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Teen SRC 2019 – Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

This weekend I managed to finish Uglies by Scott Westerfeld and begin a little of the sequel, are you proud?

Summary (no spoilers, I’m not EVIL): This story takes place in a dystopian world where at age 16, everyone is given a surgery to make them incredibly pretty. After the surgery, they are taken away from “Uglyville” and into “New Pretty Town” to live. The story focuses around a girl named Tally who is just weeks away from her operation. Her best friend, Peris, has already moved to “New Pretty Town” and she’s left alone and ugly. One day when she’s sneaking into “New Pretty Town” to visit Peris, she meets another ugly trying to do the same thing: Shay. They become fast friends and soon, their operation day is coming up. Tally is super excited to finally become gorgeous but Shay is skeptical. She confesses that she doesn’t wanna turn pretty and is going to escape the city to a place where she won’t have to get the surgery. Tally grudgingly promises not to tell and bids goodbye, but the day Tally is scheduled to receive her surgery, she gets an unwelcomed surprise…

Thoughts: I’ve been meaning to read this book for SO long and I’m glad I finally got around to it because it’s honestly pretty good. There are many plot twists and a lot of mystery so you’re not reading through too much filler. The world-building is also better than I expected and I believe this could honestly be a possible future of our world. I wouldn’t say it’s AMAZING but I’d say it was a good read. Final rating: 3.5/5 (I feel like that’s a bit harsh but it just didn’t leave a lasting impression on me). I’d recommend this to fans of dystopia, technology, science fiction and a little bit of mystery.

Teen SRC 2019 – Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Since I’m starting summer school next week I wanna make sure I get a few reviews out before I become flooded with homework again… -_- For those of you with similar struggles, I feel you sis.

So… today I’m reviewing Mirage by Somaiya Daud and I actually read the advance reader copy (given to me at a meeting of the RPL Teen Ambassadors (which you should totally join 😉 ) ) of this book so I’m not sure if my review will be entirely accurate. However, I am inclined to assume that there aren’t any major plot changes between the real deal and the ARC. Below is a brief summary (no spoilers, don’t worry) and then my thoughts.

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Teen SRC 2019 – Taken by Erin Bowman

Taken by Erin Bowman

In Claysoot, there are no men. Only boys. On the occasion of every boy’s eighteenth birthday, they get taken. Gone. Disappeared forever. They call it the Heist. People think that the boys have been taken over the Wall. Gray Weathersby’s birthday is mere months away. He is prepared to meet his destiny until he finds a letter from his deceased mother that made him question everything. What lies beyond the Wall? Climbing the Wall is suicide, but is it really worth being Heisted instead? What secrets is Claysoot’s government hiding from the people? When Clay’s brother was Heisted, where did he go? Is he still alive?

I give this book a 4/5 because this book builds of suspense and secrets so it was harder to write a review about it. But I feel like it was like The Maze Runner; boys get taken away. I did not enjoy The Maze Runner very much (I returned it on page 14) so I was mildly surprised that I enjoyed this book. ANNNNDDDDD, of course, there is a lllloooovvvvveeee triangle.

There are 3 books in the series and a novella. The books following are: Frozen, and the next one is Forged. The novella is Stolen.

Teen SRC 2018- Remember by Eileen Cook

Image result for remember eileen cookHarper is used to the protestors constantly camping outside her home. Afterall, her father runs the company trademarking the “Memtex” procedure to wipe away sad memories, and plenty of people think it shouldn’t be legal. When Harper suffers an unexpected loss one day, she’s shocked that her father wouldn’t let her get the procedure, so she finds a way to get it without his approval. Soon afterwards, she begins getting plagued by strange symptoms, including visions of a woman who is both a stranger and familiar at the same time. Harper starts to wonder if she is being delusional, or if this woman was actually part of her memories.

Trying to uncover the truth on Memtex, Harper is joined by Neil, a protester who insists that he has his own reasons for needing answers about the dangers of the procedure. What she eventually finds could uproot all she’d ever believed her entire life…

I think this book is kind of underrated. It has a brilliant idea, about the ability to manipulate people’s memories. If all sadness can be taken away from you, would you be a better person? Would that actually be better for you? How much are you inclined to lose, and how bad should the memories be for you to want to erase them?

 

Teen SRC 2018 – MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

Image result for mila 2.0Mila was just a normal girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town, until her life changed with one accident. She was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was supposed to forget her past — the fact that she was born in a secret science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now, Mila has no choice but to run, from the dangerous operatives that want her terminated because she knows too much, and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her to unlock her advanced technology. However, Mila’s becoming something beyond what anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

This was just a random book I picked off the shelves in the beginning… until it wasn’t. Immediately after finishing the first book, I proceeded to borrow the entire series, and to start weeping at the bittersweet ending. Definitely recommended for everyone who likes sci-fi!

 

Teen SRC 2018 – Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Image result for shatter meJuliette’s touch is deadly. Ever since she accidentally killed someone with her touch, The Reestablishment has kept her locked up in a cell, trying to “fix” her. But, the world is dying too quickly for anyone to care about a seventeen year old. Food is becoming scarce, diseases are destroying the population, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. However, when a rumor of war spreads from among the survivors, The Reestablishment changes their decision. Maybe Juliette is exactly what they need right now. So, they offer her a choice. Choose to become a weapon… or a warrior.

This series is for anyone with an interest in any one of the tags I’ve listed. For lovers of post-apocalyptic novels, this seiries is especially great!

 

 

Teen SRC 2018 – The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer

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Great news, everyone!!! Our favorite author of the amazingly witty Artemis Fowl series is back again, this time with a teen novel!!! I just found out about it not long ago, and I was so excited to read more of Eoin Colfer’s work. This series is honestly so good that I wasn’t satisfied with only three books in the series.

It’s about a boy named Riley from the Victorian era, who somehow gets transported to modern day society. There, he meets the young FBI agent Chevie Savano, and together they try to stop Albert Garrick, the assassin-for-hire who has followed Riley from his own time, from returning to his own time with knowledge about modern society.

 

Teen SRC 2018 – Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

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Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Seventeen year old Aria has lived in the enclosed city of Reverie all her life. After failing to hear from her scientist mother, she tries to get information on her whereabouts, but that ends badly, resulting in her exile to the outer wasteland, known as the Death Shop. Aria knows that her chances of survival are slim, between the cannibals and the electrified energy storms. She’s been that even the very air she breathes will kill her. Then, she meets an outsider named Perry. Though he is wild and a savage, he is her only hope of staying alive.

I liked how the author didn’t waste much time explaining all the technical terms used, and jumped straight into the story instead. This is something I really appreciate, as I have a short attention span, and explanations bore me, as well as flashbacks and useless backstory.

 

Teen SRC 2018 – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Book vs Movie)

Image result for ready player one bookOkay, I’m sorry, but this review is going to be just me ranting about how the movie didn’t really do the book any justice, so brace yourself. There are probably a lot of spoilers.

Summary: Wade Watts lives in the year 2045, a time when most (the entirety) of the population is on a virtual world called the Oasis all day. That’s because, well, with global warming and stuff, no one really wants to be in the real world. When the creator of the Oasis died a few years ago, he left a viral video behind saying that all of his riches, along with ownership of the world, are locked away somewhere like Easter Eggs, and that whoever finds his three keys will inherit it. This led to a giant surge of people trying to desperately find the keys, but as more time passes, people gradually gave up. Until one day, Wade stumbles upon the first key that no one has ever found before.Read More

Teen SRC 2018 – End of Days by Eric Walters

Image result for eric walters end of daysEnd of Days by Eric Walters

In a reality similar to ours, all of the world’s most brightest scientists and mathematicians have disappeared from society, working in secret as the International Aerospace Research Institute to stop a deadly threat unlike anything humanity has ever faced: an asteroid threatening to obliterate all life on earth, racing towards earth. The head scientist, Professor Daniel Sheppard, has been working effortlessly to stop the asteroid from hitting, but feels the pressure of the fate of  7 billion lives in the balance, all relying on him to save humanity. But little does he know that his closest colleagues could turn traitors. As the doomsday clock ticks down, Sheppard is running out of options, while presumed dead billionaire Joshua Fitchett has already taken matters into his own hands, recruiting 16 year old Billy to his cause to lead mankind to safety, and to complete his destiny.

This book changed my view of apocalyptic scenarios, elaborating on all sides of the picture, how not only the main characters manage to cope, but how fragile society really is, how it can crumble into ashes when people realize that their lives now have a deadline to them. This book causes me to ponder about things I never really realized about this genre of book, like how the world would keep going if it  knew that their lives would be ended shortly, and if they knew exactly when they would perish. It also shows how, if faced with a common threat, even if it is the end of the world, countries who have had unstable relationships, no matter who they were, they came together to stop a terrible fate, working side by side. How it took an asteroid to bring a planet together really touched on how, when there are the right circumstances, people can put aside their differences and accomplish incredible, world changing things. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars, and recommend it to anyone who wants a break from stereotypical Judgement Day stories and want a fresh face of science fiction.