The Giver, or Another Foray Into Newbery Land

 

Published:  January 24th, 2006 (First published 1993)

The Giver (The Giver Quartet #1)

By: Lois Lowry

Ember

ISBN-13:  9780385732550

 

Jonas' world is perfect.  Everything is under control.  There is no war or fear or pain.  There are no choices.  Every person is assigned a role in the Community.  When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver.  The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life.  Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth.  There is no turning back.

 

Review

 

     In the Community where Jonas lives, everyone has a routine.  Jobs, spouses and children are selected by qualified officials.  Emotions are discusses and analyzed, colors are non-existent and pills are taken to halt the "Stirrings" from taking hold.  Everything is controlled, peaceful, uniform and all people are treated the same.  When you become of a certain age you join the House of Old and are released as a "reward."  Jonas thinks that his society is the perfect place to live.  Then he goes through the ceremony of the twelves to get his life assignment.  Jonas is given an unusual task that he has never heard of before.  He's apprenticed to a man called The Giver and becomes The Receiver.  He is to take on all of the memories, emotions and experiences of what life used to be like, without total control.  Jonas begins to question the way the Community is run and his place in it's mindless conformity.  When Gabriel, an underdeveloped infant that has been staying with Jonas' family, is at risk due to the Community's rules, it's up to Jonas to make a decision.  Will he follow the community or give in to the lessons he's learned from the things he's taken from The Giver?

     I have read this book at least six or seven times, the first being around 2001 or 2002, when my sixth or seventh grade English teacher assigned it to my class.  I remember being shocked by the ideas and terrifying realities presented in this book.  A place that is controlled by the government, doesn't allow for any individuality, and has no romance or family bonding - a place with no color or emotion AT ALL!!!  It blew my pre-teen mind to imagine such a horrifying thing.  I definitely identified with Jonas, questioning the world around himself and trying to make life-changing decisions (mostly between action and in-action).  In light of the movie being released next month, I decided to re-read it again and see how well it held up after a decade of being in my thoughts.

     This novel is definitely more one of introspection than action.  The climax near the end of the story when Jonas *SPOILER* takes baby Gabriel and leaves *END SPOILER* is definitely the most actiony part of this book.  The majority of this book is Jonas' journey from conformity and belonging, to being on the outside of the Community and becoming isolated when his reality shifts.  By gaining the things that everyone else he knows have lost (color, emotion, individualistic though, etc.), Jonas becomes an unlikely rebel.  "Sameness" is a concept he no longer embraces and finds to be pretty horrifying.  Probably the most conflict in this book is caused by the concept of "release" for people who don't (or can't) conform for some reason, or are just too old to be of use to society.  This is what really causes Jonas to take action.  It really makes you wonder just what it would take to push our own world over the edge, into a false utopia.  A chilling, but ultimately hopeful portrayal of a world ruled by the loss of everything real.  I highly recommend this book (it won a Newbery Award for a reason!) as an introduction to the loosely defined "dystopian" genre.  It definitely makes you think.

 

VERDICT:  5/5 Stars

 

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Broken Skies Blog Tour - Review & Giveaway!!!

TOUR SCHEDULE: http://www.itchingforbooks.com/2014/01/blog-tour-sign-upbroken-skies-by.html

Series: Broken Skies #1
Release date: March 2014
Self-Published

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20764638-broken-skies

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Thirty years ago, there was the Collapse. A massive war fought with biological weapons and followed by plague. Almost everyone died. 

Ten years ago, the aliens showed up. They made one of our cities their own and that's where they stay, for the most part anyway.

One year ago, I killed two men and went a little crazy.

Today, the aliens took my brother and I will do whatever it takes to get him back even if it means partnering up with the enemy, an alien boy who makes me think things I shouldn't and makes me feel things I don’t understand.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The only person she knows who had a subscription to Writer's Digest at eleven and was always excited to write research papers, Theresa has been putting words to paper since a young age. She writes predominantly in the sci-fi and urban fantasy genres. Residing in central Virginia, she juggles two kids, a husband and a full-time job in addition to her writing and in her free time she reads almost anything she can get her hands on.

http://www.theresakay.com/ | facebook.com/TheresaKayAuthor

Review

     So, I was completely unsure what to expect when I initially started reading this book.  I knew that is was some sort of post-apocalyptic novel that involved aliens.  I definitely got a whole lot more than I was expecting!  I always feel like I have to re-iterate this every time that I read a self-published novel, but I have been burned so many times in the past when giving my time and energy to self-pubbed books.  This book is so much more than just one thing - it has sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, adventure, romance, family secrets, drama and a hint of cultism going on as well, with the society that Jax and Jace join to stay alive.  The book starts out with the two of them living in that society (Bridgelake), abiding by the sexist and domineering rules of Dane (the leader).  Jax is chafing under his reign, in a place where a girl like her, who was raised to be independent, has no basic human rights and is a bargaining tool of the men around her.  One day when Jace goes out to hunt and Jax follows him, they witness the landing of an alien ship.  Jace is taken away by the intruders, and Jax is only left with an alien boy they abandoned to help her find him again.  Lir is stubborn, somewhat mysterious and has his own motivations.  But as they journey together and overcome many obstacles, some of them deadly, Jax builds a bond of trust with him - and maybe some other feelings too.  Once they reach the city where Jace is being held, will Jax have their new bond shattered by the secrets tainting their fragile connection?  Or will they be able to save each other?

     Jax is a heroine who has been through a lot.  It becomes obvious after reading this for a little while, that she is struggling to live normally in the aftermath of an assault.  Jax was catatonic for some time afterwards, which forced Jace to make some harsh decisions.  The domino effect from his decisions is still happening, even months later.  I loved that the twins, while they happen to love each other, do not have a perfect relationship.  Jace is trying a little too hard to protect Jax, dominating her every waking move and keeping important secrets from her.  Factoring into this as well is their best friend, Flint, who also happens to be the son of Bridgelake's villainous leader.  At first, I thought this was going to be another love triangle with Jax, Lir and Flint.  I was like, "Oh great.  Another one."  But then Theresa Kay pulls a surprise out of left field, that fits completely in with the story mind you, that shears off the Flint corner of the triangle!  Leaving a still very complex, and beautiful romance between Jax and Lir.  Hats off to Ms. Kay for that!  Their journey is wonderful and exciting, with never a dull moment.  All the way from her breaking him out of jail in Bridgelake, to an incident at a trading post that threatens to break Jax, to a rattlesnake bite that changes both of their perspectives.  Not to mention all of the stuff that happens once they reach the city where Jace is being held captive!  

     The world-building in this book was wonderful, and I always felt like I was trekking alongside Jax and Lir in the woods.  Also the idea that humanity nuked itself into oblivion, while not exactly new, is definitely effective and believable.  The thing I was curious about was just how many people survived in other ares of the world.  Especially after an encounter with Lir's cousin Rym, who gets his slang from "British vids" according to himself and his sister (and who is kind of hilarious - I'd love to see more of him)!  The brutality of humanity is emphasized, but also the secrets and betrayals of the E'Rikon alien society as well.  There are political, inter-familial power struggles going on and the aliens have some major issues that could lead to the end of their race as a whole.  They are unable to sustain themselves on Earth, without finding some way to fuse their DNA with the humans'.  Let's just say that there is more to that particular endeavor than anyone originally thought...  And the secondary characters were interesting as well.  Peter, the ex-Priest, who is living on his own and gives shelter to Jax and Lir on their journey.  Emily, the seemingly good Bridgelake girl, who has a hidden rebellious side and is desperate to change her restrictive society.  Also, Lir's parents and uncle, who have motives that are unclear until the end of the novel.  Lir himself is a mystery until it seems that he's chosen his side in the struggle - opposite of where you thought he was!  Probably my one problem with this book, was the presence of some seriously distracting spelling errors near the very end.  But this is an advance copy, so hopefully they are fixed in the final release.  Other than that, I absolutely loved it beyond all measure!  SO DYING FOR THE SEQUEL!  I NEEDS IT NOW!  The pulse-pounding action from start to finish was breath-taking!  In other words, pick this one up and be destroyed by the cliffhanger in the best way possible.  You'll fall in love!

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

*I received an ARC from the author and tour host for the purpose of this blog tour. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published March 14th, 2014.*

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I Am Not Breakable

Published: November 15th, 2011
Shatter Me
By: Tahereh Mafi
Harper Collins
ISBN-13: 9780062085481


Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

Review

   Juliette has been in jail for murder for almost a year.  She hasn't touched anyone since trying to help a little boy at the supermarket got him killed instead.  That was when Juliette learned that her touch is deadly to others.  Her parents have given up on her, she's given up on herself, but there is still someone who believes in her...Adam.  He is from her old life, the only one who was ever kind to her in an increasingly harsh world order (even though she never spoke to him at all).  But now he is a soldier for The Reestablishment, the new government that promises a better life in a world torn apart by war and evironmental devastation.  It turns out that Adam was placed in Juliette's cell as an undercover agent for Warner, a 19 year old soldier who wants to use Juliet to torture the Resistance and anyone else who gets in the Reestablishment's way.  Juliette and Adam must find a way to escape from the crushing influence of Warner and the evil he stands for, while trying to figure out why Adam is immune to Juliette.  Oh, it also throws a wrench in things when they start falling in love.  I enjoyed this book.  However, all the things I truly love about dystopian fiction were barely present in the plot as it was given.  Yes, the world is dying.  But that's about the amount of detail we really receive about the situation.  I don't mind that the story revolves around Juliette's unusual abilities and her struggle to control her own destiny.  I did mind the overwhelming and sickeningly sweet romance between Adam and Juliette.  It was too much of an insta-love connection.  Also, I couldn't get behind the passages with things crossed out.  It began to really annoy me at certain points.  Overall a decent book, just not what I was expecting.

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*

Free Fallin' Under the Sky

Published: January 3rd, 2012
Under the Never Sky
By: Veronica Rossi
Harper Collins
ISBN-13: 9780062072030


Since  she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Review

   Aria belongs to a society that is careful and structured by rules.  She and everyone else are part of a virtual reality that is far more appealing then the dismal state of real life.  All of that changes when she and her friends sneak into a forbidden area one night and one of the guys (the son of a prominent community member) decides to set it on fire.  Aria and the boy who caused the fire are the only ones left alive in the end.  His father decides to blame Aria for the whole thing and have her exiled from the society.  Now Aria is alone on the outside, desperately trying to find a way to contact her Mom, who is possibly in danger.   Peregrine 'Perry' is a Outsider, belonging to a tribe of people who do everything they can just to survive.  When his nephew is kidnapped, seemingly by his mistake, Perry is banished from the tribe by the bloodlord - his brother.  Trying to find a way to get his nephew back and return to the tribe, Perry thinks he's found the answer in Aria.  They work on a mutual understanding of her getting to her Mom and him getting his nephew back.  Somewhere between deadly storms, attacking cannibals and misunderstandings about each other love manages to creep in.  But will Aria and Perry be able to stay together when life seems to be tearing them apart?  I honestly enjoyed this book!  I loved that it was from third-person perspective and yet alternated between Aria and Perry's respective worlds.  The character development of both was realistic and heart-wrenching.  I really felt for both the characters as they tried to figure out themselves and the world around them.  Especially fun were the scenes with Perry's best friend Roar, who was something of a mischief maker.  This book has a lot of heart, a good natured sense of humor and some tuly meaningful scenes worth reading.  Glad I spent time with this book.

VERDICT:  4.25/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*

Eden, I Hardly Knew Ya.....

Expected Publication: January 10th, 2012
Revealing Eden (Save the Pearls #1)
By: Victoria Foyt
Sand Dollar Press, Inc.
ISBN-13: 9780983650324


Eden Newman must mate before her 18th birthday in six months or she'll be left outside to die in a burning world. But who will pick up her mate-option when she's cursed with white skin and a tragically low mate-rate of 15%? In a post-apocalyptic, totalitarian, underground world where class and beauty are defined by resistance to an overheated environment, Eden's coloring brands her as a member of the lowest class, a weak and ugly Pearl. If only she can mate with a dark-skinned Coal from the ruling class, she'll be safe. Just maybe one Coal sees the Real Eden and will be her salvation her co-worker Jamal has begun secretly dating her. But when Eden unwittingly compromises her father's secret biological experiment, she finds herself in the eye of a storm and thrown into the last area of rainforest, a strange and dangerous land. Eden must fight to save her father, who may be humanity's last hope, while standing up to a powerful beast-man she believes is her enemy, despite her overwhelming attraction. Eden must change to survive but only if she can redefine her ideas of beauty and of love, along with a little help from her "adopted aunt" Emily Dickinson.

Review

   Eden is only a few months away from her 18th birthday, which means certain death if she isn't mated.  Unless you contribute to society, it expels you from its bounds.  This is the harsh reality of her overheated evironment, which after a big meltdown only allows easy survival for those with skin that's heavily pigmented (a.k.a. dark).  Everyone has moved underground, and the Coals are in charge; to be a white-skinned Pearl is to be worse than garbage on the social ladder.  Eden and all of the other pearls wear dark coating on their skin to protect from the dangerous rays of light and to fit in better.  Eden's Mother died of the heat and she was left to take care of her oblivious, scientist Father who calls her 'Daught' rather than by her name.  When Eden compromises her Father's top-secret experiments by trusting the wrong person, they must go on the run.  The only one who goes with them is Ronson Bramford, their boss and a man who has been irrevocably altered by the experiments of Eden's Father.  Bramford has ended up becoming more jaguar than man in appearance, with only reason allowing him to stay human.  They escape into the desert and make camp within an indigenous community (they speak Spanish which is pretty awesome) who revere Bramford as a God, their awaited savior.  Can Eden find a way to trust a beast like him?  Will Bramford prove to be even more than a friend in the end and will they be forced to return by enemies who will not desist?  It was a unique story and I did like the way the plot progressed.  However, that said, I had issues with Eden who acted like an idiotic, spoiled brat for almost the entire book.  It was only once she'd come to terms with herself that I could stand her at all.  Bramford was extremely interesting and I loved the shocking revelations that come to light about his character and his past.  I did enjoy the end of the book and will read the next one most likely.  My only complaint is Eden't angsty, torturously slow character development.

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money was exchanged for this review. The expected publication date of this book is January 10th, 2012.*

The Plagues of Humanity

Published: September 1st, 2011
The Eleventh Plague
By: Jeff Hirsch
Scholastic Books
ISBN-13: 978-0545290142


The wars that followed The Collapse nearly destroyed civilization. Now, twenty years later, the world is faced with a choice—rebuild what was or make something new.

Stephen Quinn, a quiet and dutiful fifteen-year-old scavenger, travels Post-Collapse America with his Dad and stern ex-Marine Grandfather. They travel light. They keep to themselves. Nothing ever changes. But when his Grandfather passes suddenly and Stephen and his Dad decide to risk it all to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen's life is turned upside down. With his father terribly injured, Stephen is left alone to make his own choices for the first time.

Stephen’s choices lead him to Settler's Landing, a lost slice of the Pre-Collapse world where he encounters a seemingly benign world of barbecues, baseball games and days spent in a one-room schoolhouse. Distrustful of such tranquility, Stephen quickly falls in with Jenny Tan, the beautiful town outcast. As his relationship with Jenny grows it brings him into violent conflict with the leaders of Settler's Landing who are determined to remake the world they grew up in, no matter what the cost.

Review

   The USA has collapsed from an inevitable war with China, who released a plague that decimated its population.  Slavers roam the country, selling the people to the wealthy in other countries and salvagers/nomads are the average US citizen, fighting for survival.  Stephen has grown up fighting and being abused by his Grandfather, a harsh ex-miltary man, while his Father stood by and watched.  His mother has been dead for about five years and his world is survival with no fun or happiness.  Then Grandfather dies, leaving Stephen and his Father to fend for themselves.  Of course his Father tries to help a woman and child escape from the slavers, which ends up with him in a coma and Stephen alone.  Stephen is captured by people from Settler's Landing who believe he's a spy and they take him and his Father back to their town.  This is when things get really interesting.  I enjoyed this book on many levels.  Hirsch manages to paint a picture of a world ravaged by disease and war, that still resembles our own in a chilling way.  Jenny Tan is an interesting foil to Stephen because she has had a relaxed, relatively safe upbringing but longs for something she perceives to be more real.  He just wants to be able to quit worrying for awhile and live.  I also enjoyed the starkness of the language, that managed to give more than enough description for my brain to fold in upon itself.  This book was terrifying in a way The Hunger Games, because it gave a view into a very plausible outcome of our contries political dealings and world relations in general.  The ending was well written and fit the rest of the book very well.  I would recommend this to anyone who like dystopia, adventure and complex human interaction.

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores and online.*

A Girl Needs Her Beauty Rest

Published: 08/09/2011
A Long, Long Sleep
By: Anna Sheehan
Candlewick Press
ISBN-13: 978-0763652609


It should have been a short suspended-animation sleep. But this time Rose wakes up to find her past is long gone— and her future full of peril.
Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long gone, and Rose— hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire— is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes— or be left without any future at all (synopsis courtesy of Goodreads).

Review

       The world has been to Hell and back again.  War, plagues, you name it - all of it destroyed our world.  But we put it back together.  Rosalinda Samantha Fitzroy was asleep, in stasis for over sixty years and missed it all.  She is found by chance in the basement of the complex she lived in before being put into the stasis tube.  Bren kisses her and she wakes up into a stranger world and a life that is no longer really hers.  The company that was previously owned and run by her parents, UniCorp, is now her legal guardian and she is sent to live in her old apartment once she's released from the hospital with employees as stand-in parents.  That is when things really start to get strange.  A Plastine (robot assassin) is trying to kill her, she becomes friends with blue alien Otto who was bred by her company, and tries to figure out who she is and where she belongs without Xavier, the boy she loved who is now beyond her reach.  All of this while grappling with her budding feelings for Bren and dealing with the emotional abuse her parents inflicted on her by using stasis as a punishment, and trying to regain her artistic balance.  I have to say that I LOVED this book!  Rose was an extremely interesting character who always had something going on inside of her head and her heart.  Also, the descriptive language was wonderful.  This book truly has some surprising twists and turns, with a truly shocking ending that leaves you wanting more.  I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys light science-fiction, mixed with romance and a hint of dystopia.  I did not want to put this book down and neither will you!

VERDICT: 5/5  Stars

*No money was exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores and online.*