Untold

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

It’s time to choose sides… On the surface, Sorry-in-the-Vale is a sleepy English town. But Kami Glass knows the truth. Sorry-in-the-Vale is full of magic. In the old days, the Lynburn family ruled with fear, terrifying the people into submission in order to kill for blood and power. Now the Lynburns are back, and Rob Lynburn is gathering sorcerers so that the town can return to the old ways.

But Rob and his followers aren’t the only sorcerers in town. A decision must be made: pay the blood sacrifice, or fight. For Kami, this means more than just choosing between good and evil. With her link to Jared Lynburn severed, she’s now free to love anyone she chooses. But who should that be? -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

There's so much to love in these books. I've already raved about Kami's family and friends, and how competent and fun she is as a protagonist (parallels may have been made to Veronica Mars). This sequel offers more of the same, with more complex relationships, an expanded cast of characters, a darker, more menacing tone, and of course, more romantic entanglements. Add to that the allure of a small, mysterious village in the days leading up to the winter solstice and you have one atmospheric read. 

Highly recommended, but definitely be sure to read the first installment before facing up to some original worldbuilding and a diverse cast of characters.

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The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

There's been a LOT of buzz about this one (the phrase "the next Hunger Games" has been tossed around, and for good reason), so by rights I should have posted this weeks ago. Ah well.  

This was an intense read, and since so much of the tension relies on knowing as little as the characters, I'll try not to give anything away. Cassie is a fierce and believable heroine- I've seen some critiques of her character, but honestly I think given how quickly and brutally she was forced to grow up, I think it makes sense. The alien invasion aspects are pretty damn scary, as is much of the human response to it. I didn't love the romance, but what are you going to do? For the most part, this is a gripping thriller that may help ease the pangs of waiting for Catching Fire and the new season of The Walking Dead.

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Reached

Reached by Ally Condie

Cassia’s journey began with an error, a momentary glitch in the otherwise perfect façade of the Society. After crossing canyons to break free, she waits, silk and paper smuggled against her skin, ready for the final chapter.

The wait is over.

One young woman has raged against those who threaten to keep away what matters most—family, love, choice. Her quiet revolution is about to explode into full-scale rebellion.

With exquisite prose, the emotionally gripping conclusion to the international–bestselling Matched trilogy returns Cassia, Ky, and Xander to the Society to save the one thing they have been denied for so long, the power to choose. -Plot summary borrowed from Amazon

There are so many trilogies, quadroligies and series going in YA lit at the moment that for me to pick up a second, let alone third installment is pretty rare. In this case, I'm glad I did.

Like I said in my review of Matched, what makes Condie's dystopian trilogy stand out from the pack is her emphasis on inner growth, on philosophy and quiet strength rather than big set pieces and explosions (not that those are entirely lacking here, however). It's fascinating to watch characters who are wholly invested and participate in a rebellion, while still managing to stand slightly outside it. In fact, it is this distance from any faction and loyalty to each other that allow Cassia, Ky and Xander to accomplish what they do despite overwhelming odds.

Some of the things I especially liked about this book:

-Condie clearly spent a lot of time crafting all the triads in this book- the love triangle, the three pills the Society used (Green, Blue, and Red, which match her gorgeous covers), her three narrators, and plenty more throughout the series

-Cassia's gallery! I love that Condie takes the time out of her third installment to talk about the loss of culture that would take place in a dystopian future, and how vital art, music and dance are to people- and how naturally they come to us, given half a chance

-A well done love-triangle, that rare and nearly mythical literary beast

-The ending. WELL DONE.

If you haven't already had it to the gills with this genre, I strongly recommend the Matched series for its unique perspective, excellent characters and hopefulness.

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Days of Blood and Starlight

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream? -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads 

This was the book I was most excited for this year. Daughter of Smoke and Bone knocked me off my feet in 2010, and I've been dying to know what would happen to Karou, Akiva, and their worlds. So was it worth the wait and the hype?

Yes.

But.

This was a slow start for me. I wouldn't say I was expecting too much and was disappointed, I think I was just expecting a quicker pace, more answers, and the same magic & awe of the first book. I should have remembered how the first book ended, and realized I was in for a bitter war story. Instead of starry-eyed romance, glittering cityscapes, magical beasts and thrilling heroics, it's more of a fight for survival, and the fallout of the last book's ending. Which is in no way a bad thing. 

I won't go into much detail for fear of spoilers (for both books, really, but if you're a regular reader I know this is not the first time you've heard me gush about this series, so what's the holdup?? :p), but I will say that I am still completely in love with Karou, Akiva, this setting, and Taylor's writing. As an added bonus, Karou's friends Zuzana and Mik are back, and even better than I remembered them. I saw almost none of the plot twists coming, and once the book starts to pick up speed it does not let go. The villain in this piece is far and away better developed and more menacing than is the norm for YA lit, and he'll have your skin crawling more than once. (Actually this is true for both Big Bads). Oh, and the aforementioned romance, cityscapes, magical beasts and thrilling heroics? Don't worry, they're all in there, too.

If any of the series I've reviewed lives up to the name of this blog, it's this one. FANTASTIC.

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Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself? -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

I'd walked past this book a dozen times in bookstores and every time I thought "Oo what a pretty cover... But 'winged stangers'? Star-crossed love? Meh..." Then I noticed the bit about a mysterious shop, monsters, and an interestingly named, blue-haired heroine. That was enough to convince me to give the book a chance and I am so glad I did. 

Taylor's writing is fantastic. I cared instantly about Karou, couldn't wait to learn more about the "monsters" in her sketchbook, and was completely drawn into the shadowy streets of Prague. It may seem redundant to point out the magic realism in a fantasy book, but that's honestly one of my favorite things about this book. Even the mundane seems magical thanks to Taylor's lush writing, and it makes you feel that even our own world is full of weird, strange, terrifying and wonderful things just around the corner. Her writing style reminds me of books & stories by Neil Gaiman, Charles DeLint, Alice Hoffman and even Jorge Luis Borges, and I don't mean to imply that she is copying any of them. She's just that good. 

I'd write more about the plot, but I think this is one of those books where the more discoveries you make for yourself, the better. I will say that I loved it, that it is one of my favorite books I've read all year, and that the ending will leave you on tenterhooks for the sequel.

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