AFTER THE END

By: Amy Plum

Plot: A seventeen year old girl Juneau, is living in Alaska after WWIII (and the end of the world basically) when her whole clan is kidnapped. She sets off to save them only to realize that there was no WWIII and she's been lied to her whole life. 

Thoughts: I really liked the premise of the story and thought it was an interesting take on all the dystopian YA books that have been floating around for awhile now. My main issue was with the writing. The risk with young adult books is that sometimes it feels like the author dumbs down their writing just because they are geared towards a younger audience. They have the character's do stupid stuff just to move the plot forward and it's just frustrating to read. 

I have no idea what the point of reading from Mile's point of view was. I think the story would be infinitely better if it had just been from Juneau's point of view. It was like he was just there to reiterate how "different" she was and that's just sloppy writing. We get it already. You know, show not tell. I mean I can't get over how much better I think the story would have been if Mile's POV was not included and the reader was kept in the dark about his motives. Whatever. 

Rating: 2/5 It was okay. With better writing choices I think it could have been really good. 

THE INFINITE SEA

By: Rick Yancey

Plot: This is the second book in The 5th Wave Series. The story revolves mainly around Cassie, Ringer, Evan and Ben, with the main sections in each of their points of view.

My Thoughts: I thought this was a solid follow up to the 5th wave. I'm so happy that the author didn't feel the need to make this book longer than the first one and include a ton of unnecessary crap to do so. (Unlike almost every other Young Adult author.) I really enjoyed this book just as much as the first one. Usually I really enjoy the first book in a YA series and then it just goes downhill from there. This is one of those rare exceptions.

This book was pretty dark! I don't know that I would even classify it as a young adult book. There were multiple parts that were pretty disturbing to read. The ending was especially crazy and I did not see it coming. I'm glad I didn't read a whole lot about this book before reading it because if I had heard there was a twist I would have spend the whole book trying to figure it out. I also felt like there were answers! I didn't finish the book with even more infuriating questions.

With all the multiple points of view it can feel like not a lot is actually happening in the book. I can see how some readers might be expecting more action but I thought it was perfect. I really enjoyed the different points of view and reading the backstories to certain characters. I thought it had a good amount of action and character development.

Rating: 4/5 I really enjoyed it! Can't wait for the concluding book.

NEVER FADE

By: Alexandra Bracken

Plot Summary: Second book in the Darkest Minds trilogy. Picks up a little bit after the first book left off with Ruby well established in the Children's League.

My Thoughts: I think I waited too long after reading the first book in the series to get to this one. I'm not sure if it was the writing or just me but the beginning seemed so jumbled and confusing. The dialogue was weird and I was confused about what was even going on at times. This time around the story just didn't feel believable.

Getting through this book was like trudging through mud. It was way too much work. The book was so long and it just drug on and on and on. I felt like so many things were pointless and should have been left out and it would have been much better. For example I found the whole Rob situation completely pointless, and wish his character would have been left out of the story entirely.

A huge problem I had with this book was the main character. Ruby was all over the place. One second she is crying her eyes out and the next she's acting all tough. So she's either a baby or a bad a**. Just pick one Alexander Bracken! She's not believable as both. And enough with the constant whining about everything being her fault. A meteor could hit the earth and she would think it was her fault. It drove me up the wall! And she kept making the dumbest decisions and the whole thing was just way too predictable.

Finally, FINALLY, at the end it started to pick up. And by the end I mean the last thirty pages or so. The obvious character dies (Ruby's fault, of course) and it suckered me in enough to want to read the final book and see how this whole mess ends.

Rating: 2/5 Definitely a disappointing sequel to a good book.

WITHER

By: Lauren DeStefano

Front Cover: "Thanks to modern science, every newborn has become a ticking genetic time bomb--males only live to age twenty-five, females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out. When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape--to find her twin brother and go home. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left."

Thoughts: I definitely only read this book because of the cover, which is amazing. The story had a pretty interesting concept, but... I don't know, something was lacking.  I really enjoyed some aspects of the novel, but others not so much. Like I related to one of the minor characters so much more than I did to the main character, Rhine. 

At first I loved the relationship between Rhine and Gabriel, but throughout the second part of the book it felt like the author completely dropped him, and decided to concentrate on Linden instead.  And their relationship/marriage(?) was just weird.  I didn't like it.  Then when things pick up with Gabriel again it's like nothing ever happened and it just felt awkward. 

The book did have it's moments, but overall was just meh. The ending was way too easy and I didn't buy it.  I don't think I care enough to want to read the next book in the series. But at least it'll look pretty on my bookshelf. 

Favorite Quotes: "She has plenty of years to learn what true love is, or at the very least what it isn't."

"Life is much different from the days when there were lilies in my mother's garden, and all my secrets fit into a paper cup."

My Rating: 2/5 Nothing spectacular.