ARC Review: The 100 by Kass Morgan

In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.

Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.

From Goodreads

ARC graciously provided by Around the World ARC Tours

After 300 years of solitude on a spaceship orbiting Earth, the time has come for an expedition to examine the toxic Earth conditions. Due to strict breeding laws & limited supplies, the laws have been tightened so much that young people are being executed at age 18 for the smallest infraction. Now, to make better use of those already sentenced to death, 100 have been selected to travel "home."

Clarke & Wells are the only ones officially sentenced to this task, Bellamy brazenly joins the trip through a hostage situation to save his sister, & Glass was fortunate enough to escape the trip and rejoin society. Following each character individually, the reader is presented with current events & flashbacks to how they landed in their present predicaments. Love, confusion, hatred, & heroism all play an important role in the survival of those who landed & in their futures. No one has been on Earth in 300 years, so why does it feel like something never left?

This was an at-times thrilling, but mostly tempered, science-fiction that I enjoyed. There was a lot going on in each chapter between the current situation & past experiences to keep you on your toes. But there wasn't necessarily and heart-pounding action to help things flow. This story was more driven in a Lord of the Flies way where we watch these kids struggle to continue their doomed existence.

I thought it was a great plot device to have 3 of the characters planetside while one got to remain in the "lap of luxury." It gave a great contrast that I think would otherwise be lost on the reader since we don't spend much free time on the ship with the other characters. What I didn't expect was to enjoy the relationship dynamics as much as I did. While there was definitely a lot of "wrong side of the ship" action going on, the personalities of these characters really blended well.

While I would have liked this to have a tidy ending, alas it is a series beginner so there is a massive climax that is kind of predictable but unique enough to give the reader pause. It'll make for an interesting intro to the next book.

What I didn't know when I got this book was that it had been tapped as a show premiering this fall on the CW. I think it could work very well as a show since it has so much potential. I'm not much of a fan of the crowd they seem to be running with for the show, but it I think I'll give it a shot. Check it out!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Shade of the Moon (The Last Survivors #4) by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

So by now I'm sure we all know that I love a good series. Even more so, I love a good apocalypse. Maybe that's why I'm drawn to shows like Supernatural, Buffy, & Revolution. Either way, I'm happy to report that one of the best apocalyptic book series is getting another installment. The Last Survivors series by Susan Beth Pfeffer is dynamic in a way that I have yet to see replicated in anything else. The Shade of the Moon , the fourth installment, is set to land on shelves this August 13. I for one can't wait to see what's happening in this engrossing world. Spoiler warning shouldn't be necessary, but I do like to be courteous. 

The eagerly awaited addition to the series begun with the New York Times best-seller Life As We Knew It, in which a meteor knocks the moon off its orbit and the world changes forever.

It's been more than two years since Jon Evans and his family left Pennsylvania, hoping to find a safe place to live, yet Jon remains haunted by the deaths of those he loved. His prowess on a soccer field has guaranteed him a home in a well-protected enclave. But Jon is painfully aware that a missed goal, a careless word, even falling in love, can put his life and the lives of his mother, his sister Miranda, and her husband, Alex, in jeopardy. Can Jon risk doing what is right in a world gone so terribly wrong?

From Goodreads

I for one am really interested to finally hear about some sort of settlement that isn't individualized. For the most part we've been following this family's saga as it unfolded at their home. While things started looking up towards the end of the last book, I was hoping that something new would happen and it seems I'm getting my wish. The interpersonal dynamics are sure to make this a fun read. 

Have you read this series? Do you have any favorite apocalyptic books? What are you waiting on this week?

Fighting to Survive (As the World Dies #2) by Rhiannon Frater

Spoilers ahead if you haven't read the first book The First Days!

Picking up where The First Days ends, Fighting to Survive features the further zombie-killing, civilization-saving adventures of a pair of sexy, kick butt heroines and the men who love them. A hundred or so survivors of the zombie plague have found tenuous safety in the walled off center of a small Texas town. Now the hard work of survival begins—finding enough food; creating safe, weather-resistant shelter; establishing laws; and fighting off both the undead who want to eat them and the living bandits who want to rob and kill them.

From Goodreads

Katie & Jenni have made it to safety after a terrifying fight to survive the new zombie-infested world. They've rescued those that they could and are mourning those they have lost along the way. But there is no rest in this uncertain and ever-changing world.

We find our heroines still safely ensconced in the makeshift fort in Ashley Oaks, Texas. While tensions run high among the residents due to strained resources and the constant threat of attack, the women settle into their new roles. Since they have so much real-time experience hunting and fending off zombies, both women are working on the protection detail.

As more survivors are brought in, the leaders decide that they need to expand upon their little territory. By taking over a few neighboring stores and a largely remodeled hotel, they ensure that their community can continue to rebuild. What they can't control are the zombies and the vigilantes out to destroy anything and everything. With so much at stake, the women must push through their personal issues while trying to move toward a better, if uncertain, future.

Fighting to Survive isn't quite as heart-pounding in the same way as The First Days. It was however just as thrilling to struggle alongside the survivors. What could easily become routine & mundane continues to offer exciting and unique scenarios. The best part about this book was watching as the shock value of the zombies wore off and reality started to settle in. People began to move forward with their lives and started to make peace with all that had taken place.

While The First Days really focused on introducing us to the situation from Jenni & Katie's viewpoint, Frater  has given us an uncommon narrator. The majority of the story is told from the two main women's point of view, but other characters creep in little by little. We see more from Juan and Travis, the men in these women's lives, and are even given a glimpse into the point of view of one of the dogs. It all adds up to a richer story with fleshed out details that allow the reader to completely immerse him/herself in the book's events.

There is romance, thrilling heroics, sacrifice, and a lot of bloodshed in this book. Nothing that you wouldn't expect from a zombie book, but in a way, the calm/collectedness of those doing the dispatching can be a might frightening at times. Still totally worth a read if you into this sort of thing or are looking for a strong character base.

Outpost (Razorland #2) by Ann Aguirre review

Possible spoilers for Enclave. Read at your own risk! :)

What use does a Huntress have for schooling lessons? That's the question that has been plaguing Deuce since she arrived topside. After being allowed to share their harrowing journey, Stalker, Fade, Deuce & Tegan are assimilated into the town of Salvation. Unfortunately for Deuce that means wearing dresses & attending school as she has not yet reached the age of majority in this topside world. To complicate matters further, Tegan has distanced herself from her comrades because she is desperate to fit in & Deuce finds herself torn between a stand-offish Fade & a needy Stalker.

As if all this emotional drama isn't enough, Deuce can't let go of her Huntress roots. She seeks out any chance she can get to keep an eye on the Freak population & becomes increasingly concerned at the new abilities & traits they are portraying. Fortunately she is able to secure a position on the Summer Patrols with Fade & Stalker. This group of "fighters" is supposed to keep the planters safe while they work to grow enough food to last the town through the winter. But the Freaks have other plans.  

An outstanding follow up to Enclave, I found myself engrossed in Outpost. The story picks up not long as we left our protagonists in their new home of Salvation. This isolated town has been rebuilt & fortified to withstand Freak attacks. The God-fearing townsfolk are pleasant when all is well, but tend to get prickly when anyone rocks the boat. Of course Deuce & Stalker are singled out at trouble makers just because they refuse to completely assimilate. They honestly can't help just how different they are from the easy-living townfolk as they have seen some incredibly disturbing things in their short lives.

So we follow Deuce as she lightly treads on the toes of the locals, while struggling with other people's expectations that she doesn't quite comprehend. Most importantly, we get to explore the more emotional side of the Huntress. As life is a touch easier topside, there is more time to think & feel (not to mention it is actually encouraged) so we watch as Deuce begins to explore her feelings & starts to understand that sometimes a simple action or word can have a deeper meaning.

Ann Aguirre's writing style is such that when I start to read, a canvas appears in front of me. I can clearly picture everything that is going on down to simple hand gestures. There's a cadence to the story that allows the reader to ebb & flow between action & more reflective scenes. A perfect balance of brazen & subdued choices, Outpost sets the wheels in motion for an exciting third installment!
Be sure to pick up your copy at the library or bookstore September 4th, 2012!

Enclave (Razorland #1) by Ann Aguirre review

WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first Deuce thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.

From Goodreads

Deuce, formerly known as Girl 15, has earned her place among her people as a Huntress. With her six scars on her forearms she has gained the recognition that she deserves for the job that she does. As a defender & food hunter for the enclave, one of her main duties is keeping her people safe & fed. But when she receives Fade, a veteran hunter with a dark history, as her partner she's not entirely sure what to think. She figures as long as they follow the enclave's strict rules that all will be well. It doesn't take long for this duo to stray quite far from those rules in the name of doing what's right.

The information they learn, that the Freaks (hideous, former humans that have become feral monsters) have overrun the next closest enclave, should shake up their whole existence. Yet the elders seem to pay the duo no mind & continue to punish them. That is when Deuce's unshakable belief is challenged. Do the elders really know what's right anymore? And do they know more than they are telling the people just so they can remain in control?

This was one roller coaster of a dystopian, adventure story. Set in an underground, near-future world Enclave is everything I've been looking for in a book. The characters are dynamic & engaging & the plot moves rather quickly. I felt like every time I started to get a handle on the situation, something else would change & I would have to reevaluate what I'd learned. Such non-stop action allowed me to enjoy the swiftness of the story without making me feel like I was missing critical information by reading so fast.

The funnest part of the whole book was trying to figure out what items the characters were looking at & where the book takes place. There's a time when Deuce & her friends find a wedding invitation & don't know what to make of it. They take it to the Wordkeeper who reads it to them, but does not elaborate on the meaning of the word. Things like that really give a stark contrast from today's world to the one that Deuce inhabits. I had a tough time placing the setting until very late in the story, but I had fun with the puzzle anyway.

For those who want to read a fast-paced, thrilling ride that offers more depth & challenges your sense of "normal standards," this is the book for you. I blew through it in 2 days & have the second one ready to go for this work week's lunchtime read. :)

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer review

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first 2 books in this series, this summary & review will contain spoilers. My reviews of Life as We Knew It & The Dead and the Gone are live, so be sure to check them out first if you want to read about the 3rd installment.
It's been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth’s climate. For Miranda Evans life as she knew it no longer exists. Her friends and neighbors are dead, the landscape is frozen, and food is increasingly scarce.

The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda’s father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda’s complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship. Then a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever.

From Goodreads

Again, we don't pick up where we left off in the last novel, but the terrain is still familiar enough for the reader to be comfortable with what's going on. This time we find ourselves back in Pennsylvania with Miranda & her family. Things are going as well as can be expected given the circumstances until it all changes when her father & stepmother suddenly appear not only with their baby, but 3 more unknown individuals. While Miranda's family is thrilled to be reunited, things become tighter & resources become more scarce.

The best part about the new arrivals though is that there is someone else Miranda's age. Enter Alex Morales (from The Dead and the Gone) & his little sister Julie. While Julie spends her time with Miranda's little brother, she & Alex are free to get to know one another. Love seems to be in the air, but the moon isn't through with them yet. Something big is coming & everyone seems to know it. The other they can do is prepare as best they can & hope that it's good enough.

Miranda & Alex continue to develop strong personalities & really assert their independence from those around them. While they still cling to parental figures for guidance, they are always thinking outside the box & on their own. Stubborn Alex helps Miranda to explore outside her comfort zone while scavenging while she tries to help him see through this picture-perfect image he's got of how his future will unfold.

Pfeffer brings us right back into the chaos & doesn't let up until it's over. There is non-stop movement, but not necessarily action. There is a lot of timeline development & filling in of the background by the new arrivals giving the reader a more complete sense of the nation-wide devastation. The new characters also bring a new dynamic to the interactions. As a society, we have preconceived notions of how typical social interactions will unfold & these folks turn that on its head providing us with a key piece to comprehend just how life-altering this has all been. Naturally we can fathom the emotional & physical toll this experience has taken, but the shift in societal norms & mores might catch you off guard.

A thrilling read with a jaw-dropping ending, This World We Live In hopefully is not the last we hear of Miranda, Alex & the other "Last Survivors". I'm not so sure as I haven't found anything indicating this as the end or just another step in the series. I guess we'll have to wait & find out.

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer review

Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event--an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle.

With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful new novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.

From Goodreads

Alex Morales & his two younger sisters find themselves in the same alternate realtiy as Miranda from Life as We Know It when an asteroid throws the moon out of proper synchronization with the Earth. Unfortunately for the Morales family, they were not nearly as lucky to be spared direct devastation to their family unit. Just kids in the Big Apple, they manage to scrape by with luck, determination & faith.

Alex is an unwilling hero in this story. Charged with being the "man of the house" with his father in Puerto Rico & his older brother serving in the Marines, he finds himself the person his younger sisters are looking to when it becomes obvious that their family is not coming back for them. While he may be ill-tempered & sharp-tongued he is also resourceful & protective. He does what he believes to be best for his sisters, even if it's not the easiest task.

What really made this book stand out from the first is the fact that we were in a completely different part of the United States & so we get to see a whole new facet to the living nightmare that everyone is facing. Trapped in a large metropolitan area might seem like the ideal place during an apocalyptic event, but the Morales family soon discovers that the opposite is actually true.

While you don't have to read the first book to understand the second, it is best to read it before you move on to the third installment as there is some crossover that won't make any sense without having read the first book. If you're looking for something spine-tingling, well-written & filled with dynamic characters, then you've found your calling. Enjoy!

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer review

Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.

Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world.

From Goodreads
Susan Beth Pfeffer weaves a terrifying tale of mayhem in this first installment in the series. We meet Miranda & are just beginning to get a grip on her family situation (2 brother, one older & one younger, divorced parents, remarried father announcing pregnancy with new, younger wife) when an asteroid collides with the moon disrupting everything. Thanks to her mom's quick thinking, they manage to stock up on enough food & personal supplies during the initial phase, but the toll the moon takes upon the Earth's seasons is just the beginning of their fight to survive.

A strong, but still flawed teenager Miranda is the perfect person to narrate this tale as she is not quite so young that she doesn't understand & appreciate the situation, but she's still immature enough to feel selfish & overwrought. The book is written loosely in journal-entry format. I can't imagine being as verbose as Miranda has a tendency to be, but when you're trying to convey to someone else what's going on I guess you might get carried away.

I was really fascinated by the interconnectivity that Pfeffer spun in relation to the asteroid. We really take for granted the delicate balance that must be maintained in order for our world to continue operating as it does. Pfeffer explores that balance & blows your mind with what occurs & how the characters manage to survive. These resourceful folks are just the kind that I would want as neighbors if something like this were ever to occur.

An even more intriguing part of the book was the focus on the US (and the world) as a whole going through this trying time together. The book takes place in Pennsylvania, but Miranda's family is all over the place & the reports on the radio come in from Yellowstone, the South & more. Everyone is suffering, just at different rates, allowing us a window into the severity of the situation & the fortunate circumstances of our characters.

If you're looking for something spine-tingling & sense-shocking, read this book. The characters are real & engaging, allowing the reader to fully grasp the direness of the circumstance & the story never lets up. I was guessing what would happen until the very end.

Waiting on Wednesday: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

It being 2012 and all, we knew I wouldn't be able to go long without an apocalyptic book on my WOW. Article 5 by Kristen Simmons promises to be everything I liked about the societies in Matched and Delirium & the obstacles of the Life as We Knew It series. January 31st can't get here fast enough!

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It’s hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

From Goodreads

While I could do without the star-crossed-lovers effect, I have a feeling that this book will have some of the same great story-telling & plot/world building that I have come to lavish in in this genre.

What are you waiting on this week?

The First Days by Rhiannon Frater review

Jenni only thought her husband couldn't become any worse a human being. She thought wrong. After being bitten the night before, Jenni's husband is turned into one of the undead & decides to make a meal of his family. Barely escaping with her own life, Jenni is rescued by lesbian, lawyer Katie in a pick-up truck. Katie too has lost all that she has after her wife become one of the undead. As the women get to know one another they start to comprehend the reality of the situation they face. The infected are dying & then coming back to life and the government is the last group you want to listen to.

On their way out of an over-populated city (soon to be teeming with the undead) they stop for supplies in a rural town. They manage to hole-up with the sweet old married couple who just happen to own the guns & ammo shop while planning their reconnaissance mission to save Jenni's camping-in-the-woods stepson. With renewed strength & spirit the women vow to keep in touch with the couple & save as many as they can because the only way out of the whole mess is through it. If they just keep running, maybe they can outrun the pain of all that they've lost, but at what cost to those who remain?

The First Days is a remarkably stark look at what could be considered a realistic reaction to a zombie apocalypse. Two ordinary women manage to cobble together an existence that allows them to hope for a future while surviving the present. Even better was the fact that this book was set in Texas. Now that may not sound like much, but it's like saying a book takes place in the South, there are mannerisms & societal norms that lend themselves to having a zombia apocalypse book set there.

The book's chapters were broken down into mini-chapters like one would expect to see of a book that was originally released in serial format. The narrator didn't change with every mini-chapter or even every chapter which made it a nice surprise when we shifted perspective. The characters were each unique adding their own personal experience to the situation they wound up in. Even better was how the characters ended up where they were when they met & assisted other survivors. The interactions with local drug dealers, old girlfriends & the founding members of the community really lent a sense of realism to the story.

While there were several editing errors that could have easily been fixed with a little more attention, the story itself was rather engaging & terrifying. This was the first zombie book that I've read & I definitely believe it won't be the last! Give it a shot & let me know what you think!