Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam

Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam
Genre: YA Dystopia
Expected Publication: March 18th
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Page Count: 400
Goodreads
Amazon

Soon, Elusion® will change the world and life as we know it.

A new technology called Elusion is sweeping the country. An app, visor and wristband will virtually transport you to an exotic destination where adventure can be pursued without the complications—or consequences—of real life.

Regan is an Elusion insider. Or at least she used to be. Her father invented the program, and her best friend, Patrick, heir to the tech giant Orexis, is about to release it nationwide. But ever since her father’s unexpected death, Regan can’t bear to Escape, especially since waking up from the dream means crashing back to her grim reality.

Still, when there are rumors of trouble in Elusion—accusations that it’s addictive and dangerous— Regan is determined to defend it. But the critics of Elusion come from surprising sources, including Josh, the handsome skeptic with his own personal stakes. As Regan investigates the claims, she discovers a disturbing web of secrets. She will soon have to choose between love and loyalty…a decision that will affect the lives of millions.

Suspense, thrills, and romance fuel this near-future story about the seductive nature of a perfect virtual world, and how far one girl will go to uncover the truth behind the illusions.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher*

Ever since I discovered this book, I knew that I absolutely had to read it. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and the idea of the book really just drags you in. I jumped into the book as fast as I could and I didn't want to put it down at all. For 400 pages, the plot moves quickly and didn't drag at all. You just end up being sucked into this dangerous and striking futuristic world that, after reading a few duds, really brightened my mood.

Right off the bat, there is some amazing character development going on. The characters just felt so real. Regan and Patrick, Josh and Regan's mother . . . they all just came to life almost immediately. I loved Regan's determination and how she really strove to gather information before she acted out. It was kind of nice to see more of a reserved personality when it came to making decisions rather than the popular rash decision making going around. 

The thing that stuck out most about this novel was the imagery. It was like taking a deep, refreshing breath once I opened up the book and soaking in all the goodness of it. The world of Elusion was so enchanting and magical. Everything about it had such a dreamlike quality that it's not hard to imagine a piece of technology like this being popular. Even out of the world of Elusion, the world building was just so vivid. I can see a world like the one depicted in Elusion being a possible future that it was almost scary to read about.

The one thing that I didn't like was the romance. I've been finding this to be a problem lately with the books I've read and I'm finding less and less of a tolerance for it. Maybe I'm just being too picky with the book, but I didn't find the romance to be convincing. Regan's relationship with her best friend Patrick and her dad and her mother just felt so authentic, but when it came to the romance, I wasn't buying it. Maybe this also had to do with the fact that I wasn't that particularly drawn towards the love interest either. Hopefully in the next book (since we're left with such a crazy cliffhanger, of course there's another book) this romance will better develop itself.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a new, original, and exciting read. It was such a roller coaster of a plot and completely unpredictable for the most part. I'm so excited to see where things go next with this series. It's such a twisted and thrilling idea that it stands out so much in my mind compared to the other books I've read so far this year.

4.5 Splashes

Waiting on Wednesday (29)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where bloggers get to show what makes the hands all grabby.

This week's pick:

Hungry by H.A Swain

Expected Publication: June 3rd, 2014

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Goodreads

Amazon

In the future, food is no longer necessary—until Thalia begins to feel something unfamiliar and uncomfortable. She’s hungry.
In Thalia’s world, there is no need for food—everyone takes medication (or “inocs”) to ward off hunger. It should mean there is no more famine, no more obesity, no more food-related illnesses, and no more war. At least that's what her parents, who work for the company that developed the inocs, say. But when Thalia meets a boy who is part of an underground movement to bring food back, she realizes that most people live a life much different from hers. Worse, Thalia is starting to feel hunger, and so is he—the inocs aren’t working. Together they set out to find the only thing that will quell their hunger: real food.
H. A. Swain delivers an adventure that is both epic and fast-paced. Get ready to be Hungry.

Doesn't this sound interesting? It's a different concept and I can't even imagine what it's like to live without eating food. I'm curious to see what this book is all about.

What is everyone else waiting for this Wednesday?

Death Sworn by Leah Cypess

Death Sworn by Leah Cypess
Genre: YA Fantasy
Expected Publication: March 4th, 2014
Publisher: Greenwillow
Page Count: 352
Goodreads
Amazon

When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances.
But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins… and possibly the entire world.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher*

I've never read any of Cypress's books before, but this one really caught my eye. Just look at that cover! It screams everything that I live for in fantasy. I was excited to read this book. Even the premise of the story sounds interesting. Except . . . after reading it, I have no idea what to think of it. There were certain things that made me enjoy the novel . . . and then there were other things that made me literally cringe.

To begin with, while I didn't feel as close to Ileni as I could, I liked her. Her flaw was that she made stupid decisions because she thinks very rashly, but that's okay. I could deal with that. You know, I've got to give her some kudos, though. She walks into this assassin mountain hovel and isn't as afraid as to be expected by others. I'm pretty sure, in her situation, without magic, a home, and stuck with a bunch of killers, I'd be a catatonic ball of hair and clothing on the floor while a pool of tears surrounds me. Also, she doesn't let other people push her around. She sticks to her ideas (however, dangerous and ill-planned) and follows them through.

While her stubbornness is a great quality for a character to have, sometimes I was left thinking 'Are you kidding me? Come onnnn.' Throughout the novel, her rash thinking and other various actions left to some mild annoyance on my side and had me not caring occasionally.

The biggest problem that I had with the novel was its romance. Alright, so I can deal with a forbidden and dangerous love fest between an assassin and a former sorceress. Sweet deal, if you ask me. However, the hot and cold feelings between the two of them was giving me mental whiplash. Sometimes, you could tell that there was some attraction, and within about .2 seconds (not even joking!) they're heatedly fighting with each other and hate one another, and I'm wondering how they could possibly end up liking one another because this didn't even look like a healthy relationship even to YA standards (and there are some pretty unhealthy relationships there). So obviously, there's this side of me that wants them to get all smoochy-smoochy and then in the next, I'm rolling my eyes.

Another thing that irked me (that mostly involves said romantic relationship) was the inconsistent characterization. I don't expect an assassin to have a really mushy and gentle side at the turn of a switch, so when he did, I was literally cringing at the book. Ileni also had some inconsistent characterization towards the end of the book that came out of nowhere and left me a little confused, but I won't divulge that here.

But in all, the plot interested me. Death Sworn has such a good idea for it and I am left wondering what will happen next. However, there were plenty of things that bothered me to no end. I was tired of the romance and the characters. At the end of the book, I just wanted some answers. Yet, I can't help thinking about this book. And this where I come full circle and once again state that I have no idea what to think of this book in the end. I can see that others have deeply enjoyed this novel and hope that others will too.

A confused and hesitant 2.5 Splashes

Panic by Lauren Oliver

Panic by Lauren Oliver
Genre: YA Contemporary
Expected Publication: March 4th, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins
Page Count: 416
Goodreads
Amazon

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.
Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.
Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.
For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

 *A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher*

I've only ever read two of Lauren Oliver's books (Delirium and Pandemonium) and I truly did enjoy her writing. If there's one thing that stands out with her books, it is her writing. Seeing that she wrote this book, I was pretty excited to start reading it, thinking that I would just as thoroughly enjoy it as I have her other books, but sadly, Panic didn't reach my expectations.

The book is told in the points of view of Heather and Dodge, two newly high school graduates that decide to join in the dangerous game of Panic for their own secretive reasons. For a while, I didn't care about either of them. I'd say it wasn't until about half way through that I found myself interested in Heather's story. For some reason, they didn't connect with me. I found Dodge to be very one-sided and I only found Heather to be interesting once a lot of her character growth had gone by. At first, I thought Heather to be very . . . immature in some aspects, and her decisions would annoy me (like joining Panic).

I was very confused by the first few chapters of the book for some reason. I don't know, maybe I read through them too fast and missed something, but it was difficult at first to keep track with what was going on. Heather was going to do the Jump for some reason and some person's thoughts were running through her head and a bit of the rules of Panic were kind of mentioned. It was all very jumbled and everywhere, in my opinion, and I think all that mess slowed down the plot at first.

Speaking of plot, another thing that really bogged it down was Lauren Oliver's writing, I think. I remember reading Delirium and just finding these passages of pure brilliance. Her writing truly is something lovely. However, she's got Panic, this high-stakes game where kids could die and there are illegal happenings, and I felt as if her beautiful writing didn't fit with the story. And especially with Dodge, I didn't feel as if it would be part of his character to go off on these long internal dialogues of the beauty or the ugliness of the world. 

My last qualm with Panic was Panic itself. Yes, this sounded like such a cool idea. I read the Panic events and was very into what was happening, but a game like this just didn't seem likely to happen with a bunch of teenagers in today's kind of setting. From what I read, I don't believe it was dystopian, so I'm just going to go with a present day setting for this book. I found it very unlikely that a bunch of teenagers running this game each and every summer wouldn't have been caught and the game shut down by now. Where were the angry parents? Also, with some of these events, they were too cruel and dangerous (and illegal) for a bunch of teenagers to come up with and play.

Panic seems like such a good premise for a book. I see that other people really enjoyed this book, but I couldn't get into it as much as other people did. The events that happened in the game just seemed too unlikely and I would just get plain old bored during some parts of the book. I didn't care for the characters as much as I would have liked, either. Sadly, this book wasn't for me. In the end, this book just earned itself three stars.

3 Splashes

I Can Explain

So, if you haven't noticed yet, I haven't posted in just about a month on here. Isn't that just terrible??? I've been a terrible blogger! I mean, I guess I could say I've been busy with school work and I picked up the Harry Potter books for the first time in forever (yes, I know. I am ashamed of this fact) and those are the reasons why I haven't been blogging, but I still feel bad anyway. I love blogging!

Anyway, hopefully that'll change because I want to go back to blogging whether it kills me or not. I miss talking with all you book and twitter friends! Hopefully soon my blog will be busy with posts and memes.

Love you all,
Millie

The Well's End by Seth Fishman

The Well's End by Seth Fishman
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Expected Publication: February 25th, 2014
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Page Count: 352
Goodreads
Amazon

A deadly virus and an impossible discovery unite in one enthralling can’t-miss read...

Sixteen-year-old Mia Kish has always been afraid of the dark. After all, she’s baby Mia, the one who fell down a well. That was years ago, though the darkness still haunts her. But when her classmates and teachers at ritzy Westbrook Academy start dying of old age from a bizarre and frightening virus that ages its victims years in a matter of hours, Mia becomes haunted by a lot more than the dark. Their deaths are gruesome and Mia worries she and her friends may be next. In order to survive, Mia and her small crew must break quarantine and outrun armed soldiers in hazmat suits who shoot first and ask questions later.

And there’s only one place to go—the Cave, aka Fenton Electronics. Mia knows it’s somehow connected and hopes her dad, Director of Fenton Electronics, who has always been strangely secretive about his work, has the answers she needs, and more importantly a cure to save everyone before the whole town succumbs to the mysterious virus. Unfortunately, it’s not answers Mia discovers, but something far more treacherous and impossible than even the virus itself.

A high-stakes, fast-paced adventure with imagination and heart.

*An advanced copy was provided for this review*

I think I had somehow caught wind of this novel months ago--August, maybe--and then I had this urge to just want to read it. It is only after I felt the feeling of desire did I discover that this baby wouldn't be coming out onto shelves for another seven months or so. Can you imagine my disappointment? I believe you can. So, it was quite the coincidence when I looked at my holy New York Comic Con schedule and saw that Seth Fishman, author of said coveted book, would be signing advanced copies while I was free on time. I can assure you I made sure I was there at that signing.

Starting off the review, I will say that I thought Mia was pretty cool. Her single relationship status didn't come across as pathetic (which is good because it should not ever be conveyed as something pathetic) and she was a true leader. Mind you, she wasn't always confident, and who would be considering that her entire school is on this militant quarantine and people around her are being infected left and right with this unknown and deadly virus. But I loved that she always followed her gut instinct, no matter what others thought of her. I really loved how she kicked all female teenage archetypes in the ass, because--shocker--she does have fears, she can't solve everything, and she is actually a teenager and not a mutant warrior. She also has fantastic character growth, so yay her.

Ooooh, boy, does this plot just suck you in. I don't think I've read much of this kind of stuff, neither does it usually hold my attention because sometimes they all sound the same, but this one knocked me for a doozy. Call me stupid, but for the most part, I am terrible at predicting accurately future events or outcomes of a story. So, no matter how hard I reflected and tried to figure out the mystery of this beauty, I couldn't. And I needed to keep reading. Because I needed to know. Now. I tried to hold in my surprise and play it off as 'Nah, I had a slight inkling that this would happen.' But I couldn't really convince myself this time. And the novel itself is at such a quick and action-packed pace that you can just fly through the pages.

Also, what really made me enjoy this novel was the fact that anyone can be a hero. That's fact, right? But when do you ever see that really happen equally in a story? All praise and attention is usually on the one hero/ine and that's it, maybe with a few great sidekick moments. But in The Well's End, every one of Mia's friends and peers showed both great strengths and weaknesses. Everyone had some type of attribute that would help them throughout their mystery solving and due praise and attention was given to them; not all of it was put on Mia. And this is just great because it creates dynamic characters, besides the main ones!

Alright, so positive ranty rant time is over. Would I suggest you to read this novel? Yes. It's fresh and unpredictable. I felt like I was in the Antarctic, snow-covered, mystery-riddled town along with Mia and Gang. Fishman is great at creating dynamics and symbology, so kudos to him. Also, with an ending like that, I'll be making sure I keep an eye out on this new author.

4.5 Splashes

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Genre: YA Fairytale Spinoff
Expected Publication: January 28th, 2014
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Page Count: 352
Goodreads
Amazon

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

I've been wondering when someone would come out with a Beauty and the Beast spinoff!And then this beauty shows its cover (which is gorgeous)! I think I will automatically put any book that is a fairytale spinoff as a must read. It's just a must. And Cruel Beauty was a must.

Automatically, I liked Nyx. She was tough, but all she wanted was to be loved by her father. By anyone, actually. She was bitter and sad, somehow a very real and relatable character. And she had determination and a burning hatred for the demon lord in the castle. She's been destined since childhood to be the savior of their kingdom and kill Ignifex, so it's kind of understandable why she's so bitter and angry.

The main reason why I loved this book so much was the writing. Such beautiful sentences were crafted and I loved every bit of the writing. It was descriptive and unique, not a generic style of writing. The world that Hodge created was magical and dark, like, really dark. And I loved being able to read through her explorations of the house because it was so fascinating to read about.

So, I can already see where people will find the romance to be a little too insta for their taste. Don't worry, I felt that way too. But then, things get explained and lets just say that I ended up very much enjoying the romance. Ir was HOT! And confusing . . . and complicated. Well, it's not something that you'll expect. For me, the struggle was real, and I'm pretty sure Nyx felt the same way, so we were in this together.

I seriously can't get this book out of my mind. The novel, woven in with it's writing, was so unique and made for an unforgettable spinoff. Cruel Beauty was magical and dark, unpredictable and sexy, and I can only hope that others will enjoy this novel as much as I did. This novel was not all about the romance, but more about Nyx's character growth that made her such an interesting character to read about.

5 Splashes