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Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Pages: 374
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub Date: October 9th, 2009
Source: The Book Divas
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If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.Everything is going to change.Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.Remember. Survive. Run.
Title: Legend
Author: Marie Lu
Pages: 304
Pub Date: November 29th, 2014
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Source: Bought
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What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem. From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
Title: The Revealed
Author: Jessica Hickam
Pages: 314
Publisher: Spark Press
Pub Date: June 17th, 2014
Source: Netgalley
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Lily Atwood lives in what used to be called Washington, D.C. Her father is one of the most powerful men in the world, having been a vital part of rebuilding and reuniting humanity after the war that killed over five billion people. Now he’s running to be one of its leaders.
But in the rediscovered peace on Earth, a new enemy has risen. They call themselves the Revealed – a powerful underground organization that has been kidnapping 18 year olds across the globe without reservation. No one knows why they are kidnapping these teens, but it’s clear something is different about these people. They can set fires with a snap of their fingers and create a wind strong enough to barrel over a tree with a flick of their wrist. No one has been able to stop them, and they have targeted Lily as their next victim.
But Lily has waited too long to break free from her father’s shadow to let some rebel organization just ruin everything. Not without a fight.
Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick is one of the world's last free girls. When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race. Her parents do everything possible to keep her from their clutches-- moving from one desolate farm after another to escape the Breeders' long reach. The Breeders control everything- the local war lords, the remaining factories, the fuel. They have unchecked power in this lawless society. And they're hunting Riley.
When the local Sheriff abducts the adult members of her family and hands her mother over to the Breeders, Riley and her eight-year-old brother, Ethan, hiding in a shelter, are left to starve. Then Clay arrives, the handsome gunslinger who seems determined to help to make up for past sins. The problem is Clay thinks Riley is a bender-- a genderless mutation, neither male nor female. As Riley's affection for Clay grows she wonders can she trust Clay with her secret and risk her freedom?
The three embark on a journey across the scarred remains of New Mexico-- escaping the Riders who use human sacrifice to appease their Good Mother, various men scrambling for luck, and a deranged lone survivor of a plague. When Riley is shot and forced into the Breeder's hospital, she learns the horrible fate of her mother—a fate she'll share unless she can find a way out
My rating: 3 stars
My review:
Breeders is a story about a young girl living in a futuristic America, due to a chemical the ability to bear females was lost by the population. I picked it up because I love Dystopian books, and it looked promising.
When Riley's home is ambushed by the law, her mother is taken to the breeders and she is desperate to find a way to get her mother back. With the help of her "enemy" a young boy named Clay, she sets out to get her mother back, This book is suspensful and has a great concept although I am not "wowed" by the presentation.
Here are a few reasons why, and they contain very little spoilers.
1. The actual premises to this world is not told until nearly halfway through the book. This leaves the reader wondering what the heck is going on during the first part of the book. It is confusing.
2. The character descriptions are vague. For example, her younger brother’s age is not told until towards the end. I was wondering the entire book how old he is. Is he 7 or 5 or is he older around 10? He is only stated as her younger brother. For a young child, knowing his age is crucial. Looks are also lightly touched on.
3. The world doesn't feel believable. The book states that by the time the government figured out what was going on, at the next census, it was too late and the damage had already been done. One census is not long enough to cause irreversible damage and what about the rest of the world? It never tells about if they were affected as well, but the book leads us to believe that they aren't. Can we not rebuild with other countries? We can pick baby gender right now, though it is done in a lab, why can this not be done in the book?
Though the concept sounds great, in reality, I don't think the breeding issues were well explained or thought out.
4. Riley acts like a 10 year old. Though the writer is trying to make her out to be this strong heroine, she doesn't play out the role well on paper. She complains, whines, and makes terrible decisions that ultimately cause problems. She even throws things in the face of the boy who is helping her, Clay. She is quite immature and rude about it, and growing up in such a harsh world and reality, I don't understand why this character isn't more mature.
6. When they are rescued from the Breeders, they wait until they get to their destination before they take out her tracking device in the back of her neck, in what world does this happen? So they can track you all the way to where you are staying and then come get you? No way, that should have been the first thing to go.
There were other things that made no sense and were very irritating, but overall. I finished the book, it was a good storyline, the writing could be clearer and the characters could be better developed. I don’t think I am going to be reading book two, but a nice little read nonetheless. Click the link below to buy from amazon
The Breeders (The Breeders Series (Young Adult Dystopian))
