Review: Variant by Robison Wells

Variant

By: Robison Wells

Pub. Date: October 4, 2011

Publisher: Harper Teen

Pages: 356

Source: Netgalley

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move.

Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

Variant is about foster kid Bensen (love that name!), who receives a scholarship to the prestigious Maxfield Academy. He believes that attending the school is finally the break that he needed his entire life. He is sick of being moved from home to home and wants a real life and a real education. But Maxfield Academy isn’t like other schools. There are no teachers, no homework and no adults! In place of that are wire-fences and security cameras. Once you get into Maxfield, there is no getting out!

The “students” are split between three different gangs. Each fitting into their assigned roles. Complaints are not made out loud because that could lead to a kind of punishment that nobody wants. The students do the cooking, cleaning, and teaching and every single student has a chip on a piece of jewelry that can not be taken off under any circumstance.

Bensen never knows who to trust and the author keeps us guessing throughout the very end. The cliffhanger also leaves the reader wanting and needing book two NOW!

I enjoyed Bensen’s character. He was so strong-willed and brave. He wasn’t willing to sit back and allow this to happen to him. He was going to break all the rules and do whatever it took to escape.

Aspects of Variant reminded me a lot of Lord of the Flies. What happens to children when there are no adults supervising them? How do they handle this situation? I hated LOTF when I read it in HS, so I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed Variant.

If you are looking for a suspense story, then Variant is the book for you. I am eagerly awaiting book two! 

Waiting on Wednesday # 15

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly waiting for.

In Honor

By: Jessi Kirby

Pub. Date: May 8, 2012

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Honor receives her brother's last letter from Iraq three days after learning that he died, and opens it the day his fellow Marines lay the flag over his casket. Its contents are a complete shock: concert tickets to see Kyra Kelly, her favorite pop star and Finn's celebrity crush. In his letter, he jokingly charged Honor with the task of telling Kyra Kelly that he was in love with her.

Grief-stricken and determined to grant Finn's last request, she rushes to leave immediately. But she only gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn's best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn't seen him in ages, thanks to a falling out between the two guys, but Rusty is much the same as Honor remembers him: arrogant, stubborn. . . and ruggedly good looking. Neither one is what the other would ever look for in a road trip partner, but the two of them set off together, on a voyage that makes sense only because it doesn't. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn--but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?

What are you waiting on this Wednesday? Leave your link in the comments so I can check it out!

Review: A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

A Beautiful Dark

By: Jocelyn Davies

Pub. Date: September 27, 2011

Publisher: Harper Teen

Pages: 320

Source: Netgalley

On the night of Skye’s seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites—like fire and ice—Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye’s life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move—only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.

In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can’t help falling for, and Devin, who she can’t stay away from, the consequences of Skye’s choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.

A Beautiful Dark is the first book in a captivating trilogy by debut author Jocelyn Davies.

I’m not really a fan of books about angels. Except for anything written by Becca Fitzpatrick, I try to stay away from them. With that said, I am glad that I gave A Beautiful Dark a chance. It was well-written and kept my attention throughout the story.

At Skye’s 17^th birthday party, she meets two mysterious boys and has no idea how much her life is about to change. The boys, Asher and Devin claim to be cousins and transfer to her school. She knows that something is up with them, but can’t figure out what it is. One minute the boys seem interested in her, the next, there not. Very hot and cold.

Asher was a lot of fun! He was definitely my favorite of the three. Devin had some cute moments as well, and I really loved the snowball fight between him and Skye.

The main issue I had with this story was how long it took for us to finally find out what was going on. I wanted to know all already! Once I did, the book flew by and I kept wanting to know more!

I thought the storyline was very original. Many stories about angels kind of have the same theme-the fallen angel who wants redemption, but A Beautiful Dark was completely different from that, and it was one of the best things about this book!

I know this review is very general. It is hard for me to write something without giving anything away. A Beautiful Dark is definitely one of those books that you need to read for yourself to understand what is being said about it.

I would recommend A Beautiful Dark  to anyone who is a fan of angels because of its completely different spin on it. Even if you are like me, and don’t enjoy books about angels, I think you will enjoy this book too!  

Review: Oubliette by Megg Jensen

Oubliette

(Cloud Prophecy # 2)

By: Megg Jensen

Pub. Date: June 11, 2011

Publisher: CreateSpace

Pages: 186

Source: Author

Reychel thought she was finally free. She was wrong. Everyone saw her gift of prophecy as a blessing, but her gift is uncontrollable. No one alive can teach her to manipulate her unique gift and the answers she needs lie buried within a madman’s journals. She’s thrust in the midst of a brewing war and the only uniting factor for her people is their belief in the Prophet. Will Reychel learn to control her gift or will she be forced to deliver a false prophecy that could lead her people into a violent war?

I loved Anathema (the first book in the series) so much that I could not wait to read Oubliette and let me tell you, Oubliette does not disappoint! There is just something about Megg Jensen’s writing that keeps me intrigued until the very end.

Reychel, the Cloud Prophet is transported to a new land where she meets the daughter of Nemison, the man who was supposed to teach her how to use her gifts until he was kidnapped. Reychel has no idea who she could trust since she has been betrayed by so many different people, including the man she loves, Mark. Since no one is teaching her how to use her gift, she has no idea how to properly use it. Without her prophets, she will not be able to help her people. Through the journals of the original Cloud Prophet, the man who long ago prophesized that a girl would come and free their people, Reychel hopes she will learn what she needs to do in order to succeed in her destiny.  

There were so many times that I thought I was going to be able to figure what was going to happen, and then BAM, Jensen surprised me with a plot twist! This is only the second book I have read by Jensen, but I can already tell that every story she writes is going to be FANTASTIC and I am looking forward to reading more by her! 

Read my review of Anathema, the first book in The Cloud Prophet series! 

In My Mailbox (24)

 

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme created by The Story Siren to share with everyone the books they bought, borrowed, or received for review.

~Review~

 

The Fate of the Muse by Derrolyn Anderson

Red by Kait Nolan

Antara by Marilena Mexi

~Bought~

 

Crave by Melinda Metz

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (Only $1.99 on your nook!)

Enthralled edited by Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I love my local Barnes and Noble for putting books on the shelves before the release date. That's how I got my hands on Lola and Mara Dyer! 

~Borrowed from the Library~

Stay With Me by Paul Griffin

I just finished Stay With Me and loved it!

What did you guys get in your mailbox? Leave your link in my comments so I can check it out!

Follow Friday # 9

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read! It's a great way to meet new blogger friends!

This weeks question is:

Do you have a favorite series that you read over and over again? Tell us a bit about it and why you keep on revisiting it?

My Answer: I actually never re-read an entire series before. Once I read a book, no matter how many times I tell myself that I would want to read it over again, I never do. I recently finished The Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and I can see myself in a few years reading it again. The writing is terrific and I fell in love with every single character. Eventually, I would like to read Harry Potter again, but I have so many other books to read that I hate wasting time re-reading books. I would rather spend my time discovering new books and authors.

Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Graffiti Moon

By: Cath Crowley

Pub. Date: February 14, 2012

Publisher: Random House Children’s House

Pages: 224

Source: Netgalley

Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

I loved, loved, loved Graffiti Moon! It was funny, cute and above all, it had heart. It is a beautifully written contemporary, but it is so much more then your average teenage love story.

Graffiti Moon is told in the POV of Lucy, Ed (Shadow) and Leo (Poet). Lucy has been obsessed with Shadow’s graffiti art ever since she first laid eyes on it and has been searching for Shadow ever since. She understands his art and knows that he is the guy she is meant to be with. The night that she plans on finding Shadow her friends want to hang out with high school dropout Ed, and his best friend Leo. Lucy despises Ed but agrees to hang out with them because Ed promises to help her find Shadow. She has NO IDEA that Ed is Shadow and I loved that! I thought the readers were going to find out that Ed was Shadow the same time that Lucy did, but we learn as soon as we read Ed’s first chapter.

Ed was my favorite. I loved everything about him. He had that adorable thing going for him and since he had a hard time with his emotions, he painted what he was feeling instead. Crowley’s described his work so vividly that I felt like I was the one looking at it.

I also loved Leo. He didn’t say much and his POV was in verse, but I just fell in love with him! I’m not big on poetry, but his poems were short and sweet and through them I really felt like I got a sense of who Leo really was.

I really loved everything about Graffiti Moon. I can’t wait till February so I can have my own copy sitting on my bookshelf. I plan on reading everything else Crowley wrote ASAP!!

Do whatever you can to get your hands on Graffiti Moon! It’s totally worth it!!