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: Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

*Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Dunne Books for an ARC in exchange for a fair review!*

Godsgrave marks the second in the Nevernight Chronicle by Kristoff. Check out my review for Nevernight, probably by favorite book of 2016 and a stellar re-read for 2017 prior to this release in September.

Assassin Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry think she’s far from earned it. Plying her bloody trade in a backwater of the Republic, she’s no closer to ending Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo, or avenging her familia. And after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church itself.

When it’s announced that Scaeva and Duomo will be making a rare public appearance at the conclusion of the grand games in Godsgrave, Mia defies the Church and sells herself to a gladiatorial collegium for a chance to finally end them. Upon the sands of the arena, Mia finds new allies, bitter rivals, and more questions about her strange affinity for the shadows. But as conspiracies unfold within the collegium walls, and the body count rises, Mia will be forced to choose between loyalty and revenge, and uncover a secret that could change the very face of her world.

I adored this book.  It is well written and edgy with fantastic structure, pacing and characterization. The characters and narrative are complex and highly entertaining. I love the dark humor and sense of unease. Mr. Kindly's banter with Eclipse is truly epic. I love Mia. I was on the edge of my seat with some surprise revelations and a fantastic cliffhangers for the next book.  Readers are in for a bloody good treat full of sarcasm, betrayal, sex and violence.

Final rating:  5 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Book 2 in the Illuminae Files continues with a sci-fi saga on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where readers meet two new characters who will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. Immersed in their lives among the space station, they are unaware that Kady Grant, Ezra Mason and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home not only from these deadly assault teams but also from vicious predators snacking on station residents.  Toss in a malfunctioning wormhole ripping the time/space continuum in two and readers are in for a treat!

“Her eyes shining with the light of it.
Beneath, between, beyond.
Along the endless circle.
Down the ceaseless spiral.
And waiting for her on the other side?
Just like he promised.
...
“A whole sky of different stars.” 

Gemina is another feast for the senses with the narrative told through a dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics. The print version is a visual wonderland thanks to the care given the narrative and layout by Kaufman and Kristoff as well as the absurdly awesome additional illustrations by Marie Lu. The complexity of plot and character development is astounding as is the projected voices of key players Hannah, Nik and Ella.  I was pleased when Katy, Ezra and ADIAN joined the game and can't wait to see what transpires for the third novel in 2017.

A quick addition - while the print is AMAZING, I can't speak highly enough about the full cast audio as well.  I own both and it was truly an experience to immerse myself not only in the text but also the stellar audio production.

Final rating: ALL THE STARS! 

Follow the authors on Twitter: @misterkristoff @AmieKaufman

#Gemina #Illuminae #YA #teen #audiobook #awesomeness

REVIEW: Slasher Girls & Monster Boys

Slasher Girls & Monster Girls is an YA anthology of scary stories edited by April Genevieve Tucholke.  Thirteen notable teen authors lend their prowess to some downright terrifying stories that will have general fans and more cowering in a corner with a blankie and flashlight at the ready. This is a fantastic go-to volume for year-round reader's advisory.  I know I get teens wanting something 'scary' all the time.  Let's face it, for YA readers there often aren't a lot of truly scary titles. I often recommend anything by Brenna Yovanoff or the Asylum series by Madeleine Roux if they want something beyond R.L. Stine and aren't quite ready for Stephen King.

Personal standouts within Slayer Girls & Monster Boys:

• "Verse chorus verse" by Leigh Bardugo - a teen superstar lands herself in 'rehab' but sinister things happen that make this a not so sweet retreat to get her life on track.

• "Sleepless" by Jay Kristoff - inspired by Hitchcock's Psycho, readers are in for a creepy treat. Full of Kristoff's trademark edgy humor.

• "Dark, scary parts and all" by Danielle Paige - set in high school and heavy with Frankenstein and Dracula allusions.  The school outcast encounters bullying and other drama with a surprise supernatural twist.

• "Fat girl with a knife" by Jonathan Maberry - a short story about a high school outcast but what happens when the bullied girl is your best defense at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse.

• "Girl without a face" by Marie Lu - great, creep imagery.  This one will give readers chills!

• "Stitches" by A.G. Howard - super, super creepy! A young girl agrees to dismember her father over time as part of his penance for other deeds.

Each story is inspired by a song, film or another literary reference. By far my favorite was "Sleepless".  In fact, a week later, I'm still pretty creeped out!

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars




#YAlit #teen #anthology #shortstories #bookreview #horror #scary #slashergirls&monsterboys

Verse chorus verse /Leigh Bardugo

REVIEW: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a review

Expected Publication: October 20, 2015

Illuminae is so truly unique it is difficult to describe in mere words.  This is a multigenre, fast paced futuristic science fiction drama. Set in the year 2575, readers learn that two megacorporations are at war over the tiny, ice encrusted Kerenza. The morning of a devastating attack on her planet, our feisty teen heroine and hacker extraordinaire, Kady Grant, has just broken Ezra Mason's heart. However, while barely on speaking terms, they have to work together to survive. Separated on two separate ships, Kady soon discovers that the only person who can help her is her ex who she vowed to never speak to again.

And yet, surviving this attack is just the tip of the iceberg. While trying to outrun the Lincoln, which wants to blast both the Hypatia and the Alexander to bits, we learn that a deadly plague (think homicidal Jack from Stephen King's The Shining) has broken out aboard a ship carrying survivors and the ship's Artificial Intelligence A.I.D.A.N., whose primary job is to protect, might actually be plotting to kill them all.

It is hard for me to express the coolness factor for this book.  It is a visual feast and readers really need to get their hands on it to absorb the experience. Truly, the composition is like nothing I've ever seen before.  It's an action packed thriller filled with big, bad greedy corporations, tight lipped and corrupt political leaders and a psycho super computer! Plus, it's a love story with realistic characters! Teen readers will love the format and the snarky dialog.

The feels are tremendous. I had more than a few panic stricken moments spent shouting at the book pages, willing Kaufman and Kristoff to quit torturing me. I know that I will wait with baited breath for the next book now that even more delicious characters and complications have arisen at Illuminae's conclusion.

Final rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Follow the authors on Twitter: @AmieKaufman @MisterKristoff

#illuminae #review #YAlit #sciencefiction #awesomeness