Queen of the Tearling -- Erika Johansen

I read this book in less than 24 hours. In fact I did not leave the couch, let alone the house while I was reading Queen of the Tearling. The book is set in a future where several shiploads of people, presumably from our nearish future, have made a 'crossing' to a land that maybe exists in our world, or is maybe in another one. There is tantalizingly little information about The Crossing in book one of Erika Johansen's series and I imagine that more will be revealed to us in upcoming books! The main focus of Queen of the Tearling is Kelsea, a 19 year old  girl who has been living in secret with her foster parents for most of her life. She is also the Queen of the country of Tear and now that she is of age she must leave her home in the forest and venture into a corrupt and venal court led by her uncle the Regent.

Kelsea knows very little about current events in her kingdom and to tell you any details about what's going on in her capital would ruin, what for me was a pretty epic moment or two, so I won't. But there are some fun details I will share! For one, because this book takes place in our distant future there are some throwbacks, Kelsea has copies of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series on her bookshelf, along with The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings. We learn pretty early on that the main reason for The Crossing was to cut away the modern day trappings of life that we are so accustomed to, so the people of Tear live a pretty medieval lifestyle, complete with swords and armour. And I can always get behind some sword fighting! The book contains plenty of parallels with some of my favourite series. There's a nod to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in the Red Queen, who is Kelsea's nemesis, and some very strong similarities to The Hunger Games in a lottery system whose purpose I won't divulge!

A really great combination of new ideas and themes, mixed with the more conventional aspects of Young Adult fiction that we have all come to know and love! Another thing I will add is there is some profanity in the book (the f word pops up more than once) and some adult themes (think prostitution) so this book is not meant for the young end of the YA spectrum. But really a great read!

Enjoy!

Blood Red Road -- Moira Young

I loved this book! I thought Saba was such a great character, she's a bit of an anti- hero. When her twin brother Lugh is kidnapped by thugs from their isolated home Saba takes off to go find him, even abandoning her younger sister with a former friend of her parents. Saba has never much cared for her younger sister Emmy Saba blames her for their mother's death and for stealing her precious time with Lugh, but Emmy has more to her then Saba knows and both of them will discover new things about themselves on their journey to find Lugh. 

Saba really doesn't think much of herself, she's completely single minded in her pursuit of Lugh, but other people quickly see her value and she builds a nice little team to help her on her quest. She really has some amazing adventures, lots of fighting with a nice little stint as a gladiatrix, followed by a daring escape from captivity. There really is a lot happening throughout the book. It's fast paced and exciting, a great start to what I'm sure will be an excellent series!

Enjoy!

Ship Breaker - Paolo Bacigalupi

Nailer is a ship breaker. This means he spends his days deep in the pipes and ducts of beached oil tankers stripping the valuable wires and metals from the insides of the ship. When you are on a 'light crew' like Nailer and his friends you have to have each other's backs. your crew is your family and you keep each other safe from the dangers that abound in this post apocalyptic United States. When Nailer is betrayed by a member of his light crew and manages to survive everyone thinks he's found his lucky strike, but when a storm washes up a ship worth more than Nailer could earn in a lifetime of breaking ships he knows he's finally found his luck. But when he discovers a survivor on board he has to balance his desire for fortune and his moral compass.

Bacigalupi has created a really interesting world here. In the wreckage of the Southern United States, which have been ravaged by city killing storms and drowned by the rising waters of the ocean the strong survive and the weak perish. The book is a bit scary in that it seems totally believable that in a hundred years the world could be in such a terrible state. Nailer is a great character, believable as a product of his upbringing, but also full of promise.

The book is also the companion of Bacigalupi's The Drowned Cities and features one common character, but it's not necessary to read one before the other.

A really great read!
Enjoy!

Unwind - Neal Shusterman

Unwind by Neal Shusterman was a scary read. In it the United States have had a second civil war between pro- choice and pro- life armies. The compromise that was created in order to end the conflict was that life is sacred up until the age of 13, but when the child is between the ages of 13 and 18 their parents can choose to have them Unwound. Being unwound basically means that the unlucky teenager is dismembered, with their body parts and organs being donated to those in need or those who simply aren't happy with their eyes, hair etc. Thus the members of government who created the legislation and the parents who choose to have their children unwound are alleviated of their guilt, since the child is not really dead, they are just living a different existence. 

The premise seems a bit silly at first, I mean who would possibly think that it is acceptable to end the lives of thousands of teenagers simply because they're behaving badly, or are a financial burden. But, Shusterman has crafted Unwind  in such a way that the entire story seems totally plausible. 

The story focuses on three very different teenagers who are being unwound for very different reasons. Connor is an out of control teenager whose parents decide to have him unwound so they won't have to deal with him any longer ( I do have to say though that one would think having the threat of being unwound hanging over your head would be enough to stop you from rebelling against your parents...). Risa who was abandoned by her parents and became a ward of the state and is not quite talented enough at the piano to warrant the government paying for her survival. Finally there is Lev, who is a tithe, which means his parents conceived him for the express purpose of having him be unwound. I really liked all three characters, though I do have to say that I felt that Lev really went through the biggest range of development and certainly he changed the most out of our three main characters. 

There are sequels which are likely well written and enjoyable, but I think that Unwind reads well as a stand alone novel. A really interesting read.

Enjoy!

Enclave - Ann Aguirre

In this post apocalyptic thriller our main character Deuce has just graduated from being a 'brat' (an unnamed child) to being a Huntress, one of the elite warriors of her small community. The enclave where Deuce lives is situated in the remains of the New York City subway and is constantly under the threat of both starvation and of being over run by the monsters living in the tunnels that they call "freaks". Deuce has spent her whole life waiting to become a Huntress, however her illusions of becoming one of the warrior brethren are quickly shattered as she becomes aware of the politics that lie beneath the seemingly perfect exterior.

I really enjoyed Enclave. I thought Deuce was an interesting character and that the world she lived in underground was just as believable as any other post apocalyptic read, and there are certainly many! As with most Young Adult fiction there is a budding romance and Deuce has mixed feelings about the boy she has her eyes on. However, the romance does not detract from the main plot line of the story, but adds to it. Deuce is a kick butt heroine who certainly does not need a boy to protect her from anybody and she proves it time and again. I really liked how she and Fade (her hunting partner and love interest) are equals, working together to protect each other, rather than either of them making enormous sacrifices for the sake of the other.

The book also takes an interesting turn half way through as our main characters find their way out of the tunnels and into the world above, which Deuce has always believed to be uninhabitable. The world above is even more dangerous than the world underground and Deuce needs all of her fighting and survival skills to survive the surface.

Overall a great plot, engaging characters and an interesting premise! I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!

**The sequel Outpost was almost as good as the first book, looking forward to the third!**

***Third book also great! Interesting twist!***

The Selection - Kiera Cass

The Selection by Kiera Cass was a good read. The story was fun and the protagonist, America was pretty interesting and multi-faceted. However, it was certainly a stereotypical Young Adult novel, There were no unexpected plot twists and out protagonist has, predictably, fallen for two men.

The story is set in post-apocolyptic United States. in this world society has been split into numerical castes, with ones being at the top i.e. the Royal Family, and eights, being the homeless, at the bottom. it is an incredibly rigid system with marriage to a higher caste member the only way up for women and joining the army one of the only ways up for men. America is a five, so she is close enough to the bottom to be hungry most of the time. 

Every time the Prince comes of age there is a Selection and in our story Prince Maxon is ready to find a wife. So 35 women from across the country are chosen to compete. Ostensibly America has no interest in marrying the Prince, since she is in love with handsome, honorable and dirt poor Aspen. He is a six so their love is a secret since America'a parents are unlikely to allow her to marry 'down'. It is Aspen who convinces America she should enter the Selection process. Obviously she is chosen and much to everyone's shock, she is chosen.

Of course she initially has no intention of fighting for Maxon's hand with the other Selected, but I'm sure you can guess how that turns out!

For me the most interesting part of the book is the warfare that is occuring between the official government and several rebel factions. We don't hear too much about it in this book but their involvment is sure to increase in the rest of the series.

A fun and easy read!

Enjoy!

Divergent - Veronica Roth

One of the best post Hunger Games Young Adult books that I have read. Divergent stars another kick ass heroine, though she comes from a decidedly different background than Katniss. In Divergent Beatrice Prior lives in a post apocalyptic society that has split itself into five factions based on personality traits. In Candor for example they cherish the truth and in Dauntless, courage. On their 16th birthday each member of society is asked to choose which of the five factions they will join. Before making this choice Beatrice takes a personality test designed to tell her which faction she is best suited for. But when something goes wrong during the test Beatrice realizes that the choice may not be so clear cut after all.

In Divergent Veronica Roth has created a really interesting world populated by believable characters and nasty villains. The plot progresses at a quick pace, but it never feels as though she’s rushing through the story. There is of course a romantic subplot, but while it is an important aspect of the story line it never over powers the book or detracts from the plot. 

A great read if you’re looking for something to cure your Hunger Games hangover!