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Review: Machinations by Hayley Stone

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, New Adult 18up, Romance, Sci-Fi, , , ,

machinationsMachinations
Hayley Stone
Hydra/Random House

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Rhona remembers dying on the battlefield as Camus held her. When she wakes in a chamber, far from the battlefield, she learns a startling truth: she’s not the original Rhona. She’s a clone.

She races home to a hidden military base where her team of resistance fighters waits for her to lead them against the Machines who’ve chosen to end humanity as a logical solution to establishing world peace. There, she must convince her former allies and the man who first loved Rhona that she’s capable of leading them in a war for humanity’s survival.

I liked that this book paired the elements of a robot/artificial intelligence uprising and the morality/personhood of a human clone together into one fast-paced, fascinating tale. I liked that the plot hinged on whether Rhona could prove her value, not just as a military leader, but as a human being.

I wanted to see that idea juxtaposed against the value of artificial intelligence to kind of explore at what point a machine gains value as an independent life form, if ever. I just thought that would have been interesting—to have a clone on one side of the battle lines compared to AI on the other. Instead, the machines, though highly intelligent, remain largely personality-less, which is okay. However, for the directions the plot pursues, it made sense.

For some reason I really struggled with Camus’s name. I kept forgetting what it was and then wasn’t sure how to pronounce it, which I found a little distracting. I liked that he had this really strong, strategy-oriented approach to life. Rhona’s strengths and weaknesses were very much opposite to his. The fact that they so obviously needed each other and that together they could be such effective leaders definitely amped up the tension between them. Everyone wrestled with whether or not to allow Rhona to resume her former post as commander.

Another total gem in Machinations—the dialogue. I loved Rhona’s snappy one-liners and the way she often said completely absurd things to diffuse tension or make a point. The way she interacted with other characters made her believable and distinct, so I immediately liked her.

What I really didn’t like? The cover. Nothing about that image connects me to the story. I wanted to see the fierce Alaskan winter landscape, the machines. Something like that. The image of the girl on the cover doesn’t look like a warrior back from the dead. I don’t think I’d have picked this up off the shelf in a bookstore.

If you liked These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner or Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, give Machinations a read. The humor is toned down a little bit compared to Illuminae. The balance of romance to sci-fi reminded me a lot of These Broken Stars.

Cultural Elements
One of Rhona’s allies is a German man named Ulrich. He expresses himself in German several times, which I enjoyed. I loved it because I actually understood a lot without needing the context or explanation in the narrative. Other than that, most of the named characters appear to be either white American or European. A Japanese doctor treats Rhona’s injuries, and he speaks to the leadership on her behalf. The narrative describes one woman as having dreads and the appearance of an Amazon warrior.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Moderate profanity used moderately frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Camus tests Rhona, asking her about various memories, including the last time they made love. For two sentences-ish, she briefly remembers (more the romance of it than the particulars.)

Spiritual Content
Vague references to prayer. Because Rhona is a clone, the story delves into whether or not she is actually the real Rhona. Is she a slightly different person with the same inherent value, or merely a copy, a scientific abomination? The story discusses some issues of morality concerning human cloning.

Violent Content
When the story opens, Rhona dies of a gunshot wound. Rhona and her allies fight the armed machines. Later, one of Rhona’s allies talks about a former capture by the machines in which he was brutally tortured. He shows scars on his arms from electric burns.

Drug Content
After battles or other trauma, medical staff administer medicine to manage pain and hysteria.

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

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Top Ten Underrated Books

Blogger's Favorites, Lists, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, ,

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme lists underrated books, or books with fewer than two thousand ratings on Goodreads. I’ve talked about a lot of these books before. Some are indie or small press novels. Others remain largely undiscovered for reasons I can’t quite figure. All are books I would happily pick up and read all over again.

Top Ten Underrated Books

Glass Girl by Laura Anderson Kurke

You know when you find one of those books where the writing itself is as beautiful as the story? Glass Girl is like that to me. Big emotions, great characters, and a totally swoon-worthy romance. I’m no cowgirl, but I totally loved this Wyoming story.

To Get to You by Joanne Bischof

This one took me by surprise. After reading the back cover copy, I wasn’t totally sure what I’d be getting into. Something about best friends and a cross-country trip? Reuniting with an estranged parent? It sounded a little Hallmark-y to me, in all honesty. Bischof won me over with her straightforward writing. She kept it real when it came to Riley’s relationship with his dad. I liked the way she set up the relationships – the history between Riley and his parents, and his developing relationship with the girl.

The Unlikely Debut of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill

Seriously. If you have a girl in early teens and you’re looking for clean, funny books with a lot of heart, and you haven’t read anything by Stephanie Morrill, just stop now and fix that. I always laugh. I always cry. I always wish for another chapter. Good stuff. (Did I mention she has a historical mystery coming out next year?! I. Can’t. Wait!!!)

I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires by Cathy Gohlke

Every time I read historical fiction, I think I should read more of it because I enjoy it so much, especially when it’s as done as well as Christy Award-winning author Cathy Gohlke’s novels. This novel goes deep and paints the Civil War in stark detail. For history fans interested in a clean read, this is a must.

Chasing Lilacs by Carla Stewart

I love when authors tackle difficult subjects with poise and honesty, and that’s just what Carla Stewart does in her debut novel Chasing Lilacs. Twelve year-old Sammie faces her mother’s mental health issues and suicide during a time (the 1950s) when these things were hushed up. It’s a bit darker than some of my other selections here, but still a worthy read.

Wind and Shadow by Kathy Tyers

Okay, don’t read the Goodreads copy because it’s really confusing. This book is a continuation of Tyers’ Firebird series, so it’s probably best to start there. I read this one first, and I promise it’s not as confusing as Goodreads makes it sound. Wind Haworth was my favorite character. She’s a young diplomat trying to find her place in a very tense politically volatile situation. I really liked the marriage of politics and sci-fi in this novel.

Liberty by Annie Laurie Cechini

This is a light, fun sci-fi story that I think would appeal to fans of Firefly. A quirky crew and a space mission. What’s not to like? Definitely worth checking this one out.

Update – sorry. It looks like this one is currently out of print!

Mercy’s Prince by Katy Huth Jones

I remember being really impressed with the fact that the characters don’t whine when they’re faced with really tough choices. (I mean, let’s face it. Whining can ruin a great story. Even Luke Skywalker’s whining got old, right?) I found the whole can-do attitude and the story itself really intriguing and refreshing.

Traitor’s Masque by Kenley Davidson

I love fairy tales retold, so as soon as I saw this retelling of Cinderella, I was intrigued. This isn’t a classic Cinderella. Davidson’s heroine finds herself recruited to spy for an unknown Lord who promises, in exchange, the one thing she wants most: freedom from her step-mother’s domain. What will she do when completing her task requires her to betray the prince with whom she’s falling in love?

Curio by Evangeline Denmark

I read this book months ago and I still wake up thinking about it sometimes. I loved the story-within-a-story element to this novel. What is it about a boy with wings that I find so intriguing, too? Gah. I loved it. If you’re a fan of dystopian stories or steampunk, you definitely have to check this one out.

Have you read these books?

If you’ve read and enjoyed any of these books, help the author out. Take a few minutes and rate them on Goodreads and post a quick review! You don’t have to do anything fancy. Think of two things you liked and a book or genre that you found similarly enjoyable whose readers might also enjoy the book. Post, and you’re done!

Doing this really helps an author out. Amazon and other sites have goofy rules about what promotional tools authors can access based on the number of reviews posted for their work.

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Review: Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

Paper Wishes
Lois Sepahban
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Ten year-old Manami loves her home on peaceful Bainbridge Island. Then her family and other Japanese American members of the community are forced to relocate to internment camps. Manami tries to smuggle her family’s dog, Yujiin, into the camp, but is forced to leave him behind. The foreign circumstances and grief over her lost dog cause her to stop speaking. Instead, Manami expresses herself through drawings she creates every night. She draws memories of Yujiin and writes asking him to find her family. She will only find her voice again if she can work through her guilt over losing Yujiin.

This realistic debut tackles a dark moment in US history, when in 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the incarceration of many Japanese Americans. As is so typical of the experience of a child, Manami focuses on one traumatic change—having to leave her dog behind—and this becomes representative to her of all that her family has lost and the grief they suffer. Sepahban’s story stays true to many elements of the historical account of Manzanar, an internment camp in California. While this is a heavy subject for middle readers, the tale walks a fine balance between capturing the true injustice of the camps without relaying too much for young readers to understand.

I love that an author has written something about this moment in our history. I think too often we want to forget the bleakest moments, especially in our own history. To do so leaves us vulnerable to making the same mistakes again. Certainly this story comes as a timely reminder even today, that to judge an entire group of people by the actions of a very small number of radicals, is not only tragic but terrible and wrong.

When I read Paper Wishes, it reminded me in some ways of Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. In Number the Stars, Lowry follows the story of a girl whose best friend must go into hiding because she is Jewish. While the story doesn’t delve into the true horrors of Nazi occupied Holland, it does give readers a view into those events that is child-sized, both in its simplicity and its relating of historical facts.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Manami learns that her brother has a girlfriend, and her family is unhappy about it. She wrestles with her own feelings about the relationship.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Manami learns of a riot in the camp. Her parents rush her inside and away from noises of an angry crowd. One boy has been killed. Another dies soon after. She’s largely sheltered from the actual events.

Drug Content
None.

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

 

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Top Ten Middle Grade Reads

Blogger's Favorites, Lists, Middle Grade 8-12,

Top Ten Middle Grade Reads (2015-2016)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today, my spin on the topic is this: middle grade reads. As the parent of an enthusiastic middle grade reader, I’m always looking for books that will spark conversations, explore interesting ideas, or generate all those deep emotions as only a well-written book can. Here are the best of the middle grade books I’ve read in the last couple of years.

The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I loved the way the author used information about jellyfish in this story, but what was ultimately most powerful was Suzy’s voice. This story packed a big emotional punch, and I love that.

The Year of the Book by Andrea Cheng

Review to come | Amazon | Goodreads

While I haven’t made it to posting this review yet, this is another must-read, in my humble blogger opinion. I completely identified with Anna’s struggle to connect with her friends and find peace in her identity.

Grayling’s Song by Karen Cushman

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Quirky characters were the big win for me in this novel. I mean, seriously?! A shape-shifting mouse? So cute. And the team of unlikely allies reminded me of the team of odd part-dragon characters helping Seraphina in Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman.

Escape from Sudan by Amanda DiCianni

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

This was another unexpected find. When the author, who’d been a missionary to this part of the world, approached me with Escape from Sudan, the subject of the story definitely interested me. Books like this one are great ways to start conversations about world events and to introduce those ideas in ways appropriate for middle readers.

It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

This is another tale with a powerful punch. In the wake of the hostage crisis in Iran, an Iranian-American girl navigates a suddenly hostile California town. She’s smart, funny and immediately goes for the heartstrings. I want this book in classrooms everywhere.

Just My Luck by Cammie McGovern

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Too often simple kindness gets overlooked in our fast-paced modern world. In this story, Benny wrestles with being kind to others in the midst of troubling family circumstances: his father suffered an accident and may never be the same. I loved Benny from page one.

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

As part of a school history project, Deja discovers the truth about what changed the New York skyline on September 11, 2001, and the connection it has to her family. While this one got a little preachy– a side effect of the classroom setting for many of the book’s scenes– I really appreciated the honest but not graphic look at another big moment in US history.

Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban

Review to Come | Amazon | Goodreads

I’m cheating a bit, since my review for this book won’t be posted until the middle of July. But seriously. Another great, really relevant book. A young girl is forced to leave her island town with her family to live in a Japanese Internment camp. The details are all gentle– it’s very middle grade level stuff– but it absolutely captures the message about how traumatic and wrong that moment in American history was.

When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I love the blend of noir and humor in this wacky mystery. This was one series that had both my daughter and me watching for release dates and rushing to the bookstore to get the copy of the latest release.

Between Shadows by Kathleen Cook Waldron

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I had the pleasure of meeting this author on vacation a few months before her book came out. My grandmother’s death was a hugely significant loss in my life, so when she described her novel about a boy and his family rediscovering one another after his grandfather’s death, I was instantly intrigued. I’m super excited that I got to read it!

What are your favorite middle grade books?

You’ve read my list. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which books top your favorites for middle grade literature? (Thing ages 8-12.) Leave a comment with your answer!

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Review: Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine

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

Paper and Fire
Rachel Caine
New American Library/Random House
Available July 5, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Jess survived induction into the Library, but life as one of their soldiers is far more grueling than he expected. The girl he loves is locked away forever, and his best friend is lost. When rumors bring Jess’s old classmates together again, they face a terrible choice: a rescue mission that would mean living the rest of their lives on the run from the Library, if they manage to escape. Jess promises refuge with his family, but even he isn’t sure he can count on his father to hide them without having something valuable to offer in return.

After devouring the series opener, INK AND BONE, (and then pestering everyone I know to also go read it) I was anxious to start reading PAPER AND FIRE. I love Jess. Something about the combination of his cleverness and vulnerability makes it essential for me to root for him.

I felt like the story in INK AND BONE was a tiny bit more organized, but I still really enjoyed PAPER AND FIRE. In the first book, I was nervous about liking each new character as they were introduced. In PAPER AND FIRE, I was biting my nails down to the quick because again and again, all the characters I love find themselves in mortal peril. I kept having to stop and take a breath.

One of the really difficult things for a series like this where the story world is so unbelievably inventive is that the second book doesn’t have that wow factor with regard to that story world. We already know about the Great Library and the sinister automata. Though they’re still as unique and interesting, I didn’t feel the same awe, because I had kind of already acclimated to the wonder. If that makes sense. I felt the same way about THE HUNGER GAMES. But by the second book, I was like, oh yeah, the Arena. I remember that. Not quite the same.

So yeah. That’s my take. Still a great read, and possibly cleaner than the first book. I’m super excited to see what happens in the next book, ASH AND QUILL.

Content Notes

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some passionate kissing. At one point, it seems like two characters are winding up to have sex, but they argue instead, and that kills the mood.

Two men kiss.

Jess and his friends learn that in the Iron Tower, Obscurists are matched based on ability and forced to have sex in order to produce children. The process isn’t described, but during Morgan’s imprisonment, Jess worries for her and hates the idea of her being forced into anything.

Spiritual Content
Khalila is a practicing Muslim.

Violent Content
Burners use Greek fire to set books and themselves ablaze. They also use it against soldiers and members of the Great Library. Jess serves as a soldier and faces battle. The battle descriptions are more about the strategy than about warfare. Guns are used.

Jess and the others learn that Wolfe and other prisoners were tortured. While there aren’t scenes actively depicting the torture, characters who’ve experienced it react strongly to any triggers, and there are some references to the fact that it happened. At one point, Jess and the team find the room where others have been tortured.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links which don’t cost you anything but help support this blog.

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Review: To Get to You by Joanne Bischof

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

To Get to You
Joanne Bischof
Mason Jar Books

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When Becca’s dad is involved in a serious accident, Riley vows to do whatever he can to help her. As her family packs up their motor home and takes off to be with her dad, he watches helplessly as she leaves him behind. A call asking for help is all it takes to send Riley on a journey after her. But then his car breaks down and Riley finds himself stranded with only one option: to call the father who abandoned him for fortune and fame as a pro surfer. Determined not to let his dad back into his life, Riley plans on keeping his head down and focusing on what matters: making it to Becca’s side. But the long journey isn’t without its own ups and downs, and Riley has to admit that there’s more to his dad than he wanted to credit him with. The two hammer out their differences as they cross state lines, making their way toward Becca’s family and the girl Riley hopes to make his future with.

At first, I wasn’t sure I’d like this book. The pro surfer thing didn’t really resonate with me, and I worried that it would be kind of too feel-good or obnoxiously clean or something. While the writing is very clean, I found the story to be largely authentic. I liked that Riley finds value in Becca and wants to protect her, even from things he thought were okay in his own past. Honestly, I liked Riley, period. I liked his dad and Saul, too. I thought Saul made a great third wheel and really brought some humor and warmth to the story in some of its harder moments.

I loved that Riley connected with not only Becca but her larger family, too. In my own life, my parents were kind of those sort of people, where our home was a place our friends liked to be, and their connections went beyond my sister and me to include my parents as well. That model definitely resonates with me as an authentic expression of Christianity, so I enjoyed that part of To Get to You, even though it was a smaller, less central element.

Overall I found this book to be a great clean read with a strong spiritual center. It’s the first time I’ve read anything by Joanne Bischof, but I’d definitely read other novels she’s written. To Get to You is a 2016 Christy Award finalist, an honor I think is well-deserved.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Riley makes some oblique references to his past dating experience, stating that he probably owes some girls an apology. We never get specific details about what happened, but we definitely sense his shame and how foreign Becca’s family’s strict rules are.

Spiritual Content
Riley has a mentoring relationship with a local pastor who holds him accountable. Riley thinks a lot about wanting to treat Becca right according to the guidelines her conservative Christian parents set for her.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Brief references to the fact that Riley used to smoke.

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