Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: 3rd February 2011

Source: Bought (second-hand shop)

Genre: YA Dystopia

Enjoyment Rating: 5 stars

Technical Rating: 3 stars

Summary: In the world of Delirium, love is seen as a disease (amor deliria nervosa), and all citizens undergo a procedure at 18 to remove their capacity for this, the most dangerous emotion - one that kills you both when you have it and when you don't. Lena is about to turn 18 and is looking forward to her procedure - until she meets Alex and begins to uncover the truth.

In short: I adored this book and read it in a day. Writing this review, I've described many, many flaws in the book - but despite that, the writing is phenomenal so I really recommend you buy the book.


There's something that happens to me a lot when I read, especially with dystopia: I wish, I mentally beg the characters not to tamper with the system. Don't mess up your evaluation by coincidentally being reminded of your suspiciously dead mother. Don't ruin your life. I can forgive this with something like The Hunger Games, when life actually is shit and something has to be done. At the very least, find a way to overthrow the system that doesn't involve failing your evaluation. Don't do something stupid while being watched. 

This happened to Lena during her evaluation - the one she's prepared for her whole life - and I had this awful premonition of how things would go, of how she'd have to escape society and leave with the inevitable rebels, and that's what would happen to the plot. Thankfully, the author diverted this fate with a mysterious stampede of cows into the exam center necessitating rescheduling her evaluation. 

I'm a bit suspicious of the fact that the cure can only be given to those over 18. The explanation given in the book is that the brain isn't finished developing until then, but it does seem awfully convenient that this allows teenage love, which is what sells a lot of YA. I could accept this with freida from Only Ever Yours by Louise O' Neill as freida has been systematically abused from birth, but Lena has actually suffered relatively little trauma amongst other YA dystopian characters.


Lena is pretty pathetic and very standard YA. She literally describes herself as plain all the time, acts as if Alex makes her whole, and has a character arc identical to far too many other YA heroines (finally finding courage and leaving the society). Despite that, I'm fine reading through her perspective - I just don't like her as a person. 

Other flaws: It's not quite as disturbing as it could be - I feel like that could've been explored a lot more. There weren't many moments where I had the dawning horror I had in, say, The Giver as I realised the implications of something, although I still enjoyed Delirium more. There were plenty of chilling moments, but they weren't given the treatment they deserved, I feel. The characters are also idiots and I feel like the book underestimates teenagers - Lena really believes that Romeo and Juliet is beautiful (in contrast to the society, which says it's a cautionary tale). We're supposed to believe Lena when she says this, which is just stupid. Also, Lena doesn't know what poetry is at all - as in, she's never heard the word - which seems a bit unrealistic.

The juxtaposition of religion and science (the three founding pillars of the society are God, Science and Order) was quite interesting, although it was concerning to see that the whole society is Creationist. There was a bit of that dumb YA naming, i.e. being gay is called "Unnaturalism", which is pretty clunky.

There were some very annoying consistency errors. Near the start of the book, Lena, who is terrified of love and being infected, says "I love children". Not even as a secret: she says this out loud, and it's perfectly accepted. I can accept loving photography or something, maybe you can get away with that - but the whole point is that you're not allowed love children. That's what causes the "occasional" cases of detachment, where mothers sit on their child's windpipe or leave them to starve (viscerally disturbing detail right there). Another unrealistic thing is after Alex rescues Lena from a raid on a house party - she's been bitten badly by a police dog, so he takes of his top and ties it around her leg to stop the bleeding. Okay so far, if a bit provocative. Then they start making out right there in the shed, when the raid could still be going on for all they know. They could literally be executed for that offence, but suddenly they don't care. Cautious Lena must have had a complete personality transplant, no lobotomy required. Maybe there is some merit to the belief that amor deliria nervosa is a legitimate disease. 

When Lena needs to contact people, why doesn't she just text them? We see her texting Hana about something mundane late in the book, so why doesn't she text to warn her instead off running out into a raid to save her? I know the censors are watching, but it wouldn't be that hard to send coded messages. 

I found it weird that for a lot of the book, catching the disease is treated as a crime. If the society actually believed love was a disease, wouldn't they be kind to the sufferers and get them treated humanely? 


There wasn't really any convincing explanation for how deliria is contagious. I think the author could at least have made up some government "science" that gives a plausible mechanism for the disease. Oxytocin is raised when you love someone, right? So - just spitballing here - the government could tell people that too much oxytocin was toxic, and that's why amor deliria nervosa eventually causes death. 

BUT

I still loved the book, so let's look at some of the reasons for that.

First of all, the writing was exquisite. It's a long book, somewhere around 400 pages, but I was carried along easily by Oliver's gorgeous prose. I'm not sure what else I can say about it, just that she has a wonderful way with words.

I love Alex. I'm not going to examine him too closely in case that stops, but 10/10, I would. Thankfully, there was no love triangle like there was in Matched, an otherwise quite similar book. 

I love the start of chapters. They all start with a quote from some official document, like the government archive of banned words and phrases, excerpts from The Book of Shhh (short for Health and other similar words) and children's nursery rhymes. I particularly liked this one: 

Mama, Mama, help me get home
I'm out in the woods, I am out on my own
I found me a werewolf, a nasty old mutt
It showed me its teeth and went straight for my gut

Mama, Mama, help me get home
I'm out in the woods, I am out on my own
I was stopped by a vampire, a rotting old wreck
It showed me its fangs, and went straight for my neck

Mama, Mama, put me to bed
I won't make it home, I'm already half-dead
I met an Invalid, and fell for his art
He showed me his smile, and went straight for my heart.

Chilling, isn't it? Invalids is the name for the uncureds who live outside city boundaries. Interesting name for how it bucks the trends of YA - the rebels are usually physically stronger, and these ones probably are, but they're called sick. Freedom is sickness.

I did like Lena's relationship with Gracie, her little sister who everyone else thinks is mute. Hana, her best friend, was also cool to read about, although their friendship seems a bit unhealthy. 

I'm really annoyed at it being a series. I realised about ten minutes before I finished the book that I'd heard it was a trilogy, and that really pissed me off. Doubt I'll be able to get the other two from a second-hand shop.

The ending was a heartbreaking cliffhanger, but I cling to the hope that my favourite character will be okay by the end of Requiem. Thrilling conclusion.

Removed from the book, I can point out all these flaws. And while I could see them while reading and they did occasionally disrupt my reading experience, I still adored reading Delirium. 

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Review: Only Ever Yours - Louise O' Neill

Publisher: Quercus
Published: July 2014
Source: Bought
Pages: 400
Rating: 5 Stars


Wow, just wow. It has been almost two months since I read this book and I'm still reeling a little bit. But I have to review it at some point, so here you go.


Blurb:

In a world in which baby girls are no longer born naturally, women are bred in schools, trained in the arts of pleasing men until they are ready for the outside world. At graduation, the most highly rated girls become “companions”, permitted to live with their husbands and breed sons until they are no longer useful. For the girls left behind, the future – as a concubine or a teacher – is grim.

Best friends Freida and Isabel are sure they’ll be chosen as companions – they are among the most highly rated girls in their year. But as the intensity of final year takes hold, Isabel does the unthinkable and starts to put on weight. ..

And then, into this sealed female environment, the boys arrive, eager to choose a bride. Freida must fight for her future – even if it means betraying the only friend, the only love, she has ever known. . .

I have my friend John Joe to thank for the experience of reading this book, as well as a feature I read in the Irish Times. The feature, written by Anna Carey in June of this year, really made me curious. So when I saw the book in a bookstore (duh) a few months later, I proclaimed to no one in particular "I want this for Christmas." I was in there with a group of friends, and one of them - the aforementioned John Joe, who is probably a saint - proceeded to buy it while I wasn't looking and hand it to me just past the counter. I still need to return the favour, but here's your thank you.


This book was phenomenal. I have to keep Harry Potter as my all-time favourite book just out of habit and nostalgia, but (as objectively as these things can get) I think this is the best book I've ever read. A lot of the things I want to talk about involve spoilers but I can't justify spoiling such an incredible book, so I'm a bit constrained here. Anyway.


First of all, I loved the writing. It's clear and delicate, just like the first-person narrator and main character freida. And no, that wasn't a mistake: none of the girls' names are capitalised. They are artificially made, and although they refer to each other by (noncapitalised) name because of course they see themselves as people, the Chastities (basically nuns who control the girls' education until they're 16) refer to them by number. freida is #630.


The girls can't read. This is a spoiler but not a huge one - it's just something that's never explicitly mentioned until maybe 66% through. The girls always talk about going on MyFace (their version of Facebook) but they're constantly looking at pictures of other girls and uploading videos of themselves talking. I had presumed there was text because reading is such a big part of our lives, but there isn't. They get by without it. After all, they're toys for men's pleasure - why do they need to be able to read?


Also, O' Neill doesn't avoid talking about race, although she does keep it nicely balanced. At one point Freida is playing Your Face or Mine, a comparison game where you choose which girl is prettier, in bed. She chooses the black girl and sees that the white one has been chosen fifty times today. And then she says: "I stare at myself in my mirrors, imagining taking a grater to my skin, peeling off the top layer. My bones might be white enough." There are other indications too, but this was an important moment for me because - being a white girl - I admit I had assumed that she was white, that I was whitewashing her in my own mind. This is why books can't just avoid the topic of race and presume people will fill in diversity for themselves. It's also why initiatives like We Need Diverse Books are important.


The foreshadowing is incredible. So subtle the first time, but upon rereading the details jump out at you. This is especially strong with isabel.


Conversations between the girls:

"No way," alessandra says. "I would kill for your lips. And blue eyes are cuter, everyone knows that." megan raises an eyebrow. "Blue and green eyes."

"Yeah, but I'd much prefer your nose. It's straighter than mine," rosie says, squeezing the tip of her own perfectly straight nose.


"Well, at least you're not fat like me."

"What? Have you seen my thighs? I'm practically veering into isabel territory," rosie says, pinching non-existent thigh fat. She waits, hiding a tiny smile as the garden bursts with dissenting voices.


"You are so not fat. I'm fat."

They sound so annoying, don't they? But as a girl, you can see a glimmer of truth, particularly in the "fat" comments. Theirs is just exacerbated because they've been mentally abused since birth and there's so much competition to finish in the top ten in the year so they can become companions.


Only Ever Yours is so heartbreaking. It doesn't pull any punches. Any. Towards the end I was desperately hoping for a deus ex machina but there was none. freida never caught a break just because we felt sorry for her, and O' Neill didn't hide behind vagueness during the horrors she went through. Not that it was physical, mind you - there was little physical pain in the book. Most of it is psychological and mental and oh god is it powerful. It's taking my breath away just thinking about it now.

There's a beautiful exploration of LGBT issues here that I wish I could delve into but can't for fear of spoilers. It's really great though.


Only Ever Yours bears resemblance to older dystopians like Brave New World, or so I've heard (as I haven't actually read the older ones yet) like the way Messages are played as the eves sleep to subconsciously influence them: "Nobody will ever love a fat girl" "Fat girls should be made obsolete" "Good girls are always happy and easy-going".

But honestly - who cares? This is INCREDIBLE.


Feminism is an awful swear word, the new f-word. This is especially relevant with Time's recent blunder, in proposing that the word be banned. Funny how reality echoes fiction sometimes, isn't it? It's lucky that we currently have non-lab-made women to make the media think twice.


The chastities ensure there can be no female solidarity, as the girls are constantly forced to compare amongst themselves and vilify anyone even a couple of pounds over target weight. There's one scene where a "fat" girl is sent to the front of the classroom and everyone is expected to shout insults at her. And they do. Why wouldn't they? It's all they know.


The eves place beauty over life - while it's not explicitly said, the eves seem to be euthanized somewhere around forty before they get old and saggy, the worst fate of all. Their biggest fear is being ugly - they would prefer to die before losing their beauty, as they've been told it's their greatest and only asset.

I have so much more to say about this book, but I'm afraid of spoiling it. I'll just say that it really truly blew me away and if there's one book I recommend buying for Christmas, it's this one. 

Other Reviews:*

Dee's Ultimate Reviews

SJ O' Hart

Universe in Words

Uncorked Thoughts

*This feature comes from Aylee at Recovering Potter Addict. 

25 Perfect Days - Mark Tullius Review

Publisher: Vincere Press
Pages: 322
Genre: Futuristic dystopian/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Source: Vincere Press and Netgalley.
Synopsis/Blurb: A totalitarian state doesn’t just happen overnight. It’s a slow, dangerous slide. 25 Perfect Days chronicles the path into a hellish future of food shortages, contaminated water, sweeping incarceration, an ultra-radical religion, and the extreme measures taken to reduce the population.

Higher taxes, strict gun control, an oppressive healthcare system. Complete media control, genetically modified food, experimentation on citizens. The push of depersonalizing technology, unending wars, government sanctioned assassinations. Is this collection of stories merely science fiction or soon to be fact? Are these policies designed for the greater good or disguised to benefit a chosen few at the expense of the masses? Is this brave new world the best we could do or part of a sinister grand plan?

Through these twenty-five interlinked stories, each written from a different character’s point of view, 25 Perfect Days captures the sacrifice, courage, and love needed to survive and eventually overcome this dystopian nightmare

Review:
I put off reading this book for a long time because of other books I had to review and it somehow fell to the bottom of the pile. I regretted that at first but eventually realised it was the right decision. I'll explain below.

So, the book is an exemplary, textbook dystopian, and a hugely chilling one at that. There's mandatory sterilization and weight limits for people - if you don't fit under a certain (very low) weight, no matter your height, you get (to my knowledge) vaporized (wasn't really explained). Hint: People went to such lengths as having limbs cut off. Scary. Then there are the weapons, which basically erase the targets from the world with plasma, literally wiping them out until they're not even visible.

At first, I was very impressed with the world-building. It was terrifying, but all the dystopian elements were obviously thoroughly thought out and original. It's truly a world of terror, and that was echoed on every page. An element I liked was that the church, the Way, had basically taken over the world, and it was the enemy. It was a theocracy gone terribly, terribly wrong. Then the 'blue eyes and blonde hair' nod to Nazi ideologies.

I really enjoyed a couple of the characters, but it was incredibly frustrating when I only saw them quickly and then if they came back they were, as in one case, probably in some really dire situation about to be exterminated. It wasn't just thrilling, it was genuinely frightening. I have to respect it for that, but I actually got scared while reading it, and not neessarily in a good way (read: a few nauseating incidents).

There were some excellent scenes, but here's where the problems started.

Many of the scenes themselves were well-written, brilliant even. But there was no cohesion in the overall story - try as I might, I couldn't actually locate a plot. I just spent the whole story in a state of confusion, nonplussed by the bewildering cast of characters. There was an evil ruler, but no particular person to root for. There was even a glossary of characters at the end of the book, and unless it's high fantasy, that's not usually a good sign.  

Yes, events happened. But as someone said to me once, plot is not what happens. Plot is how the characters react to what happens. Lots of things happen, and the frustrating thing is that they could make for a good story. Except that I didn't know who was doing it, and why I should care because I wasn't invested in any character! The book is in third-person, so it's not like I had to keep checking back to see who was talking - I could see the name in front of me but because there was no character continuity, I didn't understand who that person was supposed to be and what their relation to the events was.

As far as I could see, there was no main character. It was like a collection of short stories set in the same elegantly-described world. I could take the people who participated in the climax as the main characters, but I'd only seen them in one other chapter! There were some very creepy, chilling and sometimes nauseating dystopian details, but they were never once explained and I just felt horribly confused.

I understand that the book is part of a series, but I just felt cheated by the ending. Perhaps if it had pulled all the strings and different characters together it would've redeemed the book and made me treat it as a work of genius, but all it did was depose the Big Bad Guy, and it was rushed and confusing at that. I really didn't know who was doing what. I mean, I noticed the author bringing recurring chracters along but I'd just see the name and think 'Hm, that name sounds familiar but . . . who are they again?'

After reading some other reviews, I realise that it is indeed a kind of collection of short stories. I had known it spanned several generations, but I maintain that it would've been better to focus on a small group of memorable characters. Perhaps my thoughts are flavoured by the amount of YA I read (this is adult) but that was my personal experience.

I was unfortunately disappointed at times. While the start was still as odd on the character and plot front, the world-building led me to believe that there'd be some miraculous coup d'état at the end that would explain everything, but it was like the whole book was devoted to description of the dystopia and situations in it and the flimsy resolution was just thrown in as an obligatory afterthought. So there's a warning - don't let excessive exposition get in the way of your plot, because it can damage a book that really had potential. It covers one day a year over many years, and I would have understood this a lot more and probably had a better reading experience if that fact hadn't been omitted from my web-ARC (reading copy).

Technically, and I mean that in the truest sense of the word, it is a very good book, a disturbing and powerful cautionary tale against a theocracy. But it cannot be denied that I didn't come out of it feeling satisfied, thus the mediocre rating. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the book at the moment . . . mainly as though I missed something major. But I believe that a book is largely for entertainment value, and it would've been nice to have more continuity and a solid ending. I'm sorry this book and I got off on the wrong foot though - next time I swear to read the blurb first!

After the Ending (The Ending #1) Review

I'm taking part in the blog tour for After The Ending, sponsored by Pump UpYour Book with a review!

Authors: Lindsey Fairleigh and Lindsey Pogue

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: L2 Books (America)

Genre: Post-apocalyptic, Romance

Pages: 478

Rating: 4 stars

Publication Date: 22^nd February 2013

Spoilers: Mild

Official Summary:  When people started getting sick, “they” thought it was just the flu. My roommate, my boyfriend, my family…they’re all gone now. I got sick too. I should have died with them—with the rest of the world—but I didn’t. I thought witnessing the human population almost disappear off the face of the earth was the craziest thing I’d ever experience. I was so wrong. My name is Dani O’Connor, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

The Virus changed everything. The world I knew is gone, and life is backwards. We’ve all had to start over. I’ve been stripped of my home, my dreams…all that is me. I’m someone else now—broken and changed. Other survivors’ memories and emotions haunt me. They invade my mind until I can no longer separate them from my own. I won’t let them consume me. I can’t. My name is Zoe Cartwright, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

We’ve been inseparable for most of our lives, and now our friendship is all we have left. The aftermath of the Virus has stranded us on opposite sides of the United States. Trusting strangers, making sacrifices, killing—we’ll do anything to reach one another. Fear and pain may be unavoidable, but we’re strong…we’re survivors. But to continue surviving in this unfamiliar world plagued by Crazies and strange new abilities, we have to adapt. We have to evolve.

And more than anything, we have to find each other

.

In short: A great concept and excellent details but with some unnecessary elements.

The Breakdown:

After the Ending (The Ending #1) Review

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: L2 Books (America)

Genre: Post-apocalyptic, Romance

Pages: 478                 

Rating: 4 stars

Publication Date: 22^nd February 2013

Spoilers: Mild

Official Summary:  When people started getting sick, “they” thought it was just the flu. My roommate, my boyfriend, my family…they’re all gone now. I got sick too. I should have died with them—with the rest of the world—but I didn’t. I thought witnessing the human population almost disappear off the face of the earth was the craziest thing I’d ever experience. I was so wrong. My name is Dani O’Connor, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

The Virus changed everything. The world I knew is gone, and life is backwards. We’ve all had to start over. I’ve been stripped of my home, my dreams…all that is me. I’m someone else now—broken and changed. Other survivors’ memories and emotions haunt me. They invade my mind until I can no longer separate them from my own. I won’t let them consume me. I can’t. My name is Zoe Cartwright, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

We’ve been inseparable for most of our lives, and now our friendship is all we have left. The aftermath of the Virus has stranded us on opposite sides of the United States. Trusting strangers, making sacrifices, killing—we’ll do anything to reach one another. Fear and pain may be unavoidable, but we’re strong…we’re survivors. But to continue surviving in this unfamiliar world plagued by Crazies and strange new abilities, we have to adapt. We have to evolve.

And more than anything, we have to find each other.

In short: A great concept and excellent details but with some unnecessary elements.

The Breakdown:

My opinion of this book changed drastically about a third of the way through, so at first it left me with mixed feelings. I detested the going on about Cam and he weird Cam-related dreams. I know Dani is trying to get over the loss of Cam, and it illustrates the emotion of losing the world well, I thought that it could have been done differently. I felt that Cam’s death wasn’t built up to properly, but on hindsight, it shows how suddenly everything fell apart – so if it was intentional, clever move.

A large part of the book is spent subtly (and not-so-subtly) exploring the Survivors’ reactions and emotions after the Ending.  And I’m glad to say that it was done really well, from the Crazies to the militants. I was constantly reminded of Partials and wondered why society wasn’t as well developed as in Dan Wells’ novel – but then you have to remember that this book is set immediately after the ending, and it shows the chaos brilliantly. Looking back on it now, the foreshadowing is there – but some of it is very easy to miss.

 I had a problem with half of the book being narrated through e-mails between the two best friends. I’m sorry, but I have an extreme aversion to the use of acronyms in fully-fledged novels. It detracts from the reading experience and just annoys me. However, as the plot developed (and the acronyms disappeared), they started to grow on me, and I realize by the end that they had become very useful for a number of reasons: they help the reader keep track of time during the story, they showed the bond between Zoe and they helped build the post-apocalyptic atmosphere when one girl couldn’t reach a place with internet and the other started to worry because in a situation like that you just don’t know.

There is one problem I had with this book, though. All that romance was completely unnecessary! I agreed with *MILD SPOILER* Sarah getting pregnant with Biggs’ child, because it felt right. Their relationship developed faster than normal because of the urgency after the Ending, but it definitely developed. And it gave a sense of continuity, of the hope of the next generation. *BIG SPOILER* But there was something I could not stand. Dani and Jason’s relationship or rather, the way they went about it. The relationship itself was sweet, long-spanning as it was, but did the authors really have to be that detailed about the sex scenes? Alright, they were mild sex scenes, but they were just out of place and could have been alluded to instead. At least Zoe’s with Jake was enjoyable and interesting. A lot of the time all Jason seemed interested in was sex. Even though Zoe lampshaded this by calling him (her brother) a heartbreaker.  *END SPOILER*

Thankfully, After the Ending entirely redeemed itself.

 I adored the friendship between Zoe and Dani. It was explained at the end of the book, but – fortunately – not in the form of infodump. What I loved most about it was that it was obvious. You would have known they were best friends without it being said, through the way they spoke to and about each other in their emails and face-to-face. I found myself enjoying the double-narrative, especially as they drew closer to each other and began to mirror each other’s actions. The etails of their friendship and care for each other were brilliant.

Partway in, drama finally appeared – but wow, it was amazingly plotted. *MILD SPOILER* Clara poisoning Zoe, albeit unsuccessfully, was one of the biggest *Oh no oh no* moments I have ever read, and the same with the note Dani receives from Cece. This was amazing for two reasons: one, it helped draw more parallels between the travels of Zoe and Dani, and two, it showed the deep psychological effects of the apocalypse, where not every insane person was an obvious Crazy.

I am a huge fan of secrets being revealed unexpectedly, so this book both pleased and annoyed me in different places. The start of the Abilities was very predictable, although again, it echoed the rushed feeling of an apocalypse, but one moment Zoe’s was being foreshadowed and about ten pages later, there we go. Jake’s foreshadowing was slightly better, but still too sudden. Also, may I mention how similar Jake was to Jacob from Twilight? With the *SPOILER* fast healing  *END SPOILER*and the name? Except he isn’t a werewolf and has a genuinely interesting personality. Ouch.  On the flipside, After the Ending did well with revealing real secrets, like the mystery of the Colony and the motivations of the army. I loved the gradual revealing of MG – and wow, the last page. Not exactly an evil cliffhanger, but a clilffhanger nonetheless. Curse you, gripping trilogies.

Overall, the book was a good surprise, and I was forced to drop my preconceived notions after the first part as the survivalist aspect heated up and I started to love it.

The authors are running a promotion on Amazon for this book on the 17^th and 18^th of May only, so I really recommend getting it. You can purchase the ebook on Amazon here

About the Authors:

Lindsey Fairleigh lives her life with one foot in a book - as long as that book transports her to a magical world or bends the rules of science. Her novels, from post-apocalytptic to time travel and historical fantasy, always offer up a hearty dose of unreality, along with plenty of adventure and romance. When she's not working on her next novel, Lindsey spends her time reading and trying out new recipes in the kitchen. She lives in the Napa Valley with her loving husband and confused cats. You can visit Lindsey's blog at lindseyfairleigh.blogspot.com

Lindsey Pogue has always been a little creative. As a child she established a bug hospital on her elementary school soccer field, compiled books of collages as a teenager, and as an adult, expresses herself through writing. Her novels are inspired by her observations of the world around her - whether she's traveling, people watching or hiking. When not plotting her next storyline or dreaming up new, brooding characters. Lindsey's wrapped in blankets watching her favourite action flicks or going on road trips with her own leading man. You can visit Lindsey's blog at lindseypogue.wordpress.com.

 

More information:

www.theendingseries.com

Lindsey Fairleigh's Blog
Lindsey Pogue's Blog
After the Ending Blog

Fragments (Partials #2) - Dan Wells (Advance Review!)

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Author: Dan Wells
Pages: 564
Source: Netgalley
Published: March 29th, Ireland/UK
Genre: Post-apocalyptic, science fiction
Rating: 5 stars +

I was incredibly delighted to receive Fragments for review. Any readers of my blog will probably know how much (too much, I mention it all the time) I loved its predecessor Partials. I’m so happy to say that Fragments more than lived up to it, and finishing it has left me in a state of mourning. Partials finished spectacularly, with so many subplots pulling together at once in a thrilling action sequence, and somehow that huge momentum was kept up into the sequel – and I’m very impressed.

For an introduction to the trilogy, read my review of Partials (the first book). I’ve often found that the middle book in a trilogy isn’t as well executed as the rest, but Fragments joins Catching Fire on the list of those which keep the action alive. And Fragments is – dare I say it – even better. I’m finding it hard to order my thoughts about it – the feels. Too much.

Tension and drama are ever-present. Every other chapter ends in a cliffhanger and not just ordinary ones, killer cliffhangers. Sneak-up-and-eat-you-in-your-sleep cliffhangers. You feel breathless in parts, seriously.

The characterisation is just too brilliant. Kira’s character develops so much during this book. In Partials she goes from trainee medic to daring scientist, and here she becomes a bonafide heroine and leader. She’s not too perfect either; she headstrong and a diehard rebel. We learn at the end of Partials that she is *SPOILER* a kind of Partial *END SPOILER*. But she’s different. We find out so much about her during the book, as well as the incredible revelations about the creation of the Partials, RM and the Failsafe. And this was expertly woven in with the action scenes. It impressed me that part of her journey is to discover who and what she is, but it’s done with no introspection.

There is a variety of character types as well, even among the protagonists. In Partials Marcus was forgettable, just ‘the heroine’s boyfriend’ but in Fragments he had the narrative without Kira for almost half the story. I heard about this before reading and was wary; I didn’t think Marcus could have such an interesting, fresh perspective, but he did. He does a very important, intimidating task, but with him Wells shows that you can be a strong protagonist without being reckless. When he comes up with his plan, it’s presumed that he’s being foolhardy ad throwing himself into danger with a vain hope. But he replies ‘Who am I – Kira? I’m not doing this alone, I’m going straight to the Senate.’ He then mobilizes the state to do what nobody has dared to before, and without needless danger. I think that’s such an inspiring message – the smart scientist-medic gets to be a hero at last!

I fell so in love with Samm during Fragments. He’s intrigued me in Partials but here we saw so much more of his personality. Wells also poignantly shows the strengths and weaknesses of the Partials, making them seem both more and less human. Here’s a spoiler, but you know it had to happen: Samm realizes nearing the end that he’s fallen in love with Kira. But he’s unable to express it, because Partials show emotion through the pheremonal Link Kira doesn’t have. The link is used instead of body language and tone of voice, so although Samm is a quick learner, it’s still tragically difficult for him to show the oblivious Kira his feelings. I felt like screaming, because Samm deserves her after all they’ve been through together. He’s loyal, kind, smart, soldiers on against impossible odds and defies the bounds of his genetically engineered nature to love her. The heartbreaking part is that *PARTIALS SPOILER* Partials can’t procreate, and Samm is designed to die from his expiration date in a year. *END SPOILER* He’s so noble and self-sacrificing – why must Dan Wells give me all these feels? One of the great things is that there’s just a hint of romance and it’s between characters that have been developed enough that you care for them. Even though I was waxing eloquent about Marcus earlier, maybe he can die a heroic death so Kira and Samm can be together. That’s how much I love Samm – I’m willing to commit or condone fictional murder so he can be happy. It’s going to be a nasty shock for Marcus when he finds out the truth about Kira anyway. Revelations like hers were unfurled with breathtaking finesse, to the point where I was left shaking my head in wonder at how Wells does it.

The quest has a blessedly clear aim – cure the expiration date and RM. I love the power balance; both Partials and humans desperate for a cure for their respective diseases and torn apart by war. Wells shows extraordinary expertise on things from war tactics to genetics to chemical poisoning. I was so afraid that one of those dull, protracted camping trips would happen, but thanks to the superior, witty, badass Heron and the alternating of perspectives between Kira’s quest and Marcus’ mission, momentum was never lost.

There is also a hint of black-and-grey morality, which Vale shows Kira is necessary for post-apocalyptic survival. She is trying to do amazing things, and learns that she has to make some sacrifices. There is lots of philosophizing, but it’s done so well that it enriches the plot instead of interfering with it. There are no stereotypically good or bad characters, and plenty of thought-provoking ones – like Heron. An espionage Partial model, she was literally designed to be better at everything, but that is a technical specification instead of a lazy Mary Sue and reminds us of just how expertly her DNA has been engineered, like when she says ‘I’m an espionage model, and we’re designed to beat everyone at everything.’ Partial society is divided into strict castes, according to their design specifications, and nobody disagrees because they know that that’s simply their design.

There are many poignant moments, like when Afa joins their group as the IT expert. He is a computer genius, but he lived in isolation for twelve years after the Break, believing himself to be the only human left in the world, and has halfway lost his mind. In a rare moment of lucidity, he says ‘I know what I am. I do my best.’ And it’s so heart-wrenching. Add to that the tale of how Marcus survived as a five-year-old when his parents, like everyone else’s, died from RM during the Break, making himself cereal every morning until the milk ran out and he had to venture out into the world alone to find someone, anyone to explain why his parents were dead, and it leads to an emotional and intensely thought-provoking read. 

There was a great authenticity to the world-building. The layers of mildew and rot in buildings after twelve years of disuse, the shattered glass in every window, the blown-up bridges, remnants of the Partial War.  And especially the lack of knowledge the Plague Babies – people like Kira, Marcus, Maddie and Xochi – who  were young children when the world ended and didn’t remember computers or the internet, things that are second nature to teenagers today.

I am giving this my very highest recommendation. It comes out in a week, and it (along with Partials) should be the first thing you buy. But beware, it has probably the most evil cliffhanger I've ever seen that's sure to lead to an action-packed third book.

It’s a well thought-out, thrilling, touching and far-reaching post-apocalyptic read, and it’s honestly amazing.

And now I can’t bring myself to read any other books because they can’t possibly live up to Fragments. Help me.

- Rose

Slated - Teri Terry Review

 I first saw this book in my local Waterstones about two weeks ago and was quickly drawn into it by the title and cover -especially those vivid green eyes. After reading a couple of pages I was hooked and bought it soon after for my birthday (Yep! I am officially fourteen now!).

Kyla is a really interesting character. She's a Slated, which means she's undergone (unwillingly) a procedure to erase all her memories and take away her personality. The Government say she is being punished because she was a terrorist in her past life. Slating can only be done on people younger than sixteen years of age. After they leave the hospital where they are rehabilitated, they are adopted into a family and given a Levo. This is a device that basically controls the wearer's life. They cannot (supposedly)become very angry or upset, otherwise the Levo will detect a drop in their 'levels' and induce a blackout, or if they drop below 2 on the scale of 1 - 10, send a signal to permanently block blood flow to the brain, causing seizures and death. It cannot be moved, and definitely not taken off.  A Levo is designed to look like a watch or bracelet, but in Kyla's words, they're 'fooling nobody'. Slateds are looked down on by most, or discounted as non-entities. A Slated cannot hurt anyone or even defend themselves because of their Levos - this is to stop any recurrence of their 'terrorist' nature. Although it seems to me, you wouldn't necessarily be angry, sad or scared to build a bomb or something if you were really a terrorist. You might enjoy it. You know, if you were psychotic. Anyway, the theme running through the book is Kyla getting used to the world and realising it's not as great as it's made out to be, which leads to her trying to find out what's happening and who is lying to her alongside Ben, the love interest.

        

We first meet her in the hospital she's about to leave, to go out into the real world for the first time she can remember, even though she's sixteen years old. Everything is new to her but she is very analytical - unlike the other Slateds who are in too much of a happy daze to notice much -and categorises everything she sees because she has a need to put some sort of a shape on the world. Many times through the book it is said : Kyla is different. She is definitely more distrustful than most. And quite intuitive, but this doesn't always seem realistic - like when she knows things she couldn't or shouldn't and then goes and acts on that knowledge - like her decision to trust Mac. Then again, she's been Slated, so her 'intuition' could be some kind of hidden memory. Slated is told in Kyla's first-person perspective, dreamed passages interspersed with the narrative.

Kyla's world is an oppressive one, with the Central Coalition presiding over everything. It is set in the near future, 2052, and England has regressed back to its agricultural roots. No one under the age of twenty one is allowed a phone because apparently they had been used in the past to organise riots. The ideas in the book are great - the Central Coalition, Slating, Lorders... I thought it was slightly disturbing but thrilling and very thought-provoking. It doesn't really round off properly but there's a sequel coming in May 2013 called Fractured. To be honest, I really hope there's a film made - with casting in Ireland too, because there are hardly any castings here. I really advise you to read this and if you have, leave a comment to tell me what you think of it. Five stars!