HER REVOLUTION by C. S. Hand

Her Revolution
by C.S. Hand
Genre: YA Dystopian
Release date: August 8th 2018

Summary:

For fans of Divergent, Red Rising, and The Hunger Games comes a gripping new tale of ambition, treachery, and love.

When what appears as a prank on arrogant ambassadors at an exotic vacation city turns out to be the first tremors of a revolution, the Enlightened Council of Castillia turns to its 11-year old undefeated military prodigy and her loyal Guardians for help.

After all, it was Innocence who liberated the Jewel of All Cities in the first place. Everyone knows she will be the last to let it slip from her grasp.

But why would anyone want to leave Castillia? Its laws are just. Its Council is democratically elected. It has liberated more cities than any other Republic, past or present.

But Castillia has enemies, that’s for sure.

Sedition is the favorite trick of the southern Republic Ausonia. In fact, the exotic vacation city used to belong to Ausonia—and they have always wanted it back.

But could those hedonists really organize anything between all their dancing and drinking?

Or has Vesper, the mighty Republic to the North finally woken from its slumber? It has plenty of old scores to settle with Castillia and it’s palm-lined streets.

Squashing the uprising and re-uniting the town and her city could be the perfect way to end the most legendary military career Castillia has ever known and begin a new, exhilarating life as a prominent politician.

But it also might just be the perfect way to start what Innocence has secretly always yearned for: her own Empire.

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THE FORGETTING by Sharon Cameron

Rating: A-
Synopsis:
What isn't written, isn't remembered. Even your crimes.

Nadia lives in the city of Canaan, where life is safe and structured, hemmed in by white stone walls and no memory of what came before. But every twelve years the city descends into the bloody chaos of the Forgetting, a day of no remorse, when each person's memories – of parents, children, love, life, and self – are lost. Unless they have been written.

In Canaan, your book is your truth and your identity, and Nadia knows exactly who hasn't written the truth. Because Nadia is the only person in Canaan who has never forgotten.

But when Nadia begins to use her memories to solve the mysteries of Canaan, she discovers truths about herself and Gray, the handsome glassblower, that will change her world forever. As the anarchy of the Forgetting approaches, Nadia and Gray must stop an unseen enemy that threatens both their city and their own existence – before the people can forget the truth. And before Gray can forget her.

My thoughts on the book
In some ways, I felt this novel was misleading. It's kind of billed as a fantasy book, and it isn't. Also, a lot of the big reveals seemed to come out of nowhere to me. Sure, thinking back, there were tiny hints, but not enough to put stuff together. That being said, the writing itself was phenomenal. The world-building was spot-on. The characters were intriguing, and the plot kept me completely engaged until the very last page. Sharon Cameron is quickly becoming one of the stars of YA literature. 

Nadia was a great leading character. She's damaged and has experienced trauma, and unlike the rest of the village, she remembered it. She's still strong, though, and she used her pain to do something about terrible situations. That's not her intent at first, I don't think, but she grew throughout the novel, and by the end, she was definitely one of the strongest heroines in YA lit. Gray was also a fantastic leading man. He was just good-hearted. He treated Nadia, and everyone else with respect. He wasn't a jerk, and he cared about people's well-being. He's what leading males should be, in my opinion. Each of the supporting characters was also unique, and I enjoyed Genivee the most. I wish we had gotten to see a bit more of her. 

This novel is completely different from any other book written by Cameron. I loved all of her other work, but this one is unique and I think she found her niche with it. I felt like some of the big reveals could have been a little more obvious, but maybe I'm just bitter because I didn't figure it out before it was revealed. Even the bad guy took me a tiny bit by surprise. The writing was simply beautiful, and the idea of memories making up the person is a poignant topic. I would love to do a psychoanalytic reading and discussion of this book here, but I don't want to give anything away. The pacing was perfect, and I couldn't put the book down. The first page grabbed me, and I was hooked. The ending was wonderful and tied things together nicely. I was actually satisfied with this ending. Very few endings are satisfying anymore, so that was a nice change within itself. This was just a very well-written novel, all the way around. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something different. There are a lot of twists, turns, and surprises. The characters are very real, and the concept is thought-provoking. You can't go wrong with this one. 

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THE THOUSANDTH FLOOR by Katharine McGee

Rating: B-
Synopsis:
NEW YORK CITY AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE.

A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future where anything is possible—if you want it enough.

WELCOME TO MANHATTAN, 2118.

A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. Everyone there wants something…and everyone has something to lose.

LEDA COLE’s flawless exterior belies a secret addiction—to a drug she never should have tried and a boy she never should have touched.

ERIS DODD-RADSON’s beautiful, carefree life falls to pieces when a heartbreaking betrayal tears her family apart.

RYLIN MYERS’s job on one of the highest floors sweeps her into a world—and a romance—she never imagined…but will this new life cost Rylin her old one?

WATT BAKRADI is a tech genius with a secret: he knows everything about everyone. But when he’s hired to spy for an upper-floor girl, he finds himself caught up in a complicated web of lies.

And living above everyone else on the thousandth floor is AVERY FULLER, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all—yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have.

Amid breathtaking advancement and high-tech luxury, five teenagers struggle to find their place at the top of the world. But when you're this high up, there's nowhere to go but down...

My thoughts on the book:
This novel was definitely unique, and the beginning grabbed me and kept me reading until the very end. The writing was pretty well done, but the characters were a bit generic at times. Also, the plot dragged a bit in places, and some stuff is just creepy. I couldn't really connect to any of the characters, either, and the multiple viewpoints all sounded very similar. They needed to be differentiated a bit. The pacing was pretty slow, so it took awhile to get through this one. 

The characters themselves were difficult to relate to. They were kind of shallow, and at times vapid. Avery really annoyed me a lot. Leda was selfish and obnoxious. Everyone else was kind of boring. Not a lot of personality in this book. More cliches than anything, and that's a shame. Especially with multiple viewpoints. It made it more difficult to get through than it should have been.

The plot was a bit loose in the middle. It just lagged more than it should have. The beginning was amazing, though, and the ending flew by. The writing was fairly well done, though the character dialogues were similar. The setting was unique, and the world-building was spectacular. I was fully immersed in this futuristic world. The romance that tried to exist was weak. It was more soap opera caliber betrayals than anything else. 

Overall, I'd say this book was just okay. Give it a try if you're looking for something different and sci-fi. Not a lot of actual romance, so don't count on that. You may want to check it out from the library before buying.

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UNPLUGGED by Donna Freitas

Rating: C-
Synopsis:
The first book in a provocative new series from acclaimed author Donna Freitas—Feed for a new generation.

Humanity is split into the App World and the Real World—an extravagant virtual world for the wealthy and a dying physical world for the poor. Years ago, Skylar Cruz’s family sent her to the App World for a chance at a better life.

Now Skye is a nobody, a virtual sixteen-year-old girl without any glamorous effects or expensive downloads to make her stand out in the App World. Yet none of that matters to Skye. All she wants is a chance to unplug and see her mother and sister again.

But when the borders between worlds suddenly close, Skye loses that chance. Desperate to reach her family, Skye risks everything to get back to the physical world. Once she arrives, however, she discovers a much larger, darker reality than the one she remembers.

In the tradition of M. T. Anderson’s Feed and Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies, Unplugged kicks off a thrilling and timely sci-fi series for teens from an award-winning writer.

My thoughts on the book:
Unplugged grabbed my interest due to its use of Descartes' philosophy, better known as "the Matrix philosophy." I wanted to see how this book, where you could exist only in your head or in your body - with two fully developed worlds - portrayed that philosophy. It fell a bit short, to be honest. The world-building wasn't done in a way where everything made sense, which made it hard to achieve a willing suspension of disbelief. Some of the things that happened in the book also didn't really make sense, in a scientific way, and were not explained well at all. Furthermore, the "romance" was kind of god awful. A lot of questions were left unanswered throughout the story and even in the abrupt end (the book just kind of stopped without warning. Not a good conclusion for book 1 or lead-in for book 2), and it didn't add mystery as much as it created annoyance. The pacing was okay, and the concept itself was interesting, which kept me reading, but the writing wasn't that great. I'm not sure if I'll read book 2 or not. 

The characters were okay, but none of them felt fully developed. Skye was maybe pretty or maybe not. Not sure, to be honest. She just kind of existed as this shell who liked the ocean and maybe or maybe not liked a boy. Rain was dull and annoying. I think the author was going for mysterious with him, but I just saw him as wishy-washy, kind of weak-minded, and bland. Lacy was maybe a mean girl or maybe she wasn't. Not sure. No one's personalities were really defined, much like the worlds (real and app) weren't really defined. I needed more information on all accounts to fully immerse myself in this world and story. 

Overall, this book was just okay. It wasn't the best thing ever, but it also wasn't awful. I'd recommend checking it out from the library before buying it.

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THE HUNT by Megan Shepherd

Rating: B+
Synopsis:

The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in the second novel in this gripping and romantic YA series about teens abducted from Earth by an otherworldly race—from Megan Shepherd, the acclaimed author of the Madman’s Daughter series.

They’ve left the cage—but they’re not free yet.

After their failed escape attempt, Cora, Lucky, and Mali have been demoted to the lowest level of human captives and placed in a safari-themed environment called the Hunt, along with wild animals and other human outcasts. They must serve new Kindred masters—Cora as a lounge singer, Lucky as an animal wrangler, and Mali as a safari guide—and follow new rules or face dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, Nok and Rolf have been moved into an enormous dollhouse, observed around the clock by Kindred scientists interested in Nok’s pregnancy. And Leon, the only one who successfully escaped, has teamed up with villainous Mosca black-market traders.

The former inhabitants of the Cage are threatened on all fronts—and maybe worst of all, one of the Hunt’s Kindred safari guests begins to play a twisted game of cat and mouse with Cora. Separated and constantly under watch, she and the others must struggle to stay alive, never mind find a way back to each other. When Cassian secretly offers to train Cora to develop her psychic abilities—to prove the worthiness of humanity in a series of tests called the Gauntlet—she’ll have to decide fast if she dares to trust the Kindred who betrayed her, or if she can forge her own way to freedom.

My thoughts on the book:

I really enjoyed The Cage, and I was super excited to read The Hunt, but I was also apprehensive because so many second books are awful. However, Shepherd did not disappoint. This novel was better than I expected it to be, and I absolutely fell in love with it. The characters' grew throughout the book, the plot had a constant sense of urgency and alternated between sweet moments and dark moments, the pacing was spot on, and the writing was top notch. 

Cora grew up a lot in this installment, and I really enjoyed following her through the story. Mali and Leon developed a lot more, too, and I'm still a sucker for Cassian. I also gained some respect for Nok and Rolf this time around, and everyone really did their part. Lucky was another character who earned my respect. I liked some of the new introductions, but some of them, like Pika, annoyed me. I couldn't feel much sympathy for her, which kind of made me feel like a jerk.

The plot kept me engaged from the first page forward. The idea of the Hunt menagerie was horrific on many different levels than the menageries mentioned in the first book. What the animals and people went through in that menagerie broke my heart. I was engaged and sympathetic to everyone's plight, which isn't something I'm normally capable of in books with multiple viewpoints. Also, Nok and Rolf's situation was extremely twisted. I was concerned about everyone. Cassian managed to win me over again. I'm a sucker for aliens, apparently. The pacing was pretty fast, and I flew through the pages. Nothing felt rushed, though, except for the ending. It ended in a cliffhanger, and I really hate cliffhangers, hence the B+ instead of an A.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a unique and well-written sci-fi adventure. You won't be disappointed.

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THE PASSENGER by Alexandra Bracken

Rating: B+
Synopsis:
Passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.


Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home... forever.

My thoughts on the book:
I'll admit that I wasn't a huge fan of Bracken's last series, but I couldn't resist requesting a time travel novel. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I absolutely loved the characters. The pacing dragged on in a few places, then the ending was a major cliffhanger, which I didn't like too much, but the world-building was spectacular. The writing was well-done, and the descriptions were extremely vivid. I can't wait for the next installment in this series.

Etta was well-developed and a bit stubborn, but she wasn't illogical or rash. She's pretty strong for a YA female lead, and she managed to do that without being a brat. My favorite thing about her is that she actually had feelings and stopped in the middle of the chaos to feel them. I also liked that she had some kind of anxiety disorder because that stuff needs to be talked about more. As someone with GAD, I can appreciate a heroine who is strong but also struggles with panic attacks. Nicholas was a great leading man. He was a good complement to Etta, and he was a bit broken without being angsty. He was also a super strong character, and he was very complex. There were layers to his pain, but he was still willing to give life a chance. We could all learn a few lessons from that, I think. The secondary characters weren't as well-developed, but they felt like real people. We just didn't get to see them a lot. Hasan was a lot of fun, and I would have liked to have seen more of Alice.

The writing was engaging, and the plot was extremely well thought out. Everything tied together nicely, and almost everything made perfect sense. The plot twist at the end sent me reeling, though, and I'm not sure if it felt right or not, to be honest. I haven't really had time to absorb it yet, I think. The last 75% of the story lagged a bit until the very end (93%ish mark), where it moved at lightening speed and ended on a cliffhanger. I really didn't care for that too much. The world-building was well-done, and I could accept and understand the world that Bracken created. The author described each place beautifully, and the descriptions were so vivid that I felt like I was there with the characters. She really did her research/traveling for this book. Again, I like that the action paused when something awful happened to give the characters a chance to feel a full range of emotion. I hate when something that's supposed to be traumatizing happens and the characters just keep going and never deal with it. That's not realistic to me, and it really takes away from the story. Bracken is one of the few authors that I've seen actually let the characters feel before jumping back into the fray, and I appreciated that.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good time travel novel. Bracken's presentation of time travel is a bit different from the other books I've read on this topic, and the story itself is extremely interesting.

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SPIDER'S TRAP by Jennifer Estep

Rating: C-
Synopsis:
The next thrilling book in Jennifer Estep’s New York Times andUSA Today bestselling Elemental Assassin series—“an extraordinary series… One of the most intriguing heroines in the genre” (Romantic Times Book Reviews).

Keep your friends close but your enemies within stabbing distance.

One important lesson I’ve learned in the assassination business is that to be the best you have to roll with the punches. Now that I’m queen of Ashland’s underworld—by default, not by choice—a lot more punches are being thrown my way. But I suppose that’s the price of victory for taking down some of the underworld’s top dogs. Good thing I have my Ice and Stone magic to help me survive my volatile new position. Just when I think things are finally settling down, someone tries to murder me during a hush-hush underworld meeting. But the real surprise is how strangely familiar my shadowy assailant seems to be.

My job is to maintain order among killers, crooks, and thieves, and soon I’m embroiled in a bloody game where the ability to keep secrets could be the greatest superpower of all. My enemies have all sharpened their knives and laid their traps, waiting for me to fall. But this Spider weaves her own webs of death…

My thoughts on the book:
I love this series, but to be honest, all of these books are starting to run together. There's not enough character growth or change in plot to keep me interested anymore. I think it's just about time for this series to come to an end. I still enjoy Gin's snarky comments and all of the action and romance, but these novels just aren't exciting anymore. I'm not sure that I'll read the next in the series.

Gin is the same as she always is. Finn is the same as he always is. Owen is the same as he always is. You get the idea. I love these characters, but sadly, they just aren't developing anymore. I think it's time to tell them goodbye. I hate to say it, but it's true.

The plot itself is the same as always. People are trying to kill Gin. Bad guys are out to get her. Blah blah blah. The pacing and writing are good, so I was engrossed the entire time, but I knew what was going to happen because it's the same in every book. The ending left room for yet another sequel, but I kind of hope it just stops. I know it sounds like I didn't enjoy this book, but I did. I'm just tired of it being the same book with new bad guys each time.

Overall, I'd say if you love the series go ahead and read this one. It's a good read and Gin is charming as ever.

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CRASH by Eve Silver

Rating: A-
Release Date: 6/9/15
Synopsis:
A thrilling action/suspense novel for fans of The Fifth Wave about contemporary teens pulled in and out of an alternate reality where battling aliens is more than a game—it's life and death.

Miki’s life is falling apart around her. Her dad and best friend are lying in the hospital. The Game is glitching, making missions more frequent and more deadly. And someone close to her is waiting for the right moment to betray her. 

Miki feels like she’s hanging on by a thread and the only thing keeping her tethered is Jackson’s hand in hers. Yet telling him how much she needs him, how much she loves him, feels like the biggest challenge of all. And if Miki really wants the missions to end for everyone, she’ll have to let go and be ready to fight when the walls between the Game and reality come crashing down. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that she’s got a whole lot left to lose.

Crash is the pulse-pounding conclusion to the Game trilogy fans won’t want to miss.

My thoughts on the book:
Crash is a fantastic ending to this trilogy. It's fast paced and full of action and adventure. The characters grow even more, and the ending itself is satisfying. The romance is sweet, and there are a lot of plot twists. I've been a fan of this trilogy from the beginning because of its unique premise, and Silver finishes the series as strongly as she started it. 

Miki is a great narrator and a completely relatable character. She is flawed and battles with depression and anxiety, which I love. She shows her strength differently than characters who don't have these problems, but she is still very strong. I think it's so important for people to know you can be strong, even if you do have to fight a mental illness. Sometimes you're stronger because of that than you would be if you didn't have the illness. Jackson opens up some in this book, and I really enjoyed getting to know more about him. Lizzie is an intriguing character, and she added some mystery to the last two novels. 

The plot itself is full of twist, turns, and action. There is a lot going on in this book, and Silver does a good job keeping the mystery alive. The big reveal didn't surprise me that much, but it wasn't completely obvious either. It made perfect sense. One part bothered me, and that was when Jackson changes his mind suddenly. I don't want to say more than that to spoil it for anyone, but that part doesn't seem very realistic. Other than that, the plot was solid and the ending was satisfying. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book and series to anyone who is looking for a fun, exciting, and unique sci-fi read. 

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THE CAGE by Megan Shepherd

Rating: A- 
Release Date: 5/26/15
Synopsis:
The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in this gripping new series about teens held captive in a human zoo by an otherworldly race. From Megan Shepherd, the acclaimed author of The Madman's Daughter trilogy.

When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.

Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren't from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.

As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so . . . what world lies beyond the walls of their cage?

My thoughts on the book:
The Cage is the weirdest book I have read in awhile, and I mean that in a good way. It was so strange, and I felt like the Kindred were messing with my head, too. Shepherd created a really complex and creepy world, and she was able to give each character his or her own voice when a chapter was being told from his or her POV. The switching viewpoints didn't bother me like they often times do, and the plot was full of twists and turns. The characters were complicated, realistic, and flawed. I'm really looking forward to this sequel.

The character development was pretty top notch, in my opinion. Each character had a distinct personality and their own voice. Furthermore, they all had complicated and messy pasts which formed how they interacted with one another. None of the main or secondary characters really felt like stock characters to me... not even the Kindred, even though they weren't supposed to show emotion. I thought that Cora was really strong, though she struggled with being brave sometimes. That made her seem more realistic than someone who was constantly strong. I also adored Cassian, even though I probably shouldn't. I can't wait to get to know him better, though. Lucky annoyed me quite a bit, and I really hope the author isn't planning to set up a love triangle. 

The plot was complex, and the big reveal actually shocked me. That rarely happens for me in books, but this one was surprising. Looking back, it made sense, but I definitely didn't see it coming. The pacing was pretty fast, and I flew through the ending. Shepherd did a good job with the world-building, too, and I could clearly picture the different biomes. The rules of the world were a bit confusing, even at the end, but answers were slowly being given. I feel like the next book will answer a lot more questions. The ending tied up a lot of the issues in the novel, but was also kind of a cliffhanger, which I didn't care for. I hate cliffhangers, and now I have to wait a whole year to see what happens. Sigh. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something unique in the YA Sci-Fi genre. This is an enjoyable book, and it will definitely keep you on your toes as you try to figure out what, exactly is happening and why. 

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TV Love

Hi, my name is Emily, and I'm a television addict (hi, Emily)

Really though, I love TV. And now that damn near all my shows are over, cancelled, or on summer hiatus, I'm going a little batty. What a perfect time to catch up on some critical essays!

Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon's Firefly edited by Jane Espenson

Oh Firefly. Nothing will ever fill the broken, rusty hole you left in my heart. Luckily I'm not alone, as proven by this collection brought to your grabby Browncoat hands by contributors including crew members, fans, and even the best mechanic in the verse, Kaylee actress Jewel Staite. *hums theme song. You can't take the sky from meeeeee*

(remember what I said about going a bit batty? Yeah, Space Madness has definitely set in)

Seven Seasons of Buffy: Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Discuss Their Favorite Television Show edited by Glen Yeffeth

Speaking of our Lord and Savior His Great And Mighty Whedonness- Buffy! Not all of these anthologies are so big on the analysis, but this one is, which is very welcome as this series is so full of ideas, tropes, development and symbolism to be mined. Before launching into a rewatch, check this out. It's kind of like taking a Buffy-centered media studies course, and who among us wouldn't have rocked that elective in college?

In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural edited by Leah Wilson and Supernatural TV

This anthology is great- diverse, entertaining, and scholarly, while still being a celebration of the show. Have you ever noticed that Dean is kind of a soccer mom? Why do people write so much fanfiction, anyway? Read multiple essays on how awesome the Impala is, and trace the magnificently constructed arcs of the first 5 seasons. Decide how much of a crap father John was (my answer: very much, but maybe he did the best he could...?), and contemplate the differences between Sam and Dean. A great way to stave off hiatus angst (do we really have to wait until November??)

Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Tara O'Shea

Chicks Dig Time Lords is, as the title implies, more a celebration of fandom than a book of insightful analyses about the show. The entries are short, and occasionally personal to the point of being of more interest to the authors than the readers. But still, many will resonate with fans from diverse backgrounds who all have different experiences with the show. I enjoyed the mix- long-time viewers, new converts, women who grew up watching the show who were then able to introduce it to their daughters, writers/readers of fic, costumers, congoers, authors and even an actress (India Fisher!!!). It's worth picking up solely for Carol Barrowman's (yes, THAT Barrowman) entry. There are two sequels: Chicks Unravel Time, which might fulfill my yen for more in-depth critiques, and Queers Dig Time Lords, an exploration of LGBT characters & themes in the show, and fans of all stripes who love it.

Serenity Found: More Unathorized Essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe edited by Jane Espenson

One might think that this, being the second anthology about the Firefly 'verse, might be a little thin. Fear not! It was written after Serenity skewered us all in the gut premiered, so contributors have plenty of material to explore. There are some fantastic pieces from great contributors, all intelligent and insightful, which illuminated several ideas and themes in the series- and yet all I can think of right now is Nathan Fillion's entry, which pretty much proves that he is (a better adjusted) Captain Malcom Reynolds.


Reading these didn't just give me more insight into some of my favorite shows. Sure, they were often fun and funny, and I loved learning more about fans, creators, characters, sets and stories, but I also got to flex the part of my brain that has been languishing since I left my last English lit course. Watching tv is all well and good, but I'm not (just) in it for the pretty people, compelling baddies, striking sets and costumes. I'm in it for the stories, the connections, and I love finding out more about genre, the process of media production, and how tv can legitimately be called literature.

If any of that sounds interesting, or if you're looking for something tv-related to do in the long haul until the fall season, check out one of these books and let me know what you think!

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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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Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci

Acclaimed authors Holly Black (Ironside) and Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof) have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr.

With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers. Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on! -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

This was a fun, fairly quick read that did touch on most aspects of fandom (cosplaying, cons, fic, online communities, bonding with people over weirdly specific things, etc), as well as mentioning most of the big geek touchstones (Star Trek, Buffy, Doctor Who, Star Wars, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and so forth).  None of the stories were AMAZING, but they were mostly at least entertaining, and some stood out. I really enjoyed the Klingon/Jedi love story, and the one about a Buffy fan defending Dawn (no she's not my favorite either, but is she really deserving of so much hate, especially after Season Seven? I think not.) If you want to enjoy some geek nostalgia, or learn what some of your favorite writers fangirl about, this is the place to do it.

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