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

ARC Review: The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

I received an eARC copy of The Girl from the Well through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Sourcebooks Fire!

eBook, 304 pages

Release Date: August 5, 2014

Publisher: Sorcebooks Fire

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out.

Thoughts:
If you're looking for a scary read, look elsewhere. The Girl from the Well won't be for you. But it was entertaining, and I had a great time.

The entire story is told from the perspective of Okiku, the girl from the well herself. It's probably this reason I wasn't scared. Okiku is the terrifying bogeyman, and it's hard to fear something when you're inside her head and know her thoughts. If The Ring had been told from the perspective of Samara, I'm sure it wouldn't be a horror movie.

The Girl from the Well was definitely entertaining, though. Okiku is an interesting point-of-view character, especially once she meets Turk and Callie. Together, the three make an unlikely band of heroes. It's Turk and Callie's story through Okiku's eyes that kept me turning the pages. There were twists and turns, and a fantastic ending.

At times, the flowery prose was distracting and confusing, but overall I loved The Girl from the Well!

Would I recommend this book? Yes
 
Would I re-read it? One day...

Would I read a sequel? It's a stand-alone, but yes


Next Monday... I'll be trying Half-Bad by Sally Green

ARC Review: The House of the Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

I received an eARC copy of The House of the Four Winds through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Tor Books! 

 eARC, 304 pages

Release Date: August 5, 2014

Publisher: Tor Books

The rulers of tiny, impoverished Swansgaard have twelve daughters and one son. While the prince’s future is assured, his twelve sisters must find their own fortunes.

Disguising herself as Clarence, a sailor, Princess Clarice intends to work her way to the New World. When the crew rebels, Clarice/Clarence, an expert with rapier and dagger, sides with the handsome navigator, Dominick, and kills the cruel captain.

Dominick leads the now-outlawed crew in search of treasure in the secret pirate haven known as The House of Four Winds. They encounter the sorceress Shamal, who claims Dominick for her own—but Clarice has fallen hard for Dominick and won’t give him up without a fight.

Thoughts:
The House of the Four Winds was really not for me. The summary includes some of my favorite elements: a kickass heroine, romance, pirates, and adventure. But I could barely get through the first chapter. It seemed to go on forever. The entire thing read like a massive information dump. To compare, it was like reading a history textbook. I don't see the relevance of some of the information given. Yes, I know the authors want to show they have a fleshed-out world. It was definitely creative. But I don't need to know half of it.

If I could have stomached all the worldbuilding thrown at me, I think I would have enjoyed this book. Clarice and Dominick had instant chemistry (even though Clarice was pretending to be a man). There were moments when I found myself smiling at the humor. Unfortunately, between those periods, I wanted to jab my eyes out. I'm sad to say I actually couldn't finish The House of the Four Winds. Maybe I'll try again one day, but for now, it's just not for me.

Would I recommend this book? To hardcore fantasy fans, yes

Would I re-read it? No. I didn't even finish it

Would I read a sequel? No

Next Monday... I'll be reviewing an eARC copy of The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco