ARC Review: Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs

I received an eARC copy through NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thanks, Albert Whitman & Company!

eARC, 272 Pages
Release Date: April 1st, 2016
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

Elena Martinez has hidden her eidetic memory all her life--or so she thinks. When powerful tech giant Aether Corporation selects her for a top-secret project, she can't say no. All she has to do is participate in a trip to the future to bring back data, and she'll be set for life.

Elena joins a team of four other teens with special skills, including Adam, a science prodigy with his own reason for being there. But when the time travelers arrive in the future, something goes wrong and they break the only rule they were given: do not look into their own fates.

Now they have twenty-four hours to get back to the present and find a way to stop a seemingly inevitable future from unfolding. With time running out and deadly secrets uncovered, Elena must use her eidetic memory, street smarts, and a growing trust in Adam to save her new friends and herself.

Thoughts:
I'm ashamed it took me so long to finish this book, especially since I read the last 50% in one sitting.

Future Shock is a great book with time travel, suspense and an intriguing mystery. It's hard to talk about much of it, since even mentioning the main plot would constitute a spoiler (so stop reading if you don't want to know). The summary only hints about the main characters discovering that they die within 24 hours of returning to their own time period. I honestly think the publisher should have included that little tidbit in the summary because it's way more interesting than the vague "seemingly inevitable future" Elena has to prevent.

Despite that, Ms. Briggs wrote a fast-paced, fun read that kept my eyes glued to the page. The mysterious element of who caused the "inevitable future" kept me wondering with each new development. I loved that I didn't expect the culprit, but I also think it would've been nice to feel betrayed by one of Elena's teammates. Since the culprit was a minor character, I wasn't connected to them and didn't feel much about what they did.

To be honest, I was secretly hoping Elena would fail at preventing her future. I would've upped this book to five stars if it had ended with mass murder. But, alas, it didn't and I had to make do with a happy ending (which I didn't mind.... much).

Would I recommend this book? Yup

Would I re-read it? No

Would I read a sequel? I would, but I don't know how there would be one

ARC Review: Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan

I received an eARC copy of Tell the Wind and Fire through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Clarion Books! 

eARC, 368 pages
Release Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Clarion Books

In a city divided between opulent luxury in the Light and fierce privations in the Dark, a determined young woman survives by guarding her secrets. 

Lucie Manette was born in the Dark half of the city, but careful manipulations won her a home in the Light, celebrity status, and a rich, loving boyfriend. Now she just wants to keep her head down, but her boyfriend has a dark secret of his own—one involving an apparent stranger who is destitute and despised. Lucie alone knows the young men’s deadly connection, and even as the knowledge leads her to make a grave mistake, she can trust no one with the truth.

Blood and secrets alike spill out when revolution erupts. With both halves of the city burning, and mercy nowhere to be found, can Lucie save either boy—or herself?

Celebrated author Sarah Rees Brennan weaves a magical tale of romance and revolution, love and loss.

Thoughts:

Despite following Sarah Rees Brennan on Twitter for years, this was the first book of hers I've actually read. It was probably not the best book to start with. I can tell Ms. Brennan is a talented writer, since her prose was lovely, but my praise unfortunately ends there. 

Until around page 300, I wasn't that interested in the plot or the main character, Lucie. I don't think I would normally read through 300 pages of "meh", but I got this book for free in exchange for a review and thought I should therefore read the entire thing. Lucie spends the majority of the book going about her daily life, recounting her tragic past and obsessing over her boyfriend, Ethan. That wouldn't really bother me that much if the story was set in an unique world or if Ethan was worthy of obsession, but there wasn't anything special about the worldbuilding or Ethan. They were both rather... bland.

Carwyn was a much more compelling character than either Lucie or Ethan (and a motivator for me to continue reading). Unlike the other two leads, Carwyn had humor and an intriguing backstory, but Lucie spends the entire book hating him for, well, everything and anything he does. Her inner monologue made it hard to enjoy any scene with him.

The ending did save it from being a completely "meh" book. I read the last 60 pages in one sitting and got emotional during the final scene, so that's a plus for me. If Ms. Brennan had only added more action into the first 80%, Tell the Wind and Fire could've had me on the edge of my seat.

Would I recommend this book? Maybe, if someone wanted a retelling of A Tale of Two Cities

Would I re-read it? No

Would I read a sequel? There isn't going to be one, but if there was, probably no

LABYRINTH: Query and First Page Critique

Title: LABYRINTH
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Word Count: Work-in-Progress

Query:

Seventeen-year-old Kallis eats people.

She doesn't want to, but being sacrificed on an altar and waking up a minotaur really changes your taste buds. To make matters worse, a year into her transition, a sorcerer goes and imprisons her in her own personal labyrinth-shaped pocket universe. What feels like a three-year incarceration to Kallis turns out to be two thousand years to the rest of the universe. She escapes into a world where Zeus is nothing but a myth and togas are only worn at frat parties.

Kallis adapts: she buys a hair-straightener, a pair of Keds, and even has a cute boy band to default to. Except for that whole eating people thing, she'd be an average teenager. But the labyrinth won't let her go so easily. When she and her friends visit the ancient Greek ruins which were once Kallis's home, they're sucked into the labyrinth. And this time they're not alone. Another minotaur has taken up residence.

To survive the labyrinth, and the man-eating monster that roams it, Kallis will have to stay one step ahead of her brother-in-species under the suspicious eyes of her friends—who, after a few days, start to look like walking honey cakes. Their only hope is to escape, but when escape means death for Kallis, the choice becomes living for eternity in a maze versus never having the chance to live at all.

Complete at XX,XXX words, LABYRINTH is a stand-alone young adult fantasy set in both the mystical world of the labyrinth and modern day L'Escala, Spain.

First 250:

My breath mists the air, blasting snowflakes into a frantic dance.

Not today. I won’t let it happen. I try to clench my fists, but my fingers are frozen rocks. My eyes find the night sky through thick spruce branches weighed down by snow. I seek out the seven stars of the Hesperides, the sisters charged by the goddess Hera to protect the apples of immortality.

They did a horrid job.

“You can’t hold it off any longer, Kallistrate,” Isidora says, crouching at my left. Her auburn hair lays untouched by the falling flakes, as does her chiton, the linen dyed indigo and sparkling with tiny ornaments. Her feet, tucked in leather sandals, are submerged in a pile of snow. She doesn’t shiver and her cheeks glow pink.

My lips twitch downward. At least, I think they do. I can’t feel my face.

“Take a breath.” Isidora trails her hand down my tangled locks, brushing away a layer of white. “One breath, and it will be over.”

I mush my lips together and shift my head. I won’t do it. I can crouch here forever, without air or warmth, and never die. An ache stabs my chest, and my mind begs me to inhale.

I won’t, I won’t, I won’t.

“Kallistrate!”

I gasp. Frigid air crashes into my throat. The scent of something warm and spicy invades. My belly groans, and my mouth waters. Red floods my vision, pulsing to the beat of my heart.

No, not my heart. The heart of my prey.

Holiday Query Blog Hop

The Holiday Query Blog Hop is hosted by Michelle on her blog, Michelle4Laughs. Add your name to the linky list by December 14 to join in the fun!

UPDATED VERSION:

Dear Agent: 

Princess Ryn has always felt like she's invisible. 

Probably because she actually is. 

Ryn is half wraith, a creature only seen as flickering shadows out of the corner of one's eye. Unlike a pureblood wraith, she can't turn the ability off. Her sole friend is a curved sabre given to her by her father, who was gifted with an amulet which allowed him to see her.

On her eighteenth birthday, Ryn regrets ever wishing for attention—she's to marry the prince of a neighboring clan as part of an alliance. Fortunately, the prince is missing, kidnapped by a ferocious dragon. Unfortunately, because of her heritage, Ryn is the only one who can swoop in unseen and save him.

But when she gets to the dragon's cave, she finds her betrothed has gone mad with greed and enslaved the dragon by stealing the item most precious to him. Not that the plan would've worked anyway. The dragon can see her, his dark eyes piercing through her shadows and speeding her heart—especially when he takes the form of a wickedly seductive man. Now Ryn has a new plan: save a dragon-in-distress from her prince before he conquers the kingdom with fire.

PRINCESS OF SMOKE AND SHADOW is a XX,XXX-word young adult fantasy twisting the classic "prince saves princess from a dragon". Thank you for your time and consideration.

EARLIER VERSION:

Dear Agent:

Princess Ryn has always felt like she's invisible.

Probably because she actually is.

Ryn is part wraith, a shadowy creature only seen from the corner of one's eye. But, unlike a pureblood wraith, her ability will never turn off. Her family doesn't notice her and her only friend is a curved sabre.

On her eighteenth birthday, Ryn regrets ever wishing for attention—she's to marry the prince of a neighboring clan as part of an alliance. Fortunately, the prince is missing, kidnapped by a ferocious dragon. Unfortunately, because of her heritage, Ryn is the only one who can swoop in unseen and save him.

But when she gets to the dragon's cave, she finds her betrothed has gone mad with greed and enslaved the dragon by stealing the item most precious to it. Not that the plan would've worked anyway. The dragon can see her, his dark eyes piercing through her shadows and speeding her heart—especially when he takes the form of a wickedly seductive man. Now Ryn has a new plan: save a dragon-in-distress from her prince before he conquers the kingdom with fire.

PRINCESS OF SMOKE AND SHADOW is a XX,XXX-word young adult fantasy twisting the classic "prince saves princess from dragon". Thank you for your time and consideration.

Book Review: Defy by Sara B. Larson

 

Hardcover, 336 pages

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Source: Toronto Public Library

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and heart-racing romance.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

Thoughts:

I don't know why people hated this book so much. Did it have its faults? Yes. But even JK Rowling had her faults. Was it a little more romantic than the synopsis made it sound? Okay, yup there, too. So what?

I loved Defy. There. I said it. 

It reminded me of the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. Not just the dressing-up-as-a-boy part,  but the romance, too. Alexa is stuck between Damian, who she can never be with because he's royalty, and Rylan, who's a fellow guard who doesn't ignite Alexa as much as Damian does. In Song of the Lioness, Alanna had Jonathan, a prince, and George, the "king" of thieves. I can't remember much about Alanna's journey since I read the books when I was twelve. I know I was pissed as hell when Alanna ended up with George. This series will end the same way, I fear. Yet, I'll read the sequel, and its sequel (99% sure it's a trilogy), just to see who Alexa chooses.

Could the writing have been improved? Yes. There was a chapter near the end where a character gave an info dump speech. Whenever action occurred, I had to go back and re-read to figure out how Alex got such-and-such wound. The dialogue was flat at times.

I still loved it. Sara has no fear of hurting her characters. I was a bit surprised by the wound Alexa sustained at the end. Main characters in YA fantasy books usually don't get scarred or deformed in any major way despite all the ninja-ry they do. I hated the twist, which means I loved the twist.

Now, to wait five months for Ignite...

Would I recommend this book? Yes

Would I re-read it? Maybe

Would I read a sequel? Definitely

Next week... I'm taking a temporary hiatus because school starts