Decelerate Blue by Adam Rapp

Title: Decelerate Blue
Author: Adam Rapp
Illustrator: Mike Cavallaro
Length: 199 pages
Published: February 2017

In this dystopian world, life has become so accelerated that the focus of everything is on speed and efficiency. In speech, contractions are mandatory, adverbs are discouraged, and when you finish speaking you say "Go." Cool things are called "hyper" and movies are 14 minutes long. Angela discovers a resistance movement underground, where people are trying to slow down by never using contractions, sitting and reading, and lowering their heart rates. There's a bit of a young love story in there too.

I think this is a great concept for a dystopia, but while I enjoyed this graphic novel I feel like a novel might have done a better job of exploring the world a bit more. Lots of aspects of the world are hinted at but never explained, like how everyone talks about "guaranteeing their Guarantees" and people say "Go, Guarantee, Go!" to each other. What is the Guarantee Committee? What is the Database? These questions are never answered. The dystopian feel was good, but in my opinion a good dystopia has details.

The same is true of character development. I wanted to get to know the characters more (except the surprisingly many unpleasant characters in the underground; what's up with that?). Also, the plot goes at a good pace but then suddenly all the big stuff happens and the book is over!

So ultimately, I enjoyed this book, but I wanted MORE of everything.

Oh, also, the underground deciding to all take drugs together at the same time without really getting a chance to even see the effects of it made them seem a little less like a resistance and a little more like a cult. So that was a strange direction for them to take.

3 stars.

The Heir and The Crown by Kiera Cass

Titles: The Heir (The Selection #4) and The Crown (The Selection #5)
Author: Kiera Cass
Publication Dates: May 5, 2015, and May 3, 2016
Lengths: 342 pages and 278 pages

Warning: Contains spoilers for the original Selection trilogy.

I don't think I've ever done a double book review before! But I read The Heir and then immediately had to read The Crown so now it's hard to separate them in my mind. And in any case, it's all one story. This will be a long one, because these books gave me ALL THE FEELS.

These two additions to the Selection series tell the story of Princess Eadlyn, daughter of Maxon and America and heir to the throne. She has no plans to marry anyone any time soon, but soon finds herself at the centre of a Selection designed to distract a restless public. While she starts the Selection planning to hold out for three months and then end it without an engagement, things change as the political situation becomes more precarious and the boys work their way into Eadlyn's heart.

The Heir was hard for me to rate. In the heat of the moment when I finished the book, I gave it 5 stars, but I later downgraded it to 4 just because of how insufferable Eadlyn is. I get that she's a princess, but I don't get how any daughter of America's could grow up this much of a self-centred brat. Her treatment of her brother, Ahren, and her beloved maid, Neena, are particularly terrible, seemingly without her being aware of it. But, she does grow over the course of the story, especially in The Crown (which I did give 5 stars and which kept me up half the night needing to finish it).

As for the boys, it was interesting how different this Selection was from Maxon's. With the story being from the princess' point of view this time, you might think we'd get to know the suitors better, but the fact is that Eadlyn doesn't get to know many of them, not even going on dates with even those who make it to the Elite. As the choices dwindled, I became increasingly worried (correctly, I might add) that she wasn't so much narrowing it down to the best choices as she was eliminating the bad ones. There were a few guys I liked and was even rooting for, but a lot of the time the worry isn't that she'll have to pick but that she won't fall in love at all.

I gotta say, I did not see the ending coming, and I loved it! The rushed feeling of Eadlyn's Selection seems to accelerate the closer you get to the end, until Eadlyn is basically running around the palace changing her mind as she gets to each possible fiance. The Crown is similar to The One in the way it keeps you guessing and doubting and hoping and page turning until the very last second!

A couple final thoughts: OMG Maxon and America being all adorable and perfect for each other! And their little dropped hints about the complications in their own Selection that Eadlyn never knew about! And how much they care about Eadlyn's happiness! I just love them so much.

Also, without giving anything away to those who haven't finished the series yet, did anyone else think of Hans from Frozen? You know what I'm talking about.

Basically, if you could put up with America in The Elite, you can probably put up with Eadlyn in The Heir. And, in my opinion, it's so worth it to get that happily ever after.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Publication Date: 1953
Length: 184 pages

Guy Montag is a fireman, but in this dystopian future, that doesn't mean putting out fires. It means starting fires to burn illegal books. But this book is about more than just book-burning, because more than just books have been destroyed. Seemingly most intelligence and other interesting things have been eliminated. People entertain themselves with their TV walls all day. The idea is that people are "happier" because they only experience simple, happy media, rather than complicated things that make one think. This has made people horrifyingly mindless and complacent.

When Montag meets a girl who likes going for walks and chooses odd topics of conversation, his dissatisfaction with his life intensifies and he starts to question the way things are. Before you know it, he's defying the principles he has proudly helped enforce for his whole life, hiding books in his home and making contact with others who have kept intellectualism alive.

I feel like I had to read this book, as a fan of dystopians, but I don't really feel like I got anything out of it. It's an interesting premise, and the story was pretty good, but it didn't thrill me. And thinking back on it now, I find that it hasn't really stuck with me.

3 stars.

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

Title: This is Not a Test
Author: Courtney Summers
Publication Date: June 19, 2012
Length: 322 pages

The zombie apocalypse comes on quickly in this story. Sloane is at the breakfast table with her abusive father, contemplating suicide after her sister ran away without her, when a screaming woman bangs on their front door. Suddenly, there's chaos everywhere, with people eating each other in the streets. Sloane, along with five other teenagers, eventually manages to make it to the high school, where they hole up and hope that help will come.

This book, despite the premise, isn't really a zombie story. Zombies aren't what I would consider a primary part of the plot. It's all about the kids in the school. It's about what happens when you take six teenagers, who are very different, and lock them in a building together with death literally banging on the doors. And it's about the one who actually wants death to get in.

Obviously, character development is a big thing in this novel. Especially Sloane's development, but also the other characters, and the relationships between them. The author does a great job with that, and I really felt attached to some of them.

4 stars.

The Queen's Army by Marissa Meyer

Title: The Queen's Army (Lunar Chronicles #1.5)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: November 23, 2012
Length: about 18 pages (ebook)

The Queen's Army is a short story in the Lunar Chronicles series, giving some backstory for one of the major characters in the second novel, Scarlet. I read this story in between Cinder and Scarlet, which I think is the intended reading order.

Ze'ev recently turned 12 years old, and he's top of his class, and strong, so he knew to expect a visit from the queen's thaumaturges. Not given a choice, he is taken away from his family to be genetically modified and trained as part of the queen's army. His modifications give him the improved strength, agility, and reflexes of a wolf. Since he knows that those who don't perform well are modified further, so that they are barely human, he does all he can to succeed in his new pack.

This is a great story. I loved watching how Z changes in order to survive. It's sad that he couldn't just be a kid and had to be put into such a terrible situation, but I like how he gets stronger and learns what he has to do to survive. Whether you read this one before or after Scarlet, you'll appreciate the backstory!

5 stars.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Title: Warm Bodies
Author: Isaac Marion
Publication Date: October 28, 2010
Length: 239 pages

R is a zombie, but he's not quite like the other zombies. He sometimes finds that the zombie life is not enough for him. He appreciates beauty, and collects knickknacks and music for his home in an airplane. One day, while out hunting, he eats the brains of a guy named Perry, experiencing his memories. When he meets Perry's girlfriend, Julie, he finds himself fascinated by her, and suddenly protective of her. He brings her home and keeps her safe from the other zombies, and a very strange relationship begins.

This is one of those books I read after seeing the movie, which I hate doing because often I end up not liking the book because the movie has already established itself as "right" in my brain. That did not happen with this book. I loved the movie (like, fangirling all over the place, with a bigger crush on a zombie than I thought was possible), and then I loved the book even more.

R is just SO ADORABLE. As he and Julie spend more time together, it's so sweet to see him become more and more human. And at the same time, Julie is learning to see zombies as more than just monsters, as people with a disease that could potentially be cured, which is something the survivors of the zombie apocalypse had never considered or thought possible.

5 stars.

Glitches by Marissa Meyer

Title: Glitches (Lunar Chronicles #0.5)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: December 5, 2011
Length: about 32 pages (ebook)

Glitches is a prequel to Cinder. It shows us the part of Cinder's story before she was an accomplished mechanic. In Glitches, she's just a scared girl with no memory of most of her past. Garan brings her home to live with his family, and her new stepmother is horrible to her. But one of her stepsisters, Peony, is kind and sweet.

At this point, Iko is just a pile of android bits, who was taken apart because she had a "glitch" (aka a personality). I enjoyed seeing how Cinder put her back together and they became friends. Iko is one of my favourite characters in this series.

Although Goodreads, FictFact, and the rest of the internet seem intent on numbering series in in-universe order (ie. putting this before Cinder), this really should be read after Cinder (in proper publishing order). (But that's a rant for another day.) Already knowing Cinder's character and being attached to her, Peony, and Iko, this story is great for filling in the blanks about them.

5 stars.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent (Divergent #1)
Author: Veronica Roth
Publication Date: April 25, 2011
Length: 487 pages

Beatrice has grown up in the Abnegation faction, which values complete selflessness.Yet she's always struggled to be as selfless as her family. As a 16-year-old, Beatrice will soon have to decide which faction she'll spend the rest of her life with. While she doesn't want to leave her family and insult their values, she longs to join the Dauntless, the faction that values fearlessness.

After the Choosing ceremony, Beatrice (who soon rebrands herself as Tris) discovers that being accepted by a faction is no easy process. There are intense physical and psychological tests, and Tris must prove herself or wind up factionless. And through it all, she has to keep her secret, that's she's Divergent, which her society fears most of all.

It took some time for me to connect with Tris. I think that's mostly because there is no way I would ever choose Dauntless. It just seemed so unappealing to me. And I didn't like how some of the factions were so vilified, especially Erudite, the faction that values intelligence. I can't stand that they're portrayed as the bad guys! I totally would've chosen Erudite.

But, eventually Dauntless won me over. I still wouldn't choose it, but it gained my respect. Particularly the way Tris and Four view it. Also, this book gave me a strangely strong urge to get a tattoo.

Possibly my favourite thing in this novel was the fear landscapes. The idea of going into a holographic simulation that puts you through your worst fears is just so cool. Though I didn't really understand the process Tris went through to overcome each one. It makes me wonder what would be in my fear landscape. And how many fears I would have.

3 stars. Writing this review months later, I feel more positive about it and can't really remember why I gave it only 3 stars. But I always go with the rating I choose right after finishing. In any case, I'm looking forward to the second book!

The Testing Guide by Joelle Charbonneau

Title: The Testing Guide
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Publication Date: April 2013
Length: 10 pages (of actual prequel)

In this prequel to The Testing, Cia's older brother Zeen is hoping to be chosen for the Testing. And... that's about it, really. This is really more of a bonus chapter from another point of view than an actual prequel. While it's technically 57 pages long, that includes a Q&A and the beginning of The Testing. The prequel itself is only 10 pages long.

Having read The Testing, I enjoyed this closer look at Zeen. But I would only recommend it if you have read The Testing. I don't think it's the best introduction to the series. (And the only reason I think it's maybe meant to be is that it includes an excerpt from the first book.)

4 stars.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publication Date: September 2010
Length: 390 pages

Warning: This is a review of the third and final book in this series, and will contain spoilers from the first two books.

Katniss, her family, and Gale are alive and in District 13. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol.  A revolution is taking place across Panem, and Katniss is expected to stand up and be the Mockingjay, the figurehead of the rebellion. I say figurehead and not leader, because really, the powerful people organising this rebellion just want Katniss to be their pawn, to inspire the people.

I don't quite understand the widespread love for this book. I loved the first two, and this one just didn't do a whole lot for me. I mean, there was some good action, and the story of the developing revolution is definitely interesting, but there were just too many things that bothered me.

First of all, let's talk about the romance. The reason I've never called myself Team Peeta or Team Gayle is because I could not possibly care less about either of those relationships. Both guys are good characters and important to the story throughout the series, but I just never got excited about the romance at all. As for how the books ends in that area, I just kind of shrugged.

Other quibbles: Her voice-activated bow. What's the deal? Her fancy arrows certainly came in handy, but what was special about that bow? Did she ever even use the voice activation? What purpose would that even serve? Also: I did not cry while reading this book. I cried in both of the other two. For whatever reason, the sad scenes in this book just didn't have the oomph that, for example, Rue's death had.

Then there was stuff near the end that I didn't even understand. Spoilers starting now...

When they have that vote for whether or not they'll host a Hunger Games with Capitol children, and Katniss votes yes. WTF is that? When did Katniss become a horrible person? I understand wanting to kill Snow, but innocent children? That is so messed up, no matter what she's been through.

I don't know, maybe I just read this book at the wrong time, and wasn't in the mood for it or something. Everyone else who loves the earlier books seems to love this one, too. I'll definitely give the series another go some time and see if my opinion of its ending changes.

3 stars.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Title: The Host
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
Length: 619 pages

Wanderer is a Soul, one of a race of aliens that live by taking over the bodies of other species. When Wanderer comes to Earth, she is put in the body of Melanie Stryder, but Melanie doesn't give up her body so easily. Instead of fading away, Melanie remains as a voice in Wanderer's head. By listening to Melanie, and feeling her feelings, Wanderer becomes attached to the memories of Melanie's brother, Jamie, and boyfriend, Jared. Together, they flee the Seekers and go in search of surviving free humans.

This book was so different from what I was expecting. I had no idea it would be from the perspective of the alien, which I found to really give the story a good angle. Wanderer isn't some cruel, conquering alien; she honestly didn't realise that humans would resent being taken over, no matter how much their world has been improved as a result.

I also liked Melanie, and how she grew to understand and even love Wanderer over time. But really I was all about Wanderer (and as a result, I was totally into Ian, and totally NOT into Jared). I liked Jamie a lot, too. I often had trouble picturing how old he was. He's really just a kid, but has been forced to grow up way too fast. I found him quite lovable.

One warning: This book is not for the faint of heart about women being punched in the face. Because oh my goodness, does Wanderer ever get punched in the face a lot. I mean, I get that she's seen as the enemy in a planetary war, but it still seems pretty messed up how many guys had no problem punching this quiet, gentle girl who was so obviously not a threat to them.

Overall I just really liked this book. The story, the characters, the ending, pretty much everything.

4 stars.

Movie review coming soon!

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Title: The Testing
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Publication Date: June 4, 2013 (today!)
Length: 336 pages

Being chosen for The Testing is the highest honour for new graduates. The Testing will decide who will go on to the University, to become the next generation of leaders, who will work to restore the earth and society in the aftermath of devastating world wars. Cia has looked forward to this opportunity her whole life, but the night before she is to leave for the Testing, her father tells her about the nightmares he's had since they wiped the memories of the Testing from his mind. Suddenly, Cia's mind is filled with questions. What happens to the candidates who don't pass the Testing? Why are memories of the Testing wiped at the end? Who can be trusted?

Normally when I hear that a book is recommended for fans of *insert popular series here*, I end up disappointed. Not the case here! This book is recommended for fans of the Hunger Games, and as a Hunger Games fan, I heartily agree. While I've seen some reviews saying that this story is too similar to that of the Hunger Games, I found that, while the setting was similar, the idea was really original.

The idea of choosing a country's future leaders by putting them through intense physical, mental, and emotional testing is really fascinating. This is definitely a dystopia, with a government that callously watches as people die. Yet you can still see how the Testing could have been a good idea (if it wasn't done in such a horrifying way), giving the whole thing a certain realistic feel.

The writing is excellent as well. I was sucked right in, and flew through this book. I can't wait for the rest of the series, and I've already downloaded the free prequel ebook.

5 stars.

Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Uglies: Cutters by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Uglies: Cutters
Author: Scott Westerfeld and Devin Grayson
Illustrator: Steven Cummings
Publication Date: 2012
Length: 176 pages

Uglies: Cutters is a graphic novel retelling of Pretties by Scott Westerfeld, from Shay's perspective. It's the sequel to Uglies: Shay's Story. Shay's story in Pretties basically consists of her rejoining the Crims, and starting up the Cutters, a group of Pretties who cut themselves in order to achieve the mental clarity that's so difficult for Pretties to reach.

I pretty much had the same issues with this book as I did with Uglies: Shay's Story. Basically, all the people look the same, which is a particularly big problem in a book like this, where looks are very important to the characters.

Also, Tally really did all the interesting stuff in this part of the story. So watching Shay is not really that great. She doesn't know what's going on with Tally most of the time, so we just catch glimpses of that stuff, and meanwhile, Shay just goes about her business, doing stuff with the Crims, etc. So it's not as good a story as Pretties is.

2 stars.

Bright Star by Nickie Anderson

Title: Bright Star
Author: Nickie Anderson
Publication Date: November 9, 2012
Length: about 248 pages (ebook)

Sadira is sad when her father doesn't make it home for her birthday, but things get worse when her class goes to see a hovership launch, her father gets on the ship, and then the ship falls from the sky. The government tells her her father is dead, but a private named Baruj is sure that the crew is still alive, and wants to head out into the desert to find them.

I was expecting a bit more dystopia from this one. There was good set up for one; citizens are required to take a pill each day! So much potential! But nothing much comes of it. Eventually past events come to light that explain how this is a dystopia, though, which is a good subplot. I wish that were more of the story, instead of being sort of on the side.

The problem I had with the main plot of this story is the lack of motivation. Sadira goes in search of her father, which may seem like motivation enough, but her father is, to put it lightly, a huge jerk. She seems obsessed with him, yet in all her memories she describes of him along the way, he comes across as mean and uncaring. Who teaches a child not to cry, because crying doesn't solve problems? And I can understand still loving your father even if he's not very nice, but she acts like he's perfect, and seems somehow surprised when he acts like a jerk some more.

So, I definitely liked the premise of this story, and the dystopian elements, but I had trouble connecting to the characters, which can really throw off a book for me.

3 stars.

Full disclosure: Free ebook copy received from the author.

Uglies: Shay's Story by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Uglies: Shay's Story
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publication Date: February 2012
Length: 208 pages

Uglies: Shay's Story is a graphic novel retelling of Uglies, from Shay's point of view. So, we get to see Shay befriending the Crims, meeting David, learning wilderness survival skills, etc.

I had big issues with this book. The writing was fine, and it was cool to see the other side of the events of Uglies, but I find it hard to believe that Scott Westerfeld actually signed off on this art.

First of all, everyone looks the same. I know, I know: I complain about that with all graphic novels. It's true I'm not the best at telling people apart in drawings. But in this story, it's particularly important for people to look different. Honestly, the uglies and pretties look pretty much the same. Which basically defeats the whole point of the books.

Also, Dr. Cable; this one, it's like they messed up on purpose. In the back of the book, there are early sketches, and notes about how Scott Westerfeld told the artists how to improve the look of the characters to be true to the books. From the notes: "She's a middle pretty, and Scott wanted her to look forty to fifty years old." Buuuut, Dr. Cable is not a Middle Pretty; she's a Special. That's kinda important to her character.

2 stars.

This book counts for the 2012 A-Z Book Challenge.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publication Date: 2009
Length: 391 pages

Note: This is a review of the second book in a trilogy, and will therefore contain spoilers from the first book.

Katniss has beaten the odds and won the Hunger Games, even managing to keep her fellow District 12 tribute, Peeta, alive as well. But the Capitol is not pleased, to say the least, with Katniss's open defiance, or with the seeds of rebellion she has unknowingly planted. Now it's time for their Victory Tour, and the message to Katniss is clear: convince everyone that you did what you did only because you're hopelessly in love with Peeta, or else. But despite the danger to herself and her family, Katniss isn't sure she should be trying to stop a rebellion against the Capitol.

Aaah, so good! I'm sorry, I read this book like 2 months ago, so now my memory's all fuzzy and it's hard to write intelligent things. But I do remember it was awesome. I know a lot of people felt like there was too much basically repeating the first book, but I thought it was just right. Things were different enough to keep it interesting (and the new arena is SO cool!), and it all seemed necessary to how things developed.

I'm really excited about the direction the story is going, and now I'm itching to read the conclusion!

5 stars

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publication Date: April 24, 2012
Length: 504 pages

The Immortal Rules is a young adult, dystopian vampire novel. The world is now split into vampire cities, which are walled off to keep the humans in and the rabids out, and which are ruled by powerful vampires. Allison Sekemoto grew up in the Fringe, the outer area of her city, where Unregistereds live as scavengers. When she's out on a scavenging mission and is attacked by rabids, she's given a choice: die, or become one of the vampires she's hated her whole life.

This. Book. Is. Awesome. Allie is a great main character. Throughout the book, you get enough back story for her motives and feelings to make sense. I loved watching her learn and struggle and make decisions as she figured out her own ethics as a vampire.

And the vampires in this story are great. They sort of remind me of Anne Rice's vampires. They're scary, but also sometimes sexy. They're usually evil, but they still retain their personalities from when they were human, so they're not just soulless beasts. And they're totally kickass.

I honestly don't even know what more to say about this one. It's just so good! I know there's been an awful lot of vampire stuff in recent years, but this one definitely stands out from the crowd. This was my first Julie Kagawa book, and I'll definitely be checking out her other stuff.

The one thing I'm not a fan of is the cover. It has to be said. The girl on the cover, who is also all over the series website, is obviously not Asian. This makes zero sense. Being Japanese is an important part of Allie's character (hello, her last name is Sekemoto, and she carries a katana). This is straight up whitewashing and I am not ok with it. It makes me worried about what will happen if a movie ends up being made. Messing up Allie's character could ruin what has the potential to be an amazing movie!

Anyway, aside from the cover, the book itself is amazing. 5 stars, and highly recommended.

Full disclosure: Free e-book copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publication Date: 2008
Length: 374 pages

Note: Movie review coming soon!

When Katniss Everdeen's younger sister is selected to participate in the Hunger Games, an annual fight to the death between 24 children from the districts of Panem, she volunteers to take her place. She is sent to the Capitol, where the people see the disturbing, dystopian version of reality television as the highest form of entertainment. Much violence ensues, along with some adorableness (Rue!) and a little bit of romance.

I could not put this book down. (Warning: I'm probably about to get really vague. I accidentally waited too long before writing this review and now all that left is SO MUCH EMOTION.) What can I say, it was just SO GOOD. This is a great dystopian novel, because it manages to be a terrifying picture of what the world could become, and it's believable. No fantasy required. And the setting is really interesting: North America has become a single country, consisting of a capitol and 12 districts, with the capitol ruling cruelly over the districts while pretending to be taking care of them. In other words, colonialism! See what I mean, with the disturbing realism?

Katniss is a great main character. She's a female lead who kicks ass, so that's already enough for me to like her. She's kind and caring, but is also willing to do what needs to be done to survive, to get back to her family that depends on her. Peeta and Gale, to be honest, don't have me feeling much of anything. I've heard that the second book gets more love triangle-y, which I'm kind of dreading. As you may have noticed, I'm not a big romance fan. And rarely do I enjoy a love triangle. I'd be perfectly happy if Katniss just kept on being a butt-kicking single gal. But I'm probably the minority in that.

My favourite character is Rue. A 12 year old girl selected from District 11, she instantly has your sympathy. And when she (minor spoilers ahead!) surprisingly scores a 7 in training, and says in her interview that "if they can't catch me, they can't kill me", you know she's going to be more than meets the eye.

I can't really say much more while avoiding major spoilers. If you haven't read the book yet, you should!

5 stars. I didn't even do it justice with this review, but it's so good!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date:
Length: 387 pages

Cinder is a retelling of the classic Cinderella story; it took an old fairy tale and made it brilliant. Linh Cinder is a talented mechanic, and a cyborg. She lives in New Beijing, where a deadly plague runs rampant, and cyborgs are drafted to be used as test subjects in the search for a cure. At the same time, Lunars, the cruel race of people who live on the moon, constantly threaten the Earth with war. When Cinder meets Prince Kai at the marketplace, her life suddenly gets a lot more interesting.

First let's look at Cinder's family. I found it interesting that one of the stepsisters, Peony, is actually nice to Cinder. The other sister, and the stepmother, however, are just as you'd expect in a Cinderella tale, only worse. I swear, my heart rate would actually rise when I read scenes with Adri, Cinder's guardian. She was just so AWFUL. Like, painfully so.

I love how this book added so much more to the classic tale. The fact that Cinder is a cyborg in a society that treats cyborgs as sub-human, provide a great framework for Cinder's horrible mistreatment by her "family". The plague and the threat of war with the Lunars provides the opportunity for Kai to have some nice character development, taking him way beyond the nameless Prince Charming. But don't worry, he's still totally charming. :)

The one sub-plot that I found weird was the whole thing with the car. I guess it was supposed to be a kind of pumpkin coach metaphor? It just seemed weird to me that Cinder has all these important things to be doing, yet she still spends time trying to fix a car in hopes of escaping. I mean, I get that she wanted to escape, but seriously, can't you wait a little longer and deal with the immediate crisises first?! But in the end I was for the most part pleased with the decisions everyone made, so it's all good.

Speaking of the ending (don't worry, no spoilers!), oh my goodness why would you write this ending and then make me wait for the second book?! No fair. And the expected publication date of book 2, Scarlet, is 2013 (what month? That makes a big difference!). This is why I hate starting brand new series!! I have zero patience.

5 stars.

Full disclosure: Free copy received from the publisher.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Title: Little Brother
Author: Cory Doctorow
Publication Date: 2008
Length: 380 pages

Little Brother is about a teenager named Marcus (aka w1n5t0n) who is an experienced hacker. When San Francisco is hit by a terrorist attack while Marcus and his friends are skipping school, they are captured by the Department of Homeland Security and ruthlessly interrogated. After Marcus is released, he sees that San Francisco has become a police state (there are some disturbing parallels to 1984), and he starts using his hacking skills to wage war against the Department of Homeland Security.

This book is so many kinds of awesome. I will admit that I am a person with a degree in computer science, so my nerdiness is of the kind that I couldn't not like this book. However, it does not assume knowledge of computer science, so you will like it too, non-comp-sci people! Actually, all kinds of cryptography concepts are explained in this book in ways that made me say "oh my goodness I took a course on this but never understood that until just now".

At the same time as being a really cool book about hacking, Little Brother deals with some pretty intense themes, including torture, and the role of government. It makes you look at things like the Patriot Act and shudder. Seriously, I can't count the number of times in this book that I was suddenly terrified that these events could legitimately happen. And I'm not even the paranoid type.

Anywho, I seem to be rambling. You should read this book. Five stars! Out of five!

This book counts towards the Read Your OWN Library! Challenge (hosted by The Beauty of Eclecticism) for December. For January, my book for the challenge will be Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt.