Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

How strange it is that people of honest feelings and sensibility, who would not take advantage of a man born without arms or legs or eyes – how such people think nothing of abusing a man born with low intelligence. It infuriated me to remember that not too long ago I – like this boy – had foolishly played the clown.

And I had almost forgotten.

It’s been a long time since a book has sucker punched me in the stomach both intellectually and emotionally.

Advertisement

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

At this point I’ve learned that George R.R. Martin writes in waves. Even though this probably isn’t how real science works, I visualize his plot structure as a giant tsunami: he adds little oscillatory currents that contribute to a huge tidal wave, which eventually crashes down and drowns us all in the most beautiful and devastating way. Though this might sound like how all books function – with a rising action leading up to a climax – Martin spends so much time developing and honing the rising action of his story that the inevitable climax calls for a great deal of praise.

Like A Clash of Kings, A Feast for Crows serves as the buildup of the tsunami.

Proxy by Alex London

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars.

Going along with my idea of book reproduction in my review of Speechless, Proxy would be the child of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld and Legend by Marie Lu. It blends fast-paced action with a well-fleshed futuristic world, complete with characters that are rife with wit and passion.

Knox has never felt consequences before.

Light by Michael Grant

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

If there’s one series that captures my teenage years, it’s this one. I picked up Gone five years ago at the age of 13 maybe because Sam was cute, not like I knew I was into guys at the time and five books later I’ve finished the series, now as an adult. I have so much history with this series, and I doubt any sleeping aid would give me back the hours I’ve spent reading it late into the night.

If you haven’t read Light yet or the books preceding it, I’d recommend skipping this paragraph and catching up right now. Otherwise, the central story line of the last installment in Michael Grant’s epic series revolves around Gaia and her (its?) plan to destroy all who inhabit the FAYZ… and eventually, all outside of it, too. Every character joins in for the fight no matter his or her previous wounds or scars. The question remains: will it be enough to defeat the darkness once and for all?

As always, Grant’s plot grabbed me from the get go.

Prodigy by Marie Lu

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

The sequel to Legend, Prodigy picks up on June and Day’s journey after escaping from the clutches of the Republic. Their mission should be clear: kill the new Elector and avenge their fallen family members. June and Day join the Patriots, a group of rebels, to fight for what they’ve lost – but what happens when the new Elector isn’t as bad as his father? Suddenly their plans don’t seem full proof anymore… if they even were to start with.

Contrary to the majority of book bloggers, I tend to enjoy the second book in a series more than the first. Prodigy is no exception.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars.

Apathy is such an ugly word. We should always connect with the characters we read about, even if it’s not in a positive way – or we should fall in love with the author’s writing, or the setting of the story. In Under the Never Sky, none of that happened. Instead, I felt it: apathy.

A synopsis of the plot would probably pique readers’ interest. In Under the Never Sky, humans live in sheltered Pods where, through technological advances, they access the Realms – virtual realities in which one can do almost anything without fear. Aria grew up in a dome called Reverie, safe from the Aether storms that threaten the lives of all in the Pods. But a reckless choice and an unfortunate consequence causes Aria to be thrown out of her home and into the Outside, a dangerous place full of savages and empty of the comforting pleasures Aria has always known. There she encounters a gifted savage named Perry, and embarks on a journey to find her mother, Lumina.

It’s not like this was a bad book.

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

Monsters of Men is the third and final book in the Chaos Walking trilogy. It continues the story of Todd and Viola, two brave souls living in a war-torn world where the thoughts of men are heard by everyone. The battle turns into a fight between three – the power-hungry Mayor, the rebellious and crafty Mistress Coyle, and the native Spackle. As Todd turns his own thoughts inward and Viola fights violently against her sickness, all sides attack one another in an attempt to finally bring peace to the planet.

UnWholly by Neal Shusterman

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

The sequel to Neal Shusterman’s thrilling Unwind, UnWholly follows Connor, Risa, and Lev as they take on new enemies and events. They live in a world in which teenagers are able to be literally taken apart once they reach the age of thirteen (the process is called “unwinding”), and their separated body parts are sold to others. After the trio escaped Happy Jack Harvest Camp, unwinding has garnered some negative media attention, but not enough to do anything except lower the safety age from 18 to 17. Connor and Risa struggle to stay together and afloat while Connor takes charge of the Graveyard, a safe haven for AWOL unwinds. Lev leaves the spotlight and after some unfortunate occurrences strikes out on his own. And there are some newcomers to the game – Starkey, Miracolina, and Cam – who change things up for our three original protagonists. All six will encounter danger and will be forced to fight for what they believe in, if they can even figure out what they believe in at all.

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

Cover via irisonbooks.com.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

“Oh my gosh,” I sighed in frustration,” why can’t he just shoot him already? Just shoot him!”

My younger cousin, who had never heard a pacifist like me say such a violent thing, looked up from her Etch-a-Sketch. I remember thinking – dang, if only all sequels were this good.

The Ask and the Answer is the second book in the Chaos Walking trilogy, and continues from the last line of The Knife of Never Letting Go. I won’t post a plot synopsis in fear of spoiling it for people who haven’t read the first book – if interested (which I hope you will be by the end of this review), here’s the link to the Goodreads page.

Let’s just say that the plot is crazy.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

Men are Noisy creachers.

In the small community of Prentisstown everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts. There are no women, and Todd Hewitt eagerly awaits the day he turns thirteen and becomes a man. Luckily, he only has about a month left. But Todd’s luck turns against him when he is forced to flee the town after uncovering something shocking. While on the run, he realizes that Prentisstown is far from the relatively pristine and peaceful place he thought it was.

The Knife of Never Letting Go was the seventh book I completed on my nine-night cruise, and the first out of those that I gave five stars.