Title: The Forgetting
Author: Sharon Cameron Published by: Scholastic Press Publication date: September 13, 2016 Pages: 416 Genres: Science Fiction, Romance Summary from Goodreads: Nadia lives in the city of Canaan, where life is safe and structured, hemmed in by white stone walls and no memory of what came before. But every twelve years the city descends into the bloody chaos of the Forgetting, a day of no remorse, when each person's memories – of parents, children, love, life, and self – are lost. Unless they have been written. In Canaan, your book is your truth and your identity, and Nadia knows exactly who hasn't written the truth. Because Nadia is the only person in Canaan who has never forgotten. But when Nadia begins to use her memories to solve the mysteries of Canaan, she discovers truths about herself and Gray, the handsome glassblower, that will change her world forever. As the anarchy of the Forgetting approaches, Nadia and Gray must stop an unseen enemy that threatens both their city and their own existence – before the people can forget the truth. And before Gray can forget her.
Sharon Cameron wrote Rook, which was one of my favorite books in 2015. Naturally, when I saw The Forgetting on the shelf at the library, I snatched it up. Cameron knows how to write a suspenseful story and a timely romance. I like that she takes her time with the romances in her books; it makes them more realistic. Her books also keep you guessing about character motives and trustworthiness.
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Title: Starflight
Author: Melissa Landers Published by: Disney-Hyperion Publication date: February 2, 2016 Pages: 368 Genres: Science Fiction, Romance, Adventure Summary from Goodreads: Life in the outer realm is a lawless, dirty, hard existence, and Solara Brooks is hungry for it. Just out of the orphanage, she needs a fresh start in a place where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. She's so desperate to reach the realm that she's willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback who made her life miserable all through high school, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith. When a twist of fate lands them instead on the Banshee, a vessel of dubious repute, Doran learns he's been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of mysterious coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must get past their enmity to work together and evade those out for their arrest. Life on the Banshee may be tumultuous, but as Solara and Doran are forced to question everything they once believed about their world—and each other—the ship becomes home, and the eccentric crew family. But what Solara and Doran discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter their lives, but the existence of everyone in the universe...
I was ready for a space odyssey. I’m a girl who grew up watching Star Trek and Star Wars with my family. When a book is released exploring a new frontier, I’m there. Starflight takes us from Earth to the outer realms of our planet. Some realms are for farmers, some for explorers, and some for vacations of the wealthy. That’s how Solara’s life gets intertwined with Doran’s. She’s desperate to get somewhere and he decides he can take on a servant (yes, the book begins with her being his servant…but she gets some payback). Solara and Doran end up traveling with some quirky characters and get themselves in a few pickles. The book was a little predictable, but still a fun, quick-read adventure.
The Scourge Author: A.G. Henley Publication date: November 12, 2013 Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Pages: 223 Genres: Horror, Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Romance Summary from Goodreads: Seventeen-year-old Groundling, Fennel, is Sightless. She's never been able to see her lush forest home, but she knows its secrets. She knows how the shadows shift when she passes under a canopy of trees. She knows how to hide in the cool, damp caves when the Scourge comes. She knows how devious and arrogant the Groundlings' tree-dwelling neighbors, the Lofties, can be. And she's always known this day would come—the day she faces the Scourge alone. The Sightless, like Fenn, are mysteriously protected from the Scourge, the gruesome creatures roaming the forests, reeking of festering flesh and consuming anything—and anyone—living. A Sightless Groundling must brave the Scourge and bring fresh water to the people of the forest. Today, that task becomes Fenn's. Fenn will have a Lofty Keeper, Peree, as her companion. Everyone knows the Lofties wouldn’t hesitate to shoot an arrow through the back of an unsuspecting Groundling like Fenn, but Peree seems different. A boy with warm, rough hands who smells like summer, he is surprisingly kind and thoughtful. Although Fenn knows his people are treacherous, she finds herself wanting to trust him. As their forest community teeters on the brink of war, Fenn and Peree must learn to work together to survive the Scourge and ensure their people’s survival. But when Fenn uncovers a secret that shatters her truths, she’s forced to decide who and what to protect—her people, her growing love for Peree, or the elusive dream of lasting peace in the forest. I won't spend time on setting up this story, because the summary is FOUR PARAGRAPHS LONG. That just seems a little long for a summary, that's all. It is a nice set up. I read The Scourge several years ago. I believe I got it free for Amazon Kindle and thought I'd give it a go. I remember being surprisingly pleased. You can still read it for free with Amazon Prime or Unlimited, or you can purchase it for $2.99. Fenn's blindness adds to the suspense and storytelling. She's brave in the face of something terrifying, willing to regularly walk through a horde of zombies for the sake of her people, even the Lofties. I also enjoyed the progress of Fenn and Peree's relationship. Though, if you don't like a fair amount of lovely dovey prose and dialogue, this might not be the book for you. Clearly, some sort of disease has spread to create the Scourge (zombies), but Fenn and Peree discover new truths about the pandemic that make this story unique. I don't remember there being a lot of violence. Peree fights off the Scourge with arrows, but the people are not slaughtering zombies. Age Recommendation: 15 Language - mild to none Drugs & Alcohol - none Sex - There's no sex, at least one kiss Violence - There's some mild violence between the two people groups and the Scourge. My Goodreads rating: 3 out of 5 stars Buy The Scourge on Amazon.com for only $2.99 Title: The Carnelian Legacy Author: Cheryl Koevoet Sold by: Abbott Press Publication date: February 4, 2015 Pages: 458 Genres: Science Fiction, Romance, Mystery *ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* Summary from Goodreads: Marisa MacCallum always believed that the man of her dreams was out there somewhere. The problem is—he’s in another dimension. After the death of her father, eighteen-year-old Marisa's life is on the verge of imploding. She seeks comfort on her daily ride through the woods of Gold Hill, but when a mysterious lightning storm strikes, she is hurled into the ancient, alternate dimension of Carnelia where she is discovered by the arrogant but attractive nobleman, Ambassador Darian Fiore. Stranded in a world teeming with monsters, maniacs and medieval knights, Marisa is forced to join Darian on a dangerous mission to negotiate peace with his cousin and archenemy, Savino da Rocha. Along the way, she starts to see Darian's softer side and finds herself falling in love. But once she learns that he is locked into an arranged marriage, her heart shatters. When Savino falls for her charms and demands her hand in exchange for peace, Marisa is faced with an impossible choice: marry the enemy of the man she loves or betray them both and become the catalyst for a bloody war. In the midst of grief, Marisa is literally thrown into a parallel universe. Understandably, she’s a little emotional. On one hand, I liked that Cheryl Koevoet addressed Marisa’s grief in the story, but on the other hand it felt like Marisa spent the whole book in confusion and tears. We hear about how she was a leader in her high school, and was always a good student, but the evidence of that is hard to find in the book. It was difficult for me to understand why all the men keep falling in love with her, except that she’s supposed to be beautiful. I liked the male roles better. Darian is a good guy, chivalrous, caring, and trying to do what’s best for his country (though I’m unconvinced he needed to keep some important things to himself for so long). Arrie is a great example of a male friend who doesn’t need to be a love interest. He’s funny, lighthearted, and generally the cheery-relief needed in an otherwise somber atmosphere.
The love triangle with Savino felt a little silly. While Marisa is drawn to his magnetism, it’s obvious he’s not a good person. Marisa’s decision about marrying Savino is more of a political vs personal choice in the end, so it never really felt like a real “love” triangle. The mix of medieval and syfy is a fun combination. I enjoyed Koevoet’s world building – parallel universes, knights, beasts, and royalty were all fun elements. The story concentrates more on the romance, which is ok, except that the book is 450 pages. The first half was exciting, while the second half was drawn out with romantic misunderstandings, misgivings, and a strange turn with Marisa attempting her life (Because she can’t be with the man she loves? I don’t think Marisa was actually this unbalanced. The suicidal thoughts felt more like a plot vice to include some faith-related revelations). I think some content could be cut to make the book more compelling. While I enjoyed the book, it was difficult for me to like Marisa, the twist at the end was not really a surprise (Koevoet hints heavily to the conclusion), and some elements of the love story suspended belief for me. So, I’m a little torn with this one. Would I let my teen read this book? The Carnelian Legacy is really clean with Christian themes. Marisa has a return to faith in the book, and Darian depends on his faith and trust in God to help him rule his kingdom. There are some nice discussion topics about grief, faith, and trust. I might have some complaints, but there are good elements that make it a nice recommendation for teens. Age recommendation: 13 Language – none Drugs & Alcohol— Characters drink wine and ale in a medieval-like tradition - it’s not abused Sex – Several “passionate kisses” – that’s exactly how their described Violence – Characters fight off big-foot and yeti-type beasts My Goodreads rating: 3 out of 5 stars Buy The Carnelian Legacy on Amazon.com Title: Rook Author: Sharon Cameron Published by: Scholastic Press Publication date: April 28, 2015 Pages: 469 pages Genres: Science Fiction, Apocalyptic, Romance Summary from Goodreads: History has a way of repeating itself. In the Sunken City that was once Paris, all who oppose the new revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal? Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy’s arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she. As the Red Rook grows bolder and the stakes grow higher, Sophia and René find themselves locked in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse. Sharon Cameron’s Rook is a post-apocalyptic Paris (now the Sunken City) where people speak Parisian and plastic is a rare commodity. Technology is banned because it’s believed to have been the fall of civilization—satellites still fall from the sky like meteorites and technological devices are mere myths. It’s a time that hearkens back to the Reign of Terror during the start of the French Revolution when thousands of people were executed by guillotine for “opposing the revolution.” Based on The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emma Orczy, Sophia finds these people unjustly imprisoned and uses the mysterious persona of the Rook to help many escape. Sophia Bellamy is obsessed with adventure. She is terrified of being bored, and fears the time when she’ll no longer need to be reckless. She’s brave and strategic, but her enthusiasm for excitement can make her vulnerable. That’s what René Hasard discovers about her, Sophia’s new fop fiancé. But Sophia soon realizes that René’s blasé fair attitude could be a ruse, and she finds herself drawn in by the mystery of him. I loved watching their relationship morph, as they each have to take risks to see the enemy destroyed. A friend of mine recently asked me if I’ve given any books on my blog 5 stars. I had to admit that it’s really hard for me to give a book 5 stars, but I had recently vowed to do it more often, especially if I love a book. Folks, welcome to a FickleLit milestone: Rook = 5 stars. I really loved this book! It’s clean, well written, adventurous, and the characters are really fun, and the bad guy is really easy to dislike. It’s the sort of book I didn’t want to end, because I wanted to stay with the characters a little longer. Even days later, I wasn’t done living in Sophia and René’s world. Would I let my teen read this book? I love when I can recommend a book to young teens and have zero reservations about doing so. There’s some violence, but like the kisses in the book it’s not very graphic (surprisingly, even with guillotine executions). Age recommendation: 13 Language – none Drugs & Alcohol— none Sex – several kissing scenes Violence – some knife and sword violence; a few characters are beaten in prison My Goodreads rating: 5 out of 5 stars!!! Buy Rook on Amazon.com |
Lindsey Learn
I read a lot. I'm a Mom. I'm officially in my 30s, but strangers often don't believe I'm old enough to drink. I love Young Adult fiction, and thought it was worthwhile to help teens and adults find age-appropriate options. Categories
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