Book Review: Unbreakable

The finale book I'll be reviewing today is Unbreakable, the final book in the Unraveling duology. 

Title: Unbreakable

Author: Elizabeth Norris

Series: Unraveling #2

Publisher: Balzer & Bray / HarperCollins

Original Publication Date: April 23, 2013

Format Read: kindle

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

Description from the publisher:
Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she'll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but civilization is slowly rebuilding, and life is starting to resume some kind of normalcy—until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up, asking for Janelle's help. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human-trafficking ring—kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths. And Ben, with his unique abilities, is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn't turn himself over within five days. When Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger.

Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they're lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she's in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?

In this heart-pounding sequel to Unraveling, author Elizabeth Norris explores the sacrifices we make to save the people we love and the worlds we'll travel to find them.

I have to say, after reading the first book, Unraveling,  I wasn't sure what Elizabeth was going to write for the second book in the series. She could have very easily just left the first book open ended or tweaked the ending a little and been done with the story. Overall, I'm glad she didn't. I enjoyed the second full length novel, although, not quite as much as the first book. 

The sudden jump from the last story to human trafficking was a little bit of a stretch for me or at least a change of pace. Nevertheless, I could easily see where there are multiple universes how people could take advantage of that. Elizabeth Norris even managed to write a good story about it. On the other hand, I could have more easily seen a book strictly about Janelle and everyone trying to rebuild after the disaster at in the first book and Ben coming back to help, with some universe travel thrown in. I think that could have been an equally entertaining novel.

One of the things I really liked about this novel is the evolution of Agent Barclay. I enjoyed learning about his character, he really grew on me. I also like how much stronger Janelle becomes through out the book. Knock the girl down, give her a really hard task, and she manages to rise up and overcome the problem.

I think anyone who enjoyed the first book and maybe the novella, would most likely enjoy the conclusion in this series. I look forward to seeing what Elizabeth Norris comes up with next.

If you liked the Unraveling series, you might also like The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (4 Stars) or Slide by Jill Hathaway (3 Stars).

My Rating: 

Book Review: Undone: An Unraveling Novella

The second thing I'll be reviewing today is Undone. I picked this novella up after reading Unraveling and was not disappointed.

Title: Undone: An Unraveling Novella

Author: Elizabeth Norris

Series: Unraveling #1.5

Publisher: Balzer & Bray / HarperCollins

Original Publication Date: March 5, 2013

Format Read: kindle

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

Description from the publisher:
Riveting and romantic, Undone: An Unraveling Novella contains three short stories set in the world of Unraveling, the first book in the gripping sci-fi duology by Elizabeth Norris.

Before Ben Michaels saved Janelle Tenner's life, Janelle saved Ben when he stumbled through an interuniverse portal into a completely new world. That day, he fell in love with the girl of his dreams. And he never forgot her.

Through three stories told from Ben's point of view, learn how Ben and his friends discovered their ability to travel between worlds, how Ben first met Janelle, and how he pined for her for years before he actually got the chance to meet her, save her life, and capture her heart. And find out what happens to Ben between the cliff-hanger conclusion of Elizabeth Norris's Unraveling and the beginning of its heart-stopping sequel, Unbreakable.

Since this is a novella, this will be short. I LOVED seeing Ben's point of view. Each little story is a short little gem. Not only do you learn more about Ben; how he got to Janelle's world, how he pinned for Janelle for years, as well as his perspective on when he saved her; through his eyes you learn more about Janelle too! I enjoyed every minute of it. 

My Rating: 

Book Review: Unraveling

I want to thank all of the men and women, who have fought and died to make sure our country is still free. Happy Memorial Day! 

Today I will be reviewing BOTH books in the Unraveling duology, as well as the short novella that goes along with them.

I was really looking forward to reading Unraveling and I was not disappointed.

Title: Unraveling

Author: Elizabeth Norris

Series: Unraveling #1

Publisher: Balzer & Bray / HarperCollins

Original Publication Date: April 24, 2012

Format Read: kindle

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

Description from the publisher:
Like The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Elizabeth Norris’s Unraveling blends realistic coming-of-age issues with a gripping science fiction world.

Unraveling’s heroine, sixteen-year-old Janelle Tenner, is used to having a lot of responsibility. She balances working as a lifeguard in San Diego with an intense academic schedule. Janelle’s mother is bipolar, and her dad is a workaholic FBI agent, which means Janelle also has to look out for her younger brother, Jared.

And that was before she died…and is brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a mysterious, alluring loner from her high school. When she discovers a strange clock that seems to be counting down to the earth’s destruction, Janelle learns she has twenty-four days to figure out how to stop the clock and save the planet.

I really liked this book. I found the ideas to be very interesting. The very basic concept made me reminisce about watching Sliders years ago (I know this dates me). I found the story-line to be a very believable science fiction story. It's possible, if you are a hardcore science nerd, you might find some fault, but I was easily able to go along with the story.

One of the things I found most interesting about this novel is the point of view. You follow Janelle's point of view. Janelle does not have any special powers. She is just a girl who was brought back to life by Ben. Ben is the one with a special power or ability. Normally with these types of books you follow the person with the special ability's point of view. That is not the case here. However, it works. You get to discover what is happening at the same time that Janelle does. 

I not only liked Janelle, I liked all of the main characters in the book. They are all very realistic characters, people that could very easily exist in real life just a few doors down from you. I eagerly anticipate the further novels in this series. 

If you liked Unraveling there is a pretty good chance you will also like Undone: An Unraveling Novella and Unbreakable, the next books in the series currently available. You might also like The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (4 Stars) or Slide by Jill Hathaway (3 Stars).

My Rating: 

Book Review: Sapphire Blue

I just fell in love with Ruby Red when I read it, so I knew I needed to read Sapphire Blue to see where the story was headed. I did and here is what I thought.

Title: Sapphire Blue

Author: Kerstin Gier, Anthea Bell (translator)

Series: The Ruby Red Trilogy #2

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Original Publication Date: December 1, 2009 (by Henry Holt and Company October 30, 2012)

Format Read: hardcover

Genre: YA Science Fiction, YA Fantasy

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

Description from Goodreads:
Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.

At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.

Well, after reading the first book I already decided that I need to learn German, so I can actually read the last book in this series (just kidding, that would take me longer than the wait for the third book). After reading the second book, I still feel that way. I can't believe I have to wait until October 8th for the English translation of the third book, Emerald Green. It took me less than 24 hours (counting sleep, housework, etc...) to get through this book. It is a fairly fast-paced, quick read (or maybe that was just me wanting to know what was going to happen next). Sapphire Blue also contains the same little useful tidbits of information between chapters. I enjoyed them in the first book and continued to enjoy them here.

This book seems to fit very nicely in the middle of the trilogy (I haven't read the third, so I can't tell you will 100% certainty). You really need to read the first book before diving into this one, as it continues to build on the mystery from the first book. In this book we still have not gotten to the part where Gwen sees herself (in the first book). Plus more mysteries have been added in and Gwen is sent on more official missions back in the past. I just love the world Kerstin Gier has created. I also really like Xemerius that has been added into the story, I can see him continuing to be useful in the third book. You also find out a little bit more about Lucy and Paul and what they are up to. Not everything is answered though. 

I once again completely enjoyed my time escaping into Kerstin Gier's world. I can't wait to find out where this little gem of a series is heading and look forward to getting my hands on the final book later this year. If you liked the first book in the series you will like this one too!

My Rating: 

Book Review: Ruby Red

Happy Wednesday! We're halfway through the week! Today I'll be reviewing a book I picked up at a Scholastic Book Sale a while back. It's been sitting in my to-read pile for so long I forgot what the book was about, which is really sad. It's has a gorgeous cover with and even more wonderful story contained within.

Title: Ruby Red

Author: Kerstin Gier, Anthea Bell (translator)

Series: The Ruby Red Trilogy #1

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Original Publication Date: January 6, 2009 (by Scholastic October 2012)

Format Read: paperback

Genre: YA Science Fiction, YA Fantasy

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

Description on Goodreads:
English book series: Ruby Red Trilogy

Although I had never seen him before, I recognized him immediately. I'd have known his voice anywhere. This was the guy I'd seen on my last journey back in time.

Or more precisely, the one who'd kissed my doppelganger while I was hiding behind the curtain in disbelief.

Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended - and rather eccentric - family in an exclusive London neighborhood. In spite of her ancestors' peculiar history, she's had a relatively normal life so far. The time-traveling gene that runs like a secret thread through the female half of the family is supposed to have skipped over Gwen, so she hasn't been introduced to "the mysteries," and can spend her time hanging out with her best friend, Lesley. It comes as an unwelcome surprise when she starts taking sudden, uncontrolled leaps into the past.

She's totally unprepared for time travel, not to mention all that comes with it: fancy clothes, archaic manners, a mysterious secret society, and Gideon, her time-traveling counterpart. He's obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy she's seen in any century . . .

First of all I clearly need to learn German STAT. I managed to get a copy of the 2nd book from my library, but the 3rd book doesn't come out in English until OCTOBER! OCTOBER! That is clearly way too long to wait. 

This book was originally published in German, not that you could tell. The translator did an excellent job. So far the book has been translated into multiple languages (seventeen according to the back of my copy) and has been on the German best sellers list for about 2 years or so. AND apparently a movie just came out (see trailer below). Now I need to figure out how to get a European film with English subtitles on it. 

Awesome, right? You can see a few more scenes if you watch this music video from the film.



Anyways, I'm not here to talk about the movie, but the book. The writing works well for the slightly younger crowd. The publisher recommends 12 and up. I would be more than okay letting a 12 year old read this and possibly even a 10 or 11 year old, depending on their level of maturity. 

The book starts off with a short prologue and then you are off into the story. If you are anything like me, then it won't take you very long to get sucked into the story. My copy was a little over 300 pages, so it took me less than a day to read, counting stopping to do things (only when I had to). 

I really liked the main character, Gwen. After her father died, her family (Mother, Brother, Sister and Gwen), moved in with the Montrose family, which is also Gwen's mother's family. Their family has a secret. They have a time-traveling gene that runs in the family. Not every generation time travels. It was believed that Gwen's cousin Charlotte had inherited the gene. Gwen and Charlotte are the same age. Since it was always been believed that Charlotte had the gene, she was treated as the better member of the family and had been introduced into the secret ways of time-traveling. They are both at the age, when the gene becomes active. They are on the lookout for certain symptoms to appear. 

The following is an excerpt from the book from between the prologue and chapter one:

"Uncontrolled time travel usually announces itself a few minutes in advance, but sometimes hours or even days ahead. The symptoms are sensations of vertigo in the head, stomach, and/or legs. Many gene carriers also speak of a headache similar to a migraine. 

 The first journey back in time ̶ ̶ also known as the initiation journey ̶ ̶ takes place between the sixteenth and seventeenth years of the gene carrier's life.

From The Chronicles of the Guardians, Volume 2: General Laws of Time Travel" 

Unfortunately for Gwen, she starts to experience these symptoms, but complete dismisses them, because she is NOT suppose to have the gene. She dismisses it all the up until she time travels for the first time. She is obviously confused. AND her family, especially her cousin is NOT happy with her at all. 

Besides the whole time-traveling thing, Gwen can also see ghosts. I wasn't prepared for this part of the story, but I was quite amused with the school ghost. We follow Gwen as she adapts to her new found role. Not only to be a time-traveler, but also a time-traveler with a specific purpose or task she is suppose to complete with her time traveling partner (who is a slightly misunderstood hottie). As she is not completely trusted we don't find out fully what that task is in this book.

In between each chapter is a little tidbit from one of the time traveling books that Guardians have or a quote related to time travel, etc...these were all interesting to me. Well, the whole book was really. I found this book to be a thoroughly enjoyable read and I think you will too.

If you want more time travel fun, you might want to consider checking out Waterfall (River of Time #1) by Lisa Tawn Bergren.

My Rating: 

Book Review: Scarlet

Happy Thursday Everyone! Today I'll be reviewing the much anticipated second book in the Lunar Chronicles series, Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. I have previously reviewed Cinder.

Title: Scarlet

Author: Marissa Meyer

Series: Lunar Chronicles #2

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publication Date: February 5, 2013

Format Read: hardcover

Genre: YA Science Fiction, YA Fairy Tale

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

From the publisher: 
The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Cinder, I just LOVED Scarlet! It's not very often that I like the second book in a series more than the first. A lot of the time they are just bridges in-between the first and last books in a trilogy or series. Marissa Meyer managed to do so much more than that with this book. Not only do we get our original kick-ass heroine from the first book, but we also get Scarlet. She is more than strong enough to stand on her own. I can't wait to see what both of these strong female characters get up to in Cress, the third installment in the series.

I will admit I was a little confused about why I was following Scarlet Benoit in this book. I knew it was somehow connect to the first book, but I had forgotten. So, to save you some trouble...Scarlet is the granddaughter of Michelle Benoit. If you remember from Cinder, she is rumored to be one of the people that helped Princess Selene escape death when she was little.

While Cinder is working on escaping and finding out more from her past by trying to seek out Michelle Benoit, Scarlet is looking into her grandmother's disappearance. Scarlet, who has red hair and wears a red hoodie (i.e. our very own Red Riding Hood), does not believe her grandma just left, she believes she was taken and will stop at nothing to get her back. Her search for her grandma leads her to Wolf, a mysterious hottie, who seems to have a connection to her grandma's disappearance. Wolf informs her he may know who has her grandma and agrees to help her. While there is mistrust and tension, it's obvious there is an attraction between the two. I think I might even life Wolf more than Prince Kai. Or maybe I'm just more attracted to Red Riding Hood's story than I am Cinderella, I don't know. I was also fascinate by the "gang" Wolf was originally from. 

This book is much more Scarlet's story than it is Cinder's story. We still get Cinder and Kai's POV's, but it felt like I was following Scarlet's POV the most (even though everything is connected). You even get a chapter at the end of the book from the Evil queen's POV. EEK! 

Just to give you the head's (in case you might be disappointed about such a thing): Scarlet and Cinder do not meet until pretty close to the end of the book. I know the description makes you think they will be meeting up sooner than that. 

I HIGHLY recommend this book. Just like in my review of Cinder, if you like this book, I recommend checking out these fairy tale retellings: A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan or Beastly by Alex Flinn (book is way better than the movie). If you like stories with a little more science fiction, you might like one of these two stories that take place in space, Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan or Across the Universe by Beth Revis. You might even like Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien.

My Rating: 

Book Review: Obsidian

Good Afternoon! Today I'll be reviewing Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout. 

Title: Obsidian
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Lux #1
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Original Publication Date: May 8, 2012
Format Read: kindle
Genre: YA Science Fiction, YA Paranormal, YA Aliens
Purchase: Amazon
Find on Goodreads

Description from the publisher:

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

Obsidian reminded me of a cross between Roswell and something else (it's right there, I just can't think of it). So much so I might have to go back and watch Roswell again or try reading the books. Forbidden Alien Love Romance? Yes, please. 

The above description pretty much describes the book, so I won't go into that. 

The entire book is from Katy point of view. On the Kindle edition, I did get some bonus parts from Daemon's point of view and a couple of chapters from the next book in the series. I think the book could have been even better with some chapters being from Daemon's point of view. He is so mean to Katy, but yet she keeps coming back for more. It definitely borders on being abusive. Not the type of relationship I would want my daughter being in. The extras in the back explain Daemon's thoughts and why he acts the way he does. It makes him feel more "human" instead of being a jerk all the time. 

The whole will they won't they sexual tension has been done many times before and it is done in this book too. I still enjoyed the ride while waiting to find out. 

I liked the type of aliens they were and how when they use their powers around a human it marks them. The bigger the event the bigger the mark. To other aliens it would look like the person is glowing. 

I liked the fight scene towards the end, but it really reminded me of something. I can't quite remember and it's going to bug me until I do, but there you have it. 

I like how Katy isn't always the helpless damsel in distress. She holds her own in the book, sometimes. 

Overall, I felt like this is a nice quick read. I will be checking out more books in the series. 

Anyways, if you liked this book maybe check out the Roswell TV show (it can be streamed online for free via Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Amazon Prime) or The Outsider (Roswell High #1) by Melinda Metz (I know I might now).

My Rating: 

Book Review: Cinder

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today I'll be reviewing Cinder by Marissa Meyer. 

Title: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Series: Lunar Chronicles #1

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Format Read: audio-book, kindle, hardcover

Genre: YA Science Fiction, YA Fairy Tale

Purchase: Amazon

Cinder is a futuristic retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale set is New Beijing. It's a future with humans, androids, and cyborgs. A future in which a deadly plague ravages the population. While a ruthless lunar queen watches, waiting to make her move to take over Earth.

Our heroine is Cinder. She is a gifted cyborg mechanic and a second class citizen. Cinder has no memory of her life from before the operation that turned her into a cyborg at age 11. She lives with her step-mother and step-sister(s). Even though, Cinder is the source of income for the family she is treated very poorly and is blamed for her step-sister's illness. Through a request to repair Prince Kai's android, she is pulled into the intergalactic struggle where she might just be the only person who can protect Earth.

The first thing you might notice is ALL of the different formats I used to read this book. I started out with the audio-book and only made it through the first chapter. I was not a fan. I found myself zoning out when the performer read to me and I knew I was missing vital information. I also knew that based on the books description and the little over four star average reviews on Goodreads that this book was right up my alley. So, I figured I would try again. I was able to locate on Amazon the first five chapters of the book for free. So, I picked that up and tried chapter one again. And it was true. I was intrigued once I was able to read the story. Unfortunately, my library does not have an ebook of Cinder, so I put myself on the hold list for the hardcover. After my hold came in, I quickly progressed through the book, finishing it in one day.

That's how much I ended up liking the the book, I read it in one day. There was still one mild issue with the story that bothered me. Cinder's mother and sisters are referred to as "step-mother" and "step-sisters," when in reality they are her adoptive mother and sisters as her father adopted her after her birth parents were killed in a hover accident. I'm guessing the author did that to try to more closely resemble Cinderella, but I don't think it was necessary. I feel she could have just stated they were her adoptive family and called it good. I think the readers would have been more than happy to go along with it. 

Now on to the interesting world that Marissa Meyer created. As far as fairy tale retellings go, I found this one to be interesting. Most of the retellings I've read seem to take place in modern or present time. A few have taken place in the future, like A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan, but Cinder not only takes place in the future, but a dirty, gritty world after a few wars. I like that there are humans, androids, cyborgs, lunars, etc...I do find it a little hard to believe that in the future we would treat cyborgs as second class citizens. It seems like most of them had an accident and had a body part replaced, like a leg or an organ, etc...I would believe that we would actually herald that a success in medicine an advancement, from what we can currently do for our soldiers and other accident victims today. But alas, I went with it while reading the story. 

I like description of the vendors in the market. It almost reminded me of Aladdin of all things. The lunar people are scary and mysterious. The plague is obviously scary as they still haven't located a cure. Those who catch it are sure to die a painful death and it's so easily spread. 

Overall, a very appealing set up to a series. I already have the next book in my possession and plan on reading it very soon.

If you like fairy tale retellings, you might also want to check out, A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan or Beastly by Alex Flinn (book is way better than the movie that turned the beast into some goth guy). If you like stories with a little more science fiction, you might like one of these two stories that take place in space, Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan or Across the Universe by Beth Revis. You might even like Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien.

My Rating: