(Image from Barnes & Noble)

You know how it is when you're sorta reluctant to read a book, then someone whose opinion you trust totally raves about it, so you read it and fall head over heels in love and then you feel dumb for your initial hesitation?  Yeah?  Well, that's exactly what happened with Cinder by Marissa Meyer.  The ARC sat on my shelf for over a year before I wised up and (with a gentle nudge from Sarah over at Sarah's YA Blog ) gave it a try.  Turns out, it offers everything I've ever wanted in a novel—an inventive plot, compelling characters, solid writing, and strong voice.  Not surprisingly, I adored it.  

The story takes place in the not-too-distant future in the crowded city of New Beijing.  Here, as in other parts of the world, humans and androids live and work side-by-side.  Sixteen-year-old Linh Cinder is neither human nor robot, but a cyborg.  Her mixed composition makes her an outcast, a second-class citizen.  Even at home with her step family, Cinder's treated like a servant.  The only place she feels comfortable is in the marketplace, where she spends her days fixing broken 'bots.  Her stepmother keeps 100% of the profits from Cinder's popular market stall, but at least Cinder's allowed to spend most of her time away from home. That small freedom makes the long hours of work worth it. 

A vicious plague is sweeping through the land and a cunning lunar queen watches with interest from the moon, waiting for just the right moment to attack.  Despite the tumult, Cinder's life goes on as always—until a handsome prince stops by her booth.  Cinder's shocked to her core to meet the gorgeous king-to-be.  She's even more surprised when he treats her like an actual human and not just any human, but one he wants to know better.  There's only one problem—Prince Kai doesn't know Cinder's a cyborg.  If he did, he wouldn't be talking to her, let alone inviting her to the royal ball.  

Cinder knows better than to trust this fairy tale turn in her life.  She vows to put all thoughts of Kai out of her cyborg brain, a feat which turns out to be much more difficult than she ever imagined.  Especially when she's recruited to be a guinea pig for the king's royal scientists, who are desperately searching for a cure to the plague that's decimating what remains of the human race.  As the citizens of New Beijing prepare themselves for annihilation—either by pestilence or war—one of them makes the startling realization that she's their secret weapon.  Will Cinder sacrifice her meaningless cyborg life to save the people who have always scorned her?  Can she come clean about who she really is if it means losing the man she loves?  And, most importantly, what will happen when she discovers the alarming truth about her mysterious past?  

I know, right?  Not only does the premise sound intriguing, it is intriguing.  Meyer does everything right in her debut novel, the first in a quartet of "rebooted" fairy tales that tell the story of Cinder's struggle to find her place in a panicked, dying world.  Our heroine is entirely sympathetic, mostly because she doesn't whine about her situation, but endures it with grace and fortitude.  Still, she's no simpering Disney Cinderella—she's strong and funny, a kick-A heroine if I ever saw one.  Although Cinder's story mirrors the classic fairy tale, it's got so much more to offer than the original.  An exciting blend of dystopian, sci-fi, romance and adventure, Cinder should not be missed.  Just see if you don't agree—Happily Ever After has never been this exciting.      

(Readalikes:  I'm sure there are other clever Cinderella retellings, but I can't think of any.  Besides Scarlet, Cinder's sequel, I'm drawing a blank here.  Help?)

Grade:  A

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for mild language, violence and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Cinder from the generous folks at Feiwel and Friends (an imprint of Macmillan).  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

I must be tired because, for the life of me, I can't write a coherent plot summary for Breathe, a new YA dystopian by Sarah Crossan.  How 'bout if I cheat a little?  All in favor, say "Aye!"  Look at that—a unanimous vote.  Sweet.  Here you go:

Inhale.  Exhale.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe ...

The world is dead.

The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-–rich air.

Alina has been stealing for a long time. She's a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she's never been caught before. If she's careful, it'll be easy. If she's careful.

Quinn should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it's also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn't every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.

Bea wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they'd planned a trip together, the two of them, and she'd hoped he'd discover her out here, not another girl.

And as they walk into the Outlands with two days' worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

Although the premise isn't anything we've never seen before, Breathe at least delivers with some solid writing.  Not exceptional writing, but decent enough that I didn't spend the whole book wanting to claw my eyeballs out.  The story's also pretty action-packed, which helps to move its not-so-original plot forward.  So, while Breathe never really surprised me or made me swoon, it definitely kept me entertained.  I'd recommend it to YA dystopian lovers who don't mind reading the same ole same ole.    

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a little of Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi)

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for language (no F-bombs) and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Breathe from the generous folks at Harper Collins.  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Lanesha can see ghosts.  It's an ability the 12-year-old has had since the day she was born.  Her guardian, an 82-year-old midwife named Mama Ya-Ya, attributes Lanesha's "sight" to the unusual circumstances of her birth.  Lanesha figures it's because her entrance into the world caused her mother's exit.  Now, she can see not just the ghost of her mother, but also those of the other unsettled spirits who walk the streets of New Orleans.  The apparitions don't scare Lanesha—they're just there, gazing at her with confusion in their blank, empty eyes.  Still, she's learned not to mention the ghosts to other people.  She gets mocked enough as it is.

Mama Ya-Ya also has The Sight.  As Hurricane Katrina gathers strength, preparing to bear down on New Orleans, she's beset by visions of destruction and death.  Lanesha's frightened by Mama Ya-Ya's predictions, but what can she do?  She has no money, no place to go.  Even if she could convince Mama Ya-Ya to evacuate, the elderly woman wouldn't last long in the overcrowded Superdome.  The only solution is to prepare for the monster storm as best she can and pray that Katrina will have mercy on their poor souls.

As the hurricane blows and the levees break, drowning her home in foul floodwater, Lanesha will be in for the fight of her life.  It's up to one terrified girl to save not just herself, but also her frail guardian.  In Ninth Ward, one of the areas most devastated by Katrina's brutality, the indomitable Lanesha will experience terror, sorrow, and ultimately, the will to go on in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

Ninth Ward, a new middle grade book by adult author Jewell Parker Rhodes, captures the horror unleashed by Hurricane Katrina in a vivid, atmospheric story that will haunt readers long after they finish reading it.  Lanesha's a wholly sympathetic character, one who earned not just my pity, but my admiration.  I rooted for her from the first page of her harrowing story to the last.  And she did not disappoint.  Although the ending of Ninth Ward isn't as happy as I wanted it to be (all too realistic, unfortunately), I found the tale as a whole to be an engrossing, inspiring and very fitting tribute to all the people who defied Katrina by resisting, rebuilding and restoring hope to a devastated city ironically called The Big Easy.

(Readalikes:  Although I haven't finished Salvage the Bones, a gritty YA novel by Jesmyn Ward, it's similar [in subject matter, anyway] to Ninth Ward.)

Grade:  B

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for scary images/scenes of peril


To the FTC, with love:  I borrowed a finished copy of Ninth Ward from the library at my children's elementary school as part of my volunteer work with the school's reading program.  

(Image from author's official website)

When a Navy SEAL battling PTSD kidnaps his former squad mate, Detective Claire Michaels insists on handling the hostage negotiations.  Her brother died while fighting in Afghanistan—she won't let more soldiers die.  Not on her turf.  What Claire doesn't realize is how much more complex the situation is than it seems.  One of Osama bin Laden's top dogs is behind the kidnapping and he's as deranged as his late boss. It's not just the soldiers that need saving, but the entire country.  If Claire and her team can't catch the maniacal terrorist before it's too late, there's no telling what could happen.  

Rafe Kelly never expected to run into his old enemy, Bez Ruhallah, in his hometown of Hartford, Connecticut.  But it's happened and, now, the madman has Rafe's brother hidden away in some unknown corner of Afghanistan.  If Rafe doesn't bring a secret encryption key to Bez Ruhallah in three days, his brother will die.  And the country he's worked so hard to protect will, once again, be vulnerable to attack by a power-hungry al-Qaeda operative.  Rafe doesn't want to involve Claire—who's obviously dealing with her own issues—in such a dangerous mission, but he's not sure who else he can trust.  Can he and the pretty detective really match wits with a man like Bez Ruhallah?  Or will they, along with Rafe's brother and every other American, become victims of the terrorist's wrath? 

I should make it clear right up front that romantic suspense really isn't my thing.  Outside of Whitney Award judging, I don't read it.  At all.  But, when Lexi over at The Book Bug offered a copy of Julie Coulter Bellon's new novel, All Fall Down, for review, I wavered.  The novel's plot sounded engrossing enough to keep me interested.  And it was, more or less.  Enough bombs exploded throughout the novel that I never really got bored.  Still, the characters never developed into anything more than empty cliches, the plot seemed very far-fetched, the insta-love romance bugged, and the poor copyediting kept pulling me out of the story.  The writing itself was better than I expected it to be, but considering all my other issues with the book, I just couldn't give All Fall Down anything higher than a C.  It's entertaining, sure, I just wanted more substance, more polish, more development.  Since I say this exact thing every time I read a book of this kind, I should probably face the facts—romantic suspense is not my genre.  Never has been, never will be.  Lesson learned.   

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other romantic suspense novels by LDS authors, although no specific titles are coming to mind.)

Grade:  C

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for violence and mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of All Fall Down from Julie Coulter Bellon via Latter Day Books Blog Tours.