Category Archives: Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic

Review: The Returning by Rachelle Dekker

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

The Returning by Rachelle DekkerThe Returning (Seers #3)
Rachelle Dekker
Tyndale House
Published on January 7, 2017

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About The Returning
Twenty years have passed since Carrington and Remko Brant’s baby, Elise, was kidnapped and they were forced to leave her captive in the Authority City. Though they fled with the Seers far from Authority reach, they’ve never given up hope of rescuing their daughter from the man who betrayed them. Now Authority President, he’s ushered the city into a new era of “peace” — one where the Scientist Roth Reynard’s Genesis Serum has eradicated all memory of emotion or rebellion.

But the mysterious Aaron and his Seers are once again on the move, threatening the illusion the Authority has worked so hard to build. As the Seers send seven chosen warriors to rescue Elise and bring restoration to the Authority City, the lines are drawn for a final battle between light and darkness. The key to ultimate victory may rest within the strangely powerful girl who has felt forgotten but was never abandoned — a truth she’ll need to wage war against the powerful forces of evil.

My Review
If you’ve been reading my reviews awhile, you’ll know that I have a couple of particular pet peeves in books that get classified as YA. One is having a lot of scenes from adult characters, especially in cases where I think the scenes could have been told from a younger character’s perspective. I felt that way with this book and the scenes from adult points of view. That said, I’m not sure this is really classified as YA. Right now in the Christian fiction world there seem to be more adult novels with crossover appeal to YA readers, and this is probably best categorized as one of them.

The Returning hits a great balance between telling a fast-paced story and yet keeping its readers in the know—even if you forgot what happened in earlier books, you can still enjoy this one without feeling lost or like you’ve missed anything. I love that!

At first I wasn’t sure I’d like Elise. Her early scenes mostly leave her a passive vessel. But as she begins to find her feet and embrace her destiny, I felt like I began to like and admire her more. Despite the number of characters, I felt like it was easy to keep track of who everyone was because they had really specific personalities and roles and were introduced gradually, so I had time to place everyone in the story.

The light versus dark theme emerges as a strong plot in The Returning. It’s simple, sure, and at times maybe a teeny bit contrived, but overall I think it worked. The dystopian setting made a great backdrop for that kind of conflict.

I liked this book better than the first in the series—it’s not quite as dark as The Choosing. The biggest struggle I had with the story really had to do with its theology, which you can read about more in the Spiritual Content section below.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Really limited cultural or race details. I think the major characters are white, but there really aren’t a lot of descriptive details.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between man and woman.

Spiritual Content
The Returning has a very strong good versus evil/light versus dark theme. In some places the theology runs perfectly parallel to Christian teaching. Elise must reject the lies she’s been told about herself and others and embrace truths from her heavenly Father.

In other scenes, I struggled with the theology. It seemed to equate suffering with evil, which I just don’t find to be Gospel at all. At times I felt like it was saying humans are basically good and need to simply throw off the corrupt influences of evil around them. The Returning, like the first book in the series, again and again repeats this idea that you are perfect, you are blameless. For me that ran too close to contradicting the salvation message of the Bible. Maybe I simply didn’t interpret the author’s meaning correctly, but I felt like the theology got really muddled and confusing.

Violent Content
Battle scenes which turn fatal between soldiers and civilians. In a couple scenes, a character faces torture with some description. Some graphic threats of violence—in one scene, a man threatens to skin a woman alive.

Drug Content
Authority City leaders use a powerful serum to control citizens. The serum erases memories and makes recipients compliant. One character possessed by darkness takes vials of his blood and injects them into others to give them some of his dark power.

Review: Storm by Bonnie Calhoun

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

Storm (Stone Braide Chronicles #3)
Bonnie Calhoun
Fleming H. Revell Company
Published on November 1, 2016

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About Storm
Selah has survived the forces of both man and nature to reunite her family. But her happiness is short-lived as they are forced into a barren world of volcanic ash that conceals the storm boiling beneath. The clock is ticking and Selah’s abilities are growing–along with the list of those out for her blood.

Selah feels unworthy of her status as a novarium and is tortured by the knowledge of lives lost to protect her. Her physical and mental abilities will tempt her to be reckless, but she must learn to wield such power responsibly. Time is running out as more lives are tragically cut short and the search for the Third Protocol takes Selah into lands that have fallen into legend. Can Selah follow the trail of ancient artifacts and finish the quest? Or have she and her companions pinned their hopes on nothing more than a fanciful story?

My Review
The hardest part about reading this book was that it starts off so quickly, with so many characters and so much going on that I found it hard to get oriented. There’s a lot of story-specific vocabulary which isn’t explained right away (or in some cases at all) and several of the characters had similar names, so I kept mixing them up and forgetting which was which. I would have really liked a character glossary or list of pertinent terms, maybe even a map of the geography and Selah’s route for better orientation.

Storm follows Selah’s urgent quest to complete a task or find an element called the Third Protocol. She doesn’t know much about it, only what she learns along the way as she meets different people who each have a puzzle piece directing her onward. One thing I wish had been clearer is the part of the story that relates to the collection of children’s stories her brother and sister love called the Stone Braide stories. Those turn out to be pretty significant in terms of leading Selah on her quest, but I didn’t feel like that element was well-integrated into the story. The book is mentioned several times, but always in passing and then suddenly it contains answers that dramatically alter the quest, but still only gets a momentary focus. It would have been cool to see that developed more and have chapters begin with quotes from the book or have various trials along the way make Selah’s siblings share bits from the stories.

Other than some of the confusing elements, I feel like the story moved quickly and had a lot of action. I’m guessing some of the terms would be more familiar to me if I remembered more from earlier books or read the whole series pretty quickly. If you like books with a broad cast of characters and larger stage with a dystopian feel, this series has a lot to offer. I’d recommend beginning with the first book and either keeping some notes or reading all three books within a short time.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Some vague references to clans or tribes but few details in terms of culture or race.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kisses between a young man and woman.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Battle scenes involving arrows, guns, lasers, and explosives. Some characters are fatally wounded in battle. Brief descriptions of injuries.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron

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

The Forgetting
Sharon Cameron
Scholastic Press
Published on September 16th, 2016

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About The Forgetting

What isn’t written, isn’t remembered. Even your crimes.

Nadia lives in the city of Canaan, where life is safe and structured, hemmed in by white stone walls and no memory of what came before. But every twelve years the city descends into the bloody chaos of the Forgetting, a day of no remorse, when each person’s memories – of parents, children, love, life, and self – are lost. Unless they have been written.

In Canaan, your book is your truth and your identity, and Nadia knows exactly who hasn’t written the truth. Because Nadia is the only person in Canaan who has never forgotten.

But when Nadia begins to use her memories to solve the mysteries of Canaan, she discovers truths about herself and Gray, the handsome glassblower, that will change her world forever. As the anarchy of the Forgetting approaches, Nadia and Gray must stop an unseen enemy that threatens both their city and their own existence – before the people can forget the truth. And before Gray can forget her.

My Review

The characters were well-developed, and fit together like pieces in a puzzle. Nadia especially was a unique heroine–she stood out from the crowd of cookie-cutter YA heroines, and made herself heard. I really liked her style of character. It was refreshing. Gray, on the other hand, was a little bit cliche in his “I’m a player but I love only you” style of character, but I liked him anyway. (It seems that everyone can’t help but like Gray.) Liliya–vindictive, nasty Liliya–was sympathetic, even though she made herself disliked from the beginning. And Genivee was an adorable little cinnamon roll.

One issue I had with the characters: Eshan. He wasn’t well-developed, so I was slightly annoyed at how much emphasis was placed on him, even though he didn’t contribute much other than being a plot device to get the main characters together. Also, I wasn’t comfortable with the fact that the author made him (minor spoiler) gay. I felt like it was unnecessary, and thrown in just for show, especially since his character was so little developed.

The plot was engrossing. I was continually mystified as it progressed, and was only able to say”Aha! So that’s explains it,” at the very end. Sharon Cameron did an excellent job in layering her plot, and I’m sure you all will enjoy it. Note: I had problems with her other book, Rook, because of the intense romance and…ahem…the stuff it led to. She did a lot better in this book, but there was still a good bit of romantic stuff. See the content guide below for details.

The world-building in this one was excellent as well. It developed along with the story, and surprised me a lot. I’m not going to say anymore because of spoilers–you’ll just have to read it for yourself.

Overall: I immensely enjoyed this read. It was complex, and developed layer upon layer, so you felt like you were there, discovering and learning along with the characters. The style of writing, atmosphere, and overall feel of the book reminded me a lot of Matched by Ally Condie, but slightly darker. I can’t really put my finger on what it was, but I kept thinking about how similar it felt while I was reading it. Fans of Ally Condie and Ashley Bogner will love diving into this book. 5 out of 5 stars!


Recommended for Ages 14 and up

Cultural Elements
One character is revealed to be gay. 

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None that I can recall.

Romance/Sexual Content
Heavy kissing and embracing, semi-detailed. Characters almost lose control and go ‘all the way,’ but it doesn’t get beyond kissing and embracing on a bed. Some mentions of unwanted/unexpected pregnancies. Mention of ‘dalliances.’

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
There is a lot of violence in this one. Torture, beatings, attacks, blood, wounds, burns by acid, etc. Not overly gory, but not good for sensitive readers either.

Drug Content
Trees in and around Canaan produce flowers, the pollen of which causes people to forget their pasts.

Top Ten Books from 2017

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Top Ten Books from 2017

Here are some of my favorite books that came out this year, that have been reviewed here by Kasey or me:

The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill– February 7th, 2017

Stephanie Morrill’s latest book is a mystery set in Chicago during the Roaring 20s. It features a strong heroine and a swoon-worthy detective, along with several unexpected twists. Kasey reviewed this book back in March, and said it was a must read for historical fiction and mystery lovers alike. After reading it for myself, I definitely would agree!

The Illusionist’s Apprentice by Kristy Cambron– March 7th, 2017

The Illusionist’s Apprentice is another historical fiction/mystery novel set in the 1920s. It had some of the strongest written characters that I have come across, and an incredible plot to go along with it. I love the heartbreaking depth of Kristy Cambron’s writing, and highly recommend her latest novel. This book is a great follow-up for those looking for another book similar to The Lost Girl of Astor Street.

Shadow and Thorn (Andari Chronicles #4) by Kenley Davidson– March 12th, 2017

Kenley Davidson writes some of the best fairytale retellings that I have ever come across. Her latest addition to the series is a retelling inspired by Beauty and the Beast, and features the return of several characters from previous books. Kasey remarked that it was possibly one of the most clever retellings of Beauty and the Beast that she has ever come across, and that’s including the great Robin McKinley’s own retelling, Beauty. If you love fairytales as much as we do, you need to pick up this series ASAP!

Spindle Fire (Spindle Fire #1) by Lexa Hillyer– April 11th, 2017

Another fairytale retelling, but this one is much grittier. It’s a retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a dash of Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent thrown in for good measure. Kasey loved all of the characters in this book, and so did I–there’s a wide variety of personalities in this one, and all of them are fun to read. You might want to wait to read this one until the sequel comes out though–it ends in a horrific cliffhanger!

Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson– May 30th, 2017

In this book, Sara B. Larson (author of the Defy series) tells a story inspired by Swan Lake in a high-fantasy world that will bring back LOTR vibes. Creepy and magical by turns, it’s definitely a book that will give you chills at all the right times. The world-building was epic, and I adored the characters. I can’t wait to read the sequel!

Unraveling by Sara Ella– July 11th, 2017

If Dark Breaks the Dawn will give you chills, Unraveling by Sara Ella will make you cry. In a happy sort of way, of course. This book is the sequel to Unblemished, a world-hopping fantasy adventure that reminded me of the Chronicles of Narnia. It features my favorite book couple of all time, and one of the sweetest romances I’ve come across. Kasey likened it to The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, and The Storm Siren trilogy by Mary Weber. If you haven’t read Unblemished yet, be sure to give that one a go before diving into Unraveling, so you can understand what in the world is going on.

Reintegration by Ashley Bogner– August 15th, 2017

While I felt like this dystopian novel got off to a slow start, the ending made up for it many times over. I could not read fast enough to find out what happened! There was a lot of twists and surprises packed into the last few pages, and I’m looking forward to the second book to get some answers. I highly recommend adding this one to your dystopian shelf alongside books like The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron and the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie.

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore by Kelly Jones– September 19th, 2017

This book was hilarious.It’s the perfect light-hearted read, and an excellent way to recover from a book hangover. The tongue-in-cheek humor reminded me a lot of Cindy Anstey’s writing, as did the Regency-era setting. The magic system reminded me of Mary Robinette Kowal’s Glamourist Histories, while being cleaner and more accessible to a younger audience.  I’m hoping that Kelly Jones will turn this into a series, as I would love to see what happens to the characters next!

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson– September 26th, 2017

I was so thrilled to read this book, that I actually ended up preordering it (something that I almost never do). I wasn’t disappointed–this book was the perfect mixture of spooky and epic, and it makes for a great Halloween read. I would love to read more books set in this world, as Rogerson did an amazing job fleshing out the Fair Folk and their realm. This book will especially appeal to fans of Sara J. Maas and Holly Black.

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia– October 24th, 2017

This book was so good, I ended up reading and reviewing it twice. The characters have such amazing depth to them, as did the writing itself. I got chills as I read it through and came across an especially insightful conversation or end to a chapter. While it does have some content issues, it’s still well worth the read, as it gives an incredibly perceptive look at human nature.

What’s on your favorites list?

How about you? Do you have any favorite books that came out this year? Or are you ready to discover a new favorite by picking up one of these? Comment below; we’d love to hear your recommendations!

 

Review: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1)
Mary E. Pearson
Henry Holt and Co.
Published on July 8th, 2014

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About The Kiss of Deception
A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor’s secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can’t abide. Like having to marry someone she’s never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.

My Review

Part fantasy, part dystopian, The Kiss of Deception was very unique book with some incredible writing. This book had one of the most unique ways of using narration to build up tension that I have ever seen in a book. I won’t go into details, as I don’t want to spoil it, but this book is one surprise after another.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this one at first, but once I got past the first few chapters I was completely sucked in. I really liked Lia, and rooted for her as she worked on building herself a new life. While I can’t say I agree with all of her choices, the characterization was believable and I can understand where she was coming from.

The world-building, while interesting, at times just didn’t piece together very well. I had a hard time believing some aspects of it (especially when the prophecy becomes a part of the story–I would have preferred had the author left the story uncomplicated by “chosen one” tropes). My only other gripes are the insta-love and love triangle clichés that are featured in this story (though those are fairly mild compared to some other books I have read/heard of).

The Kiss of Deception is a fantastic read for teens who love complex fantasy. I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars, and recommend it to readers 14 and up.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Major characters are white. One group of people is described as barbaric in comparison to the others.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some British-esque cursing.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing and caressing between a boy and girl. Also several scenes contain some sexual innuendo. Definitely sexual tension between characters, and one off-page scene could be interpreted as a sexual encounter. A woman is pregnant out of wedlock.

Spiritual Content
Mention of gods and goddesses. High-fantasy type religion and prophecy stuff, though not described in depth.

Violent Content
Strong violence in several scenes. Some disturbing (mostly emotionally, though graphic as well) deaths. Scars from abuse.

Drug Content
Characters drink wine.

Review: A Single Stone by Meg McKinlay

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,

A Single Stone
Meg McKinlay
Candlewick Press
Published on March 14, 2017 (Orig. May 1, 2015)

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About A Single Stone
Every girl dreams of being part of the line—the chosen seven who tunnel deep into the mountain to find the harvest. No work is more important.

Jena is the leader of the line—strong, respected, reliable. And—as all girls must be—she is small; years of training have seen to that. It is not always easy but it is the way of things. And so a girl must wrap her limbs, lie still, deny herself a second bowl of stew. Or a first.

But what happens when one tiny discovery makes Jena question the world she knows? What happens when moving a single stone changes everything?

My Review
The harsh circumstances of life and Jena’s utter devotion to her people make A Single Stone a captivating story from the first page. I liked the unusual story world and Jena’s journey struggling to make sense of her community as she discovers some dark secrets about the way the leadership operates. I loved her friendships with Luka and Min, and the snippets about the mysterious outsider girl.

I loved the way the metaphor of a single stone being moved or stirred could cause a whole mountain to collapse. It created this sort of knife’s-edge feel to the whole story that’s echoed in every uncovered secret and every moment where Jena faces a difficult choice. Will she be the girl who brings down the mountain or her community in ruin or will she free them? Great tension there.

The story ended a lot differently than I expected. At one point, Jena makes an important confrontation, but I felt like her accusation gets lost in the confusion as a lot of other things happen suddenly. Her choice at the end of the book is a lot more personal rather than community oriented (though it still affects the community), and I guess I hoped for more? Maybe how it affects her other relationships or just a revisiting of the closeness she had with some of the other characters.

On the whole, I really enjoyed reading A Single Stone, and especially loved Jena’s character. This is a great pick for readers looking for dystopian stories but not yet ready for the likes of The Hunger Games or Divergent.

Recommended for Ages 9 to 12.

Cultural Elements
Characters appear to be white. The village is small and cut off from any other known cities or human populations. Women lead the village. Girls are the more highly valued children because of their size and ability to navigate small spaces.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
The village has some call and response types of rituals, but they don’t seem to be based on worship of any particular deity.

Violent Content
Female children wear tight wraps on their limbs and torsos which limit their growth in hopes that they’ll grow up to be small enough to climb through the tight crevices of the mountain. Jena learns that the mothers manipulate other elements of growth, sometimes with fatal consequences, in order to try to create a generation of smaller girls to support the village.

When one girl becomes trapped in the rock, the others pull her out, knowing this could cause her thin bones to break, possibly even cause her death.

A girl falls from the top of a rock and dies.

Jena recalls a memory of her own mother’s death following childbirth.

Drug Content
The Mothers use various drugs and medicines to cure illnesses, reduce pain, and at times alter their patients.

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