Glitch by Brenda Pandos (Indie)

Glitch (Lost in Time #1)
Brenda Pandos
Pub.: January 31, 2014

Perfect world. Lies. Blue eyes.

When a mysterious guy from the forbidden zone sneaks an illegal slip of paper to a beautiful young girl from Brighton, she must decide if she should turn him in or follow what the note says.

Eighteen-year-old Abigail has no trouble following Brighton’s rules. For one, she’s OCD about checking her Date of Death clock latched to her wrist, making sure her decisions never shorten her timeline, and two, she enjoys the peace Brighton has to offer. In no way would she bring on another attack that destroyed earth’s inhabitants. But when her best friend returns from her Advice Meeting--a glimpse into the future--shocked and won’t tell Abby what’s happened, Abby is worried what awaits her glimpse. The stranger with blue eyes knows something, but does Abby dare enter the forbidden zone to get answers? Or is she doomed to live the life set in her glimpse? 

On her eighteenth birthday, Abby decides to meet her future self in a once in a lifetime meeting despite the warning from a curious rebel who snuck inside city walls to warn her against it. Guess she should've listened. Before now, her leap year birthday kept her off their radar, which was advantageous since she was destined to be someone the government would love to sink their claws into. Turns out Abby is an oracle just like her future self, but they gain their prophetic sights by literally jumping through time. Her future self did a good job hiding her younger self, but now that Abby's on the radar again, that mysterious guy has to step in and sneak her out of the city before it's too late.

 

Glitch actually surprised me. It seemed a mix of Delirium and the movie In Time with a splash of zombies for good effect. A fish out of water story, a good chunk of this novel dealt with Abby learning how to deal with rebel life without the luxuries she was used to and trying to figure out what was truth and what was fiction, because at times, even the rebels seemed a little dishonest. I enjoyed watching her fall for a pair of brothers but I have to admit I was rooting for a particular one to win her heart! This novel had a little bit of everything - romance, danger, corrupt government, even time travel and a zombie infection fighting to spread and take over again. Enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to the follow-up Switch.

Novel provided by author for honest review.

Divided by Elsie Chapman (ARC)

Divided (Dualed #2)
Elsie Chapman
Exp. Pub.: May 27, 2014

The hunter becomes the hunted. . . .

West Grayer is done killing. She defeated her Alternate, a twin raised by another family, and proved she’s worthy of a future. She’s ready to move on with her life.

The Board has other plans. They want her to kill one last time, and offer her a deal worth killing for. But when West recognizes her target as a ghost from her past, she realizes she’s in over her head. The Board is lying, and West will have to uncover the truth of the past to secure her future.

How far will the Board go to keep their secrets safe? And how far will West go to save those she loves? With nonstop action and surprising twists, Elsie Chapman’s intoxicating sequel to Dualed reveals everything.

Several months after West killed her Alt and earned the right to continue living, she's trying to gather some semblance of a normal life. No longer a Striker - a person who is paid to assassin an active Alt so their twin won't have to - it freaks her out when the Board demands her to come to Headquarters. Her worst fears are confirmed, and not only are they aware she's been a Striker and could be put to death for her crimes, but the Board themselves are requesting her services. It's obvious she has no choice but to do what they ask, but what they ask of her isn't something she thinks she can truly do.

 

Whereas West herself seemed to make Dualed drag out because she just refused to deal with her Alt assignment until the very last days of her month, Divided kept a much faster pace. We get more in the way of world-building in this one, so it's nice to finally understand how her society works. But West's relationship with Chord was a little dull for me. I'd like to think that they would've worked through some of their relationship issues during the six months that passed between novels. It seems they lived side by side without any steps forward or backwards, which doesn't seem very realistic to me. Other than that, it was pretty solid novel, and if you liked the first, odds are you'll like the second.

 

ARC provided by Random House for honest review.

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa (ARC)

The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3)
Julie Kagawa
Exp. Pub.: April 15, 2014 TODAY!!!

VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster?

With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

MONSTER

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

Allie, Jackal and Kanin have united once more to chase down Sarren, who before torturing and killing Zeke, learned of Eden's location. Now he's set his course to let loose a virus that will eradicate vampires and humans alike. A good half of the novel is them on the road chasing down Sarren, with a few stops along the way to deal with the traps left behind - one of which is completely devastating for Allie to deal with. But seriously? She should've seen that one coming. This is Sarren, after all.

 

Eden is in far better shape than expected, but many lives were lost when a barge filled with spastic, twitching vampires is let loose on the population. The people flee, leaving Sarren and his misfits free reign of the island at night, but return during daylight hours to dig up as many as possible to kill off. But there's still way too many to deal with by the time Allie and company show up, and now they've been infected by Sarren's virus, making them even harder to deal with. And now that the outbreak is beginning, things look bleak in righting Sarren's wrong.

Overall I loved the series, but I preferred the other two to this one. It may be the tone of the novel, as Allie's miserable and suffering with the loss of her lover, and she's allowed the monster inside her to overtake her actions. Jackal's still a pain in the ass but continues to steal the spotlight for me. Kanin's all business and constantly annoyed by his bickering children, and Sarren's so screwed in the head even his marbles have lost their marbles - which he proves over and over again leaving messed up messages as the trio struggles to catch up. Still a good conclusion to the series though.

 

ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for honest review.

Pawn by Aimee Carter (ARC)

Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion #1)
Aimee Carter
Pub.: November 26, 2013

You can be a VII. If you give up everything.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand. 

In this dystopian novel, Kitty is one of many Does in society, a child born after the first whose parents couldn't afford the fine to keep her. If being taken away from her family and orphaned wasn't enough, everyone is forced to take the same test to determine their place in society - I through VI, with VII being reserved for the family who leads their people. Unfortunately, Kitty bombs her test. Her new number: III, a level that will afford her enough to survive, but she'll have to move to Chicago for her assigned job in the lovely sewage industry. Not wanting to leave her boyfriend before he takes his test in one month's time, she sucks it up and decides to work at one of the many girlie clubs until then.

 

As luck would have it, Kitty gets more than she expects with her first client. Offered the chance to become a VII, she accepts without considering the consequences, and finds herself a different person upon waking. But not just any person. Lila Hart of the ruling family. Unfortunately, taking on her new identity is way more trouble than it's worth, especially once Kitty discovers Lila was the one secretly leading the rebellion against her family's rule.
 

Heads will roll...

I read the first two Goddess novels by Miss Carter and they really weren't my cup of tea, but I was pleasantly surprised by Pawn. It kept me intrigued and flipping pages well into the night. And I can honestly say that for a clean YA novel, it kept me glued to the kindle - something that usually only happens with those new adult novels I love so much. :)

ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for honest review.

Captives by Jill Williamson (ARC)

Captives (The Safe Lands #1)
Jill Williamson

One choice could destroy them all.

When eighteen-year-old Levi returned from Denver City with his latest scavenged finds, he never imagined he’d find his village of Glenrock decimated, loved ones killed, and many—including his fiancée, Jem—taken captive. Now alone, Levi is determined to rescue what remains of his people, even if it means entering the Safe Lands, a walled city that seems anything but safe.

Omar knows he betrayed his brother by sending him away, but helping the enforcers was necessary. Living off the land and clinging to an outdated religion holds his village back. The Safe Lands has protected people since the plague decimated the world generations ago … and its rulers have promised power and wealth beyond Omar’s dreams.

Meanwhile, their brother Mason has been granted a position inside the Safe Lands, and may be able to use his captivity to save not only the people of his village, but also possibly find a cure for the virus that threatens everyone within the Safe Lands’ walls. Will Mason uncover the truth hidden behind the Safe Lands’ façade before it’s too late?

Like a few other small communities, the residents of Glenrock have managed to live peacefully outside the nearby Safe Lands for quite some time. Their existence is quite archaic compared to the posh lifestyle offered within city walls, but those city dwellers suffer from something the outer communities don't - infection via the thin plague, which has completely ruined their ability to reproduce. So it's not surprising when Glenrock is invaded and their women, children, and young men are taken at force, and their elderly killed off (because in the city's eyes, all people should be liberated (ie. put down) by the age of forty.)

 

Only one young man wasn't present for the invasion, and after failing to acquire help from the other communities, sets off with the delusion of being able to save his people and his bride-to-be. It's not long before they're all captives and forced to assimilate to city life or be put down themselves. The women are forced into a surrogacy program and the men forced to donate their sperm to impregnate them through in vitro fertilization. Disgusted with their newfound fame, with the women in a harem that literally treats them like queens while a part of the surrogacy program, the residents of Glenrock are desperate to find cracks within the civilization and reclaim the freedom that is rightfully theirs.

 

What I like best about Jill Williamson's novels, is that although she writes Christian fiction, she neither preaches through her writing nor shoves religion down your throat. So if you're hesitant to pick up her novel because of this, don't be, because even though the religious undertones are there, you probably won't even pick up on them if your not religious yourself. Captives is a great dystopian novel about a greedy, self-centered society so corrupted and run by desperation that they can no longer see how immoral their lifestyle and actions have become. And the fact that it was one of their own that sold them out to the city to begin with? Priceless.

 

 

Novel provided by publisher for honest review.

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa (ARC)

The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2)
Julie Kagawa
Exp. Pub.: April 30, 2013

Out here in the Fringes, there is only one rule: Blood calls to blood. She has done the unthinkable: died so she might continue to live. Now Allie, the reluctant teenage vampire who was cast out of Eden, and Zeke, the human boy who loves her, must attempt to save the world from a deadly new strain of plague. In order to do so, they must first hunt down the monster who holds the promise of the cure—and Allie’s beloved mentor—in his sadistic grip…. Joined by Allie’s blood brother, Jackal, this unlikely posse of companions will brave a landscape stalked by raiders, rabids, and rogue vampires. But even if they survive, they’re bound for the Inner city, and a vicious showdown that will test their bonds in ways they never expected. It may just be that becoming undead was the easy part. Confronting the horrors of Allie’s awakening hunger, her growing feelings for Zeke, and the uncertainties of their future is going to be the ultimate challenge.

Reign of Blood by Alexia Purdy

Reign of Blood (Reign of Blood #1)
Alexia Purdy
Pub.: April 29, 2012

"Never tease anything that wants to eat you. My name is April Tate and my blood is the new gold. Vampires and hybrids have overrun my world, once vibrant with life, but now a graveyard of death shrouded in shadows. I fight to survive; I fight for my mother and brother. The journey is full of turns that I am quite unprepared for. And I'm just hoping to make it to the next Vegas sunrise..."

In a post-apocalyptic world, a viral epidemic has wiped out most of the earth’s population, leaving behind few humans but untold numbers of mutated vampires. April is a seventeen-year-old girl who lives in the remains of Las Vegas one year after the outbreak. She has become a ferocious vampire killer and after her family is abducted, she goes searching for them. What she finds is a new breed of vampire, unlike any she has seen before. Unsure of whom she can trust, she discovers that her view of the world is not as black and white as she once thought, and she's willing to bend the rules to rescue her family. But in trying to save them, she may only succeed in bringing her fragile world crashing down around her.

"Never tease anything that wants to eat you." Words to live by if you wanna survive in a post-apocalyptic world.

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin (ARC)

Ashen Winter
Mike Mullin
Exp. Pub.: October 16, 2012 TODAY!!!

It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.

So Ashfall was pretty awesome, with Alex running for his life from the supervolcano that covered his part of the world with ash, so I had pretty high expectations of Ashen Winter. I've had this book forever and kept pushing it off. Not that I wasn't expecting it to be awesome too, but you have to be in the right mind set to read one of Mike Mullin's books, cause the descriptions and horrors within are so spot-on and realistic, it's hard not imagine this could happen in reality any day now, and that's just disburbing...

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence (ARC)

Mystic City
Theo Lawrence
Exp. Pub: October 9, 2012 TODAY!!!

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.

Wowsers. It's been a few months since I read a book this awesome.

Aria wakes up to learn she OD'd on Stic, a drug made from Mystic power that, depending on the provider's essence, can be strong enough to kill you. Along with the memory of actually taking the drug, goes all her memories of a trysted love affair with Thomas, the son of her family's sworn enemy. Her family says she loved him enough to defy all their beliefs, but now the two families are willing to reconciliate, with their marriage bringing a divided city together. There's a third party, the Mystics, on the rise threatening to bump them off their high horses, and they're desperate enough to allow this union to occur, if it'll mean keeping their lavish lifestyles. The Mystics are humans with magical essences that can allow them to do some pretty amazing things, like pass through solid walls, shapeshift, manipulate molecular structures, etc, and the normal humans fear their power. Law requires the Mystics to be drained of their power twice a year, which is then used to fuel their city and create an illegal drug called Stic. But a lot of Mystics remain unregistered and hidden beneath the city, but should they all come together to vote for their candidate, their population could easily outnumber the nonmystical folks. And the two families know this.

 

The Roses and Fosters are your typical mob families, controlling illegal substances and influencing laws, and show no hesitation in putting a bullet in the head of a Mystic for absolutely nothing. They like to play God, but Aria is nothing like them. She tries desperately to remember her past and figure out how Thomas could possibly be the man that wrote the love letters she found tucked away, and soon finds herself navigating the back streets where Mystics dwell. Aria is on the hitlist of a lot of rebel Mystics, and soon finds herself at their mercy, only to be rescued by a dark and gorgeous Mystic named Hunter, who always seems to be in the shadows watching over her. There's an instant attraction she can't explain, with his presence always makes her feel safe and comfortable. It's not until she learns Hunter's true identity that she realizes Thomas isn't the only guy from an opposing family that she could've had a secret, forbidden relationship with. But in a world where her every move is watched and double agents are everywhere, Aria's lost in the mix, trying to decipher who's telling the truth and who's spinning nothing but lies.

 

Gotta say Mystic City had me wrapped up from beginning to end, and I was forced to lose half a night's sleep cause I just couldn't put it down. Mystic City has it all: forbidden love, lies and deception, family betrayal up the wazoo, and magic and danger around every corner. Lawrence's world is easy to picture and I still keep seeing neon green lights when I close my eyes. If this isn't on your list of must-haves this year, you're seriously missing out. Buy the hardback peeps, cause it deserves a permanent place on the bookshelf.

 

 

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley for honest review.

Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick (ARC)

Shadows (Ashes #2)
Ilsa J. Bick
Exp. Pub: September 25, 2012 TODAY!!!

The Apocalypse does not end. The Changed will grow in numbers. The Spared may not survive.

Even before the EMPs brought down the world, Alex was on the run from the demons of her past and the monster living in her head. After the world was gone, she believed Rule could be a sanctuary for her and those she’d come to love.
But she was wrong.

Now Alex is in the fight of her life against the adults, who would use her, the survivors, who don’t trust her, and the Changed, who would eat her alive.

Grundgy and Gritty. If a zombie book hasn't gotten you to cringe in disgust and splatter your skin with goosebumps yet, this one will.

The Glimpse by Claire Merle (ARC)

The Glimpse
Claire Merle
Exp. Pub.: June 7, 2012

Synopsis: Once you've seen into the future, can you change your destiny?

In a near future, society is segregated according to whether people are genetically disposed to mental illness. 17-year-old Ana has been living the privileged life of a Pure due to an error in her DNA test. When the authorities find out, she faces banishment from her safe Community, a fate only thwarted by the fact that she has already been promised to Pure-boy Jasper Taurell.

Jasper is from a rich and influential family and despite Ana’s condition, wants to be with her. The authorities grant Ana a tentative reprieve. If she is joined to Jasper before her 18th birthday, she may stay in the Community until her illness manifests. But if Jasper changes his mind, she will be cast out among the Crazies. As Ana’s joining ceremony and her birthday loom closer, she dares to hope she will be saved from the horror of the City and live a ‘normal’ life. But then Jasper disappears.

Led to believe Jasper has been taken by a strange sect the authorities will not intefere with, Ana sneaks out of her well-guarded Community to find him herself. Her search takes her through the underbelly of society and into the pits of the human soul. And as she delves deeper into the mystery of Jasper's abduction she uncovers some devastating truths that destroy everything she has grown up to believe, but she also learns to love as she has never loved before.

In this dystopian world the Pure bloodlines (ie. no genetic markers for mental illness) are separated from the Crazies who live in the Community (ie. people with genetic markers for mental illness). Apparently Ana has been living the life a Pure but only because her father had access to the testing database and altered the results of her Pure test. Ana does something a typical stupid teen will do (I'll let you read what), raises the suspicions of the Pure board and they retest her Crazy-@ss. Now they've got quite the condundrum. Should they kick her into the Crazy civilization to defend for herself or allow her to go through with the binding ceremony (ie. engagement) with Pure Jasper if he's still interested? Jasper still cares for her and goes through the proceedings but they'll never be allowed to have children. But Jasper, whose father is important in a huge pharmaceutical company dealing with mental illness, does a disappearing act before they can be married and authorities believe he's been kidnapped by some radicals in the Community.

Right before he's taken, Jasper mentions a few unsettling things to Ana. Things he was looking into about the Pure/Crazies that probably got him into trouble. So what's a girl to do? Wait and see if the authorities can find these people (whom Jasper clearly said he couldn't trust) or sneak into the community and use the clues he gave to track down the people suspected of taking him? Guess which one she chose? I actually preferred the story once she got into the community, event though it was a little ridiculous for a seventeen year old girl to be doing this. There she infiltrates the radicals and learns that maybe Jasper's suspicions were right after all. But if the radicals were wrongfully blamed, what exactly happened to Jasper?

At some point someone's going to have to explain to me the segregation that's going on this book, cause if I was reading it right, their homes are segregated but Ana goes into Crazy infested areas to go to school and for her binding ceremony. I don't get that. Why bother segretating at all if you're comfortable with your children mingling with people that can snap any moment? Overall, the story was creative and kept my attention, but what I really liked best was the developing attraction between Ana and one of the radicals (sorry Jasper). The Glimpse is definitely worth your time, so pick it up.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

The Weepers by Suzanne Winnacker (ARC)

The Weepers (The Other Life #1)
Suzanne Winnacker
Exp. Pub: May 15, 2012 TOMORROW!!!

Synopsis: 3 years, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days since I’d seen daylight. One-fifth of my life. 98,409,602 seconds since the heavy, steel door had fallen shut and sealed us off from the world

Sherry has lived with her family in a sealed bunker since things went wrong up above. But when they run out of food, Sherry and her dad must venture outside. There they find a world of devastation, desolation...and the Weepers: savage, mutant killers.

When Sherry's dad is snatched, she joins forces with gorgeous but troubled Joshua - an Avenger, determined to destroy the Weepers.

But can Sherry keep her family and Joshua safe, when his desire for vengeance threatens them all?

Remember Will Smith in I Am Legend? Yeah, it's a lot like that.

Sherry and her family managed to live in their LA bunker for more than three years before they ran out of food. Their part of the country was ravaged by a new strain of rabies, one that only one in ten were immune to. The other nine? Well, if they were lucky, they died. But a lot turned into a rabid, intelligent version of a zombie (the infected actually remind me of those in I Am Legend)

Not gonna lie. I'd wet myself just thinking I'm gonna run into this guy. Hope it's some place dark so I won't see it coming!

So Sherry and her dad are forced to go topside. Not only do they need food but it's been a few months since they've managed to reach anyone on their transistor radio. They encounter a few Weepers in the local Wal-Mart and Sherry's dad does a disappearing act. The only reason Sherry survives the Weepers is Joshua. He takes her to a place outside of town called the Safe-Haven. Sounds safe, right? Heh heh. If I spent the past three plus years hiding out in a bunker, I'd be a little weary about sleeping in a bed all by myself with a window in a farm house in the middle of nowhere. I'm no fool - I'd be sleeping like this:

But hey, that's Sherry's mistake. I value my life and a decent night's sleep.

The rest of the novel is spent trying to move her family to new location and searching the known Weeper nests for her father, who she hopes is still alive. There's a little romance brewing between Sherry and Joshua. Normally I would say relationships that begin under extreme circumstances never work out (yes, I'm quoting Speed here) but seeing how the population has pretty much dwindled to nothing, I'm thinking these two may find a way to make it work. As for the plot, there's not really much there in the way of sub-plots and the main plot is less than stellar and been done before. But I will say that The Weepers was a fast read that kept my attention, and I pretty much read it in one sitting.

Novel provided by publisher via NetGalley.

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (ARC)

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)
Julie Kagawa
Exp. Pub: April 24, 2012 TOMORROW!!!

Synopsis: In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

The Book of Eli meets Alice in Resident Evil-land. Yep...you read it right.

Wow. Um...WOW! I've read the first two Iron Fey books by Julie Kagawa and plan to read the rest, but The Immortal Rules jumps leaps and bounds over that series. Seriously, this book was even better than the Hunger Games.

Allie is an endearing character to watch as she develops through this nightmarish world. She was born in the fringe of a vampire city called New Covington. As an unregistered inhabitant, she doesn't have to give routine blood donations to the vampires, but it also means she has to steal and fend for herself just to keep fed. When she ventures through the tunnels and into the ruins outside the city, she comes across a treasure trove of food in an old bunker basement. Sadly, removing the food doesn't go well, and long story short,  she ends up a vampire. Now on the wrong side of prejudice, even her fellow fringer rifrafs sell her out and she's forced to leave the city. Determined to keep her humanity intact, she travels with a group of humans looking for the safety of a vampire-free city called Eden. Kagawa really takes the time to show Allie's transformation and the hardship of fighting the urge to feed. It was descriptive, raw and lacked a sugar coat; Allie was ready to rip out the throats of children and a guy she was fighting hard not to fall for.

The Immortal Rules is an addictive read. Once Allie becomes a vampire and leaves New Covington, danger lies around every corner, even for a vampire. There's tons of action, a brewing romantic interest between a vamp and a religious boy with a prejudice against vampires, and several story lines come together perfectly in the end and leave you salivating for book two. Buy the hardcopy people, this one gets a permanent spot on the bookshelf for generations to come.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel (ARC)

Dearly, Departed
Lia Habel
Publication: October 18, 2011

Synopsis: Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

I almost didn't bother finishing this one. I guess I envisioned a dystopian-zombie book to have a lot of action in it. So when I was 50% done with Dearly, Departed I found myself asking 'Why am I still reading this?' There had been a little bit of action but mostly it was just dialogue. I didn't mind the multiple points of view, or the idea that zombies could be tamed, but I seriously wanted the nontamed zombies to burst through the doors and start killing off all the characters just so I wouldn't have to hear them talk anymore.

So why did I keep reading? Luckily I was late getting to this ARC. If I hadn't noticed Dearly, Departed getting an average of 4 stars on GoodReads, I don't think I would've bothered to finish this novel. The high ratings peaked my curiosity cause I just wasn't seeing it. So...I stuck it out. Sure enough, I finally did see why it was getting decent ratings. Unfortunately, what I considered to be the bread and butter of this novel didn't begin until I hit about 69%...and Dearly, Departed is a looong book at 470 pages so I really had to force myself to read a lot before I felt like it was worth the read.

So in hindsight, the first 68% of this book - eh. The last 32% - freakin' awesome. If you can stand to read the first part, all the better for you. But if you can't, just skip ahead...you're not missing anything you won't figure out as you read the end.

The one positive aspect about this novel: Bram. I would have completely given up on this novel regardless of posted ratings if this one character hadn't been worth reading about. And maybe Pamela, who managed to turn into a kick-ass zombie-killer in a pettycoat.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

Ashfall by Mike Mullin (ARC)

Ashfall
Mike Mullin
Exp. Publication: October 11, 2011

Synopsis: Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.

Ashfall is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. He must travel over a hundred miles in a landscape transformed by a foot of ash and the destruction of every modern convenience that he has ever known, and through a new world in which disaster has brought out both the best and worst in people desperate for food, water, and warmth. With a combination of nonstop action, a little romance, and very real science, this is a story that is difficult to stop reading and even more difficult to forget.

Top Ten Things to Start Stockpiling in Case of Cataclysmic Event:

1. HOW TO SURVIVE A CATACLYSMIC EVENT FOR DUMMIES. Has anyone written this book yet cause I'm thinking you'd automatically become a best seller once Ashfall hits the shelves. Perhaps Mr. Mullin would like to be a contributing writer. LOL.
2. MATCHES. The world will very likely be a frozen wasteland for many years. Let me simplify: Heat = Good = Life. No Heat = Bad = Death. If you've never been cold enough for your extremities to freeze or hypothermia to really set in, trust me, it's not the way to go.
3. GUNS and an infinite supply of BULLETS. Cause if you're naive enough to think you'll be immune from violence and looters, you'll be one less person in the world I'll be fighting over supplies for.
4. SEEDS. Particularly seeds that can grow well enough in a greenhouse with freezing temperatures outside.
5. CONDOMS. That's right, condoms. When doctors are forced to bactrack to times similiar to the 1800's, no one is going to want to get pregnant. I've had a kid myself and if that emergency c-section hadn't been possible, I wouldn't be here today. Not to mention, not everyone's body takes to breastfeeding, and if there's a shortage of water, you're not going to be able to drink enough to keep you hydrated, let alone make enough milk to feed the baby. (I wonder how much time would pass before people thought to raid Planned Parenthood?)
6. VITAMINS and MEDICINE. Your diet is going to suck for years and without a way to get all those missing nutrients that are oh-so important to your body, you're far more likely to weaken and become susceptible to illness.
7. WINTER WEAR. You know those lovely long johns that flatter your figure so well? Yeah, stock up on those cause you're going to want as many layers as possible. In fact, the more layers you can add and the thicker coats you can find, the fatter you're going to look, and you're less likely to attract the attention of those willing to commit unforgivable sexual assaults (in this instance, see #3 and pop their @sses before they even gets close).
8. SKIS, SNOWBOARDS, BOOTS, ETC. Did you catch the part where the world will be a frozen wasteland for who knows how long? You really want to lose your legs cause you chose to walk and couldn't get your body out of the sinkhole made of snow?
9. EARPLUGS. In case of a supervolcano, you'd probably need this cause a volcanic explosion is currently the loudest sound in recorded history and it wasn't even a supervolcano, which would be more than 100 times as loud and would be heard even thousands of miles away...and it'll go on for who knows how long. Do yourself a favor and top off the earplugs with a set of those noise cancelling headphones from Bose (you don't want to start wasting your pain meds here cause you've got a headache).
10. FOOD. Seriously, if I have to explain this one, there's no hope for you... And by food, I do not mean stockpiling cases of Hershey bars (perhaps Skittles? at least they'll last longer presevative-wise) :D

SUPERVOLCANOS SUCK ASH!

From the Author's Note: There is a colossal volcano under Yellowstone National Park. The volcano's crater...measures roughly 34 by 45 miles. It has erupted three times in the last 2.1 million years, events so powerful they are usually classified as supervolcanoes. The largest of the these eruptions released about 2,500 times as much magma as the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption.

Soooo.....I totally loved this book. Don't get me wrong, it's dismal and depressing and the events following the eruption of the supervolcano are total speculation, but I just got sucked into the possiblity of this post-cataclysmic dystopian society. Alex was all alone when it happened, and like a complete-stupid-effing-teenager he set out into the ash-filled world to journey more than a 100 miles on skis to get to his family. Why do I call Alex a complete-stupid-effing-teenager? When you read Ashfall, count up the number of times someone else had to save him from what would have been yet another tragic death. I completely understand family being important, but in times like this, survival tops the list. Hunker down and survive until you figure out what it is you're dealing with, how to overcome it and then go on your journey.

Darla, I think I love you and I would be just as annoyed with Alex as you were. This is a woman who knows how to survive in post-cataclysmic world. All I can say peeps, is find your Darla and stick to her like glue for the rest of your life!!!

You're going to want to read Ashfall. But just a warning: there are moments in the novel when I think it really pushes the YA label, but they were also actions you would expect to happen when the world is falling to crap around you.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither
Lauren DeStefano

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb — males only live to age twenty-five, and 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.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

You wouldn't think yourself lucky to be kidnapped and taken to be one of the brides for some random man, but if you were one of the ones left behind in the van after the picking, trust me, you were lucky. *Random thought - does anyone else wonder if the van girls ended up in the basement?* Rhine finds herself in this position, along with Jenna and Cecily, and are married to Linden without even needing to say 'I do'. The sister wives are locked in their own wing of the mansion with only an elevator activated by keycard to get out (guess they're not worried about fire drills...)

Rhine plays along to avoid becoming an experimental cadaver in the basement, but doesn't find herself particularly drawn to her captor (shocker). She does, however, develop a little thing for the servant boy, Gabriel. She wants desperately to escape and return to her twin brother but refuses to go without Gabriel, who's been transfered to work in the creepy, off-limits basement.

I've been trully captivated - and that's rare. The prose flowed beautifully and made Wither an easy, clean read with a plot that kept me intrigued. Can't wait for Fever next spring!

Under the Stars by Rebecca A. Rogers (ARC)

Under the Stars
Rebecca A. Rogers
Expected Publication : August 1, 2011

After seventeen-year-old Andrina’s home is demolished by meteors, she encourages her family to relocate to Legora, one of the few remaining cities that promise a new life to weary travelers. But Legora’s food and supplies are in shortage—too many refugees have sought protection behind its gates—and the only option is to appeal to the King of the New World for provisions. When the town assembles a lottery to choose who will plea to the king, Andrina holds the ill-fated ticket.

Her arrival in Valyad, the royal territory, sparks intrigue from King Zarek. Andrina can’t imagine herself acting like the other girls, who flounce after Zarek’s affection and money, but she considers giving in to her flirty side if it’ll guarantee that her family is fed. So when Zarek leaves Andrina with a bitter decision—marry him or he’ll strip Legora of its supplies—she has no choice but to accept being Queen of the New World.

Soon, though, Andrina uncovers that Valyad is smothered in deceit. Days after their wedding, Zarek is found stabbed to death and all fingers point to Andrina. Betrayed by Valyad’s governor, who wants the crown for himself, Andrina learns that it’s the people who will cast a vote on her fate; people who don’t want a commoner operating their kingdom. Andrina must not only convince Valyad that their king didn’t die by her hand, but also outsmart the sly politicians of the realm with a surprise they can’t outrun.

Not all fairytales end happily - but there's beauty in their demise. Andrina agrees to marry the Kind of the New World only to keep her family and people of Legora supplied with the necessities to survive the world that’s crumbling outside their dome-protected city. But when her husband is murdered beside her in the night, all fingers point toward Andrina, even though she has nothing to gain and everything to lose.

I won't say anything more because I don't wanna give anything away, but Andrina's tragic ending actually made me cry. Under the Stars is a well-developed novel with strong character development and realistic consequences one would expect in a dystopian society that's been corrupted by politicians.

ARC provided by Author for honest review.