Review: Exodus

Exodus by Julie Bertagna

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Actual teen readers won't remember this, but there was a movie released in 1995 called Waterworld. If you like this book, check out Netflix for the movie.

Polar ice caps melt. Water levels rise, covering most of the world's landmasses. Pockets of humanity arrive but are gradually being swallowed up by the oceans. There simply isn't enough above-water ice on this planet to do more than submerge coastlines and low-lying areas but it's a neat premise.

I did like the book and the people. The refugee camps, the orphaned children, the slave trade all seem like possibilities in the world created in the book. What lost me was the Weave. I can accept a lot of completely imagined things but the idea of a world existing with no idea of what has happened elsewhere and where refugees could go when there is an actual web available...I just can't accept it. Because of that, the portions of the book dedicated to the cyber world are simply too fake for me. Which is crazy since I have no issue believing in towering cities built on the earth's bedrock and reaching into the sky, or treenesters that wear plastic bags... But, fact of the matter is that I didn't like any part of the lumenbeings, Weave, cyberwizz stuff.

I'll check out Zenith and see where everyone ends up, though.



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Review: Variant

Variant by Robison Wells

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



5 star book.

1 star ending.

End result? A 3 star book.

I agree with other reviewers that mentioned this is as a great read for Maze Runner fans. I definitely see this as a similarly styled story. I love the setting, the concept and the general "Who is doing this to these kids?" feel. What I didn't like was that after staying up late to finish this book, I have no idea how it ended. None. I read the ending 3 times, thinking I missed something. Still no idea. Then I read other reviews that contained spoilers thinking that they would explain it to me. However, no one did. How can a book with no defined ending have such a high overall review.

I would be tempted to read book 2...but I'm not willing to get sucked into a series that plays this game over and over. If there is a book 3, I'm definitely not bothering to read book 2. And, since YA dystopian authors appear to be compelled to only write trilogies, I'm assuming there will be a book 3...



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Review: The Kitchen Daughter

The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I've never read a book with the primary voice as a woman with (unknown to her) Asperger's. It was fascinating. Her quirks, her literal responses, her fears - it was all portrayed in a way that helped us understand what life would like with Asperger's. She and her sister are facing a family crisis and neither can understand the other's point of view but as readers, we can see both viewpoints. Excellent story, solid ending and definitely a book I'd recommend.



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Review: Silverfin

Silverfin by Charlie Higson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Old school spy story featuring a future spy still in school. James Bond is reduced to an Alex Ryder age but the similarity stops there. James is much more mellow and level-headed. He uses his wits to get into and out of dangerous situations. He wants to do the right thing for the sake of doing it and he has the ability to read people. While Gallagher Girls remains my favorite teen spy series, James Bond is moving into second place, easily overcoming Alex Ryder.



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Review: Wicked Lies

Wicked Lies by Lisa Jackson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Is it possible to love the predator and the prey and not like everything else? Yes.

The Colony fascinated me. Justice fascinated me. Everything else was pretty bland.



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Review: The Weird Sisters

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



The library's book club chose this as the book of the month so I picked up a copy. It's a plot concept I might have picked up on my own and I expected to enjoy it. There's a dysfunctional family, a series of problems that bring the kids back to the nest and a cancer fight in a parent. Add in the fact that they are bookish and it was a recipe for success.

I had two major issues with the book, however. First, was the tone. The story would be told from Rose's point of view and then would include "our mother" or "our house" and I would think, "Oh, is Bean talking? It can't be Cordy because it's about Rose's opinions of her." And then, a few moments later I would swear that Cordy was telling the story but the changes from "my" to "our" would pop up again. It turns out that this is considered first-person plural and the narrators are presented as a 'we' instead of a 'me.' I hate it. Hate, hate, hate it. My second issue was the father's dependence on Shakespeare for basic human interaction. He's a human being that cannot write a personal note, answer a basic question or talk to his family without using quotes. This person simply couldn't be a functional adult with a job and family.

It had the potential for 3 stars but I wasn't able to get past the lack of a single storyteller...or a rotation of individual storytellers.



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Review: The Lake of Dreams

The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I have so many issues with this book and I feel compelled to list them but it basically amounts to me not liking this book.

The main character is annoying. Very, very annoying. Her approach to life is puzzling, her lack of happiness is depressing and her attitude toward others is horrible. She flees her family and hometown then returns when her mom is involved in a very minor accident. While home, she debates about the possibility of reviving a high school relationship, accuses her uncle of murder, involves herself in a land grab and becomes enmeshed in a lackluster mystery. The windows, the lost relative, the boyfriend halfway around the world - none of it interested me. And there were so many random ideas floating through the plot - the glass blowing, the suffragettes, the boyfriend for her mom...it was just so disjointed. The "mystery" was so dull, however, that it's ultimately what I hated most.



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Review: Killing Floor

Killing Floor by Lee Child

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



When I see "Jack Reacher" on a book jacket, I have to read it. There is something completely different about Reacher and it makes the books enjoyable to read. He chooses to live a hobo's life and is a one man killing squad with a brilliant mind.

This story was a little tedious for me. I would have been content with 2 fewer CDs in the box. I felt like the story went on...and on...and on. I liked the evil plot, the horrible execution style, the background on currency printing - I could have enjoyed a little less, though.

I'll keep reading Reacher books and I'll continue to enjoy them; this just wasn't my favorite.



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Review: The Overlord Protocol

The Overlord Protocol by Mark Walden

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Another excellent book in the HIVE series. Otto is quickly becoming one of my favorite protagonists. I would love to hear more about the classes and the life in the HIVE. Only getting to read about one week is hard. I'm not sure who I like the most - Otto, Raven or Shelby. On to the third book...



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Review: Falling Up

Falling Up by Shel Silverstein

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Funny poems perfect for kids! Loved the one about the gnat, gnome and gnu - all those extra g's!



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