Just another WordPress.com site

Posts tagged ‘Dystopian’

Pawn

pawn.jpg

By: Amiee Carter

Kitty Doe is a III, brash and annoyed with herself for messing up her one chance to become a IV. Feeling as if it was all a waste she decides to celebrate by stealing an orange, a silly thing really but if she gets caught that could mean the end of her life, but right at this moment she doesn’t much care, as long as Benjy doesn’t take the blame he still has a chance. Then she gets thrown a massive curve ball, offered the chance of a life time and join the most powerful family in the country and become an VII. The catch, she will be masked, surgically transformed to look like the Prime Minister’s niece, Lila Hart. There is more, it will be her job to stop the rebellion, a cause Kitty believes in. The deeper she goes down this path the more she uncovers and Kitty isn’t the only one who believes in the rebellion, it was a cause Lila herself secretly supported and in all likelihood what got her killed. Kitty has to uncover the truth and decide what is most important to her. She needs to figure out how to play the political game she has been thrust into.

A familiar plot, someone is thrust to greatness from poverty only to find that all is not as it seems. Kitty thought she had nothing to lose but when she digs down into it she discovers so much more about herself. It is a good story, an interesting world. Carter has handled the complexities of the situation Kitty finds herself in well. I would perhaps have enjoyed this more if it had not come out at a time when there were several other books with very similar themes on the new releases list. Now we are further away from that I have to say it will appeal to those who like their stories gritty, their characters multi-layered and a little flawed, and a good bit of political manipulation and conspiracy.

Publisher: Harlequin

Published: 1st December 2013

Key Words: Dystopian Fantasy, Politics, Conspiracy

ISBN: 9781743564974

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

Tagged with:

Stone Rider

I received my copy from the publisher.
stone-rider
By: David Hofmeyr

Adam Stone wants nothing more than to escape Blackwater, the hole of a town that he lives in. He longs for something more, something better, and if Sadie Blood is part of that then all the better. The thing is there are only two ways out of Blackwater, death or riding in the brutal Blackwater Trail. The race is harsh, desert environs, savages and the other competitors. The competition is so fierce because the prize is a one way ticket to Sky-Base, a place of freedom, health and luxury.
Adam wants to ride but he has to overcome his fears to get to the starting line. Then he has to overcome everything else. He believes he has to ride the race alone, but things soon change and he ends up alongside Sadie and outsider Kane. Will Adam overcome his fears and find his courage and will any of them make it to the end?
This is a dystopian book with a very immediate goal. Setting the events around the race give it tension because time is limited. The world Hofmeyr has created is a bleak one. Parched desert, a people downtrodden and filled with anything but hope. This world, though some sort of post apocalyptic is also filled with futuristic touches – the bikes that meld with the rider, tech implants, robots, non terrestrial transport and living.
Adam is very definitely an underdog. He is bullied, withdrawn and has a condition that only makes his life harder. Sadie is a strong willed girl who is determined to separate herself from her own legacy, and Adam’s attraction to her is strong but doesn’t overwhelm the plot, in some places it very much drives it. Kane gives the story a darker twist, who is he and where does he fit.
A fast paced and entertaining read. I really enjoyed it and recommend it for those who like dystopian or action stories.
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 24th June 2015
Format: Paperback 305 pages
Genre: Action, Dystopian
ISBN: 9780141354439

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

Tagged with:

Divergent

By: Veronica Roth
divergent
Tris is sixteen, and that means she has to make a choice that will dictate the rest of her life. She can stay with the family and people group she has always known or she can choose another. Whatever she decides she had best make the right choice because there is no returning if you change your mind. There are five families, each one has it’s place in the very organised dystopian society in which she lives, the problem is, Tris doesn’t know where she really fits.
Although it breaks her heart a little she follows her gut which tells her to choose Dauntless. It is a tough choice, and a tough group to become part of. Tris didn’t realise just what she was signing on for and as the testing and brutal challenges start to take their toll she has to wonder if she has made the right choice. It is all complicated by the fact that Tris has a secret. Her secret means she doesn’t really fit in one place and in a society ruled by strict boundaries this means Tris is a threat. Conformity means survival but if she is discovered it could be the death of her.
This is a tightly written story. Tris is a likeable character there are moments I was frustrated with her but you don’t always have to like everything about a character to like them. (It’s a bit like real life, even best friends can have annoying traits). The world Roth created is interesting on the visceral level and on a theoretical level. She has created something that you can clearly picture, the restraint of the Abnegation, the sterility of the Erudite, the chaos of the Dauntless. In some part of the mind though you may start thinking just where would I fit. And how much a structured world like that would really limit your choices. Four is an interesting character, his story is even more layered than Tris’s and it will be interesting to see how those layers impact on his arc in later books. Enjoyable read, well worth picking up if you haven’t yet. Don’t let your opinion of the movie colour your choice too much, like always there are differences, some I think for the better and some, well they always have to cut some subplots out when turning a book to a film.
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
Published: 03 May 2011
Format: Paperback 496 pages
Categories: Fiction General
ISBN 13: 9780007420414
Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on the side of the page.

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

Tagged with:

Divergent – Film

So I have managed to watch this now and I have to say I quite enjoyed it.

Shailene Woodley is wonderful. And there are plenty of eye candy moments. I haven’t finished the book yet though. In this case I wanted to watch the film first. Often if I read the book first I get grumpy with the differences.

They changes have tightened the story for visual impact and a whole sub-plot story line has been minimised. Putting aside the book for a moment, the film is enjoyable, action packed and open ended to leave the option open for further adaptations. I really liked it for what it was, but think I’m glad I watched before reading. I understand why fans of the book were frustrated with the adaptation but I’ve seen enough of them that I know to not expect the same thing I picture in my head whilst reading.

I’ll finish up with one of my have scenes.

Category:

Book to Film

Tagged with:

Mockingjay Part 1 – Pics and Casting

This series continues to draw great actors to fill rolls, truthfully I’m not sure about making it two films, it just seems to be the way they do things these days but we will see what happens.

Julianne Moore on the film and her character President Coin.

Here are some awesome pics from the upcoming Mockingjay film.

Not sure how much Phillip is going to be in it but here he is with the wonderful Julianne Moore as Coin.

680x478-3

Some favourite characters.

680x478-1 680x478

The poster.

mockingjay-part-1-poster-hunger-games

 

Category:

Book to Film, Young Adult Fiction

Tagged with:

Divergent – Movie Trailer

The talk is good, the book sales are going well again, I’m seeing more people reading the books. I really want to see this one.

Also Shailene Woodley, two big YA films in one year. Two very different films too.

Category:

Book to Film

Tagged with:

The Disappearance of Ember Crow

I received my copy from the publisher

the-disappearance-of-ember-crow

By: Ambelin Kwaymullina

The Tribe book 2

Ashala Wolf has struggled since returning to the Tribe but she needs to leave the wolf pack where she has found solace and return to leading her people because her best friend Ember Crow has gone missing. Ashala will not rest until Ember is found and safe with friends. Ashala struggles to control her sleepwalking powers but sets out to do this regardless what she doesn’t know though could change things forever. Ember is trying to shield the Tribe from the most devastating thing she knows, her own past. Ember is hiding a bigger secret than any of them could ever guess at, and she is convinced once Ashala knows the truth she will never look at her the same.

This second book doesn’t loose any of the strength of the first. Ashala has cracks and slips, her flaws contribute to her strength at the centre of the story. The twist that is Ember’s secret is intriguing and there was simply no way to see it coming. This instalment drew me into this world alongside these people, even more than the first. The world Kwaymullina has created is a detailed and very easy to visualise, it is a wonderful world that has more than enough differences from many dystopian stories to make it stand out from the pack. The characters individually have their own journeys and they compliment each other, Ashala would be less than who she is without Ember, Jaz and Connor. Ashala may be what holds the story together but they each contribute value.

I really enjoyed this book and am eager to read the rest of the tale.

Highly recommended.

Publisher: Walker Books Australia

Published: 01 November 2013

Format: Paperback 400 pages

Categories: Fantasy, Dystopian

ISBN 13: 9781921720093

Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on side of page.

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

Tagged with:

The 5th Wave

I received this book from the publisher

9780141345833By: Rick Yancey

Life was all normal until the day it wasn’t. The first wave took out half a million people, not a very big number in the grand scheme of things. The second wave took out many more and the third took out billions. By then the survivors had no idea who to trust, this was the forth wave.

Cassie is running. Running from those who killed her family, funning from the thing tracking her down. She has no idea how many, if any, humans are left. She can’t trust anyone. Then Evan rescues her and she doesn’t really know if she can trust him. She still has a mission, she promised her little brother, the day they took him away, that she would find him. She is determined not to let him down.

Ben is being trained. Trained to become a killing machine. This does not make him unique many kids are being trained in exactly the same way. They are told this is their best hope for survival. Not every one will make it through the training though, and after the training then what? Just how are kids supposed to defeat an alien race equipped with vastly superior technology? And just what is the fifth wave?

This is a dark, gritty and in moments disturbing story. Cassie is a determined character who is driven to survive and because of the chaos around her doesn’t always make the right decisions. Sometimes she just reacts, and that’s how she gets through. This is not the life she had planned on having. She just wanted to be normal, get through school have a boyfriend. Instead she sleeps with her trusty M16 and has no idea how to trust any more.

Ben has been at his lowest and is determined to get revenge. He is determined to do what is asked of him. Somewhere in there he remains human and feels a responsibility to the youngest member of his team, Nugget.

This story is compelling. The normality of the characters thrown into this situation is what pulls you in. You think you see where it’s going and it then takes you in another direction. The world is ours but a desolate one. Yancey’s descriptions make it easy to see in your mind just what kind of devastation has happened. You feel for these guys and at no time does the author make it easy for them to make the leap from one place to another. They fight for their goals and that is what makes it so engrossing.

The central characters are surrounded by support characters who add depth and emotion to this story. The layers, moments of just being a teenager or small glimpses of humour make it seem all the more real.

If you are looking for a good read, with an alien or dystopian kind of theme then do yourself a favour and pick this up. Well worth spending some time with.

Highly recommended.

Publisher: Puffin Books

Published: 07 May 2013

Format: Paperback 388 pages

Categories: Science Fiction, Aliens, Survival, Dystopian

ISBN 13: 9780141345819

Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on the side of the page.

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

Tagged with:

Acid

I received this copy from the publisher.

9780552566148

By: Emma Pass

Jenna Strong is in a maximum security jail, locked away for life because ACID – the most brutal police force in history, say she murdered her parents. Jenna works hard to stay alive. It comes as a huge surprise to her when she is broken out of the facility. She doesn’t know what is going on but she knows these people who did this want something from her. She is given a new identity, a new life but things don’t exactly go according to plan and Jenna finds herself on the run with Max. On the run things go from bad to worse and Jenna struggles to see a way out. She is determined no to let anyone get the better of her though.

This is a great story but one I can’t say too much about or it gives too much away. Suffice to say if you like dystopian fiction and strong female characters then give this a look. Jenna is a headstrong girl, determined to survive. She feels responsible for the consequences of her actions, and even the actions others take on her behalf. The journey she goes on is rough, full of ups and downs, twists and turns. It is engaging, dark and gritty.

Highly recommended.

Publisher: Corgi Children’s

Published: 25 April 2013

Format: Paperback 448 pages

Categories: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Romance, Mystery

ISBN 13: 9780552566148

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

Tagged with:

The 5th Wave – Book Trailer

Am reading this right now and it is pretty awesome.

Category:

Book Trailers

Tagged with:

Tag Cloud

%d bloggers like this: