Monday, July 23, 2012

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi





Reading Hammock’s Rating:
3.5 out of 5
Category:
Fiction
Fiction Genre:
Dystopian
Title:
Under the Never Sky
Author:

Veronica Rossi (@V_Rossibooks)


ISBN-10:
006207203X`
ISBN-13:
978-0062072030
Publication Date:
January 2012
Publisher:
HarperCollins
Format:
Hardback| Paperback | Digital | Audio




Synopsis:

Since she’d been on the outside, she’d survived an Aether storm, she’d had a knife held to her throat, and she’d seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive.
A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

In her enthralling debut, Veronica Rossi sends readers on an unforgettable adventure set in a world brimming with harshness and beauty.

My Review:

While I thought that “Under the Never Sky” was a refreshing take on the popular dystopian genre, the plot needed to be enhanced by more intricate descriptions of the world.

For example, the “Aether storms,” that play a significant part in the novel, were never clearly described.  This lack of description made it hard for me to imagine the dystopian world.  The crafting of a unique world is one of the most distinguishing aspects of the dystopian genre and I felt like I was missing out on this while reading “Under the Never Sky”. 

Although Rossi does not describe the world in enough detail, the characters are strongly anchored by dimensional qualities.  Rossi eases the reader into becoming familiar with the characters by showing their human emotions.  This humanity is what makes the characters relatable.  As a result of these human features, the reader is able to hold onto something familiar in the characters, which live in a foreign and unknown world to those reading the novel. 

I believe that a sequel to “Under the Never Sky” has the potential of being a great read.  This is because Rossi has the opportunity to expand her world, while maintaining a fast paced plot.  Rossi would have the ability to enhance the sequel because the readers are already familiar with the main characters.  If Rossi decides to write a sequel to “Under the Never Sky” she can give the readers information in piecemeal, eliminating the potential of confusing her readers.  In a sequel to “Under the Never Sky” Rossi would be able to craft a well-rounded series that continues the first story fluidly because she kept the reader wanting more in the first novel.

I would recommend that you test out “Under the Never Sky” tentatively to see if you like it.  I am in a neutral position on this novel and would only advise against trying out “Under the Never Sky” if you do not typically enjoy dystopian novels. 

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Graceling by Kristin Cashore



Reading Hammock’s Rating:
5 out of 5
Category:
Fiction
Fiction Genre:
Fantasy
Title:
Graceling
Author:
Kristin Cashore
Author Website:
ISBN-10:
015206396X
ASIN:
B001TODO54
Publication Date:
October, 2008
Publisher:
Harcourt Children's Books
Format:
Paperback | Digital | Hardcover |Audio



Author Synopsis:

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

My review:

“Graceling” is very well written.  The author, Kristin Cashore crafted compelling three-dimensional characters and an interesting plot that includes many twists.  Also, I applaud the author’s proofreads, as I wasn’t able to find any mistakes throughout the entire 480 pages of the novel. I usually find at least one. 

I liked how easily I first connected with the main character, Katsa, and how I felt I knew her very well by the end of the book.  Cashore achieved this connection between the reader and character through her balanced use of dialogue and descriptions. 

“Graceling” also has a great number of action-packed scenes.  The story was refreshing, as there many twists in plot that I was not expecting.  Many books bore me off the bat when the expected happens.  That was not the case in this story.  When I thought the novel was over, there was an unpredictable turn in the story.  Usually novels over 400 pages drag on, but Cashore did a great job spacing out action throughout the novel, keeping it interesting.

I enjoyed every page of “Graceling” and would definitely recommend “Graceling”, especially if you are looking for Spring Break reading.    Run out and get your copy!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Shattered by Sophia Sharp



Reading Hammock’s Rating:
2 ½
Category:
Fiction
Fiction Genre:
Paranormal
Title:
Shattered
Author:
Sophia Sharp
Author Website:
ASIN:
B0056U9X20
Publication Date:
June 18, 2011
Publisher:
Dream Publishing
Format:
Digital


Synopsis:

Laura Cubus was perfectly content with her life. A junior in high school, she felt perfectly normal. She had good friends, a great family, and did well in school. Nothing particularly exciting ever happened where she lived, and everything was stable.

But that all drastically changes when a new student arrives at Laura's school. Wild rumors swirl about his past, and Laura becomes determined to find out the truth. 

As she gets to know the mysterious student, he shares with her an ancient secret... one that may yet put both of them in grave danger.

And for the first time in her life, Laura is exposed to a completely unfamiliar world. She is swept away on an exhilarating journey that takes to a place where great destiny may yet await... and where supernatural powers run rampant. 

My review:

Sharp did an okay job with “Shattered”, the first book of the Dream Realms series.  While I found the novel intriguing, I was not as satisfied with it as were other reviewers.  For my taste, the book was not long enough to fit Sharp’s complex plot.  I do not plan on reading the other novels in this series, as I felt that “Shattered” is trying too hard to hook the reader into buying the entire series.  With a longer book, Sharp could have more fully developed all aspects of her story and hooked me into wanting to know what would happen in the next installment. 

Throughout the novel, Sharp uses the element of mystery to keep the story interesting.  While the mystery aspect worked, I felt that Sharp cheated me by not revealing enough about the characters, until the very end of the novel.  This overwhelmed the reader and made me feel that she intended to write a sequel to “Shattered”, instead of having a sequel naturally develop around the plot.  A longer book would have probably convinced me to continue reading the series instead of feeling overburdened at the end by revealed mysteries.   

As a result of the overused sense of mystery, I felt that the characters were underdeveloped.  One of the main characters, Logan was only mentioned as a mysterious person and did not seem to have any distinct personality traits.  Characters need time to develop naturally and come alive in a story. 

The novel ended in an action-packed scene, with a cliffhanger.  Usually, when I read the first book in a series, I have to immediately buy the next book.  Unfortunately, in the case of “Shattered”, I never became attached to the story’s two-dimensional characters and, therefore, will not be racing to the bookstore for the rest of the Dram Realms series.

 I would not recommend putting “Shattered” on the urgent reading list anytime soon.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

"Elsewhere" by Gabrielle Zevin


 
Reading Hammock’s Rating:
3 out of 5
Category:
Fiction
Fiction Genre:
Fantasy
Title:
Elsewhere
Author:
Gabrielle Zevin
Author Website:
ISBN-10:
0312367465
ISBN-13:
978-0312367466
Publication Date:
May, 2007
Publisher:
Square Fish
Format:
Paperback | Hardcover | Audio | Digital





Synopsis:

Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvelous. It’s quiet and peaceful. You can’t get sick or any older. Curious to see new paintings by Picasso? Swing by one of Elsewhere’s museums. Need to talk to someone about your problems? Stop by Marilyn Monroe’s psychiatric practice.

Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so like Earth, yet completely different. Here Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth. But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again. She wants to get her driver’s license. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. And now that she’s dead, Liz is being forced to live a life she doesn’t want with a grandmother she has only just met. And it is not going well. How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?

This moving, often funny book about grief, death, and loss will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned.

My review:

I have wanted to read this book for a while since many people in my grade have read and loved it.  When my library finally had it available, I immediately picked it up, expecting a fast paced story that would be hard to put down.  Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

One aspect of the story that I found hard to look past was the tense that Zevin decided to use.  Although I have never focused on this until now, most books I have read are written in the past tense, but Zevin made the choice to write “Elsewhere” in the present tense, which made it hard for me to concentrate on the story. 

In the first half of the novel, Zevin did a great job of showing and describing Liz’s struggle to fit into ‘Elsewhere.’  But, I felt that the bulk of the story happened quickly in the last hundred pages of the three hundred pages in this book.  I would have liked learning more about Liz’s entire afterlife and less of the over-dramatic difficulties Liz faced when she arrived.  I was disappointed with the story because it lacked in action and was overwhelmed with too many emotions. 

Despite the adulation my cohorts, I would not recommend that you pick up this novel because it has an unbalanced amount of action and drama that made the plot too complex to fit into such a short story.  

Monday, January 2, 2012

The Crystal Princess By Kimberly Norton



Reading Hammock’s Rating:
5 out of 5
Category:
Fiction
Fiction Genre:
Fantasy
Title:
The Crystal Princess
Author:
Kimberly Norton (@witchofcrystal)
Author Website:
ISBN-10:
1617395471
ISBN-13:
9781617395475
Publication Date:
February 2011
Publisher:
Tate Publishing (@TatePublishing)
Format:
Paperback | Digital




Synopsis:

Kelly lives the life of a typical teen in the suburbs of Southern California with her football star boyfriend and loyal best friend. It's her senior year, and she's looking forward to her eighteenth birthday. But her life totally changes when she's abducted by her birth family, a family she didn't even know existed. Meeting her mother and two sisters for the first time is almost too much for her to handle. Kelly learns she is a witch born from a coven of witches with special powers. She's called back to help her family fight the evil, power-hungry witch, Victoria, and the Wizard Council, who want to destroy all that Kelly's family holds dear before the Immortality Ceremony, a ceremony that will seal the girls' fate and powers for all eternity. To make things even more complicated, Kelly falls in love with an Indian named Max White Bear. But because of a longstanding tradition, their relationship is a hard sell to the chief of the Indian tribe. With the war between good and evil looming, Kelly must find the strength to harness her magical powers and summon The Crystal Princess inside her. Kimberly Norton lives in the foothills of California, with her husband and two young children. She volunteers at her children's school, and her spare time is devoted to her passion for writing.

My review:

I was very pleased to review a copy of “The Crystal Princess” by Kimberly Norton.  This story is about a typical teenage girl, Kelly, who has just started her senior year.  The day before her eighteenth birthday, Kelly’s birth family kidnap her, turning her life upside down.  It is soon revealed to Kelly that she is a witch and must learn to use her powers to fight against the evil witch, Victoria, who yearns to destroy Kelly’s entire family.

Since this is a short book, only 121 pages, Norton carefully crafted each page.  She quickly dives into the story and starts the action within the first twenty pages.  This face-paced quality is maintained throughout the story with Norton’s frequent use of dialogue.  The main character, Kelly, is a very three dimensional person, as Norton’s casual writing style brings the reader into Kelly’s thoughts.  I also loved the cover of this book, as it not only appeals to Norton’s audience of Young Adult readers but also incorporates important figures from the story, in an interesting way. 

I am looking forward to reading more great books by up-and-coming author Kimberly Norton.  I would recommend this book to everyone, especially to the readers that like fantasy and discovery novels.