Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn

Genre: Dystopian / Sci-Fi
Page Count: 325

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

I saw this on the Kindle Store and bought it right after reading the summary.  I loved the idea and as I began getting further and further into the story, I loved how it played out.  This story is not one of those typical Hunger-Games-Look-Alike, it's fresh and exciting.

THE MAIN CHARACTER:

Kira was a fun character to follow.  Since she can't read minds, she's discriminated against a lot in her school, so even within the first chapter, I felt for her and the hardships she deals with everyday.  She definitely developed through the story as more and more obstacles were thrown at her.

THE PLOT:

You may think the beginning is a little slow, but as soon as you get past those first couple chapters it's non-stop action and suspense and drama.  I loved it!  

The plot twisted in ways I didn't see coming at all and I loved how I never knew what was going to happen in the next chapter - it makes it so much fun to read!

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I strongly recommend this book to sci-fi lovers, dystopian lovers, and really anybody who has an e-reader (it's only $2.99!)

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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Genre: Historical Fiction
Page Count: 552

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS):

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

I've been hearing about this book for ages and I finally picked it up to see what all the hype was about.  Well, if you haven't read this yet, this book most definitely lives up to the hype.

THE CHARACTERS:

I connected with Liesel so much.  The fact that she recognized how powerful words are and how she loved both reading and writing certainly made me resonate with her the most.  I also liked how three-dimensional she was. Problems that she came across wouldn't just pass straight through her - she would think about those obstacles and use what she's experienced in the past to help her with her decision -- she was written perfectly.

The other characters were great as well.  I loved Rudy and Hans and even Death's characters.  They were all fantastic, and if I wrote a paragraph about each, you wouldn't make it to the end of this post.

THE PLOT:

Perfectly executed. There were a couple slow spots, but the action and the suspense really made up for them.  There were twists and subplots that were compelling and that I didn't see coming. 

THE WRITING:
Phenomenal.  That's all I can say.  There was at least two quotable phrases on each page -- hundreds of beautiful metaphors and insightful sentences.  Markus Zusak's writing really made the story vivid and you knew how each scene felt, smelled, and looked like all in gorgeous detail.  He's definitely become one of my favorite authors for his writing style.

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Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Page Count: 336
Stars: 5 / 5

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one — so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going — California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

How do I even explain how much I loved this book? When I first picked it up, I was unsure if I would like it or not. I figured that it would just be a very sad story because of the description. The thing is: it wasn't. Not entirely, anyway.

Once I began this book, I couldn't put it down. Hannah Harrington's writing is SO GOOD - she's become one of my all-time favorite authors because of it.  This book was never boring, and I love it when I find a book like this.

THE CHARACTERS:

I connected with Harper, the main character, even though I'm not very much like her.  Since this novel is told in first-person, you get to see the inner workings of Harper's mind.  Her thought processes seemed very realistic, and she was three-dimensional and I really began to feel for her. When times got tough, I was rooting for Harper all the way.  

I struggled to connect with Laney, Harper's best friend, at first.  As the story unfolded, I really began to care for her and hope the story panned out well for her.  

As for Jake, I was very unsure of him at first.  The first scene with him, he seemed very dark and mysterious, leading me to think this would end up like your typical "dark/mysterious cheesy romance" but it wasn't!  As I learned more about Jake, I ended up loving him too!  

All in all, the characters were perfect and imperfect in all the right ways.

THE PLOT:

Their roadtrip was full of random stops and fun scenes, and I loved how much music played into the story.  Being a lover of music myself, it was so fun to see the author make references to artists I listen to and songs I love.  Overall, the plot was nicely paced and compelling.

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The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan

Genre: Realistic Fiction / Romance
Page Count: 312

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

Tim Macbeth, a seventeen-year-old albino and a recent transfer to the prestigious Irving School, where the motto is “Enter here to be and find a friend.” A friend is the last thing Tim expects or wants—he just hopes to get through his senior year unnoticed. Yet, despite his efforts to blend into the background, he finds himself falling for the quintessential “It” girl, Vanessa Sheller, girlfriend of Irving’s most popular boy. To Tim's surprise, Vanessa is into him, too, but she can kiss her social status goodbye if anyone ever finds out. Tim and Vanessa begin a clandestine romance, but looming over them is the Tragedy Paper, Irving’s version of a senior year thesis, assigned by the school’s least forgiving teacher.

Jumping between viewpoints of the love-struck Tim and Duncan, a current senior about to uncover the truth of Tim and Vanessa, The Tragedy Paper is a compelling tale of forbidden love and the lengths people will go to keep their love.

I really liked the characters in this novel. None of them were there just to fill up space - they all had stories and purposes.  This book captivated me from the beginning.  I just needed to know more about what happened to Tim, and how everything panned out.

I loved how the romance seemed real; not cheesy or over-the-top.  The way Elizabeth LaBan wrote it made me feel 

like this story, and Tim and Vanessa's romance, was very much alive - not fictional.  I loved it!

The story (mostly) takes place at a boarding school, so it was easy to imagine everything that was going on, since I experience school and everything that comes along with it.

Don't even get me started about the ending.  My emotions were everywhere.  The secret had been threatening to spill ever since the beginning, and when it finally came to light... well, let's just say I didn't see it coming.

Overall, excellent debut, I will be reading more by this author! 

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Pivot Point by Kasie West

Genre: Sci-Fi / Romance

Page Count: 343

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Well, this book has definitely made my favorites list.  First of all -- just look at the cover!  I've been wanting to read this book ever since I came across it on GoodReads a couple months ago and eagerly awaited the release date, February 12th, 2013.  I had high expectations for this book, and it managed to exceed them!  The writing style was amazing, the characters were intriguing, the plotline is very original, and then there's the ending.  

The ending completely surprised me and it broke my heart and -- (I should stop talking or else there will be spoilers).

I read this book in under 24 hours because it's very fast-paced and I loved every second of it. Now I can't believe I have to wait a year for the second installment in the series! (Update: the second book is called 'Split Second'. How cool is that?)

I loved how the author had you rooting for a certain potential future in the beginning, and you knew that you wanted Addie to pick that future for sure, but then something would happen in the other potential future that would make you switch sides.  My emotions were all over the place and I never knew what was going to happen next.

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Cinder by Marissa Meyer

The author of this book was touring in my area, so I picked up this book to read.  By looking at the summary, I was unsure whether or not to read this book; it's not the kind of book I would usually read.  There are tons of good reviews for this book though; so I picked it up.

This book completely exceeded my expectations!

I finished this book in less than 24 hours.  It was fast-paced -- there were barely any slow spots.  I loved the characters and the book is not exactly like the fairytale Cinderella like I was expecting -- it's actually quite different, which makes it really enjoyable and intriguing to read!
I recommend this to fans of YA sci-fi and fantasy.

Summary (from GoodReads):
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

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~thespectacularbookworm

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

This is the second book in the Shatter Me series.  To see my review of the first, click here.

First off, I absolutely love Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series.  Her writing style is phenomenal!  There are so many interesting metaphors in this book, just like with the first.  This book is very fast-paced and I loved delving deeper into the world Juliette lives in!  There was also a lot of character development in this one and it was overall everything I was expecting and more.

If you like YA and/or dystopian fiction, you will not be disappointed in this series.

Summary (from GoodReads):

tick
tick
tick
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it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

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~thespectacularbookworm