Notable New Teen Reads - May 2018

Lifel1k3 by Jay Kristoff, Knopf Books for Young Readers

Published May 29, 2018

Publisher's Summary:
On a floating junkyard beneath a radiation sky, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap.

Eve isn’t looking for secrets—she’s too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she’s just spent six months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, and the only thing keeping her Grandpa from the grave was the fistful of credits she just lost to the bookies. To top it off, she’s discovered she can destroy electronics with the power of her mind, and the puritanical Brotherhood are building a coffin her size. If she’s ever had a worse day, Eve can’t remember it.

But when Eve discovers the ruins of an android boy named Ezekiel in the scrap pile she calls home, her entire world comes crashing down. With her best friend Lemon Fresh and her robotic conscience, Cricket, in tow, she and Ezekiel will trek across deserts of irradiated glass, infiltrate towering megacities and scour the graveyard of humanity’s greatest folly to save the ones Eve loves, and learn the dark secrets of her past.

Even if those secrets were better off staying buried.

__________________________

What's not to love about Lifel1k3?!? It is a fast paced, action packed futuristic adventure with plenty of Kristoff's characteristic snark, unique characters and stories. Think of this book as part Mad Max meets The Terminator meets Paradise Lost meets Bladerunner with a big dose of Romeo and Juliet!

I can't express just how much I enjoyed this read.  Eve is a fascinating character as are Lemo, Ezekiel and the much beloved Cricket. 

A big thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a review :0)

Final rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

Inferno by Julie Kagawa (book 5 in the Talon series)

Published April 24, 2018 by Harlequin Teen

Publisher's Summary:
Ember Hill has learned a shocking truth about herself: she is the blood of the Elder Wyrm, the ancient dragon who leads Talon and who is on the verge of world domination. With the Order of St. George destroyed, Ember, Riley and Garret journey to the Amazon jungle in search of one who might hold the key to take down the Elder Wyrm and Talon—if they can survive the encounter.

Meanwhile, Ember’s brother, Dante, will travel to China with a message for the last Eastern dragons: join Talon or die. With the stakes rising and the Elder Wyrm declaring war, time is running out for the rogues and any dragon not allied with Talon. 

The final battle approaches. And if Talon is victorious, the world will burn.

_______________________

Inferno marks the culmination of the series. The rogue dragon faction as well as the remnants of the Order of St. George must ban together in one last push to but an end to the Talon and the Elder Wyrm's plans to declare war on humans and even their own kind. 

This was a fitting end to the series, perhaps not my favorite series of Kagawa's.  The action sequences were well written if a at sometimes predictable.  I did like the romantic delopment for Riley(Cobalt) and there a few unforeseen twists in the narrative but I won't give any spoilers.

Overall, a great read for fans of Kagawa, the series or who enjoy urban fantasy books and/or dragons.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: Soldier by Julie Kagawa

Book 3 in Kagawa's Talon series, Solider once again follows Ember and Riley, two rogue dragons on the run from Talon as well as their unlikely alliance with enemy-ex-soldier, Garret. This story continues their quest for truth and the plan to ultimately bring down Talon's oppression. While trying to regroup from the event of Rogue, the characters wrestle with personal feelings and some startling secrets that rock both the dragonslaying and the dragon world.

A lot of readers would sigh and say, "Another love triangle??" However, there is a complexity to the relationship dynamic between Ember, Riley and Garret. Ember is torn between these two because of her own split identity.  Spending 90% of her time in human form, Garret has challenged her beliefs about her human side.  One the contrary, her dragon calls to Riley and his own dragon-side, Cobalt - finally learning that they are destined to be life mates.  This is a lot of emotion for a young woman, especially while different factions are gunning for them.

What I enjoyed about Soldier was the suspense of the plot.  Talon is a deliciously evil villainous organization made even worse by their experiments and the fact that Ember's twin, Dante is tasked with leading the whole shebang. Toss in the bomb that St. George's patriarch is also in cahoots with Talon is highly entertaining. The final showdown was epic as was its tragic outcome.  I wasn't ready for that emotional roller-coaster nor can I wait for the fallout in the next book.  I can't wait to see how the next phase of this series develops based on the over big reveals at the end of this book.

This is very much Garret's book which makes sense to me now in light of the title and other events.  At first, I had some difficulty with some of the transitions throughout the narrative but in hindsight I now view these as artistically essential to the storytelling.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Follow the author on Twitter: @Jkagawa



#soldier #talon #dragons #yalit #romance