all the answers when it comes to love—after all, her grandmother is the famous syndicated advice columnist Miss Swoon. But after a junior year full of dating disasters, Polly has sworn off boys. This summer, she’s going to focus on herself for once. So Polly is happy when she finds out Grandma is moving in—think of all the great advice she’ll get. 

But Miss Swoon turns out to be a man-crazy sexagenarian! How can Polly stop herself from falling for Xander Cooper, the suddenly-hot skateboarder who keeps showing up while she’s working at Wild Waves water park, when Grandma is picking up guys at the bookstore and flirting with the dishwasher repairman?            

No advice column can prepare Polly for what happens when she goes on a group camping trip with three too many ex-boyfriends and the tempting Xander. Polly is forced to face her feelings and figure out if she can be in love—and still be herself.

MY THOUGHTS:

I tried really hard to enjoy this book.  The summary sounded fun and swoon worthy, but to me the story fell flat.  With too many characters, too much whining, and not enough substantial plot, I felt the book was lacking what it was implying in the summary.

I hated how Polly was constantly whining and how stuck up she could be at times.  I couldn’t warm up to her personality at all.  Xander was in the picture but when he was, he hardly got to speak as much as I wanted.  The little Dear Miss Swoon columns at the end of each chapter were annoying as well. Sometimes they had nothing to do with either the chapter we just finished or the one that follows it.

While the writing was good with great structure and flow, the story itself was bland and forced.  Would I read another book by this author? Of course I would.  Her writing does have great points about it, but this one lacked the feel that I was craving at the moment.  Not a bad book, but not one I would reread.

MY RATING:

 
  If the library doesn’t have it, don’t worry about reading it! 2 STARS