June, 2015

"Matched" by Ally Condie         

After reaching a certain age, society matches you to your partner.  When Cassia is matched with her best friend, Xander, she is stunned that she already knows him.  However, when her screen flashes, showing Ky Markham as her match, she begins to question everything around her.  None of the characters in the book felt particularly realistic.  I kept waiting for some growth, for them to emerge from their stereotypical traits and attitudes, but this never happened.  Overall, not a book I would reread or recommend.

"Crossed" by Ally Condie         

I decided to give the sequel to "Matched" a try.  After all it was an interesting premise and I was hoping for some signs of character growth.  Instead, this book was slow and tedious.  It wasn't very excited and seemed to drag on and on.  Needless to say, I won't be picking up the third book in the series.

"Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon         

Claire Randall, a former WWII combat nurse, steps through a standing stone formation and is transported to the year 1743.  She is seized by a Scottish clan and taken back to their stronghold.  Along the way, she meets Jamie, a debonair and handsome Scottish warrior.         

I picked up this book on a recommendation from a friend.  I thought it had an interesting premise.  However, it was so slow.  It seemed that every few chapters, Claire would get herself into some situation, Jamie would save her and they would repeat the whole scenario over and over and over.  I was a bit disappointed with the book, I wanted more.  I can't even classify this book as a good beach read, as it was definitely not a quick read.  Overall, not for me.

"The Flying Circus" by Susan Crandall

Henry, Cora and Gil join together to put on a traveling air show.  Cora, a bit of a daredevil, does tricks on her motorcycle and with their dog.  Gil, a veteran, is only at peace in the air.  Henry has a mechanical aptitude and quickly picks up how to work on a plane.  I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book.  The flashback passages were really slow and seemed to drag.  Henry and Cora both came across as extremely childish, while Gil didn't really have a personality.  Henry seemed more like a female.  He spent pages and pages analyzing his emotions and the emotions of everyone around him.  However, this introspection wasn't particularly interesting or insightful.  Overall, not a book I would re-read or recommend.

"Rebirth" by Debbie Brown         

When aliens descend on the planet, a group of 3 teenagers and 3 young children flee the city for a nearby hot springs park.   They are able to raid a store before leaving, and obtain a miraculous amount of seemingly never ending goods.  Although the book had a good premise, the entire story was so unrealistic (and I’m not talking about the aliens).  I don't think any group of 16 year old kids would act like this.  I also don't think it was realistic for them to have unlimited food, diapers, supplies, etc...  The author used the aliens to get the kids out of life or death situations, which seemed to defeat the entire survivalist theme.  Overall, a bust. 

"The Burn" by Annie Oldham         

Terra lives in an underwater colony.  She has heard all of the horror stories about the Burn, land, but is still intrigued.  In exchange for passage to the Burn, she agrees to have her tongue cut out.  A la Little Mermaid style, she saves a boy from drowning but disappears before he knows who saved him.  She follows his group back to their hideout and is quickly taken in by them.         

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book.  Terra seemed to make a lot of irrational decisions, but she is a teenager.  Further, a lot of things did not make sense.  Why did the group accept her so easily?  How did her sister find her so quickly when she had less than 5 minutes on land?  Why did Terra have to lose her tongue?  All of these unanswered plot points seem to be laziness or lack of imagination on the part of the author.  Regardless, I do not see myself reading more books in this series.

"Forbidden Strawberries" by Cipora Hurwitz         

Cipora, a young child during the holocaust, was able to survive despite her age, lack of family and time spent in concentration camps.  Part of her survival had to do with her age, others naturally tried to take care of the youngest person around them.  After surviving the holocaust, she was found by a friend of the family, who adopted her.  She then moved to Israel, where she finds others who survived despite the odds.         

This is probably the youngest holocaust survival story that I've read.  It does seem quite miraculous that Cipora managed to survive.  Overall, I thought her story was powerful and moving.  It did take the author quite a while to actually tell the story, but once she did, it was well worth the wait.

"Li Jun and the Iron Road" by Anne Tait         

When Li Jun is orphaned, she leaves the family who she is indentured too and disguises herself as a boy.  She finds work in a fireworks factory and learns how to use the black powder.  After seeing posters recruiting Chinese to work on American Railroads, she talks the owners son into taking her on board.  Once she arrives in America, the Gold Mountain, she is quickly disappointed by the way Chinese are treated and the poor working conditions.         

This was a quick fast read.  Lli Jun's story was fascinating.  It was interesting watching her relationship with James progress, especially once he found out she was disguised as a boy.  I wish the book had an epilogue, but otherwise, no complaints.  Overall, well worth picking up.

"Verita" by Tracy Rozzlynn         

When Brett's parents are killed in a plane crash, she finds herself alone in a group home.  With no one to turn too, when a mysterious man shows up offering her the chance of a lifetime, she jumps.  Within weeks, she finds herself cryogenically frozen and sent to a new planet.  While frozen, she is taught a skill, preparing her for working on the new planet.  When she wakes on Verita, she quickly learns that she has been chosen to be a scientist.  Inexplicably , she finds herself attracted to Brody, a jock-type guy that she would normally avoid at all costs.  She also has an attraction to Ryan, a fellow scientist on her team.  When their team goes out to explore the surrounding area, Ryan and Brett are caught in a flash flood and washed up miles and miles from their compound.

This was a very interesting world with a fascinating premise. Brett was extremely likeable, and I found myself rooting for her.  I am excited to pick up the second book in the series and look forward to more books by Ms. Rozzlynn.

"Concisus" by Tracy Rozzlynn         

The is the sequel to Verita.  Brett and Ryan have made their way back to the base.  However, their previously supportive field manager has turned against them and seems suspicious of their every move.  All of their friends are love-struck, with seemingly odd matches.  Left to puzzle out the situation, Brett is worried that their sleeping pods are sending subliminal messages and programming.  I really enjoyed this book.  The characters and plot were well thought out and flowed smoothly.  I can't wait to read more from this author!