Never Fade [Review]

Title: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken
Series: The Darkest Minds #2
Genre: Science-Fiction
What They Say:
Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster.

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her.

What I Say:
I was worried that the first book in Bracken's Darkest Minds series had been too good to follow up, but I was quickly proved wrong. This book had underground organizations, a new gang of kick-ass kids, and a feeling of constant and fatigued angst That said:

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Plot: wow

When we last saw Ruby, she was joining the Children's League a group of freedom fighters/terrorists hell-bent on tearing down President Gray's regime through violence and subterfuge, but with good intentions (maybe). Liam has been let go in exchange for Ruby's loyalty - but in her hysteria and sudden angst, she's erased his memories of her, in hopes that he can move on and be safe without coming back for her. However, she doesn't take into account that Liam Stewart sprints towards danger by nature, so her sacrifice is quickly rendered pointless - to her great dismay. While she's been doing top secret spy-type missions with her teammates - the bitchy Vida and the hyperactive Jude - Liam's unwitting found himself in possession of a Super Important Flashdrive after switching coats with his brother, a top-level agent of the CL who'll be royally screwed if he doesn't get it back. In fact - the info on the drive is so important that they'll all be screwed if they don't find him before the corrupt agents of the CL do. So of course, despite the high emotional/angsty toll it will no-doubt have, volunteers gladly for this highly dangerous mission. After a series of coincidences and close calls with capture, her solo mission grows to a team effort: Ruby, Vida, Jude, and Chubs vs. The World. The task: Find Liam, get the flash drive, bring both back to California. Simple. (Not.)

This book doesn't stray too far from the formula of the first, but considering the high volume of new information and unanswered questions, I was glad for that small gift of familiarity. I enjoyed the balance of old characters and new ones, popping up at unexpected points in the journey and sending them on completely pointless side-journeys, for the most part. The constant close calls with death or capture got a bit tiring, but it was probably an honest depiction of their dystopian world - danger hides around literally every corner. Their chances of success were very slim and it actually felt that way. Well done. Unlike the ending of the first book, this ending was highly satisfying. Of course there are unanswered questions, but I don't feel - as a reader - like I'm groping around in the dark, desperately trying to understand what the hell is going on. Also, considering how crap Ruby's life has become, I'm glad she gets one tiny victory in the end.

Characters: ooh

Ruby has grown and hardened when we meet her again. She's essentially miserable from start to end. Even when relatively good things are happening. It's very clearly explained why things are so horrible for her, but I can't help but feel like a lot of it is in her head. Like, at one point she uses her power to hurt someone who's trying to hurt her, and her internal anguish over it spans pages, fueled by a fear of being similar to Clancy Gray - who uses his abilities solely for his own personal gain. But, like, she isn't using her abilities for personal gain, and unless she's systematically brainwashing everyone she meets to get her way, she's nothing like Clancy! I assume this is one of those realizations that will strike Ruby on the last page of the last book, but I'm willing to wait for her to get her shit together in the meantime.

Vida and Jude are introduced in this book as Ruby's co-agents in the CL. I really didn't see the point of either of them. Vida is so constantly unpleasant that I kept waiting for some clear moment of redemption - where she reveals that she's not actually a rude and unlikeable person. But that doesn't happen. Yes, she helps the team throughout their journey, and she doesn't do anything to hinder them, but her constant jerkass commentary was like a loud buzzing in the background of the story. Another loud buzzing in the background was Jude, who seemed to exist solely to get them into danger by making noise, or to ask questions as the Audience-Insert but only in the most obnoxious way/at the most inappropriate time, or to just be blatantly naive about their whole experience. Over time, he became the book equivalent of an injured puppy, and I felt like his story was played mostly to add some easy tragedy/guilt to the ending, which he didn't really deserve, as a character.

Relationships: wow
Ruby and Liam - Considering the events at the end of Book 1, these two don't interact much in this one, at least not the way they did before. Liam's upset, with reason, that his brain has been addled against his will, and not even well (considering his memories are gone, but his feelings are intact - making him essentially go mad). Ruby feels that she's done the right thing at first, which makes her miserable that she has to give Liam up. Then, Ruby realizes she's done the wrong things, making her miserable and guilty at the damage she's caused. I said in my last review that these two would have one hell of a hard time surviving this series, and I was right. That said, I'm rooting for these two in Book 3.

Special Features: ooh
The Children's League are described from many different viewpoints throughout the series so far, which leads to a bit of cognitive dissonance when it comes to the reader, and a nice topping of moral ambiguity to go along with it. Like, yes they're trying to change things in the world by deposing President Gray, but despite their name, they don't really have the children's best interest in mind. Now, at first I thought this was completely heinous, much like Liam did, but at one point Ruby learns that there are only like 20,000 children left out there. In that case, it makes a teeny bit of sense that they're focusing on the well-being of the millions of adults still alive. That said, it's completely misleading and exploitative to call themselves The Children's League just to snare Psi kids into thinking they've found a safe haven when they're actually just being used for their abilities. If you're going to take advantage of the kids, at least be honest about it. Interested to see what becomes of TCL in the last book, after the events at the end of Never Fade. Fingers crossed Cate's still around!

Parting Quote:

  “I was just an okay person."

This is the highest that Ruby's self-esteem ever gets, to be honest.

The Darkest Minds [Review]

Title: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Series: The Darkest Minds #1
Genre: Science-Fiction
What They Say:
When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." She might have survived the mysterious disease that's killed most of America's children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control. Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she's on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her-East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. There are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

What I Say:
Not going to lie, the sole reason I picked up this book was because I saw online that the author was a graduate of my Alma Mater, which is pretty awesome. I figured, written by a William & Mary student, it'd be full of cheeky Virginia references the way half my conversations at this school are. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. This book had evil presidents, kickass kids, and a road trip that stops through my very own hometown. That said:

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Plot: wow

One day when Ruby was nine, kids at school starting dying. Dropping dead in the lunchroom before recess, or at the store with their parents, or after the first bell in her fourth grade class. A epidemic called I.A.A.N. spread across the country seemingly all at once, and killed every kid entering puberty at the time. Except, on Ruby's tenth birthday, she didn't die. Instead, she woke up with a terrifying new ability that she couldn't yet control. Which is how she ends up in a nightmarish internment camp called Thurmond, where the surviving children - all of whom gained one of four types of supernatural abilities, and are called "Psy"- are penned behind barbed-wire fences and basically treated like crap while the outside world thinks they're being "rehabilitated". Spoiler: they're not. By complete chance - or for more sinister purposes - a group of freedom fighters called the Childrens' League break her out of the camp five years later, hoping she'll join their cause. I say freedom fighters, evil President Gray says "terrorist group". With her till-now-suppressed ability, Ruby quickly realizes that the League are not what they seem, and makes a run for it...straight into the arms of gorgeous southern golden-boy Liam, whose ragtag friends are on the run, in search of a mythical haven for Psy kids run by the legendary Slip Kid (why is he called this? we never find out). To keep this summary short, the Slip Kid is the last person on earth they'd expect, and as their life of constant running and danger catches up with them, they realize that even the leader of their new-found safe haven has plans of his own.

I love dystopia novels, I cannot lie. But a dystopian story set in my state with a relatively unique premise that kind of doubles as a coming-of-age road trip story? I can't explain how glad I am to have randomly given this book a chance. As with any kids-on-the-run tale, there were parts that dragged - whole chapters where the characters met and challenges faced didn't really progress the story at all - but for every scene like that, there was a great chapter full of banter where you could feel Liam and Ruby and Chubs becoming a family. In a book where the idea of family has been dashed early on and yearned for by every character - adults and children alike - this was important. Because I have to cover all aspects of the book, I admit there was a lot of internal angst that elicited a few eye-rolls from me, mainly any time Ruby referred to herself as "a dangerous monster!" because of her abilities. The horrible shock at the end of this book was perfect, because when it happens, you (the reader) are so deep into Ruby's head that you're horrified but also forced to agree with how clever it is. Picked up the sequel yesterday and I'm already hooked.

Characters: wow

I can dig Ruby Daly. Considering she's sixteen and only has a fourth-grade education, she's done pretty well for herself (almost too well, at points when her vocabulary and reasoning skills are blatantly advanced). She's thrust into these unbelievable situations, and she acts on instinct. She doesn't crumble or sit around asking questions, she just tackles the issue and moves on to the next. To be fair, this does a number on her psyche, which I mentioned earlier in the part about her inner angst. I wanted to sit her down so many times and just say, You did a bad thing when you were ten. Okay! No one thinks you're a monster! But I guess she's internalized all the nastiness they taught her in Thurmond, which I can't fault her for.

I can't help but like Liam. He's painted as this all-around great, charismatic guy, which he is. He inspires people to follow him and trust him, and he has good intentions, so most characters in his position would get cocky and blinded to the possible consequences. But Liam has already seen what overconfidence and charisma can lead to; he's made it happen himself and he's got blood on his hands. He may not live in angst like Ruby does, but he uses his own personal failures to see them in other people, which saves them from deceitful people a few times. Especially in this dystopian future filled with sociopaths and desperate people. And, of course, I love the southern snark.

Relationships: wow
Ruby and Liam - These two come together so naturally, I don't think anyone could argue their relationship is too rushed or too slow. It's based largely in survival and protection - but it's a two-way street, unlike in some other YA relationships. They've both been through hell, and weirdly, it's made them kinder and warmer people. The snark and banter is excellent and even charmed me a bit. That said, these two are going to have one hell of a hard time surviving together until the end of the series.

Special Features: wow
So let's talk about I.A.A.N. It's the epidemic that starts it all - a mysterious disease that, by the time our story really gets started - has killed essentially 99% of the country's children and blessed (cursed?) the survivors with special abilities and the widespread hatred of the American people. In addition to dystopian stories, I'm very interested in stories about epidemics and the like. Movies like Contagion fascinate me. This books gives you many chances to consider the world that Alexandra Bracken had created, which to be fair is not very hopeful for the future. There are no kids, all the schools have been closed or bombed by extremist groups, the economy has tanked and most people are homeless. Every adult is angry and desperate in some way. Every kid is afraid and desperate in some way. I wondered throughout this novel: even if, at the end of the series, Ruby somehow saves the day and defeats whoever it is she needs to defeat (it's not yet entirely clear), well - then what? Things look very bleak and there are many unanswered questions so far, which makes for an extremely interesting series!

Parting Quote:

  “But hey, what's life without a little adversity?"
   That had to have been the fakest attempt at optimism since my fourth grade teacher tried reasoning that we were better off without the dead kids in our class because it'd mean more turns on the playground swings for the rest of us.

The future is so crappy! But sometimes darkly hilarious!

Last Sacrifice [Review]

Title: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Series: Vampire Academy #6
Genre: Urban Fantasy
What They Say:
Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules. She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir Princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardian to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose- for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir. But the clock on Rose’s life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back… and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your life is about saving others, who will save you?

What I Say:
So after my Vampire Academy binge this summer, I've been counting the hours until the last book in the series, and I was not disappointed. Well, I wasn't totally not disappointed, but you'll hear about that later. This series closer had jailbreaks, hillbillies, and a whole lotta spirit. That said...

4 out of 5 stars

Plot: wow

So Rose is in jail for a murder she didn't commit. But not for long! She has better things to do, like run across the country as a fugitive searching for the Lissa's dad's long-lost love-child with her ex-lover Dimitri who totally hates her even though he's all over her and it's pretty obvious he still loves her. (whew). Not to mention tracking down clues on Queen Tatiana's real murderer to clear her name so she can, you know, show her face in public without getting shot down by Guardians. Yikers. So achieving this near-impossible feat is not easy, but will enlisting the help of some of her old nemeses get Rose into more trouble than she was bargaining for? (Spoiler: Yeah, it will.)

I love a mystery. Provide me with clues, shady motives, and a high chance of betrayal, and I am on board for at least three hundred pages. That said, I especially love a mystery in which you're pretty sure you know whodunit, but nahh you don't! As I predicted in my review of the last two books, we get a good long look at positions of power in the royal court and lengths to which some will go to get them. Or to make sure other people don't get them. It's a vamp-eat-vamp world out there, kiddies. In all, I was glad to see a big decrease in dullness this time around. I wasn't bored to tears even once. Though I was moved to rage at one point (see Relationships).

Characters: wow

Oh Rose. If I were an elementary school teacher, I would give this girl a pat on the back, a Most Improved award, and a freakin' gold star on top of that. I have never been more proud of a YA character's dynamic-ness. I mean, she wasn't an awful, hideous brat from hell in this one! I didn't want to flog her or cut her hair or lock her in an attic! She was smart and thoughtful and sympathetic. So much respect. Except in the case of one plot development for which I may never ever be able to forgive her (see Relationships).

Adrian, Adrian, Adrian. After six books, he has earned a place on my list of favorite YA characters, if I ever write a list of favorite YA characters. He pretty much fills the snark quota for the whole series. The rest is just gravy. I only wonder what he plans to do with his life. Seriously. A person can't drink and smoke and flirt forever...can they?

It's hard to focus on specific characters in this series. They're really an ensemble, tiny aspects of each character making up the story as a whole. Though I will note that at a certain point in the book, all of the characters seems to lose their color. It's very apparent in the last few chapters. The story is still strong, but everyone just seems...tired. Which kind of makes sense. After everything that happens, I'd be too tired for clever quips, too.

Relationships: ooh

Rose and Adrian - It isn't really spoilering to tell you that no, these two don't end up together. Why, you thought they would? Well, apparently Rule #1 of YA is "The girl never chooses the Second Guy, no matter how beautiful and snarky and perfect he is for her because apparently girls are like Memory Foam Mattresses that mould to the shape of the first guy who sleeps on them!" Gahh, I bleed for you, Adrian. I really do. To be fair, I saw this coming, seeing as they spend less than fifty pages together in the whole thing, and a good eighty percent of those meetings take place in Rose's dreams. So.

Rose and Dimitri - Sigh. Well, I get it. They complete each other and stuff. Their auras get all tingly around each other. I guess they're soulmates. He's just so serious all the time. Rose says so herself, "[Adrian and I] have fun together." I just feel like Rose and Dimitri can't be all intense and angsty forever, right? I can imagine Rose and Adrian growing old and domestic, sure. Dimitri, not so much. Though, of course, there are probably a thousand other readers who think the exact opposite, haha.

Special Features: ooh

I was sad to see so little focus on Moroi elemental magic in this one. I mean, it pops up when it's really necessary to the plot, but it's hopelessly eclipsed by spirit. (Spirit, if you forgot, is the mysterious "fifth element", linked to mind powers and emo-ness). There was mention of spirit on at least every other page. Spirit this, spirit that. Well, sure it was central to the plot, but gahh, too much. Also, please Richelle Mead, can we reprint this series with different covers? Those angsty, pouty covers are pretty much the main reason I've had to put this series into my Guilty Pleasure pile. I can't imagine walking out into public with them...gahh.

Parting Quote:

     From behind Lissa, I heard Christian say, "Worst. Timing. Ever."
     Adrian studied Lissa and then looked at Christian sprawling on the bed on the far side of the suite. "Huh," Adrian said, letting himself in. "So that’s how you’re going to fix the family problem. Little Dragomirs. Good idea."
    Christian sat up and strolled toward them. "Yeah, that’s exactly it. You’re interrupting official Council business.” 

Oh these guys.

The Scorch Trials [Review]

Title: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Series: Maze Runner, #2
Genre: Science-Fiction
What They Say: Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to. In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago. Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them. Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

 What I Say:
So I was all good and ready to set down The Maze Runner and take a break from reading for a while. And I did. For a few minutes. Then I got all twitchy, had a crazy dream about a labyrinth, and finally decided I needed to get my hands on a copy of The Scorch Trials ASAP. Boy, am I glad I did. This second book in the Maze Runner series is even better than the first. It's got the heat, snark, and - of course - lots of running. That said...

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Plot: wow
So our Gladers have been saved, right? Yeah, no. Thomas and co. realize pretty quick that the trials aren't over. Their next task is to cross the Scorch in two weeks. The Scorch is the part of the world directly hit by the sun flares long ago, the are between the two tropics where places like Mexico and India used to be. It's hot, there's no drinkable water, and it's full of mindless crazies withered by a mysterious disease...So it's pretty much just like Mexico and India now. Ha, JK. The Gladers are having difficulty battling the elements, but there other, more sinister dealings afoot in the Scorch. They are being watched.

Before I start, let me just get something out of the way. WICKED is good? Bullshit. More like, TERESA is stupid. Ughh. Anyway, Thomas gets jerked around an awful lot in this book. Poor kid can't catch a break. Though, I guess, this book wouldn't have been as crazy and scary and holyshitwhatwasthat? if Thomas was sailing down Easy Street the whole time. His personal anguish = good reading. I cannot wait for the third book, if only to finally understand what WICKED and past!Thomas think they're doing. Because they're really effing up some lives here. Thomas will never be able to listen to dance-rock again without cringing! You monsters!

Characters: wow
Oh Thomas. He definitely underwent some snark training between books one and two, but he cranks it up in this one. Not that I'm complaining. Or maybe his life has just suckened to the point that only black humor can alleviate the ever-present feeling of doom and despair threatening to drag him into an abyss of crushing lifelong depression. And stuff.

And here is where I take a step back from my blind approval of this series and point out a little fault. Somehow Dashner was able to write a really strong, dynamic main character, and then an ensemble cast of supporting characters that never get a chance to develop. It's probably because the series is told from Thomas's point of view, and he's way too busy staying alive to be analyzing his buddies. Ah well.

Relationships: ooh
Thomas and Teresa - Well, we see a little bit of these two in this one. Not an official couple, still, but there's definitely some Like going on. Mostly, though, I feel like Thomas likes the idea of Teresa (or maybe his memory of her) more than he actually likes her. She's his link to their past, so she's his comfort object. She's pretty much his blankie. And what happens when your blankie gets a stain and Mommy accidentally ruins it in the wash...?

Special Features: ooh
This book featured the Cranks, people infected with the Flare quarantined in the Scorch. Some of them are a little quirky, some are crazy, and some are raving lunatic cannibals who listen to club jams and roofie young lovers. What I want to know is where the Flare came from, and how the trials could lead to a cure, and all those nice things we'll learn in the last book next year. Oh, and it features telepathy. Lots of in-head conversations that kind of mix things up.

Parting Quotes:

   “Taste good?” [Brenda] asked as she dug into her own food.
   “Please. I’d push my own mom down the stairs to eat this stuff. If I still have a mom.” [Thomas] couldn’t help thinking of his dream and the brief glimpse he’d seen of her, but did his best to forget it—it was too depressing. ...
   "I’d kill your mother for something fresh out of a garden. A nice salad.”
   “Guess my mom doesn’t have much of a chance if she’s ever standing between us and a grocery store.”
   “Guess not.”

Careful, Thomas; I can see your abandonment issues peeking out from behind your rapier wit.