Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Pages: 320

Expected publication: 11.15.2011 (Margaret K McElderberry)

Series: The Pledge (1)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab e-book

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

Find the author online: Twitter |  Website

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

My Review

Following a prologue that nicely sets up Kimberly Derting's first dystopian fantasy, we meet Charlaina "Charlie" Hart, citizen of Ludania.  Charlie is a loyal friend, a narrator who I felt a certain sort of kinship with, someone who cares deeply for her family and for her friends...someone who has a secret.  In the world Derting has crafted, which hints but never openly does more than pretend to be a reformed America with a revamped caste system, it's a crime one can be severely punished for to understand or speak a language your class should not know.  And Charlie can understand any language, spoken, or written. 


Charlie's world expands, becoming mysterious and undefinable when she meets Max one night at a club, illegal dens of inquity that are usually only in the same place for a night or two, calling to mind the speakeasies of the 1920's.  Max seems as drawn to Charlie as she tries to convince him she isn't, but she doesn't trust him entirely, winning her points in my favor.  There was no insta-romance here, no love-at-first-sight.  There was, however, a slow burning attraction that, although it was clear both characters felt, neither truly gave into right away. 

There is also plenty of intrigue.  Not only is Charlie's ability to interpret various languages brought into question, but Kimberly Derting also spun several twists into the fabric of The Pledge.  Some, I saw coming, while a few others caught me pleasantly by surprise.  One, I have to say, pretty much took my breath away, which in this case, was a very good thing.  Plus, Kimberly has a way of really making you care about her characters.  I found myself inexplicably attached to a few - Aron in particular - and very anxious to see further character growth and development in the coming sequels.

I do have a few issues with the book though.  One - while I really enjoyed the switching points of views, the chapters felt incredibly short, and I would have loved, really loved, to have seen more from Xander and Max's points of view.  I also feel like the ending was wrapped up a little too neatly for me.  The pacing, for me, was okay, up until the end, where I feel like things could have slowed down, instead of sped up to warp-speed.  And in the sequel, I'm hoping for a little more world-building, or rather, backstory on Ludania's true origins. 

This could easily have been a stand-alone, but the fact that it's a trilogy leaves me really hoping Kimberly Derting will be able to build on what groundwork she has laid in The Pledge.  

Disclaimer

This book was sent to me via Simon and Schuster's Galley Grab in exchange for an honest review.  No money or compensation of any kind changed hands.  I review books with no intention of monetary gain; rather, I review books out of my love of reading.

Memorable Quote

I wondered if he would say such things if he knew how badly my hands shook, if he knew that my skin felt brittle, like ice, as if it would shatter should I move too suddenly.  Or if I dared to breathe.   - Charlie

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Expected publication: 11.15.2011 (Harper Collins)

Pages: 432

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Shatter Me (1)

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

Find the author online: Blog | Twitter 

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

My Review

Tahereh Mafi's debut novel opens by introducing us to Juliette, locked away from society and a dying civilization for 264 days, because Juliette has a secret, a gift, a curse: her touch is dangerous, possibly lethal to others.  Deprived of human contact, Juliette believes she is every foul thing anyone has ever called her.  Right away, my heart went out to her, because for every time she's been kicked, everyone who has called her a freak, even through being shunned by her own family, Juliette still has a good heart, and a lot of compassion.  She has spirit, and a genuine desire to reach out to others, which makes her ability all the more crushing.  And Juliette is stubborn, too, in a way that made me applaud her throughout the book: she will not let herself be used, and she will not allow herself to become the weapon others wants her to be.  She has morals and she has spunk, and a fierceness that I wish I had.  Over the course of Shatter Me, I fell head over heels for our tortured, uncertain, heroine.  I wanted to hold her so many times, and I wanted to grin triumphantly with her on a few other occasions. 

As superbly fleshed out as Juliette is, so are the other supporting characters, especially Adam, Kenji, and Warner.  I like my villains with a side of charming, the sort of evil you hate, but also find yourself kind of wishing they were in more scenes, and Warner was exactly that.  And although I loved Adam (more on him in a minute) Kenji was my absolute favorite secondary character.  I found him fascinating, and can't wait to find out more about him, as well as a few other characters who were introduced closer to the end of Shatter Me. 

Something else I really adored about Shatter Me was the relationship between Adam and Juliette.  I think at some point last year, I hit the plateau of thinking I'd seen it all in novels as far as romance; romance, for me, was starting to feel tired.  I've read a few books this year where I really connected with the couples, and Adam and Juliette are probably one of my absolute favorites.  I am tempted to go back and re-read the book just to read their scenes.  They were steamy when they needed to be, tender and sweet when they needed to be, and overall they felt so genuine, to me.  I loved what they each brought out in the other.  I think readers are really going to fall in love with these two! 

And I can't do the book justice without mentioning the Tahareh's writing style.  I could get lost in passages from Shatter Me, and I could post examples here, but all I'm going to do instead is just say...please read this book.  Please give it a chance.  There are a lot of disjointed or choppy passages, but there is a good reason behind them.   The structure is used to represent Juliette's fractured state of mind, and her feelings for the Reestablishment.  (I found the whole reasoning behind the Reestablishment scary and also totally possible, which made the story all the more gritty and realistic for me.)  Plus there is a fantastic set-up for the sequel, which I feel totally confident will only build on the fantastic, heart-wrenching, and poignant Shatter Me. 

Disclaimer

This book was sent to me via the author in exchange for an honest review.  No money or compensation of any sort changed hands.  I read and review books purely for the love of doing so.  

Memorable Quote

“All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.” - Juliette

Review: Eve by Anna Carey

Eve by Anna Carey

Published:10.04.2011

Pages: 318

Series: Eve (1)

Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Further info:  Goodreads | Amazon

Find the author online:  site | twitter

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

My Review

The night before her graduation, sheltered Eve has an eye-opening experience: she discovers what waits beyond the walls of her school.   And for the first time in her life, Anna Carey's sheltered heroine has to make a decision for herself that will profoundly affect her future.  I admired Eve's courage...the bravey it takes to leave behind the only life she's ever known, but I wanted to cringe reading about her on her own, because of how ill-prepared she is to cope with the situation she's in.  Eve doesn't know how to make a fire or hunt, or gather any food.  She simply has never been taught anything; the school and the Teachers have always provided everything she needed.  

Eve loses a little of her doe-eyed innocence throughout the book, but her naive view of the world colored the book for me, and I never really connected with her as a character.  I couldn't help but sympathize with her to an extent - everything she's ever believed is in question.  She's being forced to ask herself if the people who have always taken care of her ever had her best interest at heart, if the King of New America can really be trusted, and so forth.  But I think I kept waiting for her to take some major steps forward, which didn't really happen until the very end of the book, for me.  

I found a lot about this book interesting though.  I thought Arden, a secondary character, was fascinating.  I am really hoping she will show up in the sequel.  I enjoyed her both as a foil to Eve, and as an individual.  I also loved Caleb.  He was a rather swoon-worthy love interest (and I could kiss Anna Carey for NOT including a love triangle.)  Caleb and Eve gravitate toward one another a little quickly, but much more slowly than in some books I have read.  To me, their connection felt sweet and genuine, and was one of my favorite things about the books, as well as Eve's time with the group of refugee boys.  

Some things that got under my skin: the King's ulterior motive.  It was tossed out there, but never really fleshed out.  I assume that will be explained in the sequel.  Also, it bugged me that at one point Eve clearly stated she didn't have many memories of her mother, but then throughout the book, she has vivid flashbacks.  And I was kind of dismayed that there wasn't more information about the plague. I feel like the world-building could have been a little more fleshed out.  

Otherwise, this was an interesting look at a rebuilt America, and I am definitely intrigued enough to look into the sequel when it is available.  

Disclaimer

This book was provided to me from the author in exchange for an honest review.  No money or compensation of any kind changed hands.  

Memorable Quote

I opened my eyes to the face I'd imagined so many times.  Caleb smiled, his hair tickling my forehead.  I pressed my hands to his cheeks, wondering if I was having a waking dream.  His skin was warm against my fingers.  I wasn't sure whether to cry or laugh. 

Instead, I just hugged him.  Our bodies pressed into one, our arms pulled the other nearer and nearer still, until nothing was between us, not even air. 

In My Mailbox - #10

{ ++ } Kristi at The Story Siren hosts this weekly meme which gives bloggers a chance to highlight the books we bought, checked out, won, or otherwise procured over the last week.  And whether I've came into money (brb, laughing forever) or only had the goods to splurge on a book or two, they all deserve some love.

{ ++ } This is my IMM for the past two weeks!  : ) 

For Review 

Eve by Anna Carey

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

Why this book: I'm getting more and more into young adult dystopian, and this one sounds really unique!  Plus, I won it, for review!

Bought

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

Why this book: Frankly, because every review I've read has been amazing.  Thought I'd give it a chance now it's out in paperback.  :)

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

Why this book: SHAY!  hehe.  Okay it's the sequel to Nightshade and so far it looks really promising!

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer 

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

Why this book: Werewolves!  Forbidden romance!  Check out my review.

Bought 

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

Further info: Goodreads |  Amazon

Why this book: I've actually already read this one since buying it, and it is amazing.  The premise and characters are unforgettable!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

Why this book: Dystopian is really appealing to me these days!  I bought this one off of a friend's rec!

The First Day of the Rest of My Life by Cathy Lamb

Further info: Goodreads |  Amazon

Why this book: The premise sounded really good, the main character like someone I could identify with.  And this was in with the acknowledgements:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

( It has a very special meaning to me.  I cried. )

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

Why this book: It's a historical fiction ghost story.  I think it's going to be awesome!

Paranormaly by Keirsten White

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

Why this book: I've heard a LOT of good things about it!  The premise also sounds fab!

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

Why this book: I keep hearing great things about Cat & Bones! Plus I love a good paranormal romance!

(Not pictured) Magic Bites by Illona Andrews

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

Why this book: The description got me, and paranormal romance = my cup of tea!

{ ++ } What did y'all get this week?

Molli Reviews...Delirium

Ninety-five days and then I'll be safe.  I wonder whether the procedure will hurt.  I want to get it over with.  It's hard to be patient.  It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet.  Still, I worry.  They say in the old days, love drove people to madness.  The deadliest of all deadly things: it kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

                                      _______

They say that the cure for love will make me happy and safe forever.

And I've always believed them - until now.

Now, everything has changed.  Now, I'd rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.  

@ amazon.com (text from front flap & back cover)

Pages: 448 pages
Published: HarperCollins; 02/01/11
The author: Lauren Oliver


The long story short: Lena Haloway wants nothing to do with love - or amor deliria nervosa - as she approaches her 18th birthday.  All she wants is to be cured and march stoically into the future that awaits her: a planned education, planned marriage, planned emotions.  Then she meets Alex, and begins to question everything she has always blindly believed.  This story was fantastically well-told, with heart-achingly poignant prose, and a lead female whose emotional growth propelled you along for the ride with her.  You felt Lena's fear and her pain as she shed her former skin and bravely embraced the concept of standing on her own two feet, and thinking for herself, both with her mind and with her heart.

Final rating: 4 of 5 stars

___________________________________________

Every once in awhile an author rockets onto the scene whose books have the ability to grab you, shake you up, twist around your insides in a delicious way, and refuse to let you go even after you've closed the pages.  For me, that author is Lauren Oliver.  (Also at this point I should say, getting between 4-5 stars out of me isn't always easy - this book got a solid, resounding 4 stars.)

Delirium introduces us to Lena Haloway, who lives in a futuristic United States, in a time when love has been pinpointed as an actual disease, and a cure administered beginning at age 18.  The widely touted cure safeguards you from love, and, it seems, from many other emotions as well.  Lena's sister, Rachel has been cured for years; all Lena can think about is her procedure.  Her biggest fear is ending up like her mother, who after three failed attempts at the cure,  was still stricken with love and committed suicide - but not before leaving Lena with a message:  I love you.  Remember.  They cannot take it.

Alex changes everything for Lena.  Suddenly she is recognizing the symptoms of deliria in her own thoughts and actions.  But she is unable to stop seeing him, and as their relationship progresses, unable to keep from questioning the rules and beliefs she has placed all her faith in.

I loved almost everything about this book.  I truly don't think I could say enough good things.  I enjoyed that our female lead was the sort of character anyone could sympathize with and cheer for; Lena isn't perfect, she even describes herself as in-between.  In Alex's eyes, confident, brash Alex, she begins to see herself as beautiful, as special.  As Lena questions what she has been told, she begins to grow into an independent, courageous young woman, who is far more capable than she has ever realized.  Her relationship with Alex blossoms into a signal of hope, and their romance is beautifully crafted.

I loved that this book made me think.  When Lena asked questions, I asked questions.  And the answers weren't simple or reassuring.  They were terrifying.  Imagine a world where the government tells you what to believe, what to feel, who you will be married to, that they know what is good for you.  Then imagine discovering they have been lying to you all along.  Love is not the malady they claim it is; love is a blessing, as Lena discovers.  And if they have lied about that, what else

Supporting characters like Hana, Lena's rebellious best friend make this book all the more fascinating.  Lena's drone-like "cured" family members exist to, as the book progresses, act as a contrast between how Lena, who is feeling, sees and experiences life, and the droll future the procedure promises. I would like to have seen the spark that Hana possesses followed through on;  I was a little disappointed with how Oliver left her character in the end of the book.  And I couldn't get enough of Alex - I wish we had seen a little more of his back story.  He comes across as rather perfect, and I liked when Oliver scratched his surface and we saw that he wasn't.

This is the first book in a planned trilogy, and I will definitely be buying a copy of the second book, Pandemonium, as soon as it is out in stores!  Special thanks go to Suz at A Soul Unsung for being so kind as to let me borrow her copy of this fantastic book!