Delirium by Lauren Oliver

(warning! Possible spoilers!)

    This book is told from the point of view of Lena Haloway, a seventeen year old girl living in the town of Portland, Maine in the future United States. In the future, love is seen as a disease. They have named this disease "Amor Deliria Nervosa", but many people just call it the deliria. Lena is afraid of the disease, mainly because her mother committed suicide do to the affects of it. However, she is counting the days until she receives her cure, a surgery which can make you immune to the deliria, when she turns eighteen years old. Then, in a strange turn of events, Lena meets a boy by the name of Alex Sheathes, who is cured, while she and her friend Hana Tate are on a run. They have met once before, when Lena received her evaluation, which was disastrous. Lena then begins to fall in love with Alex, but she is blind to it because of her knowledge Alex is cured. But when Alex reveals to Lena he in fact not cured, and was born in The Wilds (where those who resist the cure live), she is terrified for her life. 

   Delirium is a wonderful book. I absolutely adored the idea and also the well development of characters in it as well. It is well written, adventurous, and romantic all in one. There is a lot of swearing in the book, including the mother of all curse words twice. There is also one love scene where it gets a little steamy, but nothing much really happens. Overall, Delirium was fabulous, but it did have a little short of an ending and some inappropriate scenes. In the end, I give this book and A-.

Unwind

    What do you do with an unwanted pregnancy? Depending on your moral views, you would abort it. But what if that wasn't possible? What if abortion was illegal? What if the alternative was so shocking, so ghastly, so completely illogical and insane, yet it was totally ordinary and accepted in American society? Granted, most people wouldn't view it as that, because it was just so common. It's called unwinding. Unwinding is where between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, an unwanted child can retroactively be aborted by the parents. It is done so by practically dismembering the child, which all of their body parts are then given to those who need them (excluding the 'useless' body parts such as the appendix). However, since all of the parts are still alive, just with somebody else, the child is not technically 'dead', but in a 'divided state'. This shocking book tells what happens when the unthinkable is the norm, and when three teenagers scheduled to be unwound rebel.
    Connor is a sixteen year old who inadvertently discovered his unwind document in his parents' files. His parents view him as an out of control delinquent. Risa is a ward of the state, a very talented pianist, and is being unwound due to budget cuts. Lev is a tithe to his religion, being raised from birth to believe that his unwinding is a service to God. These three will accidentally cross paths (Lev under the impression that he is being kidnapped by the first two, and is probably the only one in the world that wants to be unwound) and the journey they take will forever change society as a whole.

    I absolutely loved this book, I have never been so intrigued by an idea which is absolutely mental, but everyday practice. During the first about five pages, I hated the characters of this book (I'm like that with every book). After that however, I started to gradually like him, and the others. What's interesting about the point of view in this particular novel, is every chapter, you follow another character around, it's still  told in third person, but you gain insight onto what the other characters think and feel. I actually felt terrible for Roland during his unwinding (It goes quite into detail on the process), who was one of the central antagonists of the book. It's actually pretty chilling to think about how this would actually be possible within the next couple of decades, if people were to get so uptight over a very dumb issue. For the record, I think abortion is okay up until around six weeks after conception. I do not however, condone it. Other than that, I think it's wrong to get one unless the mother's life or the baby's life were in danger. But I also believe that if you want one, get one. It's your life, not mine. I shouldn't have control over your choices. I give this book an A+ by far, it totally deserves it.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

   I loved this book! I could not stop reading the entire time. I give props to the author--she did a fantastic job writing and telling the story. The characters had lots of depth, which I enjoyed a ton, because I could easily know who was where, which made me think differently, I was literally placing everybody just like in the book.
   The book is set in future Chicago, bearing similarities to the Hunger Games in ways because it takes place in North America and the main characters, both female heroines, are similar in personality. It begins with the main character Beatrice, or Tris, as she decides later in the book. In the future, after a large war, people disagreed on what caused the war. Those who blamed selfishness were the Abnegation, those who blamed cowardice were the Dauntless, those who blamed aggression formed Amity, those who blamed ignorance became the Erudite, and those who blamed duplicity created Candor. At age sixteen, teenagers must choose which faction they will reside it for the rest of their lives. Staying means being with your family, but switching means leaving them behind, which is considered betrayal. They use the phrase 'Faction Before Blood' many times, implying that your faction matters more than your family.
Tris, whom is very nervous about her choice, must go to school to take an aptitude test, which will tell you where you belong. You go through a series of simulations which decide which way you act and putting you into a faction. As Tris goes through the simulations, she faces many obstacles, resolving each a little differently. When she is out, the woman taking the test informs her that the results were inconclusive. Normally, you are supposed to receive one faction, but Tris receives three. Abnegation, Erudite, and Dauntless. People who receive that type of result are called Divergent. She is warned not to tell anyone about her results, because being Divergent is dangerous. Once home, she decides she will not choose Erudite, because Abnegation has tension with them. Tris is still faced with a choice however, Dauntless or Abnegation?
At the choosing ceremony, she is still unsure. Her parents assure her they will always love her no matter what, but she feels like she isn't selfless enough to be in Abnegation. While being called to choose, her brother Caleb switches factions; to Erudite. Tris is confused, mainly because her brother seemed like the person who would always be Abnegation. When she is called, she is sure will choose Abnegation for her parents, she has to be the one that stays. But when she gets there, she suddenly switches and chooses Dauntless.
Once at the Dauntless compound, she learns of their initiation process, which says that they must rank themselves high in their training, or they will become factionless. Tris immediately wants to get through initiation and become a Dauntless member, once saying she thought it would be worse the be factionless than dead.
The story heats up quick, and it becomes a tale of romance, tragedy, and the character realizing who she is. Many times the book turned around and surprised me, along with times when I was extremely excited for what the character would do next. She learns that being Dauntless ins't just hitting people to look tough, it's about who they are, as they say in the manifesto, 'We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.'
Overall wonderful book, few flaws and incredible and unique plot line. I can easily give this book an A.

Matched By Ally Condie

       How would it feel to have the government make all your decisions for you? Where you live, who you marry, your occupation, what you eat, when you die? Pretty much what you do and when you do it. That's exactly how it is in the world of Matched. The government controls all aspects of your life. The main character, Cassia, has grown up in this world being taught that the government is always right. When she watches her *micro card with the information about her *match at first, she sees her best best friend Xander. But for a moment another boy flashes across the screen. And the strange thing is she knows him too. From that moment on Cassia struggles with the decision of who was meant to be her match and who she's going to choose. This book has romance between both Cassia and Xander, and Cassia and Ky as she tries to decide who she wants to choose. Throughout the book Cassia finds herself disagreeing with the government and how it works. She also starts to question it's control and power, and begins to rebel in small ways.

      This book is really good. It seems a lot like the Hunger Games, with similar ideas and storylines. This book has a theme that I believe everyone needs to hear: stand up for what you believe in even if it's not popular.

      Also, another them that occurs often throughout the book is to stay determined. You can accomplish anything you set your mind to if you are determined and ready to fight for what you believe in.

      I think this book was well written and, overall, the author did a great job portraying the characters. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance mixed with dystopia. 

* Micro card- A card similar to a CD or computer chip that has information stored on it. 
*  Match- The person that is chosen by the government for someone to marry. In other words a forced husband or wife.

Fang- James Patterson

Fang is the sixth book in the Maximum Ride series. There is a little bit of background information I should give you before you read the rest of the review. Maximum and her six best friends, pretty much her family have been running from a megalomaniac for a few months. Before that they were running from a different insane corporation. A few things you need to know about the flock as they're called.

Gazzy at age 8 can make anything you give him into an explosive and is also known as the gasman. You can probably guess why. Angel at age 6 can read minds and "persuade" people or a better way of saying it is, control minds.Nudge at age 11 can hack into almost anything and can pull metal to her body without touching it. Iggy at age 14 is blind but he can see colors. Fang at age 14 can sneak up on anyone and also breathe underwater. Max at age 14 has a voice in her head that tells her what choices to make. It mainly tells her that she has to save the world. Also, they all have wings.

They were all raised in dog crates and escaped with a man named Jeb. Jeb left them to their own devices when Max turned 12. Max ended up taking control and raising the other kids. She became a sort of mother to them and in return they all trust and follow her orders.

Max and her flock are on their way to help the starving children in Chad, Africa. As they fly in they get shot at by men on camels. That's just the usual routine for these kids. In Chad they meet a maniacal scientist named Dr. Gunter-Hagen. Who wants Max to subject herself and her flock to more tests and terrible treatment. Of course Max's first priority is the flock so she absolutely has to say no. Little Angel has been trying to steal the leadership of the flock, and she wants to be "improved". However, Max can't let that happen. Max escapes the crazy doctor by leaving Africa altogether. She settles down in Colorado but that results in even more problems. Like the reappearance of erasers. (Erasers are large wolf like creatures. Like werewolves. They are one of the retired or failed experiments and were all supposedly killed off.) Dealing with fighting is easy for Max she knows how to act in that situation. When it comes to solving the problems of her emotions, she is completely useless. Max has been pining after her best friend and second in command for awhile, so when she finally gets him you'd think that everything would be all fine and dandy. Well, for Max of course it can't end like that. Max slowly finds herself focusing more and more on Fang and less on the well being of her flock. The two of them are always trying to get alone time and the flock can't handle the disappearance of their leader and mother. Max and Fang can't be together and focus at the same time, so how will they make their relationship work? When Angel realizes that the flock may be in need of a new leader she is more than ready to step up for the job. Though Angel may think she knows everything, in reality she can't handle being a leader. The flock needs Max but in their hour of need, she might not be there for them.

This book is not only about saving the world but also about the experimentation aspect of the world. You may be thinking, "There are not any kids with wings running around as far as I know!" Well, that's true but that's also not the aspect that I feel the book really focused on. I think the book and series in general are about where genetic experimentation may go in the future. Sure, for now we can only take human genes out of and insert human genes into embryos. But what about when scientists decide they want to broaden their horizons? It may be blonde hair and blue eyes now, but all it takes is one scientist who thinks that creating a new kind of creature would be fun and bam! We suddenly have kids with wings that can read minds. Genetic experimentation may be helpful now but what if your child was the one that had to grow up in a dog crate? Change is good but changing too much can affect everything and not only in a positive way. I believe that is a deeper meaning within this book.

While you can read this book without reading any of the others I encourage you to read them in order. Everything you as a new reader need to know is explained in each book but it will make a lot more sense and be a more thrilling read if you read the other books first. I love this book. It is suspenseful and action packed, the romance is a side story compared to the action that goes on. I give this book an A+ rating.

Specials by Scott Westerfield

First of all, I must inform you that this book is the third one in a series of four by Scott Westerfield, and you probably shouldn't read this book if you haven't read the first two.
The story starts out pretty much like the rest of them, smack-dab in the middle of an event that Tally Youngblood, the main protagonist, is diving into. You start out sort of blind, but everything is explained as the book progresses. 
Basically, this clique's members were Shay's Cutters and anyone else special enough to fight off the brain lesions on their own. Dr. Cable engineered them specifically to find and put a stop the New Smoke, at any cost. Besides the normal special abilities like strength and reflexes, they were built for the wild. Judging by the other books and Tally's actions, they probably have new brain lesions, which cause heightened anger and other over-reactants. 
In the beginning, some of their fellow Cutters are kidnapped and that provides fuel to the fire that yearns for revenge inside both Tally and Shay. Tally causes some trouble with Shay and there are some tense situations between them, because Tally's main goal is to help her boyfriend Zane, while Shay wants to use him to find the New Smoke.
All eventually get to the New Smoke, and are surprised when they find out they hadn't planned for what the New Smoke had been up to. This triggers a series of events that include imprisonment (multiple times), and a new cure made just for specials.
I gave this book a B, because other than some surprising twists and turns, the book is pretty repetitive and predictable. The few action-packed scenes didn't quench my thirst I gained from the previous books. It took me the longest time to get into it, and by that time it was over.
I did pick up on a few themes in this book. One was how damaging plastic surgery could be. Of course, I'm sure the surgeons today don't put "bubblehead" lesions in your brain (well, as far as I know). But I meant how dangerous being a special made the cutters, and even without lesions, plastic surgery can't be doing such a favor for your mindset of yourself. Another was how often our generations are cutting themselves to feel something, and how misleading it can be. 
I only recommend this book if you really liked the previous books, because I wanted to quit reading that series right then and there.

Fly Trap

     Mosca Mye's adventures are full of twists and turns, battles and diplomatic fights. Action and adventure, mystery and suspense fill every nook and cranny. Truly a spectacular story, one of my favorite books by far. Seriously, it seems that you come to the end of the book, just to find that there's more to be had.
     Mosca was born with something that no one achieved easily; the ability to read. She was a quiet girl, who like to hid and listen in on people with her guardian goose Saracen. After she found and followed the sometimes-loyal companion Eponymous Clent, and burned down her uncle's mill, her life spiraled into a life of running, hiding, and the occasional rescuing of cities and people.
     This is the second book of the series, and the reason that I'm writing a review is because I read the first book so many times. The second book was released not a long time ago, but the first book was out a long time ago. Hardinge is a wonderful author, and... I just noticed that I say that lot of authors are amazing or wonderful. Well, it just so happens that they are! I'd always give this book, and the first book an A+!

Matched- Ally Condie

I've tried reading this book a few times, and it was really hard for me to get into. I tried reading it again this month and I really liked it! Although, it wasn't one of my favorites.

This book is about life in the future. Cassia lives in a society where everything is decided for her. What she eats, wears, even who she'll marry. Every time someone turns 17 they go to a Match banquet to see, on a screen, the person they are matched to. Her case is unusual because she gets matched with her best friend, Xander. This doesn't happen often. They give every matched person a micro card to find out more about their match. She already knows everything there is to know about Xander, but just to be sure, she checks it out. First everything is normal, Xander's face shows up but suddenly it changes to a different guy. The weirdest thing is, she knows the other guy, Ky, too. 

This leaves her second guessing her real match, Xander. She's caught between 2 guys, knowing that one of them is untouchable. Cassia finds out more about herself and other people throughout this crazy journey that she calls her life. The book ends with something unexpected but at the same time gives you hope.

There is more to the story than you would think, but I wouldn't want to give anything away that might ruin the story for you. I thought this book was very well written and I would recommend it to anyone. 

This book made me realize that society, or officials shouldn't be able to plan your life for you. I would actually want a say in my life, and Cassia shows that you can make your own path in life.

This book does have a sequel, Crossed, and another book after that, Reached. 

Divergent By: Veronica Roth

This is a wonderful book that I could not put down. This book just sucked me in. Divergent is a book that really anyone would enjoy, so that being said, I recommend this book to anyone. This book really made me think about the world that we live in, and also I kept comparing the characters to real people in my life.

Divergent is similar to the Hunger Games in the way that it takes place in a dystopian world that used to be in the United States. This book actually takes place in current Chicago. Anyways, the way their world works is that it is divided into Factions. The factions are : dauntless, amity, candor, abnegation, and erudite. In this world when you are little you are raised in what ever faction your parents come from, but when you are sixteen you take a test that tells you which faction you should go to. The thing is though that if you go to a different faction then your parents is a sign of betrayal.

In this book you follow Beatrice, who was raised in the faction of abnegation which is made to be selfless. When Beatrice takes the test to decide her faction her test is inconclusive. In stead of her test giving her one direct answer as to what faction she should go to, it gave her three. Having more than one choice makes her be divergent. Being divergent is very dangerous, and the faction leaders will kill you if they find out, what you are. She can choose between the dauntless, which protect the city from danger, the abnegation, which as I already said act selfless, and the erudite, which are incredibly smart.

I don't want to give to much to away. But, in the faction that she does choose she meets real friends that she has never had, also some much needed romance comes into play, and she faces danger of trying to hide her divergence. But, I just can't get over how much I enjoyed this book. The book Divergent really just interested me.

This book keeps playing over and over in my mind. I actually find myself kind of missing the characters.( I know I am a HUGE dork) All in all,, this book is really good and has definitely hit my top 5 for favorite books.

Specials By: Scott Westerfeild

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!

Specials is the third of the four books in the Uglies series.Overall I did enjoy this book. It did keep me very interested. There were many twists and turns that I was not expecting. Also it was a good way to end this part of the series.

The only thing that I didn't enjoy about this book is that it restated the entire two books that were previous to it. Its was kind of an overkill. It made me feel as though the author thought I did not have the slightest hint of a memory. Also when he would try to recap the previous books it was so obvious it was almost painful to read.

The story still takes place in the future in a society that is very much a dystopia. While you look from the outside every one is the same, a drop dead gorgeous person that lives in a perfect world. When you take a closer look the entire world/ the city you follow, is falling apart.

You definitely need to read the other two books before you read this one. If you have read the other two books this one starts the same way. You start kind of in the middle of the story, and have to fill in the blanks as you go along.

In this book Tally Youngblood (the main character) has joined special circumstances as a Special ( her enemies, the people she has been fighting in book one and two). But not of her own choice, but because of the Lady who has been leading her city has made her a special. Also once she has been made into a Special, the surgery that they did change her mind. They literally went in and changed her brain to think differently. This lady who runs the city is named Dr. Cable. Dr. Cable has sent Tally to go Capture people who have been running away from the city.

As Tally follows a group of run aways to their secret hide out in the wild, she rediscovers herself and changes who she is on the inside. She "rewires'' her brain. Tally saves many people as she rediscovers who she really is.

There are two main themes that I got from this book. The First one being that not to be fooled by a dystopia in real life. And the second one being that no matter what you can make yourself into who ever you want to be. No matter what other people do to you, you can still let your inner person shine through.

In conclusion I really enjoyed this book. It kept me in suspense. if you have not read the Uglies series yet, for sure go and read it. And if you have read the other two books and not this one, read this one!

Crossed by Ally Condie

“Love changes what is probable and makes unlikely things possible.”

This statement is proven 10-fold in the sequel to Matched by Ally Condie. In this book, we find our main characters seperated by hundreds of miles, yet love makes the impossible possible.

Cassia has been sent away to a work camp in a far away province, and Ky is being used as a pawn to fight a war with an unknown enemy. Both hear the rumor that there might be a rebellion out there called the Rising.

Determined to see Ky again, Cassia sneaks off with a friend named Indie into the Outer Provinces to "grow crops" in the desert. Then her and Indie race through the Carving (which is what they call the Grand Canyon) in hot pursuit of Ky, who is on the run as well.

Through many challenges, Ky and Cassia eventually meet up, and they form a sort of alliance with the people they brought with them. They continue on their trip through the Carving and camp in the place of the Farmers, which are people who broke away from society and built a settlement in the Carving, but wasn't part of the Rising. Cassia hopes to find the Rising and join it with Indie, but Ky doesn't like the Rising one bit.

The book ends with a subtle cliff hanger, and I'm glad that its a trilogy. I'm hoping that the third and final book will be about them fighting a war against the Society with the Rising. I wonder if Cassia, Ky, and Indie will ever see each other again, but from the themes I'm catching on to, I don't doubt that they will, no matter what.

I think one of the themes that is prominent is that love is stronger than anything. It can make you do things you never thought possible. The overall series also shows that just because you are told something, it doesn't mean its right, and kind of encourages you to question authority. The journey in the book has more action in it than you may think, but so many underlying things come in to make the story unique.

This book is a fabric so intricately woven it is remarkable. It's the kind of book that when someone asks you what its about, all you can say is that its simpler for them to read the books. Ally Condie is no doubt an artist, with her amazing descriptions adding detail and depth to the story like no other. With every page turn I felt more under the spell that is Ally Condie's writing. Hopefully you appreciate it too, and I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did. I give it an A+.