Review: The Breeders by Katie French – 7/10

Katie French’s The Breeders is a YA dystopian novel set in a dusty, desperate world.  Humanity brought itself to a fragile brink using synthetic fuel that eventually made female babies incredibly rare, as well as causing mutations. As such, any females are captured and taken to grand hospitals where they are used to help bolster the dwindling populace.  As expected, unsavory experimentation follows in these footsteps.

Riley lives with her mother, Auntie, stepfather, and brother far outside of town. She has spent her life hidden from those that seek out girls to be sold — the Breeders. Her mother and Auntie tell warning tales of their own experiences with the Breeders, as well as their escape.  One day, Riley’s stepfather heads into town and doesn’t come back.  In the wake of her family’s uncertainty and grief, she takes the incredible risk of going into town to find him in an attempt to preserve the life her family has led.  Things go downhill from there.

French’s novel is entertaining and has a good tempo.  The plot isn’t completely original, but all the appropriate spots of suspense and resolution are there, leaving the reader satisfied.  Not every situation turns out exactly as one might think, which helps keep your eyes moving across the page.

The main character, Riley, can be infuriating; however, she is a sixteen year old girl that lives in a pretty harsh world.  French does a fantastic job of portraying her angst and devotion to her family.  The book is not only a tale of survival, though.  It involves love, a budding romance, and a study of the nature of the human spirit.  What can we accept as normal?  What can we not allow ourselves to do – or not do?

There are some scenes and insinuated situations that are rather grotesque, but also expected in a post-apocalyptic world.  The realities of rape, torture-themed violence, and murder are all very present in the novel, though not described in any specific detail.

The novel poses an interesting idea about our use of fossil fuels. As an answer to the depleting fossil fuels on Earth, humanity comes up with a synthetic that is cheap and widely used.  The chemicals of this synthetic build up in the bodies of people and cause extreme consequence.  It isn’t so hard to imagine that our reality could find a similar solution and embrace it just as openly, only to cause our own downfall.

In all, it was a pretty interesting book, if not the most original. It took a well-used situation and put a fairly unique spin on it. The ambiance of the book is well-done and it is engaging, despite a quick ending.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Iron Butterfly by Chanda Hahn

Every story has been told before, and all songs have been previously sung.  In my opinion, it isn’t a travesty to witness motifs and structures in a novel that have been explored elsewhere, because of these facts.  Quite simply put, it is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to create a completely original story.  However, the true mark of the storyteller is to breathe life into those dusty paradigms and capture the attention of a jaded reader.  Chanda Hahn’s The Iron Butterfly does just that, and more.

Right away, I was sucked into the book.  There’s a girl in a prison, being tortured and having experiments done on her along with fellow prisoners.  The anguish, confusion, and fear she feels are palpable – and you instantly have many questions.  How did she get here?  What is the torture for?  Who could she be?  Soon after the evil is established, the action begins and sets into motion a series of events that adds layers of complexity to the story.  Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t overly complicated or incredibly amazing in its ability to baffle you, but there is certainly enough there to invoke interest and keep the pages turning.

The basic elements of a story involve a girl who has forgotten her past struggling to overcome the terrors she witnessed at the hands of The Raven.  She is brought to live and eventually study with an elf-like race of people, known as the Denai.  Through the course of her studies, old acquaintances show up, along with new friends and enemies.  She must come to terms with what she is uncovering about her past, while staying alive.

As this is a young adult book (in my opinion), there of course is the exploration of fledgling love, confused emotions, and a tendancy to act impulsively.  At times, the  main character seems like a real bitch, but I found it reasonable and still liked her.  Her indignant manner towards certain people, along with almost idiotic stubbornness is mean to protect herself, and others, from a past she can’t remember and powers she fears are rooted in evil.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and quickly gobbled up the second in the series (The Steele Wolf).  If you like YA fiction with a good story and a fresh look at the fantasy world, you’ll like Hahn’s book.  I had no trouble identifying with the characters, and their emotional complexity was pleasing and frustrating at the same time.

Review: Towards Yesterday by Paul Jones

What were you doing at this very moment 25 years ago?  If you were me, you were probably blubbering incoherently and drooling on a stuffed animal — ah the joys of being one month old.  Some of you, however, may have had a bit more life experience under your belt.

Now, think about how much has happened since that moment.  Friends have been made and lost, new jobs have come along, family members have been added or unfortunately taken away.  Most importantly, life has gone on and you have learned much and succeeded in not dying.

Now, imagine that, through a rather unfortunate line of events, the entire world was transported back in time to that moment 25 years ago.  If you were driving a car then, you are suddenly thrust behind the wheel.  If you were in an airplane, you’re back in your seat.  No matter what you were doing, you’re exactly back in that same spot, at the age you were and the circumstances you had, except you still had the knowledge of the now future 25 years.  This is the premise of Paul Jones’ Towards Yesterday.

Currently, this novel is available for FREE on Amazon kindle.  I often go there and peruse what I can find, because often there are interesting books available at no charge.  This book was one that I grabbed.

The novel follows a variety of people through this time traveling debacle as they adjust to the new world and begin to deal with the problems inherent with suddenly going back in time 25 years.  Eventually, most of them are brought together through a series of circumstances that make sense, for the most part.  It is revealed that a scientific experience caused “the slip” as it is referred to, which means that the scientists must try to rectify what happened.  They discover that unless they fix things, another “slip” will probably occur, meaning that the world will go back in time again – and with it the people who knew how to fix the problem would disappear.

The book raises some interesting ideas.  In “the slip,” people that had died in the 25 year span are suddenly brought back to life.  A new religious movement forms, and many people are at a loss to understand what is going on, aside from their joy at loved ones being reunited.  Another issue altogether, though, is the people that are thrust back into childhood.  They can’t carry on with their lives as normal, and are trapped inside a child’s body until that body grows.

The solution to the problem was, at best, unconvincing.  It was a pretty good book up until the climax of action, where you just want to look at the author and say, “You gave up, didn’t you?”  If you can forgive a bit of ball-dropping at the end, then I’d recommend this book to you.  There is hard science in it, but it was not anything that I really understood or cared to take the time to understand.  There is an interesting connection to multiple universes and dimensions, though, and a reference to this structure of worlds looking like a DNA double helix.

Though not going down as an epic time travel adventure, Towards Yesterday does pose some interesting questions, and does well to show the good and the bad involved in such a thing.  What is a blessing to some is a curse to others, and that is how the world works.  I can only hope that this doesn’t occur in real life, because I don’t really have any desire to become a baby again.  The thought makes me shudder!

Review: Destination Truth by Josh Gates

I’ve always been fascinated by cryptozoology.  The chance existence of random “monsters” throughout the world is intriguing and curious, not to mention that the shear broad range of creatures available is astounding.  For every culture there are mythological beasts and legends, and many of these stories have similarities with those of other cultures.  For example, just about every known culture has a Big Foot (aka Yeti and Sasquatch, to name a few).  Needless to say, when I discovered the series Destination Truth from SyFy, I was intrigued.  Little did I know that the captivating, hilarious host would be quite so amazing.

Josh Gates is a self-made world traveler.  The type of guy who randomly picks up and says “Let’s climb Kilimanjaro.”  As the host of the TV show Destination Truth, he has traveled the world and become a monster hunter, inspiring him to write a novel of the same name detailing his adventures.

Now, I’m a bit biased, because I like the show and love Josh Gates.  However, I do think he did a great job of telling his story.  The book gives you an in-depth look at how he landed his job as host and some behind the scenes action from his world travels.  It also details several of his monster hunts and provides information and conclusions about different beasties based on the evidence those on the show have encountered and collected.

I respect Gates because, though he isn’t a scientist, he views all his investigations through a rational lens.  So it’s refreshing to read the views of someone who isn’t scientifically trained, yet isn’t quite ready to believe in things based on the evidence of stories alone.

The actual book is compelling and full of adventurous tales, beginning with Gates’ flying in an old airplane and having the roof come off.  Encounters with hippos, venomous snakes, exotic locations, and interaction with the locals are all detailed within.  That’s another point of respect for Josh – his ability to blend and respect culture.  It seems that he always finds some native ceremony to participate in, and he’s never afraid to try the food or life.

I thought Destination Truth was a fun read.  I can see how it might not be as great if you weren’t a fan of the show or Josh Gates, but I still think it’s worth a shot if you’re curious about things that go bump in the night and traveling.  If nothing else, some of the travel trials and tribulations in the book are hilarious and disconcerting.  I learned several things and I feel a bit more confident at traveling now.  I haven’t traveled any further than Kentucky as of yet, though, so it still scares the crap out of me.

Baby got book!

This isn’t a review, but rather something that could be particularly meaningful to those who enjoy books and reading.  Please enjoy.  (If you don’t get this song, please check out “Baby got back” by Sir Mixalot.  It was… popular when I was younger.

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Consider a world where humanity’s most valued traits define the lives of people so much so that their jobs, dispositions, and education are essentially decided for them, based on where they fit in.  Five factions, each revering their own brand of righteousness, each preaching the gospel of existence in a particular flavor: courage, honesty, selflessness, peace, and knowledge.  Veronica Roth’s Divergent posits such a world, with Beatrice (Tris) at the center of it.

As a lover of dystopian fiction, I was excited to read this book.  I had put it off for a while, but decided to grab it on a whim.  I read it in less than a 24 hour period, which should show you that, indeed, it is an engaging read.  The world and the characters are well crafted and make you keep reading just to learn more.

At 16, all young people are allowed to make a choice; they can stay with their faction and family, or they can pursue initiation into another faction.  As Olmec from Legends of the Hidden Temple might say, “The choice is yours, and yours alone.”  If they choose to leave where they were born, they can no longer see their family.  A risk also exists of becoming factionless, which is viewed as an unthinkable fate.

Tris grows up in the faction that values selflessness.  When the time comes to make her choice, Tris gathers the courage to join the courageous, and takes her life in a new direction.  You follow Tris through initiation and her realization that she is different; she is Divergent.  She makes friends and enemies as she tries to mold herself into what she wants to be.  Her character is a big draw to the book for me.  She is constantly considering herself and what she wants out of life.  Even though she has left her old life behind, essentially deeming it inferior, she still gives credit to what it taught her and reveres certain traits that she sees as worth keeping.  I can relate.

Eventually, Tris finds out that there is more going on than she ever imagined, and that she is in danger for being Divergent.  The seeds of war begin where humanity’s flaws are illuminated through an intense focus on desirable traits.  Tris must begin to understand what it means to be Divergent – and human – in her dystopian world.

Throughout the novel, more and more is revealed.  Rather than satisfying the need to find out more, it simply makes that need intensify.  Though the reasoning behind some of the occurrences toward the end of the book seems a little manufactured and confusing, it is acceptable in light of the rest of the story.  After describing it to my boyfriend, however, he gave me a shifty-eyed look of disdain.  I myself can look past it, but I don’t think everyone could.  So be warned!

Perhaps the most important aspect of the book is the thought it provokes – namely, that these traits are not incorruptible   Courage can lead to recklessness and a need for dominance.  Selflessness can rob you of the same rights you strive to ensure for others.  Knowledge can crave power, honesty can be brutal, and peace can be, well, too passive.

It’s a little bit Harry Potter and a little bit Hunger Games, though it can stand own its own.  My only true qualm with the book was that after you turn the last page, the author has inserted an acknowledgment page that is basically “Yay, Jesus!”  This isn’t a big issue, I just don’t often like to be stabbed in the face people’s religious affiliations, or affiliations in general – it can color the book in a way that can easily ruin it.  Religion is present in the book, but not at all emphasized, by the way.

So in short, Divergent was a pretty good read.  I swept through it, thought a little, smiled a little, frowned a little, and was ultimately left to contemplate which faction I would choose.  Also I learned some new words!

Yes, I’m back. (cue AC/DC)

It’s been a while.  I’d like to get back into reviewing ( I haven’t stopped reading) but I think I’m going to change things up a bit, so far as the style of the review goes.  I’m going to go for a less structured technique, with a tad more conversational tone and a smidge more opinion.  Heck, I might even add quotes – who knows?  At any rate, it’s something.