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Not a lot happens in the small town of Mount Pleasant, Utah.  Even on Homecoming night.  So, the very last thing Aubrey Parsons expects to encounter at her first high school dance is a team of soldiers intent on detaining all the teenagers.  With groups of adolescent terrorists causing havoc all over the country, Aubrey understands why she and her peers are being questioned.  And she totally gets why the government wants to know about kids like her—kids with a virus that gives them superhuman powers—but that doesn't mean she's going to go willingly.  Jack Cooper, an old friend of Aubrey's, has his own reasons for avoiding the round-up.  Working together, they hope to avoid capture.

As a "Positive," Alec Moore's using his new-found abilities to send a message to the government.  Along with his team of special teens, he travels the country destroying national landmarks and other key sites, showing everyone who's in charge now.  The government might think it can turn the super-teens into subservient soldiers, but as Alec's group is proving, that's a whole lot easier said than done.

When Aubrey and Jack meet Alec, they must decide which side of the conflict they're on and what that means for their increasingly uncertain futures.  

As unoriginal as Blackout—the first book in a new dystopian series by Robison Wells—is, it's still kind of tough to describe.  Plot-wise, there just isn't much.  And what is there sounds like every other novel in the YA sci-fi/dystopian section.  I can forgive a familiar plot if its coupled with a vibrant setting, intriguing characters or vivid prose, but I found none of that in Blackout.  What the novel does have is action.  Lots.  And while the intensity was enough to keep me reading, the story really didn't impress me otherwise.  In a word:  meh.  

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a bit of the Gone series by Michael Grant [Gone; Hunger; Lies; Plague; Fear; Light])

Grade:

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As a Watcher, 16-year-old Parker Chipp has the ability to walk through other people's dreams, unnoticed by the dreamer.  It's not a pick-and-choose kind of thing—he haunts the dreams of the last person he made eye contact with before he fell asleep.  Roaming through the night visions of strangers and friends—experiencing their fears, frustrations and unexpressed desires—might sound like a cool super power, but it's not.  Not really.  Parker hasn't enjoyed a decent sleep in four years and it's killing him.  Literally.  

Then, he meets Mia Greene, a foster kid who's staying with a local family.  Parker's stunned by what he finds in her dreams.  Inside her unconscious mind, he finds only peace and calm.  The sensations are so unfamiliar, so soothing, that he's able to sleep deeply for the first time in years.  Parker craves more rest, needs more to live.  The only problem?  He can't get it without Mia—and she thinks he's a crazy stalker.  

When Mia begins receiving threatening emails, her suspicion naturally falls on Parker.  The thing is, she may be right.  He's so desperate for more of the peace only she can give him that he'll do anything to get it.  Anything.  But is he the one scaring Mia?  Would he really do her harm?  As Parker's need for Mia becomes more desperate and all-consuming, he realizes he doesn't know himself at all.  How can he keep Mia safe—especially if he's the one from whom she needs to be protected?  

I've always found dreams fascinating, so I'm drawn to tales with premises like the one that drives Insomnia by J.R. Johansson.  Having read novels similar to this one, I was happy to discover some fresh elements in this debut novel.  As much as I appreciated these novelties, however, they didn't do enough to save this story from being confusing, unfocused, and melodramatic.  Poor character development and a flimsy plot just made things worse.  In the end, I liked the idea of this novel a whole lot more than the novel itself.  Bummer.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of the Wake trilogy [Wake; Fade; Gone] by Lisa McMann)  

Grade:

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(Note:  Although this review will not contain spoilers for Bang, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, Crash.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Now that things have gotten back to normal (whatever that is) for 16-year-old Jules Demarco, she should be happy.  Especially since her new normal includes being Sawyer Angotti's girlfriend.  He's the guy she's been dreaming about forever, the guy who helped her make sense of her terrifying visions and stop a deadly car crash.  So what if both the Demarcos and the Angottis are dead-set against their relationship?  Romeo and Juliet made it work.  Um, yeah.  

If only that were the only complication facing the new couple.  It's not. Not by a long shot.  Through some cruel twist of fate, Jules has passed her psycho vision-seeing powers on to Sawyer.  Now he's wracked with terrible glimpses of a shooting so horrific he can barely talk about it.  Jules knows there's only one way to make Sawyer's waking nightmares, which are reaching a fever pitch, go away—they have to use the clues in the visions to stop the tragedy from happening.  But making sense out of the confusing scenes isn't easy, especially when the constant examination of them is taking such a heavy toll on Sawyer's psyche.  Jules hates to torture the boy she loves, but if they don't solve the puzzle soon eleven people are going to die.  They can't let that happen.  They won't.  No matter what the cost.   

Lisa McMann knows how to write action-packed, addicting novels.  That's an undisputed truth.  Her skill's especially apparent, though, in her Visions series.  Crash kept me thoroughly engrossed and salivating for a sequel.  I'm happy to report that Bang does not disappoint.  Not at all.  It's just as compelling, just as exciting, just as pulse-pounding as its predecessor.  Jules' pitch-perfect voice makes the series all the more enjoyable, as she manages to be funny, endearing and sympathetic all at the same time.  Is it too early to start begging for another sequel?  I think not.

(Readalikes:  Crash by Lisa McMann; also her Wake series [Wake; Fade; Gone]; and a bit like The Body Finder series [The Body Finder; Desires of the Dead; The Last Echo; Dead Silence] by Kimberly Derting)

Grade: 

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(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for Light, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Gone novels.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

More than a year has passed since everyone over the age of 14 vanished from Perdido Beach, California.  Those left behind, residents of a domed area dubbed the FAYZ, have learned to fend for themselves—and not just for food, water and shelter.  They've had to battle a deadly plague; giant, bloodthirsty worms; feral coyotes; and, worst of all, each other.  While some have used their strange new superpowers to do good, others have caused only destruction.  Chaos is what The Gaiaphage—a horrifying, control-hungry monster—wants and that's exactly what it's getting.  Now that the dome has turned opaque, spectators can see what's happening in the FAYZ.  They're outraged, not just because there are children trapped inside, but because of what those children have become.

Despite the news helicopters buzzing around outside the dome, the fast food signs glowing in the night, and the hundreds of people gathered to peer inside, nothing much has changed in the FAYZ.  Sam's group is hunkered down at the lake; Cain and his cronies rule the town; Astrid's autistic brother, Little Pete, is MIA; and Diana's stuck with the psycho baby that emerged from her own womb.  Gaia's gaining strength by the hour.  She's bent only on destruction—of her nemesis, Little Pete; of the FAYZ and everyone in it; and of the world beyond.  Fighting Gaia is impossible.  The kids can't survive against her mighty power, especially if they can't learn to stand together.  Even if they do, even with their strongest mutants on the front lines, even then, there's a good chance none of them will make it out of the FAYZ alive.  And yet, Sam refuses to go down without a fight.  Can Sam and his friends foil the Gaiaphage and save the world or will their efforts all be in vain?

Call me a sadist, but I'm sad to see the FAYZ end.  It was inevitable, of course, and truly, I'm impressed at how Michael Grant was able to up the ante in each of the books until, finally, bringing the series to a dramatic, yet satisfying, conclusion.  I've enjoyed all the novels and Light is no exception.  It's got all the action, drama, suspense, and even humor that I expect from these books.  And while I didn't absolutely love the ending, it felt right.  

(Readalikes:  Other books in the Gone series [Gone; Hunger; Lies; Plague; Fear] by Michael Grant; as well as other YA dystopian novels)

Grade:  B

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), violence/gore, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

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When 20-year-old Michael Shipman wakes up in a hospital bed, he's confused.  He can't remember where he's been for the last two weeks or why he now needs medical care.  Vague images of an empty, hollow city are the only memories swimming through his muddled mind.  Michael has no idea what happened to him, but he knows who's responsible—Them.  Of course, the doctors don't believe in Them.  They might even be Them.  He can't trust his medical team any more than he can trust anyone.  His best bet is to convince the doctors he's healthy and get the heck out of Dodge.

But, Michael's not going anywhere.  Especially not after the authorities name him as a suspect in a string of grisly murders in the Chicago area.  Michael can't remember killing anyone, but then, he can't remember not killing anyone either.  The voices in his head say he couldn't have harmed another person.  They say lots of things, not all of which are real.  In fact, the longer he stays in the mental hospital to which he's now confined, the less anything makes sense at all.

In his heart, Michael knows he's not a killer.  And yet, he's pretty sure his alarm clock will attack him if he doesn't keep it covered.  What is real?  What's only true in his head?  In order to save himself, Michael must figure it out before he's condemned to a lifetime of incarceration in a mental hospital—or worse.

The Hollow City, the newest adult novel by horror writer Dan Wells, is a riveting mind-twister.  I don't want to spoil it by saying too much, so I'll just tell you that I loved this entertaining psychological/supernatural thriller.  To me, it's more compelling, more entertaining, and a whole lot less gruesome than Wells' John Cleaver series.  I may be in the minority here, but I really think The Hollow City is Wells' best novel to date.   It's my favorite, anyway.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Dan Wells' John Cleaver series [I Am Not A Serial Killer; Mr. Monster; I Don't Want to Kill You] and a teensy bit of Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson)

Grade:  B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs), violence/gore and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Hollow City from the generous folks at Tor/Forge.  Thank you!

**Don't forget that you can win yourself a copy of this excellent psychological/supernatural thriller.  Click here to enter the giveaway.  It ends on August 15th, so don't delay!