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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])

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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)  

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So, I'm still trying to figure out how I missed the fact that Bethany Wiggins wrote another book (actually, two).  I enjoyed her debut, Shifting, then somehow lost track of her.  When I discovered Stung, the first installment in her YA dystopian series, I was shocked.  As far as I can tell, the novel's received very little buzz.  Which is a crying shame, since it's a taut, well-crafted post-apocalyptic thriller.  Original?  Well, okay, it's kind of the same ole, same ole plot-wise, but still, it's better written than many of its contemporaries.  

The publisher's plot summary describes the book well—and in one concise, compelling paragraph, no less:

Fiona doesn't remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered-her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right wrist-a black oval with five marks on either side-that she doesn't remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. And she's right. When the honeybee population collapsed, a worldwide pandemic occurred and the government tried to bio-engineer a cure. Only the solution was deadlier than the original problem-the vaccination turned people into ferocious, deadly beasts who were branded as a warning to un-vaccinated survivors. Key people needed to rebuild society are protected from disease and beasts inside a fortress-like wall. But Fiona has awakened branded, alone-and on the wrong side of the wall . . .

I love the whole Sleeping Beauty aspect of this novel.  It brings a new spin to an overly-familiar storyline, while introducing the reader to the rules of Fiona's dystopian world in a way that feels both natural and suspenseful.  Fi's a sympathetic character, one who's easy to relate to and root for.  As you can imagine, Stung offers plenty of action, intensity, and zombie gore.  A bit of romance, too.  Overall, it's a fast-paced, engrossing tale that stands out from its peers (at least for me) because of its tight prose, interesting characters and heart-pounding action.  So what if Stung's nothing we haven't seen before?  I enjoyed it.  A lot.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Ashes and Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick; Ashfall and Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin; and, of course, its sequel, Cured by Bethany Wiggins)

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