[Review] Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen
Victoria Aveyard
[Red Queen #1] YA Fantasy
Published: February 2015 (HarperTeen)
Format: ebook
Pages: 320
Rating: 4.5 of 5
 

MARE BARROW'S WORLD IS DIVIDED BY BLOOD—those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steals what she can to help her family survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army she gambles everything to win his freedom. A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself, where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a power of her own—an ability she didn't know she had. Except... her blood is Red.

To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard—the leaders of a Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince—and Mare against her own heart.

I just... Woah. I don't know where to start. I don't know what gripped me while I was reading this, but I do know that it affected me more than a lot of books have the ability to. A Darker Shade of Magic brought a moisture to my eyes, but it didn't have me gasping or giggling in excitement. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. Multiple times, my eyes found themselves read lines ahead of my mind, and I'd have to backtrack and sigh at myself in frustration.

*mumbles incoherently*

Warning for Major Spoilers

I really want to jump right in and say that the characters are the strongest part of this book, for me. They have personality, fluctuation, real emotion. And I ate it up.

Mare, our heroine, is a Red. A poor, seemingly normal girl for the Stilts. She steels to help her family get by, counting down the days until she is drafted for the army. But that all changed when she took a tumble into an electric barrier and awakened something dormant inside of her, something only the Silvers were thought to possess. At first, I was rolling my eyes at the prospect of our MC being a specialty; the only one of her kind. Well, it turns out I was mistaken. Gladly, at that. I actually liked Mare (which itself is an oddity) and her ability to overcome her emotions made me proud of her. Being a creature of emotion myself, I know the downfalls that come with it. Mare transforms into Mareena to the best of her ability because it is all she can do to save her life and the lives of her family. She struggles to conform to the Silvers' way of life. But the thing I found myself liking the most about her was how human she seemed. She found herself having a hard time accepting the thought of having to kill people that, previously, she wanted nothing more than to die. Her thoughts and worries plague her consistently. There are other times when her hate consumes her and she urges the pain for them, to see them suffer. Another thing I found very appealing about her is that she kept her love affairs mostly separate from her course of action. She would reprimand herself if she was becoming too love stricken and, a lot of time, deny herself the indulgence. She was at odds with herself over the way she held her feelings towards Cal, which is understandable enough. And Maven. Well, we'll get to him soon.

Cal, the crown prince of the Silver kingdom, was like a walking contradiction. He would say one thing, have such a forlorn way of it, seem like he regretted the way things are; but he didn't try to stop them, he just let it happen around him. He reminds me of the way a lot of first world people are. He was bred to believe Reds to be below him, and while he mostly had an air of "that's such a shame" he didn't compromise this. Cal was never spurred to action in a way that would compromise his traditions or status. And for all his pity towards the Reds, he still upheld his duty to his kingdom before that. He would willingly kill them without a thought. His loyalty was unwavering. Well, almost. He had his moments of fault, like all humans do. And his feelings for Mare made his weak. It caused a ripple in his once steadfast ideology, one that would bring about ruin. I feel that his true might was seen when he was fighting. His fire blazed brightly (literally) and shone with his true calling: to fight, to dominate, and burn. He had such a collected facade, but when his true self would break through he was passionate and unstoppable.

And I guess that leaves us with Maven. I don't really want to talk about it, but it's unavoidable. Maven is the younger brother of Cal, the youngest prince, and the shadow of the flame. I feel in love with his character. He was kind and gentle, somehow still brave in his moments of fear. He seemed to have a true resolve to help the Reds. He joined with their resistance, the Scarlet Guard, and his intentions seemed pure. His feelings seemed so genuine. But then, it happened and it was all torn away. All his intentions became clear. I wanted to cry. Through the eyes of Mare, I had come to adore Maven, and when she was crushed, I was crushed. I personally felt betrayed. It means something to me when I can feel that. It was like Frozen all over again. His bitterness to being cast aside as the younger prince, someone that would never become someone worthwhile in the eyes of his father, had turned him into a cruel boy. His jealousy, while childish, is not infallible. His reasoning makes sense. He feels forgotten and left behind, and with the help of his mother driving him, he fixes it in a way that he is more adapt at. He fights with his mind, not his body. His hesitance to just destroy everything he built with Mare was intriguing, and the flashes of the Maven I came to love made everything so much worse. Even if he held some semblance of emotion for Mare, it could never be the same. In the end, he really was a coward.

Moving on before I get emotional...

The plot is a straight forward sort of resistance type. One group is being domineered by another, more powerful group. The MC is enlisted in the resistance and they help them to make a statement. It's nothing really that special, but the character are what give the story uniqueness. There is also a magic system, which came as a surprise to me. I suppose somehow I forgot about it when I actually started the book. It was interesting. There are the elemental types (fire, water, air, ect.) and then there are types that can invade your mind, types that can force you to do things against your will, types that can bend light, among others. I can't explain them all, but even though there are a lot, I found it easy to keep track of them. The book doesn't overwhelm you with them, reminding you what the type in subject is when necessary.

The world building is nice. There wasn't a lot thrown at me with this either, which is a good thing in most cases. From what I understand, the world was rebuilt from some sort of past, so this society can technically be classified as dystopian. Mare is taught things over a period of time, which allows the reader more insight to the world. I never did figure out where they are located, but when the name Caesar popped up, I had a few thoughts. The hierarchy between the Reds and the Silvers is what consisted of a lot of it, with descriptions of the living areas of each being prominent. I'd like to see more of this in the sequel to come, and I know I won't be disappointed.

The writing was captivating. I couldn't stop reading (except for the moments when my exasperation got out of hand and I had to walk around) and I devoured the story. In the beginning, I was complaining that the book was nothing special. And really, I still hold onto some of those feelings. Some things feel recycled, but I can overlook this. But at some point, something changed within me and I stopped trying to judge the book and allowed myself to enjoy it. It was really relieving and after that, everything excited me. I really got immersed in the story, which I can say hasn't happened for a long time. I appreciate that the love wasn't front and center at all moments. I didn't order a romance book with a side of uprising and I was happy with what I got. There was a bit of this feeling of Mare being put in the cross-hairs of Maven, Cal, and her friend, Kilorn. But, in the end, I felt that it was never really over emphasized, especially by Mare herself. She never broke out into monologue of how beautiful *insert boy* was, which makes me breathe a sigh of relief. The pacing was good, nothing ever seemed too slow at moments when it shouldn't be. The ending is fast paced and enticing with good resolution and set up well to flow into a sequel. I did get the feeling that everything was going to be okay by the end, but a lot more people died than I thought would.

TL;DR

Good:
+ Characters to the MAX
+ Nice story progression
+ Colorful magic system
+ Love story doesn't subtract from plot
+ 'DAT ENDING!

Bad:
- World Building could be better
- Common plot lines

Final Rating: 4.5 of 5

[Review] Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

Mystic City
Theo Lawrence
YA Paranormal Dystopian
[Mystic City #1]
Published: October 9th 2012 (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
Format: ebook
Pages: 384
Source: Bought
Rating: 3.5 of 5

A magical city divided. A political rebellion ignited. A love that was meant to last forever.

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.

In a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, two feuding families rule: the Rose's and the Foster's. Aria Rose, daughter to a high ranking official, has an easy life. Yet, even so, it feels empty. That is where Hunter is concerned. His life is one very opposite to her's, and that draws her in.
The writing of Lawrence is lovely and well done. There isn't too much happening at once and it is all very understandable. The characters have a very classic Romeo and Juliet feel to them. There isn't all that much to say about it. It is a very standard story. The difference comes in with the usage of magic. The story is added to with this feature.
Final Rating:
3.5 of 5
& 1/2

[Review] Black City by Elizabeth Richards

Black City
Elizabeth Richards
[Black City #1]
YA Paranormal Dystopian
Published: November 13th 2012 (G.P. Putnam's Sons BYR)
Format: Hardback
Pages: 384
Source: Bought
Rating: 4 of 5

A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

There are numerous reasons as to why I read this book, the main one being that I envied all the people that had read it and raved about it. I had to get my hands on it! So after the first failed attempt at Sam's due to a pre-shelving incident, I got it a few days after the release date. My sister was even nice enough to buy it for me.

Black City is a mesmerizing story about Natalie Buchanan and Ash Fisher. There meeting was an unlikely one, yet for them it was the beginning of something to be desired.
Natalie's family had once lived in Black City, during a time when her father was still alive. After his death they moved to a richer city. Due to her mother's job they return to Black City. In those first few days back, Natalie has a chance encounter with Ash. They meet for the first time under a bridge as he is dealing Haze, a potent drug that comes from the venom of Darklings. It was here, under that bridge that their story began.

Natalie and Ash are both very interesting characters. I was not at all surprised that Natalie was not a stuck up character, even with her rich status. She is actually easy to relate to, as well. She reacts to situations normally.
Ash is a half-blood, or a human-Darkling offspring. For this reason, he is often ridiculed and looked down upon. It is almost too easy to sympathize with him. In a way, it reflects the way of society today and how race carves out people's opinions of others. Due to the alternating points of views, both Natalie and Ash are well shaped characters. The style casts a better look into each characters thoughts and values.

Beetle and Day are what I consider major-minor characters. They are the best friends of Ash and Natalie respectively. Beetle is addicted to Haze and is part of an organization called Humans for Unity, which fights to eliminate the segregation of humans and Darklings. To me, Beetle was just kinda there. You know Ash and Beetle are best friends, but you didn't get the interactions. The opposite can be said about Natalie and Day. The relationship building between is there and it makes sense. Day is a smart girl, but she is on the poorer side, meaning she will have to work incredibly hard to get anywhere on intelligence alone. She is also very opinionated. She feels strongly and expresses her feelings fairly clear. On criticism I have is that sometimes her actions don't seem to match up with her character. For example, Day would tease Natalie about liking Ash, but then when they got together, she was personally offended. It made no sense at all. I like that she felt betrayed, as it fits her personality, but I hate that she was a hypocrite about it.

The plot takes you on a nice ride that keeps you turning the pages. I think I only got bored once during the whole course of the story, but it wasn't long lasting and the next chapter staved it off. K enjoyed the interactions and the twists. I have very few problems with the book, but the ones that I do have can be a major make or break.

For one, the love between Natalie and Ash struck me as fast paced. It was going good at first, then it was like someone stepped on the gas pedal at a caution light. That deserves a warning! They seemed to be weary of each other to begin with, then Ash has a sudden revelation and decides that he wants her. Natalie had little qualms to that little tidbit. After that, the love takes an even faster pace. At times, it seemed as though Ash forgot about Natalie when they weren't together, then other times he wouldn't stop thinking about her. Confusing, really. Also, there is this part about Blood Mates that seems like an excuse to me. The funniest part about that once Ash explains it to Natalie, she know the rituals and seems to understand what's going on. Personally, I don't think she does know.

Overall, I liked the book. To me, the flaws can be overlooked. I figured, seeing as this is a review, I still needed to call them to attention. Even so, I plan on reading the second book and encourage everyone to give this one a try.

Final Rating:
4 of 5

[Review] Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Pandemonium
Lauren Oliver
[Delirium #2]
YA Dystopian
Published: February 28th 2012 (HarperCollins)
Format: Hardback
Pages: 375
Source: Library
Rating: 4 of 5

I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

I expected great things from this book, great thing indeed. Was I satisfied? To an extent. The potential to make a great trilogy is within Oliver's reach. Hopefully, and I have a great amount of hope and clarity, she won't mess it up.

The story starts off where Delirium left off, with a slight time skip. Lena is now on the outside, in the Wilds, and it's a harder life than she thought it would be. She struggles at first, but gains her footing in no time. She has trouble copping with her memories of Alex and Hana and her old life.

Lena is our main character. She is the one that faces struggles head on. In Delirium, I have to admit, I thought she was a bit lackluster. But in Pandemonium, I was so happy with her. She did things that I liked, things that made me proud of her. She changes in realistic ways and grows. In the first book, it seemed a bit unrealistic that Lena could change so drastically, morphing into something that she is not. This book changes that around, taking what she turned into and making her grow more slowly. For this, I applaud Oliver.

Julian is another major character. Let me just say that I absolutely love him! I like him more than Alex. Where as Alex is a perfect guy, I think that he feels flat when compared to Julian. Julian has his own pros, but he also has cons, and that's what I love about him. He is naive and sheltered, as most are in their society, but also curious.

The plot takes many twists and turns throughout the story. As I read, I gasped and grumbled. There was so much going on, but I'm not complaining. Though, I am complaining about one thing: the structure of the book. Pandemonium is broken up into alternating "Now" and "Then" sections. I absolutely loved the "Now" parts! It's just the "Then" moments that I have issues with. The flow of the book is jerky because of this. At times, I felt like just skipping the "Then" sections. I mean, you go from and action scene to a dull scene about them trekking through the woods. It really ruined the moment for me.

Besides that, I can't complain. The book really delivered for me, yet still left me hanging. The ending was obvious, but I didn't care, as it was a good set up for the next book. I would recommend this to anyone that likes Dystopian books. The series is fantastic, and though it has it flaws, it is still a satisfying read.

Final Rating:
4 of 5

[Review] Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies
Scott Westerfeld
[Uglies #1]
YA Sci-fi Dystopian
Published: March 2005 (Simon Schuster Children's)
Pages: 425
Source: Bought
Rating: 3.5 of 5
 

Tally Youngblood is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait for the operation that turns everyone from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to party. But new friend Shay would rather hoverboard to "the Smoke" and be free. Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world and it isn't very pretty. The "Special Circumstances" authority Dr Cable offers Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

My expectations for this book were high, and I was not disappointed. From the time I picked this book up, I could not put it down. I rushed through it and was disappointed I hadn't picked up the second as well.

Scott Westerfeld tells the tale of Tally, an ugly that wants to be pretty. She has wanted to be pretty for so long, and see's nothing wrong with it. The life of a pretty is easy. There is nothing to worry about except what parties your invited to. Who wouldn't want that? Her operation is approaching fast, and soon she will get her dream granted. Then, she meets Shay, and she suddenly she doesn't know what to think anymore.
The plot takes you for loops and whirls, and there is never a slow moment.

The characters are all interesting, even Peris- her friend who is a pretty. Actually, I liked him a lot. He wasn't in the book much, or even very important, but still. Through out the whole book, there were some funny moments and some heartfelt moments. Everything moved very quickly. Most books drag out the "chase" but not this one! It was actually refreshing. There's not much to say about the writing style. It is very simple and nothing special, but still it's captivating.There is so much content contained within the 400 pages, it ridiculous.
And that ending! It was having me hit myself.

Final rating:
53of 5
  & 1/2

[Review] Deliruim by Lauren Oliver

Delirium
Lauren Oliver
[Delirium #1]
YA Dystopian
Published February 1st 2011 (HarperTeen)
Pages: 480
Source: Library
Rating: 4 of 5

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

 I picked up this book not really knowing what to think. The back of the book didn't help. All of the swirly letters and lovey-dovey stuff made me worry that the book would be cheesy. Yet, with all the hype and the dsytopian thing going for it, I couldn't resist.

The plot was fun. I liked how it slowly built up from slow to fast. Lena's conflicting emotions are spot on. The one thing I didn't like was how she seemed too excepting to Alex, but I guess that it would be difficult not be curious about something you've never known.
Then, there is Alex. Alex is a perfect guy. Maybe too perfect. I think that he could have used a flaw or two.
Lauren Oliver has a way of balancing her descriptions of the world with story. I like that. I hate reading a book that has little detail. Details are important.

Overall, I loved Delirium! It left something to ponder. I would definitely recommend this book, but not to everyone.

Final Rating:
4 of 5