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My name is Ardis and I am an avid reader and budding writer. I want to share my love of books with others. I work with kids and am interested in finding and creating books that will ignite the reader in everyone. Contact me at: ardis.atkins@gmail.com

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Showing posts with label Dystopian YA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dystopian YA. Show all posts
Monday, August 15, 2022

ARC Review: The Timematician by Steven Bereznai

 


Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from Edelweiss and the author in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

“For any reader with a sense of humor and an appreciation for the glories of bone-deep geekiness, The Timematician is your book…the transparency of Doctor BT’s bravado is LOL funny and exquisitely painful; we are dying to know the backstory of a protagonist who demands the pronunciation of his laboratory be 'la’bore-ah:tore-ee' because 'What are we, Neanderthals? Respect the middle O!'”—IndieReader Reviews (5/5 rating)

A prequel/sequel to the award-winning bestseller, Generation Manifestation. Read The Timematician first, second, or all on its own. With his unique time abilities, Doctor BetterThan has all the power he needs to thrash pesky superheroes intent on thwarting him—and make them pay for decades of disrespect. “Triumphi!” Destroying the world solves everything. Until she comes along. On the cusp of total victory, fellow tech maniac Mairi Lin Monroe plays her surprising hand, and sparks fly as she and her cybernetic lady-matons threaten to transcend Doctor BetterThan’s grand plan. Can he achieve new depths of deceit to defeat her and be the last person standing? Can he become The Timematician? Or has he finally met his match?

Review:

I really enjoyed the the first book in Steven Breznai's Gen M series, Generation Manifestation.  Set in a dystopian world where some humans manifested into super humans, it had an interesting premise.  Would all super humans be super-heroes?  Or would they use their power to control others?  In that book, there was a side character, a nerdy-guy who was good with tech. who befriended the main character, Caitlin.  As the story ends, we find out that he is actually a time traveller who has gone back in time to help Caitlin.  This new novel, The Timematician, explores his backstory.  

I really wanted to like this book.  I felt sympathy with the guy in the first book.  He was a nerdy kid who was often overlooked by Caitlin, only to be the guy with the solutions when she had a problem.  However, The Timematician shows him to be a misogynistic incel who hates on women because they aren't attracted to him.  It's really a hard sell to feel any sympathy with him.

What I Hated:

Misogyny:

Usually, I start reviews with what I liked, but I want to get into the crux of the issue right away.  I didn't find the guy's behavior funny, or sympathetic, as was clearly the intent of the author.  There is nothing funny reading about a guy who calls women whores and speculates on how immoral they are, while he kills them.  It was disgusting to see the violence with which he focuses on killing Caitlin because she as turned him down.  

Also, he uses his "genius" to program a series of femme looking robots that he can order around.  They all also seem to resemble his mother???  Okaaay.  I think this was meant to be humorous, but I just found it deeply disturbing.

Story:

The story revolves around the rivalry between him and the one other genius-level person left on Earth who just happens to be a woman.  He is indigent over the possibility that a women could be smarter than him.  And sets out to kill her.  Of course.

I was rooting for the woman the whole time.

Rating:  ⭐⭐

Release Date:  August 2nd, 2022

Author:  Steven Bereznai

Publisher:  Jambor

Genre: Science Fiction

Page Length:  192 Pages

Source: Edelweiss

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  I know this was supposed to be a parody of science-fiction villains, but this story was so offensive, I just couldn't enjoy it.




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Tuesday, October 8, 2019

ARC Review: The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43263520-the-grace-year?ac=1&from_search=true
Please note:  I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Survive the year.

No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.

In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.

Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.

With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.

Review:
With the renewed interest in books such as The Handmaid's Tale, The Grace Year is an interesting mix of the Margaret Atwood classic and William Golding's Lord of the Flies.  This book started out strong, with a setting that was immediately interesting, strong characters, and a story that kept me guessing.  But the ending of this book didn't quite deliver.

What I Liked:
Setting:
I found the society that the book was set in to be intriguing and scary.  Men are so afraid of women having any power, they control every aspect of their lives.  They are constantly told they are full of evil magic, and are temptresses out to do harm to men.  There are rigid rules to follow, public punishments, and arranged marriages.  And there is a rage that is only between women (after they've gone through the Grace year), that we will understand as the story progresses.

Characters:
Tierney has never wanted to be married and has worked hard to make herself as unappealing to men as possible.  She has planned out her life to be placed as a field worker, rather than a wife.  But she soon learns that she, like all women in the book, cannot control her own destiny.

Although I thought Tierney was entirely too self-aware, I did like how she tried to take action so all the Grace Year girls would be better off.  She was a leader.

There were an assortment of other girls who were equally interesting, especially Gertie and Kiersten.  Gertie, is the one almost always a target of bullying.  She is meek, and shy, and doesn't protest when she is relentlessly taunted by her former best friend, Kiersten.  This book show an unfortunate side of human nature.  Bullies will rise, if not challenged.  Kiersten is the ultimate queen bee.  She has a charismatic personality that the other girls are drawn to.  But she uses her popularity to consolidate power, not to be a force of good.  Isn't it inevitable that Kiersten and Tierney will be mortal enemies?

Plot:
I loved the story.  What happens when teen girls are left isolated and must survive on their own?  Do the girls really possess magic or are they in an elaborate psychological experiment?  These were really fascinating to see played out in the story.


What I was Mixed About:
Narrative:
Based on the society that Tierney lived in,  I just don't think she would have had the self-awareness to be bothered by the oppression of the female characters.  As a reader in 2019, of course I was horrified by how the women were treated.  But I think Tierney would never had been such a trailblazer.  Or at least there would have been many other girls who had the same anger as she.

 This all boils down to the old saying, "show, not tell" that writers are given.  It is much more effective to show the oppression, and how it affects the characters, than it is to have Tierney give a running commentary about how wrong this all is.
 
Action Sequences:
There are several action sequences where Tierney is being chased by people.  This was exciting, but also confusing.  It was difficult to follow what was happening, as some reality was mixed with hallucinations (at least that is what seemed to be going on?).  I was even confused as to if certain people died or not.  I wish these scenes would have been more straight forward.

What I didn't Like:
Ending:
The ending left me very confused as to what actually happened.  As the girls are finally taken back to the village, there is a revelation that I didn't see coming (it would have helped if this had been more explicitly hinted at earlier in the book).  This revelation changes the trajectory of the main character and puts into doubt any actual changes that might happen due to Tierney's actions.  What was it all for?

 Remember when I complained that the author should show, not tell what is going on? Well, she apparently got the message at the very end.  The ending was so ambiguous, I really didn't understand what became of Tierney.  And that is a frustrating way to end a book.

 Rating: 




Release Date:  October 8th, 2019

 Author:  Kim Liggett

 Publisher:  Wednesday Books

 Genre:  YA Dystopian Thriller

 Page Length:  416 Pages

 Source:  NetGalley

 Format:  E-Book

 Recommendation:  If you liked Lord of the Flies, or other books exploring social experiments, you will find this book to be fascinating.  Even with the messy ending, I found this book to be compelling. 
 
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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Book Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13414446-prodigy

Synopsis (From GoodReads):
Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic's most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots - a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games?

Review:
Since starting my involvement in the book blogging universe, I have heard nothing but praise for writer, Marie Lu.  But, for reasons I cannot fathom, I had not picked up any of her novels until recently.  Now I can't seem to stop reading!

Prodigy is the second installment of the Legend series.  While it suffers, at times, from middle child syndrome, it goes further into the dystopian world the author has created.

What I Liked:
World Building:
In the first book, Legend,  we see a pretty detailed picture of The Republic.  It is in what used to be the western part of the United States.  In this book, we begin to see it in a larger context.

For much of the book, Day and June (our heroes) are on a journey to The Colonies, which is the part of America east of the Rockies.  Without giving too much away, I'll just say that it is a very different country from what they imagine.

They come in to that land with idealized notions that it must be better than the totalitarian society of The Republic.  But as they find out, freedom comes at a price.  There IS choice in The Colonies, but the government still has tight control over the population.  Sadly, I think the society of The Colonies is where the future of America might go, if we let it.

Characters:
Day and June can finally be together in this book, and it is delightful.  I have been rooting for these two since the first book, so it is a nice payoff to finally see them become a couple.  Of course, there will be almost insurmountable obstacles in their way, but at least they can be together for a while.

We also get to learn a lot more about Anden, the new leader of The Republic.  He is young and must prove himself in the wake of the death of his father, the old Elector (leader of the nation).  I enjoyed his character due to how complicated he was.  Part prince, part young man, he is trying to find a way to staunch a revolution, live up to his family's name, but somehow remain true to his own ideals.  He also is infatuated with June, which is lovely, and heartbreaking.

What I Didn't Like:
Slow Moving Story:
Much of the book is spent on the journey to find Day's brother, and then get to The Colonies.  They move, are nearly caught, and then they move a few steps more.  This pattern repeats itself again and again.    I wish there would have been more to the story, but it seems to be saving up material for the final novel.

Overall, I did enjoy this book very much.  This book was more character driven than Legend, which helped give the series more depth.  I just wish there could have perhaps been more about June's family, to balance out the story.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13414446-prodigy?from_search=true

https://www.amazon.com/Prodigy-Legend-Marie-Lu/dp/0142427551/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485733655&sr=8-1&keywords=marie+lu+prodigy

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/prodigy-marie-lu/1110380920?ean=9780142427552

https://www.bookdepository.com/Prodigy-Marie-Lu/9780141339573?ref=grid-view


Rating: 




Release Date:  January 29th, 2013

Genre:  YA Dystopian Fiction

Source:  Public Library

Format:  Audio Book

Recommendation:  A solid middle novel in the series.     
 
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