Book Review: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Pros: compelling writing, brilliant characterization, minor romance elements, stand-alone story

Cons: close calls start to feel contrived, ending feels abrupt 

For Parents: some violence (murder, torture), no swearing, off screen sex

When Em finds the note in the drain of her prison cell, she knows she and Finn have travelled back in time 14 times, and that they've failed in their objective to save the future.  There's only one course of action left to them, to kill the man who made time travel possible, their former best friend and the man Em used to love.

This book was VERY hard to put down.  The characters feel real, their emotions felt true to life but without the overarching angst that sometimes makes YA hard for adults to enjoy.  Marina has complex relationships with everyone in her life.  She's afraid her best female friends only like her because they want to get closer to James.  Her parents are having trouble in their marriage, using her as a go-between.  She loves James but isn't sure he feels the same way.  And she's jealous of how close Finn and James have become, and so treats Finn badly, even if he doesn't always deserve it.

It's the first YA novel I've read that captured how conflicted I felt as a teen, so I really connected with Marina's character.

Em and Finn - the future versions - are equally complicated characters, having to make a tough decision knowing the pain it will bring their younger selves.

The two guys, one girl, formula sounds familiar but Terrill does great things with it.  Marina loves James and dislikes Finn.  Finn likes Marina, but recognizes that she doesn't like him back, which makes him snarky and bitter towards her at times.  And James... well, it's unclear what he feels.  Even their older selves have a unique dynamic.

Though I felt that Em's compunctions about killing her former crush were realistic, I started to feel the scenes involving close calls with him became contrived towards the middle of the book.  The last quarter of the book shook things up again, which I really liked.

There's little told about the dystopian future the teens are from or the science involved with time travel, so if that's what you're looking for, look elsewhere.

The ending felt abrupt, but on further reflection - and rereading some scenes - I realized that it fit what the author said about time travel.  This is a great book to reread, as you pick up all sorts of details you miss - especially in the first few chapters - the first time through.  

Finally, it's great to read a YA dystopian novel and have it stand on its own.  I highly recommend this one.

Note: The author's done a series of prequel videos, which you can find on her website.  Note, these take place in the future with Em and Finn being tortured in prison before the start of the novel.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Coming in October 2013

There might be more errors/omissions than usual this list as Amazon's SF/F listing wouldn't go far enough back for me to do this the way I normally do.  Instead, I had to go through SF and fantasy separately.  I also added the YA category back in.  I noticed some kids books creeping into the list, which I then deleted, but be aware that there might be some kids books.  Oh, and I used the US page (which, come to think of it, might be why I had trouble) rather than the Canadian one.  So these reflect the US release dates.  As always, release dates are subject to change.  If you spot a mistake, please tell me in the comments and I'll correct it.

Hardcover:

Balfour and Meriweather in The Incident of the Harrowmoor Dogs – Daniel Abraham

Esrever Doom – Piers Anthony

Allegiance – Beth Bernobich

Behind the Sofa: Celebrity Memories of Doctor Who – Steve Berry, Ed.

Dark Talisman – Steven Booth

The Necromancer's House – Christopher Buehlman

Star Trek: The Stardate Collection, Vol 1 – John Byrne, Patrick Zircher, Greg Adams & Josep Maria Beroy

Autumn Bones – Jacqueline Carey

Copperhead – Tina Connolly

Memory of the Trees – F. G. Cottam

Childless – James Dobson & Kurt Bruner

The Last Dark – Stephen Donaldson

1636: The Devil's Opera – Eric Flint & David Carrico

The Power of Twelve – William Gladstone

Parasite – Mira Grant

After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse – Charlaine Harris & Lisa Desimini

Doctor Who The Vault: Treasures from the First 50 Years – Marcus Hearn

Johannes Cabal: The Fear Instituted – Jonathan Howard

The Cusanus Game – Wolfgang Jeschke

Fiendish Schemes – K. W. Jeter

Dead Set – Richard Kadrey

Day One – Nate Kenyon

Bastion – Mercedes Lackey

Love in the Time of Metal and Flesh – Jay Lake

The Last Man Standing – David Longo 

The Republic of Thieves – Scott Lynch

Old Mars – George Martin & Gardner Dozois, Ed.

Summer's End – Lisa Morton

Pachyderme – Frederik Peeters

The Wolves of Midwinter – Anne Rice

The Heavens Rise – Christopher Rice

Path of Anger – Antoine Rouaud

Veil of the Deserters – Jeff Salyards

The Estate – Craig Saunders

The Violent Century – Lavie Tidhar

The End of Love – Marcos Girald Torrente & Katherine Silver

Luminous Chaos – Jean-Christophe Valtat & Mahendra Singh

The Bounty Hunter Code: From the Files of Boba Fett – Daniel Wallace, Ryder Windham & Jason Fry

Trade Paperback:

Escaping Home – A. American

Tesseracts Seventeen – Colleen Anderson & Steve Vernon, Ed.

Rage's Echo – J. S. Bailey

In the Company of Thieves – Kage Baker

The Obsidian Heart – Mark Barnes

Tomorrowland – Joseph Bates

Steal the Day – Lexi Blake

Katabasis – Joseph Brassey, Cooper Moo, Mark Teppo & Angus Trim

Coins of Chaos – Jennifer Brozek

Light – Nathan Burgoine

The Demon Abraxas – Rachel Calish

Dreams and Shadows – C. Robert Cargill

Cold Blooded – Amanda Carlson

Iron Guard – Mark Clapham

The Wasteland Saga: Old Man and the Wasteland, The Savage Boy, and The Road is a River – Nick Cole

The Diamond Deep – Brenda Cooper

The Law of Superheroes – James Daily & Ryan Davidson

A Dance of Cloaks – David Dalglish

In Space No One Can Hear You Scream – Hank Davis

Knights Templar: A Secret History – Graeme Davis

The Night Eternal – Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan

Tales of the Wold Newton Universe – Philip Jose Farmer

Man in the Empty Suit – Sean Ferrell

The Science of Herself – Karen Joy Fowler

Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales – Paula Guran, Ed.

Gotrek & Felix: City of the Damned – David Guymer

His Sacred Bones – Ginn Hale

Theodore Savage – Cicely Hamilton

Lighthouse Island – Paulette Jiles

Child of Time – Bob Johnson

Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth – Stephen Jones, Ed.

Dying is my Business – Nicholas Kaufmann

Trollslayer – William King

Scarecrow Has a Gun – M. P. Kozlowsky

Warhammer 40K: Salamanders Omnibus – Nick Kyme

Autodrome – Kim Lakin-Smith

A Sojourn of Sorts – Douglas LeBlanc

Ancillary Justice – Ann Leckie

Lucia's Masks – Wendy MacIntyre

Fire Logic – Laurie Marks

Layman's Report – Eugene Marten

The Book of Ash – John McCaffrey

Red Hill – Jamie McGuire

Things Withered – Susie Moloney 

Dead North: Canadian Zombie Fiction – Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Ed.

Rogue Calls / Carbon Harbour – Garry Thomas Morse

The Quorum – Kim Newman

Robert Asprin's Dragon's Run – Jody Lynn Nye

Kabu Kabu – Nnedi Okorafor

Saving Morgan – M. B. Panichi

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm – Philip Pullman

The Educated Ape and Other Wonders of the World – Robert Rankin

The Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs – Mike Resnick & Robert Garcia, Ed.

Jack Glass – Adam Roberts

Heartwood – Freya Robertson

Omega – Jeremy Robinson & Kane Gilmour

Was – Geoff Ryman

Children of the Uprising – Trevor Shane

The Man Who Rained – Ali Shaw

Waking up Dead – Emma Shortt

E. E. 'Doc' Smith, SF Gateway Omnibus: The Skylark of Space, Skylark Three, Skylark of Valeron, Skylark Duquesne – E. E. Smith

Magellania – Jules Verne

The Palace Job – Patrick Weekes

Doctor Who: Summer Falls and Other Stories – Amelia Williams, Melody Malone & Justin Richards

Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture – Ytasha Womack

Flatland: The Early Days – Frannie Zellman

Mass Market Paperback:

Battleground – Terry Adams

Bronze Gods – A. A. Aguirre

Luck of the Draw – Piers Anthony

Kiss the Night Goodbye – Keri Arthur

The Beautiful Land – Alan Averill

Dream London – Tony Ballantyne

Bronze Summer – Stephen Baxter

The Lost Stars – Jack Campbell

Dark Currents – Jacqueline Carey

Rising Sun – Robert Conroy

King Breaker – Rowena Cory Daniells

Spellbound – Sylvia Day

Abyss Deep – Ian Douglas

Dragon Age: The Calling – David Gaider

Star Wars: Ewocks: Shadows of Endor – Zack Giallongo & Dave Marshall

Cursed – S. J. Harper

Ever After – Kim Harrison

Black Heart – Christina Henry

Herbmaster of Tarodash – Colin Hollis

A Study in Darkness – Emma Jane Holloway

Hellhound – Nancy Holzner

Darkship Renegades – Sarah Hoyt

The Scribe – Elizabeth Hunter

Star Wars: Annihilation – Drew Karpyshyn

Star Wars: The Clone Assassin – Steven Kent

The Clone Rebellion – Steven Kent

Redoubt – Mercedes Lackey

V-Wars – Jonathan Maberry, Ed.

Star Trek: A Ceremony of Losses – David Mack

The Disappearances – Gemma Malley

The Cassandra Project – Jack McDevitt & Mike Resnick

My Lady Quicksilver – Bec McMaster

Tour of the Merrimack – R. M. Meluch

Imager's Battalion – L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

Merge / Disciple – Walter Mosley

All is Fair – Emma Newman

Accidentally in Love With... A God? – Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Firebrand – Gillian Philip

Death and Mr. Right – Kendra Saunders

Kris Longknife: Defender – Mike Shepherd

Prince Rescue Me's Ride to Ruin – Lynne Tapper

Ecko Burning – Danie Ware

Ebook:

Vampire Games – Tiffany Allee

Redemption – C. J. Barry

The Dark Age of Apollos – Paul Moses Burrow, Jr.

Trancehack – Sonya Clark

Realm Walker – Kathleen Collins

Secret Unleashed – Sierra Dean

The Mountain's Shadow – Cecilia Dominic

Blood of an Ancient – Rinda Elliott

Paint it Black – John Hartness

Pushing Luck – Elliott James

Taste of Passion – Renae Jones

Rogue's Possession – Jeffe Kennedy

Agamemnon Frost and the Crown of Towers – Kim Knox

Nightlife – Matthew Quinn Martin

Wicked Misery – Tracey Martin

Battle Scars – Sheryl Nantus

Death Bringer – Kate Pearce

Whatever Happened to Billy Parks – Gareth Roberts

Undead Chaos – Joshua Roots

Redemption – Stephanie Tyler

Disenchanted & Co pt2: His Lordship Possessed – Lynn Viehl

Y. A. Fiction

Horde – Ann Aguirre

Altered – Gennifer Albin

Crewel – Gennifer Albin

Skulk – Rosie Best

Sorrow's Knot – Erin Bow

The Never Fade – Alexandra Bracken

Martyr's Fire – Sigmund Brouwer

Evanescent – Andria Buchanan

Entangled – Amy Rose Capetta

The Crimson Crown – Cinda Williams Chima

The Shadowhunter's Codex – Cassandra Clare & Joshua Lewis

Endless Knight – Kresley Cole

One Crow Alone – S. D. Crockett

The Eye of Minds – James Dashner

The King's Assassin – Stephen Deas

The Company of Ghosts – Berlie Doherty

Arthur Quinn & Hell's Keeper – Alan Early

The Lethal Target – Jim Eldridge

The Owling – Robert Elmer

Fearsome Dreamer – Laurie Eve

Starlight Grey – Liz Flanagan & Valeria Docampo

Beautiful Redemption – Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Venus Angel – Susan Gates

Dragonfly – Julia Golding

Blythewood – Carol Goodman

The Dollhouse Asylum – Mary Gray

Slayers – C. J. Hill

Waterfell – Amalie Howard

Skyship Academy: Strikeforce – Nick James

Romeo Redeemed – Stacey Jay

Death and the Girl He Loves – Darynda Jones

The Iron Traitor – Julie Kagawa

The Brokenhearted – Amelia Kahaney

Teardrop – Lauren Kate

No Angel – Helen Keeble

Blinded by the Light – Joe Kipling

Hero – Alethea Kontis

Pull Down the Night – Nathan Kotecki

Flutter – Gina Linko

Backward Glass – David Lomax

Jet Black and the Ninja Wind – Leza Lowitz & Shogo Oketani

The Princess in the Opal Mask – Jenny Lundquist

Desert Tales – Melissa Marr

Rags & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales – Melissa Marr & Tim Pratt, Ed.

Scarlet in the Snow – Sophie Masson

Necromancing the Stone – Lish McBride

The Indigo Spell – Rachelle Mead

Midnight City – J. Barton Mitchell

Allure – Lea Nolan

The Field – Tracy Richardson

Grail of Stars – Katherine Roberts

Tainted – A. E. Rought

The Invisible Kingdom – Rob Ryan

Endless – Jessica Shirvington

Unsouled – Neal Shusterman

Renegade – J. A. Souders

Shadowlark – Meagan Spooner

Blood Bound – Keshia Swaim

Phantom Eyes – Scott Tracey

Merlin's Shadow – Robert Treskillard

Second Verse – Jennifer Walkup

Treecat Wars – David Weber & Jane Lindskold

Black Out – Robison Wells

The Other Book – Philip Womack

Rebel Heart – Moira Young

Publisher Spotlight: Flux

There are so many presses now it's hard to remember which ones I do and don't know.  I thought this was new, until I did a bit of research on them and discovered I have a few of their books on my shelf, namely Maggie Stiefvater's Lament and Ballad.  I've heard about some of their other books, including Shadow Walkers, which I've included below.  They've got some great cover art.  

So what kind of publisher is Flux?  From their website: 

Flux is an imprint dedicated to fiction for teens, where young adult is a point of view, not a reading level. You won't find condescension or simplification here. You will find comedy, tragedy, ecstasy, pain, discovery - everything you're likely to find in real life. Welcome to Flux...now.

Their website has category searches for SF, F, Romance, General Fiction, Social Issues and also the gender of the protagonist, which is interesting.

Here's a sample of what they publish:

Insomnia by J. R. Johansson

Her eyes saved his life. Her dreams released his darkness.

After four years of sleeplessness, high school junior Parker Chipp can’t take much more. Every night, instead of sleeping, he enters the dreams of the last person he’s made eye contact with. If he doesn’t sleep soon, Parker will die.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that’s utterly addictive. But what starts out as a chance meeting turns into an obsession; Parker’s furious desire for what he needs pushes him to extremes he never thought he’d go. And when someone begins terrorizing Mia with twisted death threats, Parker’s memory blackouts leave him doubting his own innocence.

Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear

A hoverboard appeared in her rearview mirror. “This is the Los Angeles Air Patrol,” a voice boomed. “I command you to land your vehicle in the name of the law.”

Noli Braddock and her best friend V’s incident with a flying auto have landed them in a heap of trouble. And when Noli is sent to a spirit-squelching reform school in San Francisco, she’s sure that her rebellious adventures are over.

Meanwhile, Kevighn Silver has been ordered by the Faerie Queen to bring a mortal girl back to the Otherworld. The magic requires a blood sacrifice every seven years, and only a mortal girl who shines with the Spark—a girl like Noli—will keep the Otherworld from complete destruction.

When an ill-timed wish sends Noli tumbling into the Otherworld, she’s more homesick than ever . . . until V arrives to save her from an untimely demise. But who exactly is V? And if he helps Noli escape, who will save the realm of Faerie from utter annihilation?

Shadow Walkers by Brent Hartinger

Zach lives with his grandparents on a remote island in Puget Sound in Washington State. With only his little brother, Gilbert, to keep him company, Zach feels cut off from the world. But when Gilbert is kidnapped, Zach tries the only thing he can think of to find him: astral projection. Soon, his spirit is soaring through the strange and boundless astral realm—a shadow place. While searching for his brother, Zach meets a boy named Emory, another astral traveler who's intriguing (and cute).

As Zach and Emory track the kidnappers from the astral realm, their bond grows—but each moment could be Gilbert's last. Even worse, there's a menacing, centuries-old creature in their midst that devours souls and possesses physical bodies. And it's hungry for Zach.

Tu Books: Tankborn and Awakening on Sale

Got an email from Tu Books.  They've currently got Tankborn and Awakening on sale in ebook form in several formats.  I really enjoyed the books, and you can read my reviews of them here and here.

From the email:

For a limited time, catch Tankborn, the first book in Karen Sandler's dystopian trilogy, for just $1.99 in e-book form. Don't miss the book that School Library Journal has called "both chilling and thought provoking," and which SF Signal called "very fast-paced and brilliantly executed."

Want more? The sequel, Awakening, will also be on sale for $4.99 as an e-book.

Both books will be available for Kindle, Nook, iTunes and Google Play until Friday, July 19th so catch them while you can,

Tankborn 

$1.99 e-book

When Kayla and Mishalla, two genetically engineered non-human slaves (GENs) on planet Loka, develop friendships with

higher status boys, they must learn who to trust and what it means to be human.

Buy for: 

 

Kindle

Nook 

iTunes

Google Play

Awakening

$4.99 e-book 

The Tankborn story continues with higher stakes as Kayla resumes her fight for the GEN community's freedom. 

Buy for: 

Kindle

Nook 

iTunes

Google Play

Book Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Pros: horrifying invasion story, believable protagonists, compelling story

Cons: 

For Parents: some swearing, kissing, the violence isn't graphic but there are child soldiers, executions, and murder

Cassie has survived the first 4 waves of the alien invasion: light's out, surf's up, pestilence and the silencer.  Seven billion people didn't, including her mother and father.  Her five year old brother was taken away in the 4th wave.  Now she waits for the 5th wave and the courage to keep the promise she made to her brother, that she'd come after him.

This is a brutal invasion story.  These aliens know how to wipe out humanity and do so in sweeping waves, each more destructive than the last.  Through Cassie's eyes we learn about the 4 previous waves, and through her eyes, and those of a few other characters, we slowly learn what the 5th and final wave is.

There's a fair amount of violence, particularly when the child soldiers come into the picture.  But it's violence that serves a purpose and isn't graphically portrayed.  This is a book that questions humanity.  What will humans do to survive?  What makes you human in the first place?  The book doesn't answer these questions, making it a great jumping point for discussion.

The characters are believable, falling apart under the pressures of the new world and picking themselves up again because doing otherwise means death.  This makes the book difficult to put down.  The writing is intense and while you may see the revelation that is the 5th wave coming, it doesn't stop it from being horrifying in its implications.

The ending is very tense, though I'm not sure I believe the kids could accomplish everything they do, and it ignores the larger picture.  But it does give a good closure for the book.

I highly recommend it.

Book Review: Swans & Klons by Nora Olsen

Pros: interesting premise, great characters, positive depictions of lesbian relationships, positive depictions of handicapped, thought provoking, doesn't provide easy answers, great use of linguistical shifts

Cons: underdeveloped world-building, less development than the story deserved

For Parents: no sex but there is kissing, swearing done in German, minor violence

After a mysterious disease turned all men into 'Cretinous Males' with degenerative disorders, humanity chose 300 specimens of female perfection on which to build Society.  Hatched from tanks, those without modifications are human.  Those with modifications are klons, stronger and without the passions and intelligence of their human similars, they serve so the humans can achieve their full potential. 

Rubrik and Salmon Jo are sixteen, schatzies (lovers), and leaving the academy for their first mentoring assignments in the city.  Rubrik is an artist.  Salmon Jo is a scientist working at the hatcheries.  When Salmon Jo makes a startling discovery about the klons, their lives are forever changed.

This is a quick, fun read.  The characters are a little quirky and their relationship fantastic (no angst, no unwarranted fights or wafflings of affections, no love triangles, just a nice, functional relationship).

I loved that the girls are products of their society, thinking pregnancy and males (at least on Rubrik's side) are disgusting.  Similarly, the linguistical shifts, adding in some German words (or, German based words) was neat, and I loved their misunderstanding/misuse of the word 'hacker'.

Later in the book there are some descriptions of handicapped people that are done with great care and respect.  Indeed, this is a great book for questioning biases on several accounts, and specifically what makes a person human.  I loved that the author provided no answers, just ethical and philosophical questions

The biggest downside to the book was its low word count.  The publisher lists the page count at 264, but the epub file on my iPad came up to 108.  On numerous occasions the pacing felt rushed as the story jumped from one aspect to another trying to get everything in.  I think the world-building especially suffered here.  There's enough information to follow the story, but I'd have loved to see it fleshed out better, especially given the complexity of the issues being addressed.

Also, things on the whole go too easily for the girls.  With very little planning most of their crazy schemes turn out ok, which seemed a bit far fetched considering what they were doing.

Still, it's an interesting read.

Razorbill Fall Preview

Last friday I had the opportunity to go to the Penguin Offices in Toronto for the Razorbill Fall Preview.  Razorbill, for those of you who don't know, is Penguin's YA line.

Sequels to some awesome sounding series are coming out.  Which means my to be read pile's grown some more as I've been woefully under reading it lately.

The first book's already on my list (because it sounds great and that cover is amazing), but in case you haven't heard of it, here you go:

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

In a land where magic has been forgotten but peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is simmering. Three kingdoms grapple for power—brutally transforming their subjects'' lives in the process. Amidst betrayals, bargains, and battles, four young people find their fates forever intertwined:

Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.

Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people''s revolution centuries in the making.

Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword. . . .

The only outcome that''s certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

Book two, Rebel Spring, will be out in December.

Slated by Teri Terry

Kyla has been Slated—her memory and personality erased as punishment for committing a crime she can't remember. The government has taught her how to walk and talk again, given her a new identity and a new family, and told her to be grateful for this second chance that she doesn't deserve. It's also her last chance—because they'll be watching to make sure she plays by their rules.

As Kyla adjusts to her new life, she's plagued by fear. Who is she, really? And if only criminals are slated, why are so many innocent people disappearing? Kyla is torn between the need to know more and her instinct for self-preservation. She knows a dangerous game is being played with her life, and she can't let anyone see her make the wrong move . . . but who can she trust when everyone is a stranger?

I'm afraid I missed the release date for this one, but the sequel's called Fractured.

Champion, book three of Marie Lu's Legend series, will be out in November.  I loved the first book but haven't had the chance to pick up the second yet.  

Legend by Marie Lu 

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.

Throne of Glass is getting a new cover for the paperback edition, that will match that of book two, Crown of Midnight (which just got a starred review from Kirkus).

Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

There were some books that are series starters, rather than sequels:

Gameboard of the Gods by Rachel Mead

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military's most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Control by Lydia Kang

Control is set in a world of automatic cars, nightclubs with auditory ecstasy drugs, and guys with four arms—this is about the human genetic “mistakes” that society wants to forget, and the way that outcasts can turn out to be heroes.

After the violent death of her father, 17 year-old Zelia loses her younger sister, Dylia, during an abduction at a foster care agency. It turns out her sister Dylia isn’t just pretty and sweet—she’s illegal. In the year 2150, DNA must be pure by law, and anyone with enhanced genes face death. Zelia’s only allies are the freak-show inhabitants of her new, underground foster home. Along with the unexpected love of a very strange boy, she will need her flaws and their illicit traits to save the only family she has left.

Finally, and this is about a sequel again, The Gypsy King's sequel, A Fool's Errand, now has a cover!  We got to meet the author, who was very funny and excited to be writing the third book (currently slated for next May). 

A novel with only light fantasy elements, this series is supposed to be good for the history crowd too.  I've got the first book so look forward to my review soon. 

The Gypsy King by Maureen Fergus

A runaway slave with a shadowy past, sixteen-year-old Persephone has spent four long years toiling beneath the leering gaze of her despised owner and dreaming of a life where she is free to shape her own destiny. Then, one night, a chance encounter with a handsome chicken thief named Azriel changes her life forever.

Sold to him for a small bag of gold coins, Persephone soon discovers what she already suspected: namely, that Azriel is not what he seems. And when she realizes that he believes Persephone has a special destiny—she is determined to escape him and his impossibly broad shoulders.

But things are no longer as simple as they once were.

Torn between her longing for freedom and her undeniable feelings for the handsome thief with the fast hands and the slow smile, Persephone faces the hardest choice she will ever have to make.

And no one—least of all her—could have imagined the shocking truth her decision will reveal.

Strange Chemistry Will Open for Unagented Submissions

Strange Chemistry is doing it again...

Strange Chemistry Unagented Submissions 2013

Okay, I know that some of you have been waiting for a long while for this announcement! Strange Chemistry is once again opening to unagented YA submissions. We opened to unagented submissions last year and, although a number of novels came close, none of them completely matched what we were looking for, but this has not deterred us from trying again!

This year the unagented submission period will last for SIX months. It is opening on May 1st and closing 31st October. This gives you half a year to prepare the best submission you are able. If your novel is not quite ready right now, please take the time to polish and give yourself the very best chance of publication.

We are also opening up to thrillers, crimes and contemporary YA as well as our customary SF and fantasy.

Your submission package:

– one page, containing your name, address, social media outlets and a one line pitch for your novel
– two pages, containing your two page synopsis of your novel
– 5 chapters of your novel, or 10,000 words (depending on the length of your chapters)

This is ALL we want to see.

Because we’re opening the submission period for longer and to a wider variety of novels, we will be incredibly strict with submissions. If you do not provide everything asked for above, your novel will be rejected. If you provide more than asked for above, your novel will be rejected.

There's a lot more information, including more details about submitting that they want you to read carefully and the submission email address on their website.

Book Review: Earth Girl by Janet Edwards

Pros: fascinating premise; intelligent characters; great mix of humour and sadness; linguistic shifts, history and scientific cohesion give a sense of realism, minor romance

Cons: everything goes a little too perfectly for Jarra 

For Parents: no content but there are references to porn, called 'Beta vids' in the book 

Jarra is an ape, a throw back, a nean(derthal), handicapped: a human born with an immune system that won't allow her to portal to other worlds the way the Norms can.  Dumped on Earth to be raised by Earth Hospital as a ward just after birth.  She's fascinated with history, having worked on archealogical digs from the time she was 11.  She wants to prove that she's as good as any Norm, so she enrolls in a pre-history course run by an outside university for the purpose of meeting, fooling, and then telling off some Norms.  But as she gets deeper and deeper into her cover story, lying about most aspects of her life, she also realizes that maybe she didn't think her plan through very well.  And maybe these people don't deserve her hatred any more than she deserves their derision.

Set 600 years in the future, the book touches on a lot of science (solar arrays, Planet First, colonization, and most importantly, transportation portals), but the main focus of the book is on Jarra's decisions.  This is a character driven book that reads at a quick pace (I finished it in a day).  

The author does an amazing job of making Jarra feel real.  One minute you're laughing out loud and a few pages later you're crying.  Jarra is almost a Mary Sue in that everything seems to go well for her, but she's definitely got some negative character traits.  And around the half-way mark something goes very wrong that affects her deeply.

I loved the linguistic shifts that allowed the characters to swear without swearing, and showed how culture and morality had shifted (both due to time and on various planets).  For example, Beta is more sexually liberated than the other systems, allowing for nudity and having triad marriages.  Meanwhile Gamma, who runs the university course Jarra is on, is much more conservative.

While most of the characters were 18, there were a few instances when they acted younger (mostly when baiting each other at the beginning of fights) but they generally acted their age, learning more about the freedoms of adulthood without going overboard.  

There's an understated romance that pops up about half way through the book.  I really appreciated the mature way it was handled.  Unlike most teen books where angst rules, here the characters thought carefully about the future and what their current decisions would mean for their future.  I also liked that when Jarra was strong her beau went along with things, but when she needed help he stepped up, showing that they were both strong characters, but in different ways.  

While in no way preachy, the book examines prejudice - and how it can hurt people on both sides.  Facing your own beliefs - both positive and negative - is a part of growing up, and it was nice to see Jarra questioning her hatred once she's interacting with Norms, rather than watching them in vids.  The Norms too, get some lessons on how important - and knowledgable - the Earth dig teams are, making them question their beliefs.

The book has a few flaws but I highly recommend it.  The humour alone is worth the read.

Book Review: Every Day by David Levithan

Pros: brilliant concept, brilliant writing, compelling characters, thought provoking

Cons:

For Parents: some sexual content, some swearing, very minor violence (two teens fight), mention of drug use

'A' wakes up in a new body every day. The only similarities are the age of A's hosts and their relative proximity to A's previous host. A has come up with a guideline for his/her life: don't mess with the host's life.

When A wakes up in Justin's body and meets Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon, his/her guideline changes to: spend as much time with Rhiannon as s/he can, often making his/her daily hosts act completely unlike themselves for one day.  This starts to cause problems, both for them and for A.

But A no longer cares. All A wants is for Rhiannon to reciprocate his/her love.

This novel is brilliant. The writing is amazing, the premise is bizarre but handled brilliantly, the characters are interesting, both A and Rhiannon. Similarly A's host bodies are varied by gender, sexuality, race, religion, social class, size, etc. Some are drug addicts, some are nice, some are definitely not nice - to themselves or others.

The premise allows for a lot of interesting social and cultural issues to be brought up - how we see ourselves and how we judge others - making this a really thought provoking book. A's acceptance of everyone as they are, and his/her eventual judgements regarding them as s/he starts to see his/her hosts the way Rhiannon does, with her social conditioning, is fascinating.

It's a brilliant novel and even if you're not a fan of romances, it's worth the read.

ChiZine's Picking Up The Ghost optioned for film

A YA novel out from ChiZine Publications in 2011 has been optioned for film/TV rights.  This is the first time one of their books has been optioned as well as one of their first YA titles.  Due to the success of this and their other YA titles, they're starting a new line of YA books, ChiTeen, in 2014.

About the novel:

Living in St. Jude, a 110-year-old dying city on the edge of the Mississippi, is tough. But when a letter informs fourteen-year-old Cinque Williams of the passing of the father he never met, he is faced with an incomplete past and an uncertain future. A curse meant for his father condemns Cinque to a slow death even as it opens his eyes to the strange otherworld around him. With help from the ghost Willy T, an enigmatic White Woman named Iku, an African Loa, and a devious shape-shifter, Cinque gathers the tools to confront the ghost of his dead father. But he will learn that sometimes too much knowledge can be dangerous - and the people he trusts most are those poised to betray him!

Book Review: Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

Pros: fun, quirky characters, quick moving plot, historical tidbits added, good inclusion of a dark skinned supporting cast member that kept to historical conventions without being racist

Cons: the ending is too sudden (and too soon!)

For Parents: minor violence

Sophronia's antics have given cause for her to be sent to a finishing school.  But what her proper mother doesn't realize is that Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy teaches more than just which spoon to use for soup.  It also teaches skills in espionage.  And Sophronia's first lesson comes when the carriage she and two fellow students are taking to the school is attacked by flywaymen looking for a prototype in the possession of one of the passengers...

The book is a fun romp, with quirky characters and a quick plot.  The school is located in an unusual place that makes for a wonderful setting and the mischief Sophronia and her classmates get into trying to figure out what the prototype is and where it's been hidden, is great.

I was a bit concerned by the opening as Sophronia is VERY over the top, but the plot quickly requires it and she never got on my nerves.  Nor did any of the other quirky characters.

It was impressive how the author added Phineas B. Crow, aka Soap, to the cast.  Sophronia knows it's improper for her to associate with someone of a lower class - and a boy to boot, but she doesn't care about that, or the dark colour of his skin.  She's simply curious about him and the world at large.

The ending came too suddenly, and much too soon, for me.  I can't wait to see what other adventures Sophronia and her friends get up to.

Etiquette and Espionage hits stores February 5th.

Book Review: The Bridge by Jane Higgins

Pros: thought-provoking, characters are three dimensional, shows war for what it is

Cons: Southside people accept Nik's story too readily, some names are mentioned without context so when they're mentioned again it's hard to remember who the person was

For Parents: minor swearing, violence (not excessive, but it's a war situation, so: assassination, bombs, beatings, minor torture etc.), no sexual content

Seventeen year old Nik's brown skin marks him as a Southsider, though he's attended school on Cityside since he was 5.  His intelligence has him earmarked for the Internal Security and Intelligence Services (ISIS), so no one understands why they pass on recuiting him.  When the school is bombed he's suspected by ISIS of collaborating with the enemy.  In an attempt to leave the city with friends from school, one of them is kidnapped by Southsiders and Nik and a girl team up to get him back.  Knowing only the language and anti-Southside propoganda, the two have no idea what they're walking into.

The story focuses on their search for the boy in Southside.  There are elements here that are hard to believe at first, as the two are obviously unaware of local customs and the girl's language skills are minimal (I'm calling her 'the girl' to avoid spoiling the first 75 pages of the book more than necessary).  Nik lands in a position where he's privy to sensitive information, something that's hard to credit given his refusal to give more than his name and place of origin (one real, the other a lie).  When his high intelligence is revealed, the characters start to question how a barely educated teen (as would be the case if his story were true) broke encrypted codes and then just accept his information with only a little hesitation.

That issue aside though, the book is brilliant.  The pacing is fast, though the characters don't know how to go about looking for the boy, enough is happening with regards to Southside politics that the book never drags.  Soon enough the teens learn information of value and events spiral out of their control as they're drawn deeper into a faction war among the Southsiders.

The political manuverings and history of the war are interesting, though the history isn't dealt with in as much detail as this reviewer would have like.  Higgins' world-building is solid, with a bloody past, religious rituals, class and economic troubles, etc.  It's obvious she's considered aspects of society that are never fully mentioned, but season the story nonetheless.

The characters are all three dimensional, with often tragic pasts, reasons for their actions and motivations, and difficult decisions to make.  Though the book is from Nik's point of view, there are several strong female characters, and several characters of colour (including him).  Discussion of race doesn't come into the book much, beyond Nik's fitting in better - with regards to looks - on Southside than his companion.  But it is somewhat problematic as Citysiders are described as being predominantly white, while Southsiders are mixed (easterners being white and southsiders being black).  This reviewer would have liked learning more about where the Southsiders came from (it's explained that they're refugees coming up from the South and East but Nik doesn't know more than that).  Instead, class distinction is used for the reason for the hostilities between Southside and Cityside.  And when it comes to positions of power, men and women are treated equally - on both sides.

The only problem with the characters, beyond the Southsider's easy acceptance of Nik, was that a few of them, like Commander Vega, are occasionally referred to by their first names rather than their titles.  It's realistic, but the extra names were hard to remember.  Similarly there were a few times when a character was mentioned briefly by name and then mentioned again a few chapters later and it was hard to remember who they were referring to.  

While many teen dystopian books take a sort of Stockholm syndrome approach, with the protagonist learning that their way is wrong and the other side's better, this one does something different, and more realistic.  It shows how both sides in war use propoganda to control their people.  It brings home how ideology, fanaticism and the belief in one's cause can blind people to the reality of war - that people are dying.  War is horrifying and no amount of 'an eye for an eye' will bring it to an end.  The book is about how regular people - children even - get dragged into the fighting, as the war kills their loved ones, destroys their homes, limits food and medicine, and leaves them with nothing but ashes.  It's about the choice every person in a war torn area makes, to continue the fighting in an attempt to utterly defeat the enemy or to try to work towards peace.

This theme, that both sides in a conflict can be evil, was used in Mockingjay (by Suzanne Collins).  In that book, the rebel leadership is shown to be just a bad as the learders of Panem.  Putting them in charge would not have changed anything but whose kids competed in the Hunger Games.

We're used to having one good side and one evil side when we think of war.  The idea that both sides do evil things is something we prefer to hide and forget.  Everyone knows that the Axis in World War II did horrible things.  But how many attrocities did the Allies commit?  There were internment camps, boats full of Jews turned back at North American ports, with nowhere left to go but back to Germany.  There was rioting and rape.  Horrific bombs were dropped not only on Hiroshima, but also on Nagasaki.  This novel acknowledges that by the end of hostilities, neither side in war is 'right', regardless of who started it and why.  It's a bold position to take and the message of the book really hits home.  War is evil and there has to be a better way.

It's a powerful, moving story.  And this reviewer can't recommend it enough.

Book Review: Skylark by Meagan Spooner

Pros: very unique dystopian situation, very good opening, terrifying potential fate for Lark, end reveal of Lark's abilities was interesting

Cons: protagonist is conflicted, middle dragged, it became tiresome watching Lark get saved over and over again

For Parents: one swear word, some violence (killing), no sex

At sixteen Lark is older than the other kids at school, but she won't become a full adult until she's harvested for her magic and assigned her place.  Magic runs the city and keeps up the wall that protects them from the ravaged outside world.  When she's finally called, she's apprehensive about the procedure no one talks about and curious why they waited so long to harvest her.

An unescorted jaunt around the famicility shows her someone's horrific fate, a fate she soon realizes she might share.  She's able to regenerate her magic, a lost skill and valuable - for harvesting.  Fleeing for her life and her sanity, she breaches the wall and discovers how bad things outside really have become.  She knows she will be hunted.  She also knows there are other people outside the wall who are like her.

Kudos to Spooner for creating a dystopian setting that was substantially different from the rest.  It has touches of steampunk and a truly terrifying fate for Lark should she remain in the city.  After Lark leaves the city however, the setting becomes commonplace, post-apocalyptic (even if the apocalypse was caused by magic).

While I liked Lark, she waffled between competent and needing to be saved too often.  I understand that she didn't know how to survive in the wild, and I was ok with Oren helping her, but having him leave and come back to rescue her over and over again became tiresome.  This repetition made the middle section feel too long and drawn out.  She also waffled between altruism and necessity when it came to violence and dealing with those she met outside the wall.

The ending picked up the pace again and returned to the high tension, and high stakes, of the opening.  While I wasn't keen on Lark's choices at the end of the book, it was an exciting ending.

A good book for those who want a different dystopian setting.  

Out October 1st.

Book Review: Quarantine: The Loners by Lex Thomas

Pros: unique plot, complex characters

Cons: most of the book centers around the gangs, lots of violence, no deeper meaning

For Parents:  there is a lot of violence in this book, all detailed (maimings, killings, gang warfare), some drug use, some swearing, no sex (though there's mention of a rape)

David is dreading the first day of school.  It's been several months since his mother died and he quit the football team, but he just learned that his girlfriend is cheating on him with Sam, a violent football player, and pounded Sam's face in at a recent party.  His younger epileptic brother, Will, is also nervous.  It's his first day of highschool.

Neither of them could have expected the day they had.  When the East wing is bombed and soldiers close off the school no one understands why their lives have irrevocably changed.  As the students band together into gangs, David and Will are shunned due to David's actions.  He vows to keep them alive, through food drops, Will's epileptic seisures and the horrors the school has become.

Unlike the Hunger Games, there's no underlying message here.  The book is violent and makes no attempt to mitigate that or teach anything.  I was expecting the book to center on survival, instead it was more about gang warfare and a romance between the brothers and a girl they're both attracted to.

I did appreciate the complexity of the characters.  Even the kids we're told to root for have negative traits and do things wrong.  Similarly, the 'bad guys' are occasionally sympathetic.  This kept all the students feeling real, and made the book more relatable.

While the premise of kids being quarantined in a school was interesting, it wasn't interesting enough to hold me for a novel of this lengh.  And I couldn't understand why they were cut off from the world via telephones and internet.  Surely the parents of the kids would want to make sure their own sons and daughters were still alive.  Not to mention the violence in the school might have been lessened had the kids understood earlier what was happening and/or had more outside contact and more assurance that they'd eventually be able to leave the school and live.

Readers who enjoyed the Maze Runner or Michael Grant's Gone series will see similarities (lack of adults, violence, gang mentality), and will likely enjoy this book a lot.  Readers who want a deeper, more thought provoking read should look elsewhere.

Book Review: Erebos by Ursula Poznanski

Pros: intense writing, three dimensional teen protagonists, fascinating video game, minor romance that develops naturally  

Cons: told friendships exist where there's no evidence of them in the book, some readers may dislike the switch between the author's use of past tense in the real world and present tense in the game world

For Parents: minor violence (mostly in game), minor swearing (multiple uses of the word sh*t), no sex 

There are three rules for playing Erebos.  1. You only get one chance.  2. You must play alone.  3. The content of the game is secret.  When Nick Dunmore finally gets his hands on one of the mysterious square packages circulating around his high school he's determined to play - and win - the game.  But Erebos is unlike any game he's played before.  It knows when he lies about his name.  It asks him to do tasks outside the game.  Bizarre tasks like photographing a man in a parking garage.  When the tasks become dangerous, he wonders if the game, as amazing as it is, is worth the real world risks he's taking.  

Judith Pattinson deserves a lot of credit for her translation of this book.  It's readable, intense and clever.  The author has peppered the book with references to Greek mythology and created a plot that ties together neatly at the end.

The characters are all three dimensional.  Nick is a jock at his school, friendly with most people but rude to the 'freaks' in his class.  He starts the novel wanting to know why people around him are changing, becoming secretive, creating friendships with those they never liked before.  When he finally starts playing, he himself changes dramatically, dissing his best friend, skipping basketball practice and playing at all hours.

There was a bit of disconnect here where the reader is told that Nick is friends with Colin and others, but it's never shown in the book.  Colin is already a player and distanced from Nick when the book begins.  But all of the students react in different ways to the presence of the game - some want in, others don't care, and when someone gets kicked out they often cause a scene, trying to find someone willing to break the rules and give them a second chance.  Even the teachers react differently to the mass absences, though only two of them are mentioned with any regularity, the English teacher who's convinced the game is dangerous and the basketball coach.

Some readers may dislike the shift between past tense usage to depict actions in the real world vs present tense usage to describe the game world.  This reviewer only noticed the change a few times and it never pushed her out of the book as has happened with other novels that tried similar tricks.  The present tense creates a sense of immediacy with the game play.  It's easy to see why the kids get hooked so quickly and why it's hard for them to tear themselves away from it.  It's also easy to see why they're so willing to perform the tasks asked of them by the game - who wouldn't want to play a game that caters to your interests and rewards you in the real world?

The game is set in a medieval world, with orcs, trolls and other familiar and unfamiliar monsters.  Players create their characters and then fight monsters as training to help Erebos defeat Ortolan.  Levelling up is done in two ways - winning levels from other players in Tournaments and performing a task in the real world.  The game world is detailed and highly interactive, with players trying to find wish crystals and join the inner circle (that gets specialized training in order to complete their mission).

This section of the book became so intense this reviewer nearly got reader fatigue, but it stopped and moved to a new focus at just the right time.  The novel is well paced that way, switching focus a few times to keep the action moving towards the game, and novel's, climax.

Nick does find romance towards the end of the book.  It's fairly low key and develops naturally as the characters react to what's happening.

The ending adds depth to all the events that have been mentioned throughout the book.  The characters face real consequences for their decisions along the way and the origins of the game are explained.  If you like video games and aren't afraid of reading 'YA', definitely pick this book up.

Book Review: Swipe by Evan Angler

Pros: well drawn characters, interesting world, some great twists, thought provoking

Cons: despite his job, Erin's father seems clueless regarding her intelligence and snooping

For Parents: no swearing, no sexual content, little violence (a few people get punched / hit with items, but nothing graphic)

Logan's been paranoid since his older sister died during her Pledging.  His thirteenth birthday, and the day of his own Pledging, is only a few months away and he's terrified of the same thing happening to him.  But Pledging means getting his Mark.  And only the Marked can hold jobs and buy things.  Then he discovers that his paranoia is justified, and his entire life changes.

Erin doesn't want to leave Beacon for Spokie.  But her dad's been transferred there for his job doing 'government work', whatever that means.  Her decision to snoop into her father's private papers opens her eyes to his purpose in Spokie; to stop a man kidnapping local children before they can take the Pledge.  She decides that the sooner this man is caught, the sooner she can return home.

The two kids team up to keep Logan from being the next to disappear.

Swipe tells of a future where global war has caused such problems that large parts of the US, Canada and Mexico - now called the American Union - are uninhabitable.  There are no religions.  The AU and the European Union are close to creating a Global Union.  Part of this new union required the Marking of all AU citizens.  Indeed, the only way to be a citizen and benefit from its privileges requires getting the Mark.  Those who choose not to get the mark are either servants, have someone with a Mark to support them or live in slums.

The world has some interesting new technologies to replace the more wasteful items of today.  Few people use paper anymore, tablets being mainstream.  Similarly, since air travel is now so expensive and cars the luxury of the super rich, people cross the country (if they need to) by magnetrain and get around cities by electrobuses and rollersticks (a device the size of a skateboard with a handle that works like a segway).  

Logan is a great character.  He's introduced as the boy who cried wolf, being convinced for years that someone's watching him.  He's neither popular nor friendless.  He's a pushover until he finds a reason to fight back.  

Erin on the other hand is very brave and bold, coming up with new plans for how to catch the kidnappers.  Not always good plans, mind you, she's only 13, but she is quite clever.

The book has some great twists, heading in directions I didn't expect.  I especially liked that there were no easy answers for the protagonists.  They make mistakes and at the end they each make decisions that work for them - and their view of events.  The book is fast paced and a quick read.

My only complaint was with how long it took Erin's dad to figure out what she was up to.  He seemed surprisingly clueless as to her keen intelligence.

A great book for adults, teens and maybe even younger kids - with some interesting discussion possibilities.

Book Review: Partials by Dan Wells

Pros: realistic societal tensions in a post-apocalyptic world, compelling quests, strong female protagonist

Cons: don't learn as much about the partials as you'd like, the protagonists get out of several tough situations with surprising ease

For Parents: no sex, no swearing, lots of violence, but nothing too graphic (shooting/death, off stage torture)  

It's been 11 years since the genetically engineered partials rose up against their human creators, unleashing a virus that decimated the human population.  Now, the remaining survivors live on Long Island, most in the community of East Meadow, which, due to its Hope Act of forcing all women 18 and over to give birth as often as possible, has created a resistance movement called the Voice.  Into this turmoil comes a brilliant young hospital intern, Kira.  She wants to study the one thus far unstudied aspect of the plague that still kills all human children born.  Partials.

Partials is quite an adrenaline rush.  There's a lot of action and several quests, starting, but not ending, with Kira's quest to find and capture a partial.  While I wasn't always convinced that their plans would work as well as they did, enough things went wrong that I was willing to overlook how often enough went right.

Kira herself was an interesting character.  She's borderline irritating, in that she's stubborn and 'knows' the best course of action, despite only being 16 and a 'plague baby' (ie, someone born just before the end of the modern world and too young to know what happened with the partials from personal experience).  What redeems her is her reliance on her friends and her willingness to accept a change of plans when necessary.  

What really sets this book apart is in its realistic depiction of society.  There's a wide spectrum of viewpoints, each valid given the circumstances.  East Meadows slowly becomes more and more of a dictatorship, as the Voice attacks escalate and the senate institutes more laws to keep the citizens 'safe', or, as Kira starts to believe, 'controlled'.  Even the principle characters argue over the right and wrong of the senate's decrees.  Particularly the debated decision of lowering the Hope Act to include those 16 and up (which would affect them directly).  The disconnect between the older generation and the 'plague babies', shown by the adults' disdain, was also well written.

My only complaint was that you don't learn as much about the partials as you'd like.  This book is set up for a sequel, so I'm hoping the partials - and ParaGen, the company that created them - will have more of a part to play.

I'll be waiting eagerly for the next book in this series.

Women in SF Month and YA Book Scavenger Hunt

Fantasy Book Cafe is hosting a Women in SF Month in April and I'll be doing a guest post there, so swing by during the month (or better yet, follow her blog) and see what's happening.  The first week's line-up includes: Nancy Kress, Elizabeth Bear and Carol Berg.

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I stumbled across a blog called YA blog scavenger hunt that is currently hosting a scavenger hunt.  Up for grabs are 3 batches of 20 signed YA books.  To win, you have to follow one of three hunts, red, blue and yellow (and yes, you can enter all three).  Find the hidden letters on each blog, make the phrase, and enter the contest.  Most of the blogs are having side giveaways for swag and extra books as well as showing exclusive content.  The hunt ends at noon on April 1st, so you've got some time.   And it's an international contest.

I had a lot of fun following all three hunts, and here are some of the books I discovered along the way:

In a near future, society is segregated according to whether people are genetically disposed to mental illness. 17-year-old Ana has been living the privileged life of a Pure due to an error in her DNA test. When the authorities find out, she faces banishment from her safe Community, a fate only thwarted by the fact that she has already been promised to Pure-boy Jasper Taurell.

Jasper is from a rich and influential family and despite Ana’s condition, wants to be with her. The authorities grant Ana a tentative reprieve. If she is joined to Jasper before her 18th birthday, she may stay in the Community until her illness manifests. But if Jasper changes his mind, she will be cast out among the Crazies. As Ana’s joining ceremony and her birthday loom closer, she dares to hope she will be saved from the horror of the City and live a ‘normal’ life. But then Jasper disappears.

Led to believe Jasper has been taken by a strange sect the authorities will not interfere with, Ana sneaks out of her well-guarded Community to find him herself. Her search takes her through the underbelly of society and into the pits of the human soul. And as she delves deeper into the mystery of Jasper's abduction she uncovers some devastating truths that destroy everything she has grown up to believe, but she also learns to love as she has never loved before.

You can see the trailer for it here and enter to win copies on her website.

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they’re caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.

The premise reminds me of Shatter Me, which I really enjoyed. And here's Mr. Accardo's website.

Sixteen-year-old Noli Braddock's hoyden ways land her in an abusive reform school far from home. On mid-summer's eve she wishes to be anyplace but that dreadful school. A mysterious man from the Realm of Faerie rescues her and brings her to the Otherworld, only to reveal that she must be sacrificed, otherwise, the entire Otherworld civilization will perish.

And Ms. Lazear's website.









And while this last book doesn't fall under SF/F, it sounds pretty awesome.

Murder is such a dirty word…

In Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington, truth is about as hard to come by as a sunny day. One minute Katelyn is a depressed teen with a loser life. The next, she’s lying on a stainless steel slab, eyes glassy, skin frosted over, and very, very dead.

Down the street from Katelyn, twins Hayley and Taylor Ryan can’t escape the encroaching winter darkness. As they recover from the shock of Katelyn’s death, they realize how entwined they already are in the evil circulating Empty Coffin. And while they can’t explain it, an unknown force pushes them to uncover the truth. Is Katelyn Port Gamble’s first and only victim?

And Mr. Olsen's website.

Makes me want to spend more time in the teen section.  There are a lot of other great books, so go check out the scavenger hunt.