Category Archives: Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic

Review: The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

The Red Queen
Victoria Aveyard
HarperTeen
Available February 10, 2015

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In a world where class means everything, seventeen year-old Mare and her family are Reds, lower class citizens forced to scratch out a living in the Stilts. They are ruled by Silvers, those with powerful gifts (think X-men but without costumes.) Tragedy forces Mare to venture into the world of Silvers to support her family as a servant in the castle. The last thing she expects to do is to masquerade as one of them. With threat of rebellion on the rise, Mare could be exactly what the kingdom needs to overthrow the Silver oppression and bring freedom and equality to her people. If anyone finds out who she truly is, she’ll lose everything.

From start to finish, the story unfolds with fast-paced action and high stakes. Some characters are a bit cliché – the dutiful prince, the bratty rich palace girl, etc – but most are charming and truly endearing. As a heroine, Mare was a little tough for me to love. She lives as a thief at the opening of the story, and blames her family’s troubles on the wealthy Silvers. Yet she steals from her fellow Reds. I felt like her reason for joining the rebellion really didn’t make that much sense. At one point she’s having a conversation with the leader of the rebellion and everyone knows the crown prince is nearby, alone and unguarded. Seems kidnapping or murdering that guy would have been a huge step for the rebellion. Yet they don’t even seem to think of that?

Despite little hiccups like that, the story does maintain a lot of intensity and has some well-planned, unexpected twists and heart-wrenching moments. The writing is excellent – more than a few times I found myself impressed by Aveyard’s clever narrative. Fans of Kiera Cass, Jennifer Nielsen, and Jennifer Anne Davis will enjoy the intrigue and light romance of this story.

Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Sexual Content
Brief kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Silvers will sometimes battle one another in an arena as a show of strength. Participants suffer injuries and sometimes death. Silvers and Reds alike are killed in rebel attacks or on the war front. Not a lot of description on those. A woman uses her ability to cause someone to kill another person with a sword.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

A Time to Die
Nadine Brandes
Enclave Publishing

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Seventeen year-old Parvin Blackwater has less than one year left to live. Her Clock started counting down the moment she was born. Until now, Parvin has hidden from that fact, burying herself in sewing projects and sleeping late. Now, with only months left to live, she wants her life to count for something. She wants to be remembered.

As Parvin pursues a noteworthy life saving Radicals and writing her story, she becomes tangled in a political web that reaches much farther than her small town. As an outcast on the other side of the Wall, she faces death at every turn. With newfound faith and a team of unlikely allies, Parvin races to bring the truth to her people before her Clock runs out.

Though the title makes this story sound like a suspense novel, it’s much more a dystopian fantasy. In this story, the United States has fallen and is now divided east from west by a Wall only crossed by dissenters and lawbreakers. In the east, most believe that crossing the wall is a death sentence. And indeed, Parvin finds the west to be a hostile world.

The story world and characters are a little bit uneven. Some descriptions and characters are vibrant and detailed and others seem more vague or stereotyped. The premise is the real power punch in this novel.

The countdown clock keeps the story moving and the stakes climbing as Parvin’s time on earth grows shorter and shorter. As time dwindles, Parvin obsesses over how little is left. By contrast, her companion has thrown away his Clock and refuses to let what it said rule his decisions and choices. It’s a fascinating question – if you could know how much time you have left on earth, would you want to? How would it affect your daily life?

Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Parvin wants to follow God’s plan for her life but often instead constructs her own plans. She often puts her faith in the Clock – if she has so many days left, that means she can’t die tomorrow, so whatever venture feels less risky.

She encounters a tribe of people who believe in protecting nature to an extreme. Anyone who breaks healthy branches or cuts down a healthy tree will be subject to severe punishment.

Violence
All descriptions are brief.

Several people are punished by a tribe (see above) for harming trees.

Two people battle on wires, trying to throw one another off balance until one person falls.

An unidentified man shoots one of Parvin’s allies and threatens to harm Parvin unless he cooperates.

Drug Content
None.

Review: Rebels by Jill Williamson

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Rebels (The Safe Lands #3)
Jill Williamson
Blink – Zondervan
Published January 1, 2014

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Mason and Omar’s friends helplessly watch from their hiding places as the brothers face liberation, a process which remains a mystery to all Safe Landers. Once the boys learn what it is to be liberated, they begin plotting to bring the truth to all the people of the Safe Lands. After all, the only way to bring freedom to the Safe Lands is to expose the horrible secrets that fuel the leadership’s power.

From his place in hiding, Levi continues to pursue his one goal: getting his people free of the Safe Lands. Before he can make his move, though, his wife Jemma is captured and forced to serve as a Queen, a woman carrying a child for the Safe Lands. Levi vows to rescue her, but each day’s broadcasts seem to show Jemma slipping further into the ways of the Safe Landers.

Series readers will not be disappointed in this thrilling conclusion to a fascinating series. As her readers have come to expect, Williamson delivers an immersive story world. Each major character faces a great challenge to his or her beliefs or expectations about life and really wrestles through the disappointment. Romances are kindled and fears conquered.

Some of the drug content and concern about the thin plague, which is often transmitted sexually (experiences are not described) make this series a bit too heavy for younger readers. This is a novel more suited to readers ages fourteen and up.

Profanity and Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
A few kisses. Brief, vague references to sex.

Spiritual Content
Many characters wrestle with bitter disappointments which threaten to damage or destroy their faith in God. Though the threads of faith are a little more subtle in this story, there are some really deeply spiritual moments. My favorite moment is when Shaylinn attempts to explain the mystery of faith versus the law to a group of highly disciplined and judgmental people. The conversation doesn’t roll as perfectly in the scene as it did in her mind, which is just so true to the experience so many of us have had in trying to explain the deeper things of faith. Her courage despite the difficulty is heartwarming.

Violence
Mason and Omar face multiple opponents. Both are severely beaten. Details are minimal.

Drug Content
Omar continues to use drugs and alcohol as an attempt to relieve emotional pain.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, ,

Shatter Me (Shatter Me Series #1)
Tahereh Mafi
HarperCollins
Published November 15, 2011

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About Shatter Me

For months seventeen year-old Juliette remains locked inside a cold brick cell alone. She counts the days. Hours. Cracks on the wall. And then. Without explanation, a young man joins her in her cell, seemingly against his will. She recognizes him as Adam, the boy from her former life, the only one who ever showed her kindness.

As he begins to chip away at her outer shell, she warns him again and again that he cannot touch her. No one can. Though it is the one thing she desperately wants.

Juliette discovers Adam isn’t the boy she once knew. Now a soldier, he takes orders from a cruel, power-hungry commander. One who has discovered Juliette’s curse. A leader who will stop at nothing to bend Juliette to his will and use her curse to destroy all who oppose him.

My Review

Stark, powerful writing fills the opening pages of this haunting tale. Juliette clearly stands on the brink of insanity due to her long stay in solitary confinement. Yet when she’s released, she seems to acclimate quickly to life outside her prison, surrounded by people, and the beautiful intense writing fades to a more romance-oriented tone.

It’s hard to say whether that opening pace would have been sustainable for the entire novel, but the change between the first chapter and the last is so stark, it’s almost difficult to believe it’s the same novel. Juliette the love-starved, impassioned teenager obsessed with her new boyfriend doesn’t drive the story like the complex, writhing girl trapped in a world unprepared for her presence.

Following the popular vein of romantic dystopian fiction, SHATTER ME is likely to appeal to DIVERGENT fans. Be prepared – this romance packs a pretty hormonal punch when it comes to sexual tension and desire. Mafi keeps the descriptions fairly PG, but the characters’ intentions are also wildly clear. Read below for more details.

Content Notes

Profanity and Crude Language Content
Heavy use of profanity.

Sexual Content
Juliette is barred from human touch but longs for it. Sexual tension explodes. Then she discovers a man who can touch her with no ill-effects. In several scenes the couple passionately kiss and she vaguely describes being touched. She expresses a desire to have sex with him, but each time they pursue this opportunity, they are interrupted prior to actually sealing the deal.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Juliette’s captor wishes her to torture prisoners of war for him. She resists. Juliette and a small child are placed in a small cell in which spikes randomly emerge from the walls and floor. A commanding officer executes a soldier by shooting him in the head. A couple of scenes show soldiers battling one another and receiving gunshot wounds.

Drug Content
A soldier gives a child a sleeping pill to keep him unconscious through a battle scene.

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Review: Reap by Casey Bond

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18,

Reap
Casey Bond
Published by Casey Bond
Published 2014

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Abby and the other Lessers in her small village rush to bring in the apple harvest for shipment to the Greaters in their vast, advanced cities. At the end of the harvest the village’s betrothed couples will wed in a group ceremony. Abby’s best friend Kyan will stand among them with his wife-to-be. The village leader’s son tries to bully Abby into marrying him, but she refuses, captivated instead by a handsome stranger who is more than he seems. Abby soon discovers dangerous secrets swirling beneath the surface of her simple life. Secrets that change who she is and whom she can trust.

The story contains an interesting dystopian landscape with sharp divides between the powerful rich and subservient poor. Abby and Kyan’s relationship is sweet, though she is a little dense about his feelings for her. When Crew arrives to help with the apple harvest, Abby is nearly swept off her feet. His character seems less developed than some of the others. In the latter portion of the tale, he becomes much more erratic and fragmented. Despite the fact that Crew appears to be a major hunk, I couldn’t help rooting for Kyan, who remains steadfast and loyal to Abby.

The story itself spirals into something of a confusing end. The last two chapters yank the story in a different direction and left me confused. It’s clear another novel is meant to follow this one, and the author may clarify the ending in that next book.

Throughout the novel Abby remains a strong heroine willing to fight for what she wants, seeking love but not helpless without it. Fans of Bond’s earlier novel Winter Shadows will notice similarities in the core characters of each story, but the settings are very different. Dystopian fiction fans may enjoy this novel for its themes and setting.

Profanity and Crude Language Content
Moderate profanity, infrequent usage.

Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
A girl is whipped for contradicting those in command and protecting a child. A man threatens and tries to take advantage of a girl.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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