Young Adult Book Review: “The Giver” by Lois Lowry

A superb dystopian story for young and old alike!

Goodreads blurb:

This haunting story centers on Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he’s given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community.

My thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Once I had started reading, I could think of nothing else. Jonas is perhaps a little too perfect, but then everyone in this story is. Every aspect of life has been regimented and a rule established to govern it. It sounded like a very predictable and peaceful place, but also the kind of place where people do not think for themselves. For that reason, I could totally sympathize with Jonas’s sense of dissatisfaction. When he is selected to be the Receiver of Memory his world opens up in an alarming way. I found it fascinating to see how he adapted and grew as a person through his training. I think this story points out to the reader the value of the differences between people. I hope that many will read it and take the lesson to heart.

Alinefromabook’s rating: THUMBS-UP!

Happy Reading!

Available on Amazon

Book Review: “Warchild: Pawn” by Ernie Lindsey

Caroline is 14 and a runner for her community. Her job is to discover any threats to the village and warn them. Usually the only threat comes from Republicons, groups of dissenters who travel around raiding villages. Today will not be a usual day. The United States has survived an apocalypse and is now divided into the DAV’s and the PRV’s. Caroline’s village is in PRV territory. The two governments have had a treaty in place for hundreds of years that has prevented them from attacking each other. Until today…today Caroline hears drumbeats while on patrol, the beats of war drums. Then she finds Finn, a DAV deserter and he confirms her worst fear. DAV is attacking PRV with an army of 50,000 men. Caroline runs to warn her village only to find it is too late for everybody to get away. As she views the carnage and finds herself a captive of the DAV, she realizes that the villagers have been betrayed and she’s the only one left who can lead the survivors.

This is a great YA post-apocalyptic story. I especially enjoyed Caroline. She is complex and engaging. On the brink of adulthood, she is thrown into a life or death situation that she feels ill-prepared for. Within a few hours, everyone she loves is dead and she’s responsible for a group of refugees. Her development as a person as the story progresses is just as fascinating as the story itself. The author has also created a great supporting cast. The story starts with a bang and the action just keeps coming. This book is a great choice for teen readers and young adult fiction fans.

Alinefromabook’s rating: THUMBS-UP!

Happy Reading!

On Amazon

Book Review: “Water Saga: Part 1” by Claretta Maynard

The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world that is plagued by rain. People are living in small villages on whatever high ground can be found and a day when it is not raining is cause for celebration. Tess and Mabel are sisters who have been orphaned and do what they can to survive. Mabel, as the oldest, feels responsible for Tess, so when Tess takes off on her own one day, Mabel panics. Has something bad happened to Tess?

I found this story fascinating. As a post-apocalyptic story, I found the idea of a world where it constantly rained to be a new one. This is a short book and so the author puts you right in the middle of the drama from the start. I liked the characters of Tess and Mabel from the beginning, and the author definitely left me curious as to where the story would go in future installments. This is a great story for when your short on time.

Alinefromabook’s rating: THUMBS-UP!

Happy Reading!

BONUS: This one is currently free on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1MGRotT

Book Review: “One More: A Solar Maximum Story” by Lance Haynes

Richard is preparing to travel home to Texas from a job site in Nevada, but the night before he leaves a giant solar flare occurs, knocking out all power. In the days that follow, Richard travels a sometimes precarious path to return home, while at the same time journeying deep into his soul to reconcile his feelings over the death of his youngest child. Along the way, he encounters an assortment of people, some who help him, others who he must help, but all of them will affect him deeply. Even when fatigue, hunger and injury try to prevent him reaching his goal, he is determined to reunite with his wife and children, and repair the damage he has done.

The author did a great job of placing the reader in the story along with Richard, and his insight into his character’s thoughts is written admirably. Richard is a very complex character who is quite troubled as the story opens. Readers may find themselves inspired by his persistence in his journey, both mental and physical.

Who would enjoy this book: if you enjoy psychological books you may like this one. The world described here is on the brink of dystopian as the loss of power throws everyone back a couple hundred years.

What age is this book appropriate for: this book is for adults. Richard is a middle-age man so teenagers and young adults may have a hard time relating to him.

Alinefromabook’s recommendation: I give it a NEUTRAL rating. It didn’t completely capture my imagination.

Happy Reading!
One More: A Solar Maximum Novel (The Solar Maximum World) (Volume 1)

Book Review: “Atlantic Island” by Fredric Shernoff

Theo and his friends are just teenagers who want to spend a weekend at the Jersey Shore. Their biggest concern is how to talk to girls, assuming they even get one to notice them. They’re not scholars, just average Joes, looking forward to their final year of high school. When a car full of cute girls passes them on the highway they can only hope to run into them again. The boys can’t believe their luck when they and the girls all end up at the same pizza joint for dinner. Then, while walking and enjoying the evening air the whole world changes. A huge storm rolls over the island and the friends will soon find out that Atlantic City is now just an island with no other land or civilization in sight. This group will have to grow up fast as a vicious dictator takes over and Theo suddenly finds himself leading a rebellion.

This book will draw you in fast and keep you engaged until the very end. I love that Theo and his friends are just ordinary kids. No superstars or superheroes here. No magical powers flowing through their veins. They must become creative and resourceful in order to make a life for themselves in this new reality, and they must stay true to each other. This is an alternate reality, apocalyptic story with great characters and plenty of action. The story will probably be most attractive to teens and young adults because the heroes are teenagers but there’s plenty here for readers of all ages. This is the first book in a series and does leave you with unanswered questions. There are some descriptions of violence that may not be appropriate for sensitive readers but overall a very good read.

Happy Reading!

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“Paine – Time of Anarchy” by J. Durbin

A surprising book! When I first received this book to review, I thought it was going to be just another story of war. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there is a complex and well-crafted story, with engaging characters. Yes, there is war and military action scenes but this book is about much more than that. The book begins with each chapter focusing on a different character’s story as we begin to see that a crop plague has been released on the world and society falls into anarchy. What is original here is the way that author portrays well-developed characters, such as Paine, Marcus, and Ashley, in their own stories but he brings them all together as the story continues and the connections between them are surprising as they become known. This book is the first in a series. The story has a somewhat open end which makes you want to keep reading the series, but it is also complete in itself. If you like stories with military action than this one will be a good choice for you. There is also a lot of futuristic technology used which will also be interesting to some readers.

Happy Reading!

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