Book Review: The Forsaken, by Lisa M. Stasse

Title: The Forsaken
Series/Sequel? The Forsaken #1
Author: Lisa M. Stasse
Genre(s): Dystopian, Romance
Age Level: YA
Page Count: 375 (Hardcover)
Perspective: 1st Person (female)

Summary: As an obedient orphan of the U.N.A. (the super-country that was once Mexico, the U.S., and Canada), Alenna learned at an early age to blend in and be quiet—having your parents taken by the police will do that to a girl. But Alenna can’t help but stand out when she fails a test that all sixteen-year-olds have to take: The test says she has a high capacity for brutal violence, and so she is sent to The Wheel, an island where all would-be criminals end up.

The life expectancy of prisoners on The Wheel is just two years, but with dirty, violent, and chaotic conditions, the time seems a lot longer as Alenna is forced to deal with civil wars for land ownership and machines that snatch kids out of their makeshift homes. Desperate, she and the other prisoners concoct a potentially fatal plan to flee the island. Survival may seem impossible, but Alenna is determined to achieve it anyway.

Review:I was pretty excited to read this originally, but I read the prologue and literally rolled my eyes. It was pretty cliche in the beginning (Your parents were taken/rebels/killed too? Join the club!) but it quickly picks up, and just keeps getting faster and faster until slowing down at the end.

It was cliche and predictable only a few instances throughout, most of the time things were new and intense, and extremely enjoyable. There were also several completely unpredictable curveballs thrown in there - something extremely rare for me, considering the amount of this genre I've read.

One thing I really disliked in this book, however, was the author's attempt at romance. That was probably the most predictable and cliche part of this book, and subsequently the worst. It was obvious what was going to happen in terms of Alenna's relationship with Liam, and the romance seemed flat and forced without any real spark or chemistry between the chemicals.

Another thing I disliked was how the author wrapped so much up into neat tiny boxes. This annoyed me for multiple reasons:
1. If you're writing a series, you should leave at least a few loose ends to wrap up in the coming books.
2. A book - a really well-written book - is supposed to be believable, even if it's a fantasy book. Life doesn't wrap up into neat, nice little boxy. Life is messy and bloody and chaotic. And in a dystopian book especially, one would think they would see more of it. But many things - who the Monk was and the reasoning behind it and everything, what the Monk wanted her for and wanted to tell her, who she was, why her and Liam were even together - it all had a nice neat little explanation. And while some readers like that, I found it annoying and unbelievable.

This book also is not particularly memorable. I read it a week or so ago, and even now, many details and big things - like the main character's name! - escape me. It is, all in all, a fairly average dystopian book. Recommended for fans of dystopians who want a world that is fairly new and different.

Rating:



Quotes:
(There were a few others, but the post it notes I put in on the pages fell out, so I only have these two.)

"Before the secrets rise up and engulf me, and my chance to learn the truth gets ripped away forever."

- Page 113
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"I know exactly what it means - to keep going at all costs. To never give up. And to find meaning in the journey."

- Page 247

Book Review: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, by Morgan Matson

Title: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour
Series/Sequel? No
Author: Morgan Matson
Genre(s): Realistic Fiction, Romance, Hard Topics
Age Level: YA
 Page Count: 344
Perspective: First Person (female)
Summary: Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

Review: This book was a good realistic fiction book. It wasn't anything major, but it was a good summer read (a little too late for that, but...), the type of thing that's fun to read by the pool or hanging out on a lazy day.

The sadness and death part of this book was better written than other books I've read, and I was glad to not have to suffer through cliches. Roger's situation was different than any other book I've read, and it was a good compliment to Amy's own pain and sadness, though it wasn't so heavy it dragged the book down into a pity party. And while it wasn't so well-written that I felt empathy for the characters, I did feel sympathy, which is more than some books have managed.

On the other side of things, this book also managed lighthearted- and funniness, in the situations Amy and Roger found themselves in, and the conversations they had as well. I was laughing and smiling just as much as I was frowning in sadness, and few books have managed that.

A good realistic fiction book I would definitely recommend!

Rating:

Quotes:

"Someone had etched into [the diner table] 'Ryan loves Megan always'... I wondered how anyone could have been so sure about a concept so tenuous and impossible as always that they'd be willing to carve it into a tabletop." - Page 199

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"You've got to have pride in your home. You are where you're from. Otherwise, you're always going to be lost." - Page 174

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"I understood in a flash why, on the Greyhound sign, Arrivals and Departures were right next to each other. Because sometimes, like in that moment, they can mean exactly the same thing." - Page 321

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"Someone just told me that you can't let things stop you because you're afraid." - Page 249

Book Review: Shine, by Lauren Myracle

Title: Shine
Series/Sequel? No
Author: Lauren Myracle
Genre(s): Hard topics, realistic fiction, mystery
Age Level: 13 and up
Page Count: 350 (paperback)
Perspective/POV: First person, female

Summary from Goodreads: When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.

Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.

Review: This book deals with a lot of things: drug use, sexual assault, and prejudice against gays. I normally don't read about many, if any, of those things. I don't enjoy reading about them. But this was for my book group, and so I didn't really have a choice in the matter.

Like I said, this book deals with a lot of hard topics. But how it deals with them is in a brutally honest way, not stepping around it carefully as so much of the world is apt to do. Though many of the characters in the book don't talk about it as honestly as the narrator thinks about it, it realistically shows peoples' attitudes and opinions about the topics.

This book was also a mystery - and a wonderfully planned one at that. Some twists and turns I spotted before they happened, but due to good clue placement by the author, not out of predictability. (Most of the time.) Some plots twists totally surprised me; I hadn't seen them coming in the slightest.

This book is a wonderful addition to the book world. For mystery fans and for those that want the things often pushed under the rug to be brought to the light, this is a story you'll will most certainly find appealing. Truthfully, I believe everyone should read this book. It has so many topics that we must deal with today, that we must be educated about in the changing world. So what are you waiting for? Go and read it!

Rating:

Quotes: I know I normally don't do this, but there were a couple in here that I just loved, and had to share!
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'It was also proof that knowledge was power, not being a bully or rich or thinking you were better than everyone... Knowledge was more powerful than fear. Love was stronger than hate.' -Page 264 of Shine
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'I tossed Daddy's Spanish pistol on the Lawsons' coffee table, and it made a fairly satisfying thunk that I hoped woke up his mama. 
"You're not taking that?" Tommy said. 
"Nope."
"But... why?" Bailee-Ann said. 
"Because it's good for nothing," I said, keeping my eyes on Tommy. "Because one worthless piece of shit deserves another."' -Page 279 of Shine
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 'I loved everyone who said yes to the world and trued to make it better instead of worse, because so much in the world was ugly - and just about all the ugly parts were due to humans.... I hurt everyone I came into contact with, because what I was sending out wasn't a yes to the world but a no. 
I was going to stop that' -Page 290-291 of Shine
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Quote of the Month - May

So, I love quotes. Ask my friends, my family, anyone who hangs out with me - I love quotes. And every month, I seem to have a new quote that I just cannot stop thinking of. Sometimes they're funny quotes, but most of the time they're fairly inspirational. Which is why I'm doing something called the Quote of the Month. This will be a monthly post with a quote that I love, which is like my mantra for the month. For May, the quote is

"No one can tell you where you alone must go." 

- If No One Will Listen (song) by Kelly Clarkson

My explanation: Essentially, what this is saying is that you can have people supporting you all the way - your friends, your family, the people that love you - but sometimes, you have to go places where they can't follow you. Sometimes you have to journey - either a metaphorical journey within yourself, or an actual, physical journey as well - to find answers to questions that only you have the ability to answer. Here is the song that this quote came from: 

 

Quote of the Month - April

So, I love quotes. Ask my friends, my family, anyone who hangs out with me - I love quotes. And every month, I seem to have a new quote that I just cannot stop thinking of. Sometimes they're funny quotes, but most of the time they're fairly inspirational. Which is why I'm doing something called the Quote of the Month. This will be a monthly post with a quote that I love, which is like my mantra for the month. For April, the quote is

"It's not until you're broken that you know what you're made of." -Unknown

Let me give you an explanation of this quote: if you go dancing through life, not really doing anything hard or complicated or noticeable or daring, you aren't all you can be. In some ways, you are hiding behind a mask. It's not until you face the absolute worst thing - whether it be losing a loved one, getting into a car accident, whatever- that you really know who you are and what you can do. It's not until you are put through the worst thing imaginable that you really know your limits what you can and cannot do.

And so this month, I'm going to try and dare myself to stretch the limits of my comfort zones, to do something daring to see exactly what I'm made of.

Quote of the Month - March

So, I love quotes. Ask my friends, my family, anyone who hangs out with me - I love quotes. And every month, I seem to have a new quote that I just cannot stop thinking of. Sometimes they're funny quotes, but most of the time they're fairly inspirational. Which is why I'm doing something called the Quote of the Month. This will be a monthly post with a quote that I love, which is like my mantra for the month. For March, the quote is

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself..." - Franklin Delano Roosevelt

 I'm sure you have probably heard this quote before. It is probably among the top ten greatest American quotes, along with those like "Give me liberty or give me death!" and "Speak softly and carry a big stick." It really is a great quote, because it's TRUE.

Let me explain maybe a little more. He is not saying that we should be afraid of fear. He's not saying that we should be totally and completely fearless either. What he is saying through this quote is that to really get the most out of life, you cannot hesitate because of fear. You cannot say "Well, what if I get rejected?" or "What if I get laughed at?" "What if I get hurt?" All those questions are just going to leave you feeling as if you are less than you really are, and make you more self-conscious than you really should be.

So accept your fear. Accept it, but don't let it hold you back. The next time fear grabs the reins and keeps you from doing something, walk away from it, and do what you want to. Because it will leave you happier and calmer when you do.