Review: Suspense

Spencer Nye can’t control the rage bubbling under her skin over the world around her. The trouble is, by the year 2102, the world has solved most of its great problems. Without hunger, war, greed, or even money, people obsess over the glamour of the Culture Industry and its mega-celebrity Idols, who vie for followers over the social networks of Connect. 

-Goodreads

Stats:

• Format: ebook

• Publisher: CreateSpace

• Release Date: September 3, 2011

• File Size: 375 KB

Favorite Quotes:

“I’ve never known anyone else who did things like this, had this restless urge to create problems and strife that never went away. This was why I was a mess.”

“But you are pretty in a completely different way. If I didn’t know you and saw you sitting alone, you’re someone I would want to walk up to and strike up a conversation with, because you’re graceful and intriguing enough to make people feel comfortable around you.”

“Anyone can have grand ideas about what they want the world to be, but the real genius is knowing how to get there from where we are now.”

“When you’ve got the whole world looking at you, they’ll make you out to be whatever they want, when really none of us are any different.”

“I smiled as I reached back, knowing that the time had come. To leap without looking, to trust your gut and do what must be done in the face of uncertainty, to take the hard road because it will only make you stronger, and to fight for those who will never thank you, that was what I believed in.”

Review:

Suspense is the first book in the Spencer Nye Trilogy by Jason Letts.  It is set in the future where people follow (or even worship) celebrities known as “Idols.”  Idols come and go according to their popularity and wars break out between their followers.  It is a believable scenario when you look at how obsessed our culture is with celebrities.  I found the Idols to be a really interesting part of the story.  

The main character, Spencer, is a strong female who is constantly striving to make life meaningful and is tired of the average day-to-day.  Spencer follows the Idol Cleary Mintz, an actor.  She discovers that followers of another Idol are planning on killing Cleary and she is trying to warn him.  There are a lot of action scenes and they were described pretty well.  

Spencer’s two friends in the book are Patch and Jetta.  Patch is a guy who is great with technology and is an integral part of Spencer working towards helping Cleary.  Jetta is part-cyborg (humans can have certain body parts replaced with mechanical ones; remember, it’s the future) and is a true ally; she wouldn’t think twice about putting herself in danger to save either Spencer or Patch.  Although I liked Spencer and Jetta’s friendship, it gets a little complicated between them and made things kind of weird (you’ll know what I mean when you read the book!).  

I was definitely into the plot and it had me wanting to know what was going to happen.  I have to admit that this started to fade as the book neared the end.  The story takes a turn that I wasn’t expecting and I’m not sure if I’ll like it.  Spencer’s likability also started to fall kind of flat.  She wants to do well by others but also always wants to be involved in a fight.  Spencer is starting to seem like the type of person who enjoys being miserable and thrives on it.

Despite the end of the book not being as interesting as the rest, I am curious about how the next two books will be.  Suspense had some great new ideas and definitely keeps you guessing!
                                                    

                                                         

 

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In My Mailbox (#7)

Kristi at The Story Siren hosts this awesome meme where we get to share what books we got our hands on this week! Click on each picture if you want to read a summary.
Jenna's books-

For review from author or publisher:

Ashley's books-

 For review from author:

Purchased:

Bring on the reading:)

What's in your mailbox?

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Giveaway Alert: The Bookish Type

Casey at The Bookish Type is hosting an incredible 1500 Followers Giveaway. These are all current titles that have been getting excellent hype. Stop on over to check them out. Three different winners will get their choice of:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Name of the Star

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

This is an international giveaway, people:)

Now I will return from my short hiatus to grade more research papers. I don't mind if you feel bad for me. My husband likes to remind me I chose this profession. I most like to remember that during the summer.

 

 

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Review: Glow

GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan

"What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside." -Goodreads

Stats:

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Release date: Sept. 13, 2011
• Page count: 307
• Unique elements: Told from two perspectives, Waverly's and Kieran, but not alternating chapters-- you never know when they'll switch
• Would appeal to: Fans of Across the Universe, dystopian or science fiction lovers
• BUY Link

Favorite Quotes:

"Mather took her place behind the altar and, smiling down at the congregation, lifted her hands. She seemed to glow from within, and Waverly thought that some special spotllight must be shining on her-- a cheap effect to make her seem holy."

"The elevator doors finally opened with a cheery bell tone that made the violence elsewhere on the ship seem like a dark daydream."

"'When the time is right.' The voice lived in the place between his ear and his mind, where sound becomes meaning."

"Words escaped her like spikes."

Glow was a book I had trouble putting down for more than a few minutes at a time. I had to know what happened with each of the main characters.

And, look at the amazing cover! I love that you can't see Waverly's entire face (leaves something for the reader to imagine), and I love purple. The black represents space to me, so I really think the cover artist nailed it.

At first, I cared most about the protagonist Waverly. She and all the girls on board the Empyrean were snatched from their home ship because the New Horizon's women couldn't get pregnant. I didn't want the narrative to switch from her perspective to Kieran's (all in 3rd person though).

The first thing I thought was that the men were going to rape all those little girls. I was relieved to find out that all the adults on the new ship were very sweet to the girls.

I finally started caring about Kieran, the male lead, when he tries to take over (as the adults tell him to) and the other boys resent him. There's a long point in the story when it looks like he won't survive at the hands of the other boys, especially his archrival Seth (who also likes Waverly). This reminded me a tad of Lord of the Flies, the whole "what will boys do when left without adults?" concept.

We have another love triangle. Waverly and Kieran are expected to be together. But there's that mysterious something about Seth Waverly can't quite put her finger on, even despite his broody moods and loner lifestyle.

I figured out the ending (about who Waverly would like more), but that didn't take away anything from the story. This is the first in a series, so it all could change later.

I found myself wishing for more beautifully painted descriptions; the author paints a picture, but not in a stylistically pleasing way. Her words didn't leap off the page so that I would say, "That author can write!" Although this was the case, it didn't bother me as much as I thought. The action details were well suited to the quick pacing of the story.

Anne Mather, the leader on board the New Horizon, really irritated me. I was proud of the three  kidnapped girls who saw through her pleasantries right away.

I love that Waverly and Samantha, who were enemies on board their own ship, bond over their kidnapping as if they've always been old friends. Strife brings people together in real life as well.

The concept wasn't fully original; Margaret Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale pretty much had the claim to books about adults who can no longer conceive and teens who can. I did, however, like the fact that the entire story took place on two different spaceships while their crews were preparing for a home on New Earth. I wasn't exactly clear about which planet that was or where it was located, but I hope readers will get to see the crews as they settle on a planet.

Author Amy Kathleen Ryan definitely thought through the layout and mechanics of the ship. It would surprise me if she didn't have to do a ton of research before writing the book.

I absolutely loved all the emphasis on religion. The New Horizon is full of faithful people, but the Empyrean is not. Kieran's family was one of the only religious groups on board the second ship, and he actually pulls on that to comfort the left-behind boys. Waverly, however, cannot stand the way religion blindly leads people, as demonstrated by Anne Mather. I love that this couple butts heads about this topic and wonder if their relationship can survive such a dispute.

Things that bugged me:
-I didn't understand what the "nebula" was for quite awhile, or that it was a pink mass they were stuck in (Guess I should have paid more attention in science class!) However, part of the fun of reading a book with so much science is not understanding it all, so I didn't question what elements were right and which were wrong.
-There's a part when Waverly and Samantha have figured out how to pass messages to each other through poetry, and the way that Waverly first decodes the message isn't by reading every other word, as the book tells the reader.
-Waverly's biggest flaw is that although she is so strong and stubborn, she chooses comfort over desire in her love life. Some readers may like this because it shows she's human.

Final verdict:
Amy Kathleen Ryan explores the great leaps humans will take to ensure the survival of their species. An emotional journey through loss, religion, trust, and love, Glow's plot twists and futuristic setting beg readers to keep making new discoveries, even after the very last page.  --BUY "GLOW"--

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Follow Friday (#8)

Thanks to Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read for hosting this fun blogger hop. If you want to get in on the follow fun, check out their blogs.

Q: Today’s question is something new, an activity. We want to see what you look like! Take a pic with you and your current read! Too shy? Boo! Just post a fun pic you want to share.

In my car after a massage and errands. Do not be alarmed: this is not some sort of PSA to say it's okay to read and drive:) I'm parked in the parking lot.

I'm holding an ARC of Far From the War. The concept is insteresting: a 2nd US Civil War that takes place in present day. I'll post the review soon. Almost...finished...

I can't wait to see everyone's friendly face in this blogger hop. It will be great to put faces and names together!

Now I'm off to watch Water for Elephants because we have no school today (parent-teacher conferences are to thank for this well-deserved break). I hope the movie's good and I'm not too grossed out by the romance between Rob Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon because of the age difference. I didn't get a chance to read the book yet. (UPDATE: LOVED the movie. Hardly noticed their age difference--Rob acted older, Reese looks young, so bam, chemistry).

Tonight, I think the hubby and I are going to see Puss and Boots...my phone's text predictor sucks majorly-- I accidentally texted him, "Let's go see Piss n Boots." I hope it brightened his workday at least!

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Giveaway at Short and Sweet Book Reviews

For their 300 followers giveaway, Short and Sweet Book Reviews is giving away a box of books based on your favorite genres! This is one instance in which the element of surprise is a marvelous thing. They'll look at your Goodreads picks to determine what books to gift you with if you win. Stop by their blog and enter before the contest ends at the end of November.

Also, for every 50 more followers they gain, they will add another winner. Hooray for giveaways!

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NaNoWriMo

Hey, hey! I've been meaning to post my review of Glow up here, but something keeps getting in the way. Right now it should be research paper grading, but I just finished my day's work for National Novel Writing Month. I'd much rather be writing or reading than grading;)

Is anyone else doing this? I'd love to have some writing buddies; we can encourage each other! I'm listed as fansoffictionJen. I'm only up to 1,780 words and the goal is 50,000 by Nov. 30th. That will be a hard goal to reach, what with Turkey Day, work, lesson planning, parent/teacher conferences part II tomorrow night. We have an epic roller chair race planned for after, and that's bound to take up some time. Maybe I can get there with the word count?

I'm taking a stab at fantasy YA. The basic plot:
"For centuries, humans have overstepped their bounds. The Creator is tired of their disobedience; he recruits unsuspecting soldiers to fight his battle. Their weapon? Nature. With no memory of her past life, Piper must control the lightning because it is what has been commanded of her. She is quickly annoyed by Kale, who must remain by her side as thunder master. The last thing Piper expects is to fall in love with the boy who lives in the sea and controls the waves. As Piper starts remembering her previous life, she must decide whether or not to be a pawn in the army, and whether to risk her life for true love."

The opening scene takes place in the clouds, Piper's new home. I'm totally making it up as I go along. I just can't stop thinking of clouds. I've always wanted to run, jump, and play on them just like the Care Bears. Seriously, if I could jump out of an airplane just to touch them, I would (some way other than skydiving, that is).

If you haven't joined in the writing fun yet, it's not too late: http://www.nanowrimo.org/ has more information. Everyone who reaches 50,000 words is a WINNER:)

Well, we're all winners in our own way, especially Charlie Sheen. "WINNING!"

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