"Future Threat" by Elizabeth Briggs

Future Threat by Elizabeth Briggs is the follow-up book to Future Shock. It was good to get back with Elena, Adam and Chris. They have to go to the future again in this book. We get some new characters in this one that I enjoyed. It flowed well with action and some good twists in the end. Although this one did not have the surprise factor of going into the future like the first book did, I still think it was pretty good.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Rules of the Game" by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton (series)

Rules of the Game by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton is the third and last book of "The Endgame" series.  I thought this one was the best of the three!  It is a non-stop thrill ride with action galore that kept me turning pages throughout the book!  I wish the ending could have been different, but that being said, I still give this book and this series 5 stars!  Glad I read it.
(Gerard's review)

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"Sky Key" (Engame Novel Book 2) byJames Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton

Sky Key by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton picks up where the first book left off.  The nine remaining players are looking for sky key.  Good action in this book too.  I have my favorite players and they are still alive.  Moving on to Book 3.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Endgame--The Calling" by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton

Endgame--The Calling by James Frey & Nils Johnson-Shelton has constant action!  Welcome to Endgame.  Twelve players in the whole world.  They have been trained for this.  They must find three keys.  There can be only one winner, no rules, Kill or be killed!  The one feature I enjoyed about this book was the constant action.  I never knew what was coming next!  This is the first book of three so I will be moving on to Book two!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Remember Yesterday" by Pintip Dunn

Remember Yesterday by Pintip Dunn is the follow-up to Forget Tomorrow.  This is ten years later and Jessa is now 16.  She mourns the death of her sister and is working with the underground to overthrow the government.  One day a boy who never had any time for her, gives her some new information.  Will Jessa join up with the enemy if it means the world will look better to her?

This book is so much better than the first one!  It has more action and less romance with a good ending to set up book 3.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Future Shock" by Elizabeth Briggs--WOW!

Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs is a gripping science fiction murder mystery involving five teens, Adam, Elena, Chris, Trent and Zoe, who are transported 10 years into the future. All but Adam is in foster care. Aethon Corporation offers them a large amount of money to sign up for the mission to report back on the technology they find. Instead, things do not happen according to the plan and the teens find themselves 30 years into the future and make a scary discovery that motivates them to figure a way to change the path they are on.

This book is really good with lots of adventure, relationships and things to make you think. I was confused a bit about some things, but overall I enjoyed it very much. I especially liked Elena who tells the story from her view. It was very cool she had such a great memory and a desire to help others. I liked the message of this book that the future is based on our current choices and that it is worth living. It’s definitely a page turner and I was eager to see how it would end. (For some discussion questions for those who have read this, please see the spoiler alert after Gerard's review below.)
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review:
Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs is about five young teens who are down on their luck.  They all need money for different reasons so when a company offers them money that they think will solve all their problems, they jump at the chance.  But once they get into their mission, they find out the one thing they were not to do, they might have to or else!

WOW!  This is so good!  If you like action, this book is packed with it!  I really enjoyed the lead character, but also the others.  It kept me turning pages quickly because I was eager to see how it would all play out.  I kept saying "this is really good" over and over as I read it.  LOVED IT!  Give this book involving time travel a read; you will be glad you did!
(Gerard's review 4/8/16, 5++ stars)

Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t read this yet, stop reading here, but if you have read it, I’d like to know your thoughts on these things:


(1) Which future technology did you like best? I liked the cars that could drive themselves.

(2) Could anyone explain to me how the reports fit into Elena’s pocket?

(3) I assume Elena dropped Zoe’s drawings just before getting in to go back, but don’t understand why they felt they couldn’t report anything they saw.

(4) Anyone else confused at the end were Adam and Elena say they’ll be ready 30 years to meet their younger selves and to help Zoe and Trent? I didn’t get that because the present was done. I get that the future didn’t yet really happen, but the present did. It wasn’t like they would be going again.

(5) Do you think you would like to know your future? I’m not sure if I would want to or not.

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"A Thousand Pieces of You" by Claudia Gray

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray is about a young girl named Marguerite, a daughter of two brilliant parents.  Her mom's latest invention is called "Firebird" which enables one to travel into alternate dimensions.  When her dad is killed, she goes after the killer and the chase is on.

This book was pretty good.  I loved how I never knew where they would wind up.  There is good action and a few twists that surprised me with a good ending.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Zero World" by Jason M. Hough--a Science Fiction Adventure

In Zero World by Jason M. Hough, we meet Peter Caswell who is a skillful assassin.  He also has the ability to forget day to day who he has killed.  Just as he is about to go on vacation, he gets an assignment unlike any that he has ever received.  He will have to be at his best to complete this one! 

As long as long as this book focused on the main story, it was really good.  However, when it went off down a "rabbit trail," I had problems with it.  The last 75 pages were page turners for sure.  It is over 400 pages so takes a commitment--worth reading.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Time Between Us" by Tamara Ireland Stone

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone is a YA novel about a relationship between Anna and Bennett.  This was not supposed to happen.  The "why not?" is in the book.  You will have to read it for yourself.  But now that it does, will they be able to keep it going?  Or, will an accident involving Anna's best friend tear these two apart forever?

This is the second book I read by this author and I loved them both.  I really cared about both of the main characters in this and the story line and writing kept me interested.  Now it's on to the follow up book, Time After Time.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Here's a teaser from pg. 12 of this book:

And that's when I notice something else.

My own footprints are clearly visible in the powder around me, but where his should have been--leading to and from the bench--I see nothing but a thick layer of untouched snow.

 Also read:  Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

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"More Happy Than Not" by Adam Silvera

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera is a YA novel told by a young teen boy named Aaron.  He is having problems figuring out who he is exactly and he does not have his dad to go to because his dad committed suicide.  Poor Aaron thinks he is the cause of that!

I enjoyed this book.  It covers a lot of modern-day issues and all the characters were very well developed. 
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"The Cage" by Megan Shepherd was a bit Disappointing

The Cage by Megan Shepherd is about six teens snatched from earth and plopped into some space station called “the Cage” to be studied and tested, kind of like lab rats. Their habitat consists of a desert, a farm, a jungle, an ocean, and a town with fake buildings that has things similar to those on earth but from different time periods. There are black screens everywhere so they can be watched and only three rules.

I liked the premise, but was disappointed in the ending and felt betrayed just as the characters did. Cora, a 16-yr-old girl who is a senator’s daughter did not appeal to me and was the main character. The others were Rolf, Nok, Mali, Leon and Lucky. This science fiction/fantasy novel is about manipulation, the fight for humanity, some romance and betrayal.

I liked it okay in that it kept my interest and I did like most of the characters, but the ending was very disappointing to me and I had a hard time relating to the main character because she reacted completely different than I would in that situation.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)


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"Undertow" by Michael Buckley

Undertow by Michael Buckley is a YA novel but not what I expected which in this case is a good thing! It takes place on Coney Island. Lyric, a young teen girl, is put into a tough spot when she is picked to tutor fathom, the head of new race that are called Alpha. Not everyone is on board with having them in their high school with their kids.

I really enjoyed the character of Lyric. She pretty much carries the book and that is fine by me. There is a good twist at the end that I sort of saw coming, but liked it anyway. I don’t know if I would go so far as to call this a page turner, but I enjoyed it and will continue with the series. (Gerard’s review, 5 stars)

 

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"Ender's Shadow" by Orson Scott Card

Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card is actually a parallel book to Ender's Game with the main character in this one being Bean.   Bean is a street kid that a nun befriended and recommended to the space Battle School.  Bean is very small and only 4 years old but has advanced intelligence when he gets into the school.

It is interesting how Bean views things and how his leadership skills develop.  I really liked his strong sense of teamwork and how he would get people to work together.  I loved Ender's Game and so it was fun reading about Ender some more, this time from someone else's viewpoint.  I highly recommend this book if you liked Ender's Game.  I gave this 4 stars only because I liked Ender's Game a bit better but that may be just because I read that one first so I had a clue what was going to happen next as I read Ender's Shadow.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"AngelFall" by Susan Ee

"Angelfall" by Susan Ee takes place after the Apocalypse.  Penryn, her sister Paige and their mom are still on Earth.  One day they come across a group of angels who are running the Earth now.  One angel is left behind while Penryn's sister is taken away.  Penryn will do anything to get her back.  She forms a relationship with the left behind angel named Raffe.

Wow, this book is good!  I LOVED IT!  The relationship between Penryn and Raffe is so good.  This book has good action and a very good ending!  There is a book two.

Thanks to PolandBananasBooks on Youtube for turning me on to this one.
(Gerard's Review, 5++ stars)

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"The Infinite Sea" by Rick Yancey

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey is the second book in The 5th Wave series. It continues with more of the Evan Walker mystery, adding Grace who grew up with Evan and Megan, a toddler with an implanted bomb. Cassie, Sammy, Zombie, Poundcake, Ringer, Dumbo and Teacup are back to hiding and trying to survive. Friction arises and they fight among themselves, Ringer goes to scout and Teacup follows her. They both get captured and then the story centers on Ringer and Razor.

This book drags along with everyone on the run. There’s some fighting and a great escape, but for the most part, I was bored with it and just wanted it to end, which it really didn’t because there is still one more book in the series. A lot of this made no sense to me and I hate how it jumps back and forth between characters narrating without letting me know who is talking at the beginning. I just got tired of reading this but will try to finish the series. This is mostly a depressing book.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)


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"The 5th Wave" by Rick Yancey Lives Up To The Hype (UPDATED)

Sorry about your dog, Mr. Yancey

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey was given the highest ranking by USA TODAY and ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY. After reading this book, I think they are both so right! It is really good! Human beings are being killed off but one young teenage girl, Cassie, is still alive and made a vow to her little brother that she would find him after they got split up. After all, she has his Teddy bear!

I loved this book because it has plenty of action and the writing is so good! When the girl finds a young teen boy, Evan, this book really takes off! Can't wait for book two!
(Gerard's review 5++ stars)

I finally got around to reading The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancy and am glad I did.  Although it was a bit confusing at first and started out kind of slow for me, it did get good and I enjoyed it.  This is the first book I ever read where aliens actually come to earth.  The main character is Cassie who is 16 and determined to find her little brother, Sammy to return his Teddy bear to him like she promised.  They got separated when some soldiers took him and other young children away to a place where they would supposedly be safe.  Although Cassie begged her dad to let him stay, the dad let him go with the promise that he and Cassie would come later.  The dad left M16 rifle for Cassie and when she left to go hide it, everyone else in the camp was shot, including her father.  Cassie felt very alone and is hunted by the silencers.  On her way to find her brother, she has a couple encounters with other people who she is not sure she can trust.  She develops a relationship with Evan and thinks about a boy named Ben from high school when life was normal. 

Then the story flips to let the reader in on what the boy is going through at camp Haven and that is the more intriguing part of the book in my opinion.  That is also when the reader gets to meet Ben, the guy Cassie had a crush on, and Ringer, the girl I liked best in this book.  It has some interesting and tense scenes along the way, adventure and suspense so I liked it once I got into it.  I would classify this as YA science fiction.  

(Karen's review 5/14/15, 4 stars)

 


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"Red Rising" by Pierce Brown

Red Rising by Pierce Brown is a YA book about life on Mars but with a dystopian flavor.  The main character, Darrow, works in the mines and is a Red.  He is pretty happy with his life, has a wife and is close to his family.  His father was hung though and when he realizes the Reds are really slaves for the Golds, he becomes bitter.  His wife shows him a better place and sings a song that seals her death.  Darrow, is "chosen" to infiltrate the Golds by having surgery to make him appear more like them and make him stronger too so he can change things and free the Reds.

I read it because it's my husband said it's kind of a combination between The Hunger Games and Ender's Game which I loved.  The first half of the book seemed to drag along for me and the second half is all the test games for determining who will get positions of power among the Golds.  I felt the character development was shallow but liked the action part of this book.  To me this book seemed like a takeoff of The Hunger Games but it fell way short in my opinion.  I think guys would like this one more than women. This is the first of a series, but I won't be reading the rest of these.
(Karen's review 4/4/15, 3 stars)

Red Rising by Pierce Brown is a science fiction book that centers on a young man named Darrow on Mars.  He is a Red and works for the greater good.  His wife finds out that the Reds are really slaves to the Gold. When Darrow's wife is killed, he vows revenge on the Gold by becoming a Gold himself to bring them down.

Entertainment Weekly gave this book an A+ and they are spot on!  Think Enders Game and Hunger Games combined.  This is book one of three and I highly recommend it!
(Gerard's review posted 2/14/14, 5++ stars)

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"The Game" by Terry Schott is Mind Boggling

The Game by Terry Schott is science fiction that is a fun read and also thought provoking.   I loved the concept of being able to live life in a virtual simulation world and play again and again.   Zach is down to his last play and has a big fan base, but will he be able to finish ranked #1 or will he lose everything? 

It definitely held my interest through most of the book, but then I lost interest towards the end.  I became a little confused at certain things that really didn't make sense to me.  This is just the first book in this series, but I doubt if I will continue reading because I was very disappointed by the ending of this one and did not connect with the characters enough to really care what happens next.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

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"The Young Elites" by Marie Lu is Different From the LEGEND Series--Still Good Though!

The Young Elites by Marie Lu centers on a young girl named Adelina.  She survived a deadly fever in her land but her features were unchanged.  She does have powers that she can call on at will so is called a “young Elite.”  When her kingdom wants to rid themselves of these kind of people, she joins other young Elites to strike back—but, can they really be trusted? 

I can see why people would be disappointed in this because it is not like her Legend series at all.  However, I liked it.  It kept my interest and I look forward to her next book!  

(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Check out yesterday's post for a teaser from it.

 

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