The Farm by Emily McKay

Published: December 2012

Publisher: Berkeley Trade

Pages: 420

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Life was different in the Before: before vampires began devouring humans in a swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined. These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the undead monsters, known as Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…

And when trust is a thing of the past, escape is nearly impossible.

Lily and her twin sister Mel have a plan. Though Mel can barely communicate, her autism helps her notice things no one else notices—like the portion of electrical fence that gets turned off every night. Getting across won’t be easy, but as Lily gathers what they need to escape, a familiar face appears out of nowhere, offering to help…

Carter was a schoolmate of Lily’s in the Before. Managing to evade capture until now, he has valuable knowledge of the outside world. But like everyone on the Farm, Carter has his own agenda, and he knows that behind the Ticks is an even more dangerous threat to the human race...

 The Farm was an exciting and intriguing apocalyptic vampire story with a bit of a difference.  One thing I have heard is it being compared to the Hunger Games.  I'm not sure why people do this.  Yes, I am absolutely certain that the people who enjoyed THG will enjoy The Farm, but the storylines are not alike it at all - well not enough for that kind of comparison anyway.

Government experiments have produced warped monsters, referred to as the undead although I'm not sure why, but these monsters definitely have a similarity to those in Resident Evil.  In this world we discover that vampires are real and taking advantage of the situation.  There is some incredibly complex world building going on here that makes The Farm very intense and readable.

Told from three alternating POV's  - those of Lily, Mel and Carter - this allows us to see the story from different angles and understand the reasons behind certain actions.  Carter is a rather complex guy and I liked his character and his obvious concern for Lily.  Lily has many layers, but her overwhelming reason for living is to protect her sister from anything and everything.  I did enjoy the way that she was willing to change her mind about people when her opinions were proved wrong - McKenna and Joe being the most obvious examples.  The short segments seen from Mel's POV were strange, yet enlightening and added another dimension to the story.  Another interesting character was Sebastian - a vampire who is helping the rebels. 

I'm really interested to see where this story is going - there was a marvellous twist at the end that I wasn't expecting - and I'll happily read future volumes, when ever they happen to arrive.  A great title for apocalyptic fiction lovers, and yes -  for fans of the Hunger Games as well.

Every Day by David Levithan

Every Day by David Levithan

 

Published: 2012

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Copy: Library

Pages: 324

Summary: Goodreads

 

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

I’d never read a David Levithan book before. And the only reason I tackled this one was because of a recommendation from my favourite author (Orson Scott Card), who’s “Uncle Orson Reviews Everything” column I stalk a little too regularly.

And so I was introduced to A. And at first I thought, this is going to be weird. How can you have a non-gendered individual in a story line? Something that is corporeal but not? But David Levithan’s prowess as a writer has not been overstated, and it was wonderfully written (and there were no slip-ups on gender assignation...I watched for them!).

A is essentially a body snatcher. Every day, for as long as s/he can remember, s/he wakes up in a new body. Mercifully that body is also close to what s/he assumes is his/her real age. (That was confusing  - Mr. Leviathan does it better than I do, so for the sake of convenience, I’ll refer to A as “he”). A doesn’t think this is strange – but manages to keep it a secret. He’s been fat, thin, popular, shunned and everything in between. He takes over their life for one day – and he’s always been content to continue to move on every night.

Until he meets a girl who shakes him. That makes him drag the bodies he possesses to run into her, to see her. Because although he changes every day, he wants her to stay the same.

Levithan approaches this subject and covers almost every loophole you can imagine – he also hits all the plot lines you can think of, and his characters take them on realistically (as you can get in these scenarios) and with grace and poise. They struggle; A’s love, Rhiannon might just love him too – but can she shed all the preconceptions and love A when he’s a girl, despite her being straight. Or when he’s a 400 lb teen that has kind of given up on the whole “image” thing? And what happens when the possession doesn’t go smoothly – usually A makes as few ripples in that person’s life as possible – but being left unconscious on the side of the road or bailing on a wedding can have some big repercussions.

But it works. And it was beautiful and everything I expected, not only from a review by OSC himself, but from the reputation that has preceded David Levithan in my literary world. Another great ISU read, and fabulous one for teens looking to step into David Leviathan’s writing, but afraid he’ll be just another gay author.

Follow Friday

Friday Follow is a blog hop that was started by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.  Each week a different question is posted by our hosts and we wil answer!  This is a great opportunity for bloggers to network and interact. 

This week’s question –

Q:  We are about to see a lot of posts & tweets about reader conventions, RT, BEA, ALA and many more are starting soon. Which one would you love to attend? Where and why?

Hands down I want to go to BEA.  I've been wanting to go for 3 years straight but I don't really want to go on my own and life intervenes so I never end up going...one day though...I will be in New York, battling the crowds, gushing at the author signings and paying hundreds of dollars to ship my goodies home.  Why?  Because it is a book lover's dream come true.  Kind of like winning a 5 minute shopping spree for a shoeaholic at Jimmy Choo's....

 

Welcome to the Paperback Princesses! Make yourself at home, take a look around our blog and let us know what you think in the comments section. We would love to hear what you have to say about our posts. We often try to comment on your comments as well so feel free to start a conversation! Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and event postings. Be sure to check out our own personal meme page. Check out Fantastic Fairytales, Let's Hear it for the Boys, In Case you Missed it and a few others. We try to not only focus on new YA books but also great titles from the past.

Spellbinding by Maya Gold

 

Published: April 1st, 2013

Publisher: Scholastic Point

Pages: 272

Copy: Publisher, by way of Netgalley

Summary: Goodreads

It is during a routine school project that Abby Silva--sixteen and nearly friendless--makes a startling discovery: She is descended from women who were accused of witchcraft back in 1600s Salem. And when Abby visits nearby Salem, strange, inexplicable events start to unfold. Objects move when she wills them to. Candles burst into sudden flame. And an ancient spellbook somehow winds up in her possession.

Trying to harness her newfound power, Abby concocts a love potion to win over her longtime crush--and exact revenge upon his cruel, bullying girlfriend. But old magic is not to be trifled with. Soon, Abby is thrust headlong into a world of hexes, secrets, and danger. And then there's Rem Anders, the beautiful, mysterious Salem boy who seems to know more about Abby than he first lets on.

A reckoning is coming, and Abby will have to make sense of her history--and her heart--before she can face the powerful truth.

Spellbinding was a quick fun read that didn't really have any surprises for me.  High school nobody who for one reason or another comes into her previously unknown 'powers' - in this case witchcraft.  She goes from being a invisible nobody to an intriguing somebody, with boys suddenly showing an interest in her like never before.

Throw in an unknown evil force, or bad guy, discover that with great power comes great responsibility (sorry, don't remember which hero was originally told that) and when push comes to shove, make the right decision and regret your bad ones.  Oh, and chose one of the two good looking, hot boys,  'cos let's face it, one is enough for anyone, right!

Ok, sorry if that made it Spellbinding sound bad, it really wasn't.  I had fun reading it, but there was nothing in it that really made it stand out from any of the other high school based, new powers arriving titles, that are out there. I will recommend it for a quick summer read that is suitable for younger teens though.

Waiting on Wednesday - Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Dead Silence is book #4 of the Body Finder series.  As far as I know. it is the last book in this series (that makes me so sad if it's true).  Here's the summary (by Goodreads) - 

Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

I know I've said it before but I just have to say it again...I think that Kimberly Derting is one of the most under-rated authors in the YA-universe.  She is like a gem for young readers and is perfect for those who want a book they can really get into without the excessive sex, language and violence.  If you are a parent, teacher or librarian and are looking for a series to satisfy a young reader, try either her Pledge series or the Body Finder.

Let's Hear It for the Boys - Shadow on the Sun by David Macinnis Gill

 

Publisher

Durango has always relied on Mimi--once his tough-as-nails squad leader, she is now the bitingly sarcastic artificial intelligence flash-cloned to his brain. Mimi is the only reason he is alive.

Durango has always looked out for his devastatingly beautiful and brave second-in-command, Vienne--now wounded, crushed, missing. Vienne is the only reason he wants to live.

Durango hasn't always despised his father. But he does now. Lyme wants Durango to be the Prince of Mars, and he'll stop at nothing to realize that dream. He'll sacrifice anything and anyone in the name of domination. Even Mimi. Especially Vienne.

Lyme forgot one thing. You don't want to mess with Durango.

Review

I want to hand it to Mr. MacInnis Gill.  He has managed to write a marvellously thrilling SF adventure that is full of mystery, tension and a frisson of romance, but the main characters are separated for the majority of the book.

After the explosive events of Invisible Sun, (my review here), Durango and Vienne are separated and trying in their own unique ways to find each other again.  Of course, Durango's father, Lyme, has a different path in mind for him and Durango's biggest problem is how to foil his devious plans.  As has been established in Invisible Sun and Black Hole Sun, this is not Mars as we have come to expect it and pretty much anything can and does happen.

There are more mercenaries this time around and I couldn't help but laugh at the Brothers Koumanov.   Mimi, the artificial intelligence that is attached to Durango's brain stem, plays an even larger part this time around and I absolutely adore her sarcastic sense of humour.  She so keeps Durango grounded. There is more character development also and we catch more than a glimpse of the real Vienne  and Durango. They are so not your typical romantic figures, but this is definitely a story about finding true love.  It just happens to include a lot of fighting, treachery, explosions and  all the other fun and frolics we've come to expect. This is romance for guys - no mushy stuff.

If you haven't tried this trilogy yet, now is the time, when you don't have to wait for the next one to come out. 

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received.

I hopped on the George R.R. Martin train and purchased the series of A Song of Ice and Fire series.  Now, how I plan on reading all 5000+ pages is still a feat I'm trying to figure out but I'm sure after watching the series, I'll want to jump ahead and figure out what is going to happen before the next season.  Not very YA-ish but still lots of fun!  What's on your shelf?

- Christinabean