Two Brothers:  Origin is a great YA Sci Fi Book
345004
I am not generally a science fiction fan--but, something drew me to this book about two half human/half alien teen brothers embarking on an adventure to experience "normal" teenage life at a public high school.  While I initially had few expectations for the book--I found myself loving Gabel's writing style and her character and plot development.  Gabel keeps the action moving from beginning to end with a host of unexpected twists and turns--and just enough mystery to leave readers suspect of everyone and fearing for the brothers' futures.  As I reached the end of the book--I knew immediately that I simply must read the next book in the trilogy.  Gabel has me hooked and I need to know what happens next!  It's a great book--and although it's a YA genre title--I found it more than suitable for adults without a lot of graphic scenes, language, etc. that are often littered through adult oriented novels.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to review--but, my opinions are my always my own.
2744225
3.5/5 stars

The Final Six is a Young Adult Science Fiction novel. There is a sequel planned.

The story is set in the future (the date is not specified). The basic premise is that the earth is in dire shape with floods and earthquakes. Twenty-four teens are being drafted to the International Space Training Camp. These teens will be competing to become one of six teens sent on a mission to Europa (Jupiters moon).

The narrators are teenagers Naomi and Leo (1st person POVs). Leo is from Italy and is an incredible swimmer. Naomi is from California and she is a science genius.

I really liked Naomi. She was a fantastic character. She was super close to her family. And I really liked how much she missed them. I also liked that she was kind and not out to sabotage other people.

I did like the competition. Although it sort of reminded me of another book, Dare Mighty Things by Heather Kaczynski.

Was there romance? Yes. It didn't overshadow the story IMO. But there was definitely a romance.

There were some unexpected twists at the end of the story that impressed me. I really was not expecting the book to end that way. I was a bit disappointed with how much of the story took place on earth vs outer space.

Overall, this was an interesting YA science fiction novel. I think that the ending was strong and the book left off in a very interesting place. I am interested to see what happens next in the sequel.

Thanks to edelweiss and HarperTeen for allowing me to read this book.
1503487
Laura K Aniles Beyond Time is the first book in an action-filled YA series. In this volume, 17 year old Ryder Worthington is on his way to school when he encounters a pair of bullies. One moment hes in the midst of a fight, but excruciating pain suddenly takes him out, and the next thing he knows he wakes up  112 years in the future  in someone elses body.

Trapped in the body of Ziron  the young man who has apparently senselessly jeapardised his whole life to change places with the boy from the past  Ryder must keep the secret of his altered identity from everyone but the two scientists behind the experimental time-shifting tecyhnology. This is almost impossible in a future where the world has been all but destroyed by a catalclysmic war, where the chasm between the haves and have-nots is huge and rebellion against the controlling government is boiling over.

Ryder ends up tangled in the rebellion, falling in love with someone who thinks hes Ziron and developing a strained friendship (when they're not enemies) with Jet  who is also a rival for Kiras attentions.

Beyond Time is snappily paced and builds a bleak but believable world. More could be made of it, I think, but the parts we see are distinctive. Ryders attempts to blend in and make sense of his new surroundings are understandably full of slips, particularly as he gets drawn deeper and deeper in to a very dangerous situation. The consequences of discovery, hes told, could be deadly, but since every turn holds a deadly secret and so many lives are at stake, there are plenty of heart-stopping moments for Ryder and the reader alike.

The teenage posturing between Ryder and Jet over Kiras affections borders on the wearing, but just as its getting way too annoying, one or both of them shows a little maturity and real care and respect for Kira, which seems a pretty realistic way of portraying teenage rivals in love slowly learning how to grow up.

Kira is a bit too perfect and, for someone who shows she can handle herself well, a bit passive at times, but the core of a good character is there. The fact that shes seen through Ryders first-person, besotted eyes naturally paints her more as a subject of adoration, and I hope she gets to shine a bit more in upcoming books.

The young boy, Tom, who befriends Ryder/Ziron (after a fractious beginning) is easily the most sympathetic character, and this younger boy is often the voice of reason when Jet and Ryder get too argy-bargy in their rivalry.

All of these relationships and clashes are happening with a backdrop of rebellion against an unfair system, many mysteries around Ryders real identity and the motivations of the time-shifted Ziron, Jets difficult past, Kiras concern for her mysteriously vanished father, Dr Tanaka, and the biggest mystery of all  what happens to the people who have won the lottery to get passage out of this failing world and into Paradise.

The story is very readable, though a bit clunky in  parts. A tighter edit could help the story along (and a few typos and errors sneak in on occasion) but otherwise the text flows easily, and Anile keeps up a brisk pace. Im looking forward to the second novel of the series, to see how Ryders teetering secrets and the big reveal in the last chapter will affect both the teenagers who are starting to grow up and the harsh world in which they live.
1737224
Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 3 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Publisher
Reviewer: Ariel

Illuminae is the first in a new YA Sci-Fi series from author Amie Kaufman and and Jay Kristoff. If you're looking for a space adventure, with a little bit of romance thrown in, told in a unique way, I would suggest picking this one up.

The story begins when Kady and Ezras planet is destroyed, and the survivors are brought onto three different spaceships: Alexander, Copernicus, and Hypatia. The three ships are still on the run from Lincoln, the ship that attacked Kady and Ezras home. As if that isn't stressful enough, we have AIs going haywire and giving their own orders, and a deadly virus attacking the citizens and the crew. Now its up to Kady and Ezra to figure out whats going on, as well as keep themselves alive.

I really liked Kady and Ezra as characters. The two teens broke up the morning their planet was attacked, and now they have to team up, which only makes things a little bit awkward. Theyre both a little sarcastic, and a little sassy, which I like. Kady has a very kiss my ass attitude, which I thought was really amusing. Shes a great leading lady who is determined to get to the bottom of things and protect the people she loves, even if shes scared to death as shes going through it. She seems to have a bit of an authority problem, which is always good for a few chuckles. But she also has a few really vulnerable moments which remind you that in the end, shes just a seventeen year old girl who is trying really hard not to die.

Ezra is a sweetie, and a romantic. The whole time Kady is trying to find a way to get to Alexander (she was brought to Hypatia) Ezra is trying to talk her out of it and keep her alive. While the two have their issues, they definitely still care about each other. He knows that Kady is strong, and capable of figuring out what is really going on with these ships, but he worries about what would ever happen if she gets caught, something that Kady doesnt seem to care about as long as she saves everyone else.

The story is told through reports and transcripts and IMs which I thought was a really cool choice. You get the perspectives from several characters this way, and you get to know whats going on in both ships. It kept things moving, so I didn't find myself bored too often. There were a few plot twists towards the end that I didn't see coming, and those were pretty exciting, but I didn't find myself really into the plot until about halfway through. Once the virus breaks out and AIDAN, the AI system, starts going crazy, I started getting interested, but it took a while to get there.

While I liked the characters, and I liked the way in which the story was told, and I liked the premise of the novel, when it came to actually reading it it just didn't do it for me. I don't think it had anything to do with the writing style, the quality, or anything else. So while Im giving Illuminae 3 out of 5 controllers, if this sounds like it falls into your niche, or if you think you would really enjoy it, definitely pick it up. It isn't a bad book by any means, just wasn't my particular cup of tea.
4445421
4.5 Stars

'Possession' is the first book in a wonderful young adult science fiction/dystopian series. The novel follows Violet as she breaks the Rules by taking a walk with her match and best friend, Zenn. Only this time, she's broken too many Rules - and now she has to pay for it. Vi is taken to a hearing in front of the Greenies and is soon banished to the Badlands. Vi knows that the Thinkers have been brainwashing people for years and she's determined not to let them take over her mind, even though They are trying their hardest to convince her to become one of Them. Soon Vi learns that the Thinkers have brainwashed Zenn and Vi can't join the rebellion knowing he's alone. On top of things, Vi has been forced to team up with Jag - a guy who instantly gets underneath her skin but also has the uncanny ability to intrigue her.

With dystopian novels being a big trend in YA literature right now, this series fits right into the genre. It's set apart from others in the category by the great writing and the detailed world building. I was immediately intrigued by the society that the author has created for the series, and the history and backstory surrounding it was phenomenal. The characters were all unique and likable - especially Vi. I liked that the story had a strong female lead that was also witty and doesn't back down. The romance in the novel is the right mix of sweet and sizzling, but it didn't detract from the main story line of the book. There is the whole love triangle starting to happen, but it didn't really bother me - although I don't know what will happen with it in the next installment. The plot was fast paced and full of action and adventure. There was a bit of mystery involved as to the identity of certain characters, the fate of others, and the general question of what the Thinkers really want. Overall, this is a fantastic first book in a very enthralling dystopian series.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
2560725
"15 Minutes" is a YA science fiction thriller that deals with times travel. As I am a sucker for time travel, I felt this book would be right up my alley, and I was not disappointed. Along with paradoxes time travel stories have to offer, there are also a couple of love triangles involved in the story. All in all, I think it is the perfect YA novel and suitable for adults also.

Lara Crane's mother was murdered when she was very young. Being raised by her father is fine with her, even with him not earning great money. She loves her father and he loves her. What Lara misses is her mother. So when time travel becomes available, Lara saves her money and buys a package of several time travels for one low price at Rewind. When people travel back in time, they are only supposed to be holograms and would not be able to interact with their surroundings. But Lara is different. She finds on her very first trip back that she is able to physically touch items and people. And so the plan forms in her mind to save her mother. How great would it be if her father, mother and herself were a family once again.

But Lara has only 15 minutes in each time travel. She has practiced the quickest route to get to the alley where her mother was shot. And so with her last paid time travel, she races to the alley and takes the bullet meant for her mother and thus saves her life. When she wakes up, she finds that more has changed than just her mother being alive. Her father has been imprisoned for the attempted murder of her mother, her mother has married Jax Montgomery and her name is now Lara Montgomery. Her old boyfriend Rick, with whom she shared a special bond, was never involved with her. Living in the well off district, she is now dating Donavan James, son of Senator Patricia James, and only known in Lara's other past as a playboy out for a quick score. And Lara's mother is always working, at Rewind she discovers, and she still never gets to spend any time with her.

She has deep feelings for Rick, but the more she is with Donavan the more her feelings for him grow. She is confused that the past she remembers does not mesh with the present she is living. She is unsure who to turn to with the news of her changing the future. Not to mention her father being in prison, still in love with Lara's mother Miranda, and trying to prove his innocence from behind bars. Lara must find a way to free her father and re-unite their family again. But it isn't going to be easy. Senator James has been secretly funding Rewind's research, most notably Miranda's, which they are hoping to find a subject that can interact with the past for he own sordid gain. When they discover that Lara is the one, the search is on to capture her.

The plot was tightly woven and very readable. I found myself pulling for Lara even though the odds were against her. I heartily recommend this book to any time travel fan as well as those interested in YA reads to fill their summer. A 4 star plus read for me. Very well done.
2522225
Im not entirely sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book. I think I saw the gorgeous cover, heard mention of demisexual and asexual characters and went for it. And Im so glad I did, because this tale of two worlds, two very different teenagers and a whole bundle of interwoven secrets was great  intricate, clever, accessible and highly enjoyable.

Isaak lives on a near-future Mars, where the colony has been developed as an off-Earth manufacturing center. With no centralized Earth-controlled government its painted as a sort of Utopian society where everyone is equal  which of course they arent. Isaaks best friend Henry is something of an anarchist, putting forth conspiracy theories and disruptive opinions that Isaak largely ignores  until certain events make him change his tune. Because strange things are happening on Mars, not least at a geological survey site that is uncovering some unusual finds.

Despite living on a different planet, theres a lot thats familiar about Isaak. He has family troubles, hes not particularly happy about the future mapped out for him, hes struggling with feelings for one of his friends and he shares a lot of pop culture references that readers will recognize. Hes a normal kid, with a particular talent for languages, and while hes mostly smart and good in a crisis, he also misses some more obvious things that make him appear naive at times. I liked him.

Nadins life is quite alien. Her world is dying, her society is rotten and her view of life has been utterly skewed by her privileged place in it. Shes clever too, but severely misguided and the series of sharp, sudden shocks that she undergoes does leave her reeling and makes her occasionally seem foolish. In truth shes trying to deal with her world not only ending but getting turned upside down in the process. Yet when she gets on board, she does it with all that she is. Im not entirely sure that I liked her, but I think as she develops in future books I will grow to.

The story itself does an excellent job of slowly leading the reader deeper into the mysterious secrets, laying early foundations that later develop into excitement, wonder and curious occurrences. There is a lot of world-building to be done, for both Mars and Iamos, so the pace does feel a little slow at first, but I appreciated the level of detail and depth behind it all. As the first book in this series it definitely left me wanting more  although that ending might leave you scrambling for the next book, and howling that its not out yet. I cant wait until it is.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
2303816
*I received a copy of this book free in exchange for my honest review.

Echo is a Young Adult Sci-Fi Novel set on a new world that is set to end in ten days. In this world some people have special powers that give them the ability to wield a certain element. The main character, Ashara, learns that she has the ability to manipulate the element 'ether' and is put into one of many task forces that are trying to ascertain what will cause the destruction of the world and how it can be avoided.

The characters in this book are great and I would've loved to have heard more of their story. Some I only met briefly, but I was still immediately drawn into their lives and hearts, I would have loved to get to know them more.

The story was great! Some of the scenes weren't quite as action-packed and power-ridden as I'd thought they were going to be, but I still thoroughly enjoyed them. The idea of the new timelines was fantastic, though I didn't quite catch on at first, and I loved Loken's metal engravings.

The relationships in this book pulled at my heart, whether brotherly/sisterly or romantically inclined. The writing really captured the essence of the emotions and I was easily lost within the folds of each relationship.

I really enjoyed the ideas within this book and I thought the writing style was great, but I really think there needed to be more of this book. I think the idea would've done better as a series, or at least a much thicker book. Everything progressed a little too fast and I would've loved more detail in some places. However, the author did a fantastic job and if she can flesh out her stories a little more, I am sure she will have no trouble becoming a favourite author.

3.5/5
3590942
This book is a great opening to what I am sure will be an epic Sci-fi series!

The book centers around a group of mostly young people, called Messengers, that can travel through space at the blink of an eye using not-completely understood alien technology.  The alien tech, called Bracers by the users, have some unfortunate side effects that the Messengers must learn how to overcome - or be forced to retire. This allows for some really interesting and unpredictable outcomes when they find out that someone is using the Bracers to track them down and kill their fellow Messengers.  As the characters develop and learn how to use the technology through out the series it will become even more intense!  The characters must grow up quickly as they are forced to become more than simply messengers but potential saviors of the known universe.

This book is great for anyone interested in Sci-fi or Action genera literature and I would recommend it to almost any age (maybe 14+ so they could keep up with the somewhat complex method of travel).  Overall I think this is a great book and I'm excited to read the next one!
2002371
I admit I am not a fan of Sci-Fi book but it changed my opinion after I read KIDNAP Part One Of Guy Erma. Some of the words confused me but the glossary on the back of book helps me a lot. I really liked this book.

This book is very interesting and entertaining as well. You will learn how the life of  a young Prince Teodor is different from the normal life of the boy Guy Erma. Both of these boys are trained to fight at a young age. They are both strong. This book is suspense too. I also like the illustrations. It helps to learn more about the characters.

KIDNAP Part One Of Guy Erma helps me to learn more about how life of royal all about. There are lies but above all supremacy and leadership. I cannot wait for the second book. I want to know if Prince Teodor and Guy Erma will meet in person and maybe fight for each other.
2212373
I liked this and I gave it a good rating (for me) and if I had read this a year, a year and a half ago or more maybe it was a 5/5 stars.

The Writing:
I liked the writing, it felt kind of classical YA. It had one POV and maybe i would have liked to read from Viggos POV. It was easy and fast to read, quite entertaining, I wouldnt say life changing but it was a good dystopic book.

The Story:
I really liked the idea of the story. Its set in a world that after wars was being reconstructed but women and men had different ideas of the new society to come. That ended up having two countries with monarchies. We have Matrus, a country where women are ruling and are in charge, men have less rights and have almost no position in society. On the other hand is Patrus, a society ruled by men and they have all the positions and careers, women are almost pets, not allowed to go out withouth a husband, speak or do anything by themselves.
I think the world was unique, the idea was different and surprised me. We got to know a lot of these countries though I believe a bit more of Patrus.
Our main character is convicted to almost death and so she accepts a mission for her country in Patrus, where she is supposed to be married to Lee, a Matrus man but living in Patrus as an spy.
The story in its development was good. It had action and surprised me many times because things I didn't expect happened most of the time. It keept you in a stress kind of mood because everything was on the line, all the action and the spies, not only the monarchy was an enemy the people from Patrus were an enemy too.
Other thing we had was the romance. This was a classical YA romance and I enjoyed it soo much. Nothing more than a kiss but all the tension and romance that built through different moments was great. I could see from the first moment who would be the love interest and couple but that is fine too because I had to see them develop their emotions.
The ending was a complete surprise. I didn't expect any of the things that happened to happen and that left me wanting more. I want to know what happened to some characters, I want to know what will happen, what is the truth, and all the answers I don't haveyet.

I think we could say this was a kind of action/spy story (which I don't usually read and was great), the most original thing for me was the world. The romance felt like a classic YA, which was not bad for me but it didn't have any surprise there. There was action many times that made the story more fast paced and it had you in a kind of stress level all times.

The Characters:
I have to say this (and Im happy to say this): is easy in YA and most of all these kind of fantasy that some character (usually the main one) is frustrating or at least a couple of times while reading it you want to *facepalm*. I think that didn't happen to me.
Violet: She was young but she did what she had. I liked her, I liked that she was not blind by any kind of loyalty, she used facts to lay her loyalty. There were just a few times I think I said: don't do that but she did anyway and I had to read it and well, Im just a humble reader. I think she will develop a lot more as a character in next books and Im really loking forward to that. I feel like she did grow but she could have grown a lot more. She learned about love and how people can lie to achieve what they want. The ending leaves you wondering whats coming for her and I think she can become an amazing character.
Lee: You ended up being a surprise. He was a mastermind, very intelligent and only he knew what he really wanted.
Viggo: I liked him a lot. We know him but I hope we get to know even more. He wasn't the romantic type, he was more wild but serious. And I really want him to open and I think when that happens if the author does things well he can be an amazing character.

Overall this was an interesting setting, with a classical YA romance, for me fast paced and easy to read.
3927965
Mr. Bowker has captured the teenaged boys' perspective very, very well in this intriguing glimpse of what I hope will be a long and enjoyable series. Probably meant for a younger audience than a middle aged mom, I was still impressed with the continuity and the alternate history (my favorite sci-fi genre) written with clarity and just the right amount of description to put the reader into the scenes. The concept of the portal will take some further exploration I am sure, and the mysterious preacher has much more to tell us also. I liked the boys and was interested enough to come back and look for further installments. I'd recommend this to anyone in the YA set with a hankering for adventure and the discovery of what life could be like with just a few changes here and there. Nicely done!
2389812
This was a fun YA dystopia about a girl kidnapped from her seaside village and taken to live as a servant in a civilization under the sea. While there she learns more about who she is and what threats await her and this civilization.

Kate Avery Ellison has an amazing imagination and the ability to bring these unique worlds to life (I loved Frost). I read so many post-apocalyptic dystopias where man survives in caves or underground. Here, she has takes a new idea about man retreating under water to survive.

I really loved this book and couldn't put it down. It was non-stop action and covered so many different themes from bullying, family, identity, friendship, war, and more. The world building was great, and especially the description of the under-water civilization..but there is so much more to be covered in future books that this one only scratched the surface.

There were so many great characters, both good and evil in the novel. They are all at varying degrees of depth, but I found them all to be enough to move the story along. These characters were believable to me, and I enjoyed the journey with Aemi.

Plot-wise I felt like the pacing was fine. There were a few slower spots but these involve Aemi learning more about her world, or her situation. The action is really great and I have to say Aemi doesn't get much rest here. And I really liked some of the twists at the end that had Aemi questioning everything.

Age-wise this is a solid YA with no bad language or sexual situations, but some violence.

I felt like Nol didn't really reach his potential in this book, though he did make a few strong sacrifices. I really hope we see him in future books. And Aemi's childhood friend Kit doesn't reach the underwater city, so he is basically MIA during most of the novel. I do hope he comes back in future books too. There are also two enemies in this book that we learn almost nothing about. Again, hopefully it will be covered in the rest of the series, which I am now looking forward to reading.

NOTE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
4659602
4.5 out of 5 stars

Fighting Iron is a story about Clay and his Fighting Iron. They want it and he will do almost anything to prevent them from taking it. I wish I could explain it better than this line from the synopsis, but I cannot: "A far-future mech western, Fighting Iron is a rip-roaring sci-fi adventure filled with six-shooters, plasma canons, rough and rowdy saloon brawls, showdowns, corrupt landowners, and 50-foot battle machines ready to crush everything in their path!"

Fighting Iron was narrated by J. Scott Bennett who does a really nice job.  The book sounded great, with no issues or problems at all.  Bennett's voice allowed this futuristic western play out just the way I think that Bible had intended it to.

This was an interesting book.  Part science fiction and part western.  Fighting Iron really had a lot going on. And it was coming from all fronts.  The character development was really thought out allowing each important person to have their own backstory without taking away from the narrative too much.

The action was fast-paced and made sense, and there was a lot of it. Jake Bible knows how to write intricate stories like this that have lots of action without making it feel like there is too much action.

Western's aren't really my thing, but I still found myself really enjoying this.  The way that Bible writes really draws you in and keeps you there.
748774
I really enjoyed reading this. I actually laughed out loud several times. I liked the banter between the characters, the different set-up for a YA novel in the personalities, and mostly I enjoyed having an alien twist to a story. The main character, Katy, is very spunky and blunt. The love interest, Daemon, is this sexy jerk that lives next door with his twin Dee. Both are aliens that are part of a species that inhabit our Earth, unbeknownst to most except the DOD. Anyways, I was so happy to finally read a YA book that did not have the typical "new girl falls for mysterious boy, it is immoral for them to love, and he finally gives in and everything is super sappy". There is cussing and some beyond first base play in this book. I found the dialogues wonderful in that they sounded real. For once we are not bombarded with cheesy cuss-word substitutes. I mean come on, these are seventeen year olds, not ten year old altar boys. I read this book in a day by barely setting it down. I am a really fast reader, though, so when my interest is peaked, I can usually knock out a book in a day. Thank you for a wonderful read and I am excited about the next book.
4717864
This was an excellent book.  I read the Defect novellas and the 318 and Decode short stories before reading this book so I wasn't sure what to expect from this one knowing that it took place 300 years later and it wasn't even set on Earth anymore.  I was definitely not disappointed.  It took me a couple of chapters to adjust to Era's narration but I really liked her as the protagonist by about a quarter of the way through the book.  I started slow with this book but when I hit around Chapter 4 or 5 I couldn't stop reading.  I had to make myself stop reading at 3 AM so that I could get some sleep before finishing the book the next day.  This was definitely a very fast read and it was a very thrilling one at that.  I'm excited to read the next book Paragon, but I wish I had a third book to look forward to once I finish that one.  I cannot get enough of the Fracture Era series.  It's the best scifi series I've read since The Post-Human series by David Simpson.  This series approaches genetic modification the way Simpson approached Hard AI in his books, and I find both subjects very interesting to read about.  I now understand why the other reviews compared this book to both Battlestar Galactica and The Hunger Games.  It's an odd combination of works to compare a single book to, but it makes sense once you read it.  Anyway, I loved this book and I'm so excited about reading Paragon next.
1601536
I would say 4.5 stars, because YA is not my favorite genre.  This book is outstanding on a lot of levels, though.  First of all, McPike just nails so many elements:  family interaction, high school peer group stuff and the student- teacher-administrator environment.  Her dialogue and situations are right on.  She also uses a little-used urban fantasy theme and portrays it will skill and intelligence, reducing the woo-woo aspect in favor of showing how it could work.  So, we are brought into this universe and can inhabit it along with Lali.  Kai Awana is your standard "man of mystery" but there is room for this character to grow.  The various plot themes are handled well and the climax of book 1 proceeds in an exciting but believable way.  The ending provides a perfect setup for Book 2.  Very strong start for this new series.