Legend by Marie Lu

Legend
by Marie Lu
Date Released: November 29, 2011
Pages: 305

Summary:
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias' death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

My Review:

My goodness was this book amazing. Probably my favorite book of the year.

At first I was a little wary because the chapter format is a little different, but I was quickly swept up by the story and didn't care any longer.

Both of the main characters, June and Day, were fantastic. They had background stories and depth, and went against many stereotypes we have for the two main romantic leads. June was a military prodigy, something you may not expect from the girl. She scored a perfect score on The Trial, a placement test every citizen takes when the turn 10, the only person ever to do so. Or so people thought. Turns out Day also scored a perfect score and this is discovered by June when she is investigating Day's background.

That is another thing I liked about June. Normally when one character betrays another character I get really mad at said character. Especially when they are starting to become a possible shipping couple. But after June turned Day in she refused to just walk away and accept what Day was being accused of. Her love for him compelled her to clear his name even though it would go against everything she was raised to believe. And she succeeded.

I also really loved this quote: "Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything’s possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.” He looks toward the railway car’s open door, where streaks of dark water blanket the world. “You try to walk in the light" It is Day's response when June asks how he got his name, Day since his real name is Daniel.

The ending of Legend definitely set itself up for the sequel, which comes out later this year. I believe it is called Patriot.

My Rating:

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

A Million Suns
by Beth Revis
Date Released: January 10, 2012
Pages: 386

Summary:

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

My Review:

This book really lived up to my expectations. I find it hard to find a sequel that is really on par or better than the original, but this one definitely was. I loved pretty much everything about it. Probably the only thing that could have been written a little better was the way Amy solved the clues that Orion left her. I liked how he left clues and the things she found out, but I felt like the author made it sound too much like a scavenger hunt that a little kid might do. I wasn't opposed to the fact of her solving a clue then finding the next and so on until we got to the big twist at the end of the book, but the way she presented it sounded a littler younger than Amy.

Other than this, I loved everything in this book.

One thing I liked was the way Amy was reserved about loving Elder because he was her only "option." In many other books I have read the girl would have been all over the guy because of her feelings, but Amy was hesitant. She wasn't sure whether what she was feeling was real, or if the feelings were produced because of the fact that Elder was the only person on the ship her age. This made me feel like she was more than just another whiny girl protagonist. It gave the character more depth, and it added a certain element of suspense to the romance. This is also a contributing factor to make Amy a more well developed character than many of the main characters of books are.

Another thing the author did that I felt was against what many others would have done was have the people resistant to Elder becoming the new leader. It could have been just so tempting as an author to make the people automatically bow down and obey Elder's every command. It certainly would have been easier to write a bunch of perfect law abiding citizens, but it wouldn't have been nearly as realistic. Going along with this is also many of the citizens of Godspeed's disgust at Amy. This, along with their reluctance to obey, in my opinion added to the citizens. I feel like we learned a lot more about them as a whole in this book than we did in the first one, and I liked it.

A third contributing factor of my love for this book was the excellent plot twist at the end of the novel. Whenever I read a book it is very rare for me to spot someone early on as being a traitor. I am almost always shocked to find out who the bad guy is. This book went right along with that. Some people don't understand how I don't pick up on the little hints here and there of someone's deception, but I think this makes reading the book that much more exciting. So not being able to figure out who the traitor is always a good sign for me. And let me tell you, I was in no way expecting Doc to be plotting against Elder. That really shocked me and left me wanting more and anxious for the third book to come out next year.

This book was a great read and if you are a fan of sci-fi or dystopian I highly recommend reading both this book and the first one.

My Rating:

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Leviathan
by Scott Westerfeld
Date Released: October 6, 2009
Pages: 440

Summary:

Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

My Review:


My friend told me to read this book a while ago so she could have someone to fangirl over it with. And because Christmas was near approaching and I had yet to acquire a copy to read, she gave it to me for Christmas. I read it in about a day and a half and as soon as I finished, I went and got the second one on my Nook. Needless to say, I loved this book.

It took me a couple of chapters to warm up to the idea of the Clanker machines and the Darwinist fabs, but ultimately I share Alek’s feeling for the fabs, they kind of weird me out a little. I like the Clanker machines much better. The idea of flying around in the belly of a mutated beast is just a little too weird, though I did like the Huxleys. But I would much rather walk around in a Stormwalker.

Also, the idea of a girl disguising herself as a guy to do what she wants is not a theme I am unfamiliar with having read the Bloody Jack series, and it is one that I like to read. It always gets interesting when the girl realizes that she might be developing something resembling feelings towards one of the guys, only problem is everything thinks she is a guy too. I am anxious to see how this will play out in the remaining two books.

The art was another part of the book that I loved. While some people may say that a YA book should not have pictures, I think they really add to the dynamic of the book. I probably would not have been able to visualize the machines or fabs the way the author had without the help of the pictures.

This book was also one of those books that you can read quickly, and not because of lack of quality, it is just because of the way the author writes. His other book series, Uglies, read the same way.

All in all, this book was probably one of the best steampunk I have read in a while. I would recommend it for anyone who like steampunk, sci fi, or history.

My Rating: