Third Cover in the Series

Again, I am a huge dork when it comes to covers. So, being a follower of the author, I got to see what the third cover in the series looks like.

This is the final book in Lauren DeStefano's  The Chemical Garden Trilogy.

Yes, the cover is now on shelfari, but I felt I wanted to bring the good news. And it is taking a little longer to read the two books I'm reading now, so a post wouldn't hurt.

I absolutely love these covers. When you see them up close, they are a tad shimmery and all the pieces of the novel are involved. In this one, the wedding band is off her finger, which implies something is going to happen in the mansion, maybe with Gabriel.

I like how much thought goes into this because it works. The names for the novels are very to the point, but they also explain a bit about the plot.
I'm super excited for the third. Too bad I have to wait until February. :(

The "Red Death" had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous.

Araby sees death and disease everywhere. The plague has infected hundreds and whipped out much of the town. Her father, the scientist who created the masks to protect them, is so wrapped up in his work he barely notices her existence. Her mother is still deeply broken from the death of her twin brother, Finn. Being from a higher social class, Araby and her friend, April, spend much of their nights at the Debauchery Club. Filled with beautiful clothes, glittery make-up, and many different substances that can help them forget the horrors of the outside world.
Through Araby's numbness and sorrow, she will discover pieces of a different world. She finds Will, a club worker who has a secret or two he keeps behind his mask. And she will discover Elliot, April's older brother, who despite his dark and mysterious outside has a few tricks he has kept hidden.
Her journey provides her with reasons to look beyond the hopelessness, and maybe have something to live and fight for again.

Being a fan of Poe, I read the summary of Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin on shelfari and found it interesting. Once a few authors I am familiar with gave their five star reviews, I knew I had to immediately check it out. I was not at all disappointed.
Poe's Red Death was horrifyingly real. Griffin makes this story the same. In a world of disease and sadness, how is it possible to be happy and stable? Araby is a great character because she's given up. With a failed suicide attempt, she feels stuck, and as if her parents would rather have her brother and her switch places. She feels hopeless and alone. The Club her and April attend is a picture perfect way out. The scene is very posh, only for the elite crowd, and it is a great escape from the outside. Will and Elliot prove to be important pieces in Araby's life. Each boy is the complete opposite of each other, yet they are so similar it is striking. The love aspect is nice, yet, not the main focus of the novel.
The writing was truly "hauntingly beautiful". It painted a picture of a city in termoil and no form of science has been able to break through. It is amazing to see the inventions and science that goes into this world, yet nothing seems able to compete with the disease proving to take out mass amounts of people.
 I also liked how the author included James Joyce into the novel by using "Araby" as the main character's name. His short short story, "Araby", had the main theme of loss of innocence, and this is exactly the way to describe Araby in Griffin's Masque of the Red Death. Clearly, the author put a lot of thought into her characters and her theme, and this is very reassuring to readers. 
 I loved this book! Really great and a different take on Poe's classic. I absolutely recommend it. It will not disappoint. :) Look forward to a sequel to follow.

There is no before. There is only now and what comes next

In a dystopian society where love is a disease, Lena soon discovers the secrets the government is hiding. She manages to escape her life in "prison" over into the "wild". But, the boy she fell deeply in love with, Alex, did not make it over the fence with her. Despite this difficult situation, Lena finds herself becoming part of the Invalid community, where the talks of a rebellion are quickly spreading. She is swept into the fight forward in order to create a world where love is not a crime. Lena is thrust into a situation where she must use her senses in order to survive. Will her ability and strength keep her alive, and is she beginning to fall in love again?
Pandemonieum by Lauren Oliver was a great sequel to her first, Delirium. I really enjoyed the fact that the entire book was not focused on Lena's love interest. It, like The Hunger Games, focuses on the government and the people who are defending "the cure". In a world where it is wrong to have strong emotions and love towards another human, Lena and her group are trying to take a stand against this. Love is never wrong, and this book shows two distinct sides: those for the norm and getting people cured for the better of society, and those for the revolution and being open to love and the pain and joy it may cause. Of course we are introduced to the extremists, the Scavengers. These are people who are extreme in their ways, violent, and not really for or against anything.
I found it extremely interesting when they spoke of the riots and the government's hold on the society. It hits home in quite a few ways: conservatives vs liberals and of course you have your extreme outliers. Certain government issues that are constantly rioted about, and those people who would give everything for change.
I felt that is the part I liked the most about this book. Of course, Lena's love for Alex and the constant guilt she carries with her about him is so romantic and tragic. Her feelings of giddy adolescent love are very sweet, so it's hard not to love that part of the novel. But in my opinion, the government issue is the main idea here. Love is the delirium that needs to be cured, but in a society where love is wrong, what can possibly be right? The fight gets more exciting with each turn of the page, and it is very interesting to see how Lena transforms from a naive teenager in book one to a strong young woman in book two.
I look forward to seeing her progress in the third, especially because it appears the dilemma I TOTALLY CALLED FROM THE BEGINNING will be very much a part of her life.
I recommend this series. Even though the love and romance is a heavy part of the series, it stands for a different cause. It's not fluff, but it is a quick read because you're not going to want to leave it.

Loving someone means knowing your life would be worse without them in it

Eve by Anna Carey begins in the year 2023. After a deadly virus has wiped out most of the earth's population, girls are sent to secluded schools in order to learn about boys and their evil intentions. The night before her graduation, Eve discovers what really happens to the girls who graduate.
She escapes from school unaware of what she might encounter. She comes across Caleb, a young boy who has been living in the wild. Being naive to the outside world, Eve has no choice but to trust him. Slowly, Eve realizes that what she's been taught may only be one sided, and Caleb begins to steal her heart. But, can Caleb's promise to keep her safe hold true when the king's guards are hunting for her?

Post apocalyptic young adult novels are my calling. I am always interested to see how different stories and catastrophes will unfold. This one was nice. The main character, Eve, is very naive and continues to show her insecurities throughout the novel. I feel the author did a great job with this. No one likes a wishy washy heroine, but who says that's the point? After being practically brainwashed by the schooling, discovering it's all a lie, what choice does she have? She is dropped into the unknown with only what she has learned in the past to keep her sane. Meeting Caleb, who by the way sounds extremely sexy, was not part of the plan. In fact, Eve is completely reluctant to even touch him because she was always taught men are evil. Readers cannot expect to be taking a journey with a strong, Katniss Everdeen type of girl.
This novel was a great read, and it was a different take on a new world. Women are held as slaves in order to rebirth the world, men are sent to different "schools" in order to learn their trades all due to the disease. It's nice to have different takes on the "end of the world." This one was really interesting. I recommend it. The main character is supposed to be weak, but throughout the novel we see her grow and gain more knowledge of what is true and the lies she's been fed.

I'm More Than Just A Piece of Their Games

So yes, I did read The Hunger Games a few years ago, but because I never posted, I am currently rereading all three books in the series, AND this huge movie craze came through, I figured I would throw my hat in the ring.

In a post apocalyptic world, there are 12 districts and one Capitol. In order to keep everyone in line, the Capitol puts together a yearly reaping where two young men and women are randomly selected from each district in order to participate in the Hunger Games. This game is a televised fight to the death where the winner receives fame and fortune, but needs to survive the twenty four tributes in an arena that is unpredictable.
After her sister, Prim, was selected, Katniss volunteers to go in her place. So, the two tributes find themselves on a fast paced train ride to the Capitol. Being from District 12, Katniss and Peeta don't seem to stand much chance against the wealthier districts of 1, 2, 3, and 4. However, with a little help from their survival instincts, clever plans of showing the world they won't go quietly, and their will to beat the odds, the Capitol may have a few surprises coming to them in this year's gauntlet.

I cannot express how amazing this series was! From start to finish I was breathless. After reading the third one, I needed to walk away from the series for a while because it was that emotionally exhausting. You become attached to the characters, and it becomes impossible to put the books down. Every adult I have talked with about these books says the same thing. I have yet to find someone who does not fall in love with these books.
The movie, surprisingly, was also amazing! Of course everyone has a different opinion, but I feel they were pretty spot on with the plot. They didn't leave huge holes out, although, of course, they left out many things. But the many things weren't as big as people would think. It was a well done movie and I cannot cannot CANNOT wait until the 2nd one comes out. I will be buying all of those movies on dvd on their release date, by the way.
The movie sparked my obsession with the series, so now I am rereading in order to suppress my annoyance that the second movie has yet to have a release date on it. Of course, the first one just came out, but still.
These books are a favorite of mine. Absolutely so well done. Read these books. Don't know of another way to say it.

<3 Team Peeta <3 Always forever, Peeta is my future husband. Deal with it.

one hundred days but still no sign...

Wither by Lauren DeStefano was an exceptional book. I have a past post about it, so I will not proceed to bore you with it's details. The sequel, Fever, has proven to be just as amazing as the first.  Trust me you're going to want to read Wither. It was one of the best books I read last year because it touched on subjects more mature than the typical teen read. Not to brag, but everyone I recommended the book to loved it. It's great if you're looking for something besides the typical "I'm a sixteen year old girl and my only worry is not having a boyfriend", or the upcoming end of the world craze.
If you have yet to read the first and you don't want me to ruin the end, then ignore this post and come back. Even a short summary can give away the ending to the first. Sorry in advance.
Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion in hopes of finding Rhine's twin brother, Rowen, in Manhattan, but their troubles have not ended here. Upon arriving to shore, the two are whisked away into a world of fantasy. They are trapped in this carnival/brothel, and Rhine and Gabriel fear they need to find a way to escape before they become one of the side show acts. The carnival may bring it's own piece of horror, but Rhine's father in law, Vaughn, has not given up looking for his lost son's bride, and he will stop at nothing to bring her back.

Amazing read! This book is a great set up for the finale, which I cannot keep it together for! You can really see Rhine's love for Gabriel and her twin brother, Rowen. She is risking everything to be back with him, even after almost a year's time as passed since her capture, and this is the journey she and Gabriel take together. There are feelings of remorse, hatred, fear, and confusion, but the two are strong and balance each other, which I found really nice to see while reading this. It is always nice to have a balance in the two lead characters; even though Gabriel doesn't have a voice, I felt like I could tell what he was thinking because of how DeStefano made the character likeness.
Wither was a little better, in my opinion, because it was the essence of longing for freedom, captivity, secret romance, and the bond between sister wives. I feel like the 2nd to any trilogy isn't ever as good as the other two because there has to be that build up for the final one. Fever was a great read. It is leading up to a much anticipated 3rd book, so this is extremely exciting. :) It's been a while since a book has left me breathless, and I feel like this series has and by the end will leave me as exhausted as The Hunger Games did.

Truth Will Become Legend

The year: 2130 A.D. Two nations at war: The Republic and The Colonies. The Republic are those who are elite, wealthy, and obedient to the rules and regulation set forth by their leader. The Colonies fight for freedom, equality, and they fight against the Republic's censoring ways.

June was born into the elite group. She earned a perfect score on her Trial test, and she became known as the Republic's prodigy. When her brother is murdered by the most hunted criminal in the nation, June will stop at nothing to catch him and see to it he is executed.
Day survives on the streets unable to go back home. He is the modern day Robin Hood; stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. After his family's house has been marked by the dreaded red x implying there is evidence of the plague, Day attempts to steal vaccinations to save his brother.
When these two cross paths they realize that although they are from different worlds, they are both the same. The truths they discover will change their lives forever.

Legend by Marie Lu is a book describing a dystopic future. Two warring nations, that were once united, creating a world completely different than what we know. I really liked this book. It was so realistic that it became a scary reality. The characters represent the two extremes; the prodigy and the criminal. I felt it was a great representation of both worlds, but I have to say I really fell in love with the society she created. Certain events transpire which lead the reader to believe that this could happen in the distant future. Lu did such a great job with her representations of the nations because it is 100% believable.
It will be a trilogy, so it will be interesting to see how the war will play out, especially after the ending to this book. I highly recommend it. It is a perfect dystopic society book with a believable future.