Truth? That's a lie. (Book Review)

Truth (XVI #2) by Julia Karr

In this sequel to "XVI," Nina Oberon's life has changed enormously. After her mother was killed, Nina discovered the truth about her father, the leader of the Resistance. And now she sports the same Governing Council-ordered tattoo of XVI on her wrist that all 16-year-old girls have. But Nina won't be anyone's stereotype. Original. (Summary from Goodreads)

In XVI Nina Oberon was such a strong and interesting character. The whole plot felt so interesting to me and I coudn't help but get enthralled in the world that was the novel. I wish I could say that Truth was as good as XVI, but I would be lying. 

It seems like Nina has just gotten angsty with her new tattoo. There was info-dumping and it just seemed overly emotional. Like the book was trying to hard to live up to the first one and it failed. Miserably.

I wish I could say that I cared enough to read the next book but I'm not sure that I do.

2 points out of 5

Dearly, Departed NOOOO DONT LEAVE ME! (Book Review)

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'm not sure why I didn't think that I would love this book. Maybe it's because of all the really cheesy zombie novels that have come out before. The ones that were overly dramatic, or just too quirky for my taste. But that is no matter because this book surpassed all of my expectations. 


I loved the diction in this novel that really fleshed out the "New Victorian" steampunk setting. Words like "festooned" and "spangles" that I don't read very much caught my attention and made me love this book all the more. 


I must admit that the POV changes could get confusing, but at the same time, it also made the story come together well so I understand why it was done. Bram might be my favorite zombie of all time :D


I can't wait to read the sequel!

4 points out of 5

Incarnate (Book Review)

Isn't the cover just beautiful???

New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

It seems that many YA novels have been following a pattern lately. There’s a weak-willed female character that doesn’t know much of anything(for whatever reason), meets the boy(or two) of her dreams, then comes a big fight scene and one way of another she ends up with the boy of her dreams. In all, the plot is pretty expectable. I hoped that Incarnate wouldn’t be one of those stories. Luckily enough for me, it wasn’t.

The very premise of the novel is unique. I can’t even say how many novels I’ve read where the female character is reincarnated each life in a world were most people aren’t. I love how the author put a completely different spin on the idea, making an idea that has begun to seem cliche, fresh. I’m so used to novels with a female MC that is different in a beneficial way. Ana’s difference has been her weakness all along. 

I admit that Ana is not the most likeable character at times. She can be overly needy, accusing, and possessing a “woe is me” attitude, but in the end, her faults make her all the more likeable. Not even counting the plot, idea, well fleshed out supporting characters, and writing that can all combine to make a really great YA novel. Don’t even remind me to read the next on. Already on my “to-read” list in Goodreads.

4 points of 5

Legend (Book Review)

Legend by Marie Lu
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias' death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
[BEWARE: THIS DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS]

This book wasn't particularly bad, I just feel that after all the dystopian novels I have read (including the Hunger Games, Uglies , Unwind. All of which I fell in love with.) I have became sort of a critic to this sort of genre. Especially when the dystopian involves romance.

I didn't find the plot-line particularly believable. June is already too young for the school that she is in and they are making her a full blown agent just because her brother dies? Can't see that happening. Sorry. 

Something else that through me off was how quickly June decided that Thomas was the killer. Just automatically thought that he couldn't be trusted. She was so quick to decide that Day was right about everything instead of the people that had protected her for her entire life. 

What must have annoyed me the most was the romance. I know that this was the first book in a series but really?! One kiss and you decide that he can't be that bad. The romance should have been either fleshed out a lot more or just completely taken out. It annoyed me to no end. 

Some things I did like: 
*The use of the character Kaede. Maybe some other people expected her to come in handy later in the novel, but I didn't. 
*The setting. I really like some of the details of the republic and how different states are fighting with or against each other. There is a lot that is possible with this. 

Did I have problems with this book? Yes. Would I read the sequel? No. Was it absolutely unreadable? No. 

3 points out of 5.