Sunday 21 July 2013

Book Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

  • Title: The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave #1)
  • Author: Rick Yancey
  • Page Count & Publisher: 457 | Penguin
  • Genre: Young Adult, Apocalypse, Science Fiction
  • Format: Paperback
  • Links: Amazon UK | Goodreads
Summary:
Only the unlucky survive. Humanity has been wiped out by aliens in 4 successive waves, and the 5th wave is still to come. We meet Cassie who has survived all 4 waves, she's learned to trust no one and that has served her well so far. She meets Evan Walker after being injured but can she trust him?

My Thoughts:
Well, this was one of the most hyped books from earlier this year. I was looking forward to getting it read but nervous as well, in case it didn't live up to the hype. So I grabbed it as soon as I saw it on the shelves and jumped into it as soon as I could.

I loved how real the characters feel in this book. Cassie is a teenager and is still fairly naive at the start of this, even with all that has happened. She's forced to grow up very quickly and she becomes someone much stronger. She's faced with some awful choices and she recognises that any choice she takes can result in a horrible outcome. Yet she still has the courage to do what she needs to do. Through this book, Cassie became one of my favourite lead characters. She's strong yet absolutely not perfect.

This story is told through multiple points of view. This generally works quite well but a few of the male characters seemed to flow into each other until we got to know them a little better. People get hurt in this, kids get hurt in this and they remain hurt. Being injured effects their actions later on and I really did appreciate that. No super fast healing or hand waving. Bullet wounds take time to heal.

There are so many twists and turns. You think you know what's going on and with who, but then it twists and twists again and by the end I had no idea who's side anyone was on and I loved it. I didn't want to have guessed the answers straight away, I liked that people remain ambiguous until the end. I couldn't read the last quarter or so of this book fast enough, I couldn't get the words into my head and absorbed fast enough for me to be satisfied. I wanted more when it was over.

But the 5th wave, the truth behind the 5th wave is utterly horrifying.

Loved it, will be buying the second book the minute it appears and I will hide for two days while I read it.

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Saturday 13 July 2013

Book Review: Wool by Hugh Howey


  • Title: Wool (Silo #1)
  • Author: Hugh Howey
  • Page Count & Publisher: 542 | Arrow Books (Random House)
  • Genre: Dystopia, Post-apocalyptic, Science Fiction
  • Format: Paperback
  • Links: Amazon UK | Goodreads
Summary:
In a post-apocalyptic waste land, the only safe place to live is in the Silo. The world outside will kill you in minutes. The rules of the Silo need to be followed to maintain order. Rule breakers are simply sent outside, an efficient punishment - discord is removed and the cameras outside are cleaned. Jules is one of these rule breakers, she has questions, and she may be the most dangerous person there is.

My Thoughts:
This was one of my most anticipated books of this year! I waited for the paperback to be released and immediately dove into the pages.

The world building in this is absolutely amazing! The Silo feels like a real place filled with real (for the most part) characters. The descriptions inside the Silo made it feel fully fleshed out and a place I could imagine. Only one or two of the characters felt a little one-dimensional but on the whole they were complex and felt like actual people.

It did take me some time to get through, I've been reading quite a bit of young-adult at the minute so it was refreshing to get back into a book so densely packed with words and storyline. The plot is as many layered as the Silo in some places. People's motivations and actions are not always as you expect and people's loyalties can and do switch.

I loved Jules as a lead character. She was strong and utterly competent, sure of her convictions even when she wasn't sure of her actions. Her reactions felt real and believable, even when placed into some truly horrifying situations. I think she's one of my favourite leads that I've read in quite some time.

Again, I loved the descriptions of the world outside. I want to know more about it! I love a good description of a devastated environment and this teased me with just enough to keep me happy!

I'm planning on reading the rest of this trilogy as soon as the paperbacks appear. The next part is out in hardback already so I may just cave and buy the Kindle edition!

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Monday 8 July 2013

Book Review: My Soul To Save by Rachel Vincent

This is the second in a series of 7 books, I've got them all to read through and I'm liking them so far!

  • Title: My Soul To Save (Soul Screamers #2)
  • Author: Rachel Vincent
  • Page Count & Publisher: 362 | Mira Ink (Harlequin)
  • Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
  • Format: Paperback
  • Links: Amazon UK | Goodreads
Summary:
Set 6 weeks after the end of the previous book, Kaylee is learning more about her Banshee heritage and learning how to have a relationship with her Dad. She's also developing her relationship with Nash and her friendship with Tod. They go out to a concert one night when the singer collapses and dies on stage. Kaylee, however, doesn't feel the urge to scream. How can she, when there's no soul to scream for? It then becomes a race against time to discover who girls are selling their souls to and why, before someone else meets the same fate.

My Thoughts:
I jumped straight into the second book in the series after finishing the first, I certainly was glad that I had it to hand! In this book, more of the Banshee world is fleshed out. We see more of the Netherworld and what Kaylee could be capable of. However, I did think that Kaylee was just a little too competent a little too quickly. It doesn't exactly take her long to work out her new abilities.

The relationships still feel real in this book. The slight distance she has with her Dad still, the remaining doubts she has about her relationship with Nash. Kaylee feels like a well fleshed out character, someone who is starting to grow as a person. I still want to shout at her for not involving someone who could actually offer help at some points in this but her hesitance to do so does make sense.

We meet some more clearly important character in this and Tod's almost hero worship is somewhat adorable.

The main plot doesn't quite feel as personal this time round. Previously, the people involved were Kaylee's friends and family. This time round she's helping a friend of Tod's and it seems to be because she couldn't save everyone last time.

Not quite as strong as the first book, but still worth its rating!

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Wednesday 3 July 2013

June 2013 Reading Wrap Up!

I didn't get quite as much reading done in June as I did in May, but I read three really fantastic books!


-Wool by Hugh Howey - took me nearly two weeks to get through as it was a dense, layered book that deserved a lot of attention while reading. Really enjoyed the world created in this and I can't wait to read the remainder of the trilogy.
-My Soul To Keep by Rachel Vincent - the best in the series so far, I'm looking forward to reading the 4th in the series to read the fall out from the events in this one!
-The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey - hugely hyped and popular in the book community, it deserves all the praise it has been getting! Absorbing and shocking in parts, the sequel is just too far away!

July is already shaping up to be a busier reading month, I've got one finish already and I'm almost done with another book!