The world is gone, destroyed by human, ecological, or supernatural causes. Survivors dodge chemical warfare and cruel gods; they travel the reaches of space and inhabit underground caverns. Their enemies are disease, corrupt corporations, and one another; their resources are few, and their courage is tested.

Powerful original dystopian tales from nine bestselling authors offer bleak insight, prophetic visions, and precious glimmers of light among the shards and ashes of a ruined world.

My Thoughts:
I’m obsessed with dystopians, so coming across Shard and Ashes was like Christmas for me (despite the weird cover that made me think it was a paranormal anthology instead.) But I find that short stories can be hit or miss for me. On one hand they allow me to explore many different worlds, but on another hand sixty pages is sometimes not enough to develop a world or to make me invested in the characters (which explains why it took me a week to finish this one.) There were also moments were I felt some of these short stories were just leftover scraps, as if they were not fully fleshed out ideas. This made evident in the abrupt way some of these stories ended, as if the author had a host of great ideas, but ran out of steam halfway through. Of course, not ALL of the stories in this collection were like that. And despite the my disappointment in plot, all these different dystopian imaginings kept me turning pages.

Hearken by Veronica Roth
Roth does character development very well in this one (arguably the most developed characters you’re going to get in this anthology,) and in less than forty pages. I am impressed. But I am still not quite sure what’s happening in this world, or if should belong in this anthology if Roth’s name wasn’t so big. In this world, there are gifted people who can hear “life” and “death” songs (so I guess they are prophets?.) And a girl listens to her alcoholic mother’s song and suddenly understands her despite being a poor daughter. One of the most rushed endings that tried so hard to be deep. Yawn.

Branded by Kelley Armstrong
My favorite of the bunch. I am normally not much of a paranormal fan, but I didn’t mind the werewolves. What made this story stand out was that scene with the little girl being left behind by her family. Not only was that scene powerful, but it was a moment where I thought, “Woah, this author has guts.” I also like a smart, albeit slightly devious, protagonist any day.

Necklace of Raindrops by Margaret Stohl
Before throwing in random Chinese phrases, please consult a fluent Chinese speaker. Not only were most of the translations awkward, but, “WHY?? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?” I didn’t believe for one moment that they were in China and started disliking the story from the first page. Perhaps the story is supposed to be social criticism towards China’s corporate culture. Apparently in this world, people are given a necklace, and I guess you lose the beads depending on how much of a risk-taker you are. The statistics behind the necklace also calculate organ donation (which I found to be an interesting concept worth pursuing further.) And there’s also something about dropping out of a helicopter to commit suicide. Then there’s insta-love, and suddenly these reckless teenagers turn into masterminds who can hack into government databases for the sake of a quick ending. Ugh. I didn’t care for any of these people.

Dogsbody by Rachel Caine
A Cup game? Children abandon their families…because they want to see a soccer game. Do they pass out food and money at the game or something? I don’t get the logic. There are some heavy-handed commentary being made about capitalism. Also slightly reminds me of The Hunger Games. The plot twist fell short because it was predictable (when someone suspicious givens you the freedom to look at “proof,” chances are that “proof” has already been scrubbed clean.) And the protagonist is not very bright. All brawn and no brains. There’s also a teleportation machine thing that is able to take apart your cells and build you back up somewhere else. Futurama-style. The fast-pace made it an easy read though.

Pale Rider by Nancy Holder
What is happening again? Something about having supernatural powers, and who the land of magic seeped into the world. Same old, same old but much more confusing and dark.

Corpse Eaters by Melissa Marr
This story is like a horror flick that spent more time trying to get you to disturbed than tell a story. The image of reptilians always struck me as cheesy. I inevitably imagine Godzilla and poor CGI. There’s something about religion and Gods. Why do people believe these lizards are Gods and not just aliens strike me as bizarre. I am not sure I understand the intentions behind the characters–especially the father. This anthology loves its drunken, irresponsible parents. I enjoyed the idea of going undercover, leading a rebellion, but I was underwhelmed. I want my closure!

Burn 3 by Kami Garcia
New York City is a victim of global warming, causing a gigantic dome to be built. Unfortunately, UV rays can still get through and burn people. I imagine this world to be akin to Sarah Crossan’s Breathe cover. A 16-year old girl finds her little sister missing one day and goes on a “journey” to the sewers to find her due to the lack of help from the police–who are in denial. The “I must save my younger sister!” thing is becoming a trend, and it is making me dislike children. However, it’s still one of the stronger stories in this anthology.

Love Is a Choice by Beth Revis
This one would’ve probably worked better if I had actually read Across the Universe. But I haven’t, so I have no idea how the characters relate to the main story. I was bored with this one: ruler drugs everyone to make them his minions! I didn’t agree with the protagonist plans to lay in hiding on a spaceship for a decade or two to plan his rebellion (you are going to wait until the baby grows up? WHAT?.) How is that feasible? But I think the ending was refreshing.

Miasma by Carrie Ryan
Another story where a girl saves her sister. I need more world-building for this one. There’s a plague and there are a group of doctors with beaks and goggles coming in to “save” people with their plague-eating monsters. Clearly nobody wants these guys around taking away their family members, and but nobody does anything…Everyday, the protagonist. Frankie, works so she can bribe these doctors. Why she doesn’t go in hiding with her sister, and instead waits for the inevitable in her house is beyond me. I thought this story was a parody (I still hope it is) because Frankie’s daydreams are laughable. She meets a boy in the house she works in who gives her a rose. Then she starts imagining him rubbing a rose petal over her face, and god knows what other secret fantasies she has in store. Then when he comes over to her house, she thinks he wants to get in her pants. I imagine him being very frightened–but of course, he is “in love” with her. And blah blah blah. There’s also a “twist,” which was fairly obvious when his clothing was described. And there’s this melodramatic ending where they hold up everyone else on the boat because they spend forever fighting over who should stay. I was annoyed to the point I wanted to push her off the boat.

Rating: C–

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

My Thoughts:
This book has NO “negative” reviews! Now I have to be the weirdo. This review will have spoilers about Cinder, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know.
I hoped Scarlet would redeem the series for me since I was one of the few people who wasn’t a fan of Cinder. While I know why Marissa Meyer set Cinder in China (because the tale of Cinderella originated there,) the way she handled the culture was a complete mess, and greatly hindered my enjoyment throughout the novel. Thank goodness, I only had to bear Meyer’s misuse of Chinese honorifics in one scene in Scarlet. Scarlet, on the other hand, is largely set in France–a country I have no experience/associations with and therefore would not notice if there were cultural discrepancies. I was right, Scarlet annoyed me a lot less than Cinder did, but still a book I would hesitate to wholeheartedly recommend.

Juvenile Writing, Tackling Uneasy Subjects and Relationships:
This is more of a personal gripe. I just checked Amazon, and apparently Scarlet is targeted towards ages 12 and up (I always thought the book was targeted towards 16 and up, oops!,) so I guess the lengthy writing that often made me feel like Meyer is underestimating her readers is suitable after all. There is a scene were the author suggests a one night stand (okay, maybe it was a one week stand, but that’s not that much better) and also the brief suggestion of rape in another. Being that the age level is twelve, I see why these topics are glossed over, but it also makes me feel like the author is not confident enough to tackle these issues despite throwing them in.

Queen Levana: GIMMIE THE BACKSTORY!:
I know I am supposed to hate Levana, but I had problems finding a reason to hate her. I get that she wants world domination–and that’s always bad–but I wanted to find out WHY she wanted so many people to love her. Was she bullied? A social outcast? World domination is not easy. Not sure why she has to marry Kai either. Why not just kill him and win world domination through conquest? But I just imagine her as a desperate cougar.

I would personally spend my time reading than ruling the world. Cinder tries to make her hateful by describing her burn wounds as a baby, but I felt that was too forced. If her orchestrating the mutation of her people into werewolves and the destruction of thousands of lives didn’t make me hate her, a baby getting burned won’t miraculously do the trick.
If Cinder’s stepmother made me feel for her, despite her “evilness” (which I felt was one of the brighter moments in Cinder,) Queen Levana should have a fleshed out story as well.
Maybe her story is revealed in the novella? I certainly hope so.

Cinder, Poor Girl Gets Overshadowed:
I like Cinder and Scarlet equally, they both have their strengths, but also can be too oblivious or have anger issues. While reading the story, I felt much more invested in Scarlet’s character and Cinder quickly became overshadowed. I also felt Cinder became less appealing, not only because she was overshadowed, but because everything became too convenient with her new Lunar powers. Now not only did she have cyborg powers of quick problem solving and the ability to fix hardware by connecting them to her…head? but also mind-control AND the ability to make spaceships undetectable. It felt like every time the author hit a plot hole, she “solved” it by giving Lunars a new ability. “Oh shoot, how is Cinder going to break out of prison? Eh, she can just mind control the guard with her Lunar gift! Oh shoot, how is Cinder going to travel undetected in a gigantic spaceship? Um, well Lunars have the ability to do that too! Oh no, Cinder is stuck in a crowd, how will she get out of it? That’s easy! Her Lunar gift can change her appearance to disguise her from everyone!” What can this girl NOT do? And how much of it is actually attributed to her as a person…and not because she has the ability to download and process manuals from the Internet. Suddenly, it felt like Cinder became invincible. Her “let’s connect electronics to my cyborg brain” thing made her even harder to relate to.

Cinder & Kai:
I was okay with Cinder & Kai’s relationship in Cinder–even though Kai didn’t have much of a personality aside from being handsome (he also has way too much time on his hands for being the leader of the entire Eastern Commonwealth.) In Cinder, he struck me as a very poor leader, spending his time being angry, relying on his advisors, not showing up on time to state meetings, and hitting on a girl. Kai really got the short end of the stick in Scarlet, in the few scenes he does appear in, he only serves as background details to the plot. He still has yet to win me over. I wonder how Kai and Cinder relationship will work out, precisely, how Kai will react when he finds out Cinder’s true identity as Princess Selene. Will he be jumping for joy? And how will he convince Cinder to be with him without being a jerk that’s like “I know you are the princess, so let’s marry and everything will be fine and dandy! And let’s ignore the whole part about locking you up in prison, doubting you, and stuff.” It’s going to be sappy. I can just feel it.

Scarlet & Wolf, Echoes of Twilight/A Discovery of Witches:
Not instalove, but dangerously close. Their relationship progressed in the way that romance novels do: the characters don’t trust one another and there’s some tension, but then they suddenly realize that they are made for one another. How fast their relationship gave me this schadenfreude feeling. I didn’t want it to be THAT easy. I WANTED THEM NOT TO WORK OUT. I am evil like that. And because I thought Scarlet did not deserve Wolf. Seriously, that girl has some anger issues. When Wolf comments on her scent, she immediately snaps at him, telling him it’s none of his business. That is NOT how you treat a guy who is willing to help you track down your missing grandmother. There’s a difference between being a badass and being rude and ungrateful.

I admit, there were some sweet moments, but when I got to the end, their relationship made me wince.
I felt Wolf had more development than Kai though, so I did root for him. But there was a point where I just felt bad for him because Scarlet was just–mean. I could just picture him being that wounded dog thrown out into the rain.
And then came the Twilight echoes. Scarlet was made to be this independent, strong-willed girl, but then she still depended so much on Wolf to save the day. There are moments when she overestimates herself, kind of like Diana from A Discovery of Witches. And then Wolf had the whole “I am too dangerous for you! You have no idea how close I was to harming you…” thing. Ugh.

Blending Fairytale with Sci-fi:
I appreciate how Meyer weaved sci-fi and fairy tales together. The fairy tale elements are often in the background, while the characters have a life of their own. There was a moment, when Scene ran onto a stage in an opera house that was supposed to be a “forest,” that struck me as heavy handed and unnecessary. Perhaps it was especially annoying because she was supposed to be in great danger, yet the author still makes her run through a stupid “forest” for the sake of tying it into the fairytale.

Addressing Plot-Holes: THOSE ID CHIPS
The id-chips left me with a lot of questions in Cinder: how did these id-chip stealing androids get placed in a government facility? Is this a conspiracy? And I am glad Meyer addressed them. Somewhat. I still felt it could have been better handled.
Apparently the general public CARE about those chips, and would riot if they knew it was stolen, because it’s VERY important to the family–or so it is said. Which is a surprise, because nobody seems to care enough to claim it after their loved one’s death. Or even notice its disappearance. ID-chips causing a riot? I doubt it.

Overall, I felt Scarlet was slightly stronger than Cinder due to more character development in the new characters, though it also had quite a few flaws that made Scarlet a slow read for me. Scarlet has the same fast-paced, action-packed, sci-fi and loose fairytale qualities I enjoyed in Cinder though. It’s a pity that Cinder and Kai recede into the background, which makes me scared that the next books will do the same thing and introduce more new characters at the expense of the old. If you loved Cinder, I am certainly you will love Scarlet. Just be prepared not to see Kai or Cinder too much.

As for me, although I was not impressed with the series thus far, each book for slightly different reasons, I know I will probably still read the next book, hoping it will change my mind. I am determined to like this series!

Rating: C+

Dualed (2013)
by Elsie Chapman
Publication Date: February 26, 2013
Goodreads.
Amazon.
Barnes and Noble.
IndieBound.

I’m very excited to be featuring Elsie Chapman today as part of the Dualed Blog Tour!

Q: Share with us some of the inspiration behind DUALED! How long did it take you to write and sell DUALED? And now that you are a 2013 debut author, how does that effect your writing schedule??

The first draft of DUALED took me five weeks, but revisions and took me much longer. In the end, almost everything evens out, it seems. And I think it took me about three months to sell DUALED.

I couldn’t be happier with how it all worked out! But I’m definitely feeling more of a time crunch now that there’s one book already in the works. Because with follow-up books that you might be drafting or editing, you’re still having to edit or promote your first book at the same time. I’m still struggling with better time management, and I’ve learned it is wholly possible to survive on four hours of sleep a night.

Q: You or your Alt? If you lived in Kersh, who do you think would win the dual? What would you use to fight your Alt (weapons, strategy, fighting skills)?

I hate to say it but I think my Alt would probably kick my butt. Not only do I know my own tendencies and weaknesses, I also couldn’t imagine she’d be any worse. But of course it would still have to come down to a battle, so I think if I stood any chance at all, I’d probably have to rely on doing something sneaky.

Don’t forget to check out the other blog tour stops and enter the tour-wide giveaway for a finished copy of Dualed (open internationally, as long as The Book Depository ships to your country.)

Click here to go to Rafflecopter giveaway!

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

My Thoughts:
I love sci-fi and fairytale re-telling. With all the praise surrounding Cinder, I was certain this would be my book. It wasn’t. I enjoyed Meyer’s futuristic interpretation of Cinderella, she had an interesting concept–unfortunately the execution was lacking, especially the clumsy world building. Perhaps I’m Chinese that I am particularly critical of how my culture is being portrayed, and Cinder irritated me on that front. It was also on the predictable side, where we all knew the plot-twist before page 100–yet I was still eager to keep exploring Cinder’s eccentric characters.

Shallow World-Building, Why not set it in Europe already?: Asian Culture Goes Beyond Cranes, Kimonos, and Dumplings, People!
Like the book mentions, the culture in Cinder is really just “cobbled together from many [Asian] cultures.” Except the main cultures haplessly “cobbled” together are just the Japanese and Chinese (there are Arabic and Sanskrit influences on a few names, but that’s it)…and a large helping of Western culture. Sure, the language and descriptions have figments of Asian (by Asian, I mean only Japanese and Chinese) culture, but the way they act is completely Westernized. The concept of having a “ball” is completely Western (on another note, why someone would wear a kimono to a dance is beyond me.) So is kissing people on the hand. I am sure the music that was played during the ball was probably Bach or Chopin and not traditional oriental music. And the way Cinder talks her elders? I don’t mean to be stereotypical, but if I spoke like that, I would be thrown out of the house.

The world in Cinder had all the signs of a Western society, plus maybe a few cranes, bamboo, Buddha dolls–and dumplings.

What Happened To The Technology?!
Another issue I have with Cinder is that I didn’t believe it was set in the future at all. Apparently they’ve invented androids, cyborgs, hover cars, but why is life still so pitiful? People still have to work in markets out in the open (I guess there’s no online shopping anymore?,) actually go to meetings in person, and their medical facilities are just pitiful. On top of it, they have a disease they cant cure so people are dropping like flies. There are auto-drive functions in hover cars, but I guess not in normal cars, because Cinder still crashes into a tree.

Language: Confusing, Random Honorifics:
One of the most confusing, jarring parts of Cinder is their names, along with the honorifics. I rather Meyer forego the use of honorifics altogether since it seems to do more harm than good.
In the acknowledgements, Meyer thanks Paul Manfredi Ph.D. for his assistance in Chinese honorifics. I don’t have a doctorate degree, but I do speak fluent Chinese so I do think I am qualified to add my two cents on the use of Chinese honorifics. I think Meyer got confused between Japanese and Chinese honorifics. While both cultures use honorifics, Chinese tend to use them to a lesser degree–especially in modern times, and when they ARE used they usually denote a special relationship (along with respect). In Meyer’s FAQ section on her website, she explains the usage of a few honorifics:

For my futuristic culture, I simplified it to the following five honorifics used in the Eastern Commonwealth:

-dàren: for a high-ranking official
-shìfu: for an older male
-jūn: for a younger male
-jiĕ: for an older female
-mèi: for a younger female

Jiĕ and mèi are the two most commonly used honorifics in Cinder, and their usage always puzzles me and strikes me as clumsy (or unnecessary clunky) writing. Whatever happened to the the honorifics for royalty? How about doctors? And Mr and Mrs?

Prince Kai refers to Cinder as Lihn-mèi, but using mèi denotes a close relationship. And for a guy to use it, he is usually as close to the girl as he is to a sister (even closer than if he were to use her first name.) It is very surprising for a PRINCE to use it, and to a girl he barely knows!

Cinder refers to her mother (albeit stepmother) by her first name, which is just rude. She also refers to her father with his first name. I should just accept that Cinder has barely anything to do with Asian culture.

I admit after reading the acknowledgments, I had to wonder just how much help from the PhD Meyer got (so I Googled him.) Or if I was the stupid one who didn’t know anything about her own culture and the language she spoke fluently.

Names: Wrong Romanization/Pinyin
The names in Cinder seem to either come from Chinese or Japanese names. At first I thought the royal family would have Chinese origins since they rule New Beijing after all. But it turns out Japan must’ve taken over at some point because their names are Japanese (is this Meyer hinting at Japan’s superiority over China?.) Rikan can be both Chinese or Japanese, so can Kai. But later I find out Kai is short for Kaito–which can only be derived from Japanese romanization. Curiously, we never get his last name.

I can accept the Japanese names, but the Chinese ones are a mess. I appreciate Meyer for putting tone marks on the honorifics, but they don’t appear anywhere else. Even without tonemarks Lihn should be “pinyinned” as Lin. I’m not sure if Nainsi is supposed to be a Chinese derivative of “Nancy” whoever named her fell asleep on the keyboard, but that n in the middle should not be there. The only one that has a believable Chinese name is Chang Sacha, but then her son (Sunto) is either misspelled or Japanese. For a Chinese-based world, there aren’t many Chinese names. Or maybe Chinese names are a pain to pronounce (I know, because I gave up trying to teach people how to pronounce my Chinese name.)

Romance:
I appreciated that Cinder didn’t fall in love at first glance, but I still don’t find Prince Kai that appealing. That is probably due to his inappropriate bursts of sarcasm during political meetings.

Why Do People Hate Cyborgs Again?
From what I gather, cyborgs are still human with a few prosthetics, yet apparently they are hated as second class citizens. Melo-dramatic, much? I am sure if any of those other people ever lost a limb, they would welcome a prosthetic instead of being leg-less for the rest of their life too.

Politics, MOON PEOPLE ARE OUT TO GET US. I really Don’t Get Politics. Real or Fictional.
I admit that I was left confused over how the politics work. Apparently the queen of the moon is going to wage war with Earth if they don’t give her control because she’s evil and she feels like it…yet she wants to marry a prince ten years her junior even though she has mind-control powers. Why she doesn’t use mind-control for world domination to save herself the trouble is beyond me. Why Prince Kai still thinks there’s anything worth negotiating is beyond me. Why can’t he just send a nuclear bomb over to the moon? Problem solved. But I guess he is all for “peace,” so bombs are out of the question. I didn’t pay too much attention to the political talk since it seemed to get nowhere.

Characters:
I applaud the depth Meyer gives her characters. Surprisingly, I find the minor characters (Adri and Pearl more appealing than the main ones.) Despite Adri fulfilling the role as evil step-mother, I was sympathetic towards her losses (woman lost her husband and her daughter) and why she blames Cinder because of it. She was a mean grouch, but I thought she had legit reasons for her actions. Unlike the other “villain,” Queen Levana who is evil and seeks world domination because she can.

Cinder, The Mechanic with an Attitude (I think she needs anger management)
I love Cinder for her intelligence. She is a determined character that has an heart for people she loves. However, I often want her to chill out. When she meets the doctor who informs her about her past, her society, and Lunars (moon people), she freaks out and starts hyperventilating even though she thinks the doctor could be just a crazy old man. At one point she wants to hit the guy with a wrench, or shoot a bolt of lightning through his head. Poor guy.

For some reason Cinder is clueless about her own society and needs to be informed about the black market by a doctor (though I suspect he exists for info-dump purposes.) And people keep telling her national security secrets. After awhile, it gets in her head and she gives herself the responsibility to track down the enemy perpetrator by holding onto a communication chip instead of handing it to authorities. AND THE PRINCE IS OKAY WITH IT. So much for national security. She’s a mechanic, not a hacker.

Prince Kai, The Guy Who is Sarcastic in the Most Inappropriate Situations:
I am not sure being sarcastic to an “evil” queen with mind control powers is a good idea. While I think his sarcasm is supposed to be funny, I found him childish. I kept wishing he would grow up to prove himself as a great leader instead of trying to be sarcastic all the time. For a prince, he really has too much time on his hands.

Word of the Day: Thaumaturge
Thaumaturge must be Meyer’s favorite word. I can’t read “thaumaturge” without thinking “trauma-turd-ist” or “centrifuge.” Can someone tell me if using the word “magician,” “miracle worker,” or even “dowager” is too mainstream?

Plot-Twist, I Saw You Coming From Page 100
The plot twist was predictable, but I didn’t really mind since I was interested in getting to know the world and its interesting characters. Cinder, on the other hand, took a looonnng time to piece it all together (actually, she didn’t even piece it all together, which says something about her intelligence.)

Sailor Moon!
Meyer did write Salor Moon fanfiction, and it’s evident some of it seeped into Cinder. *coughSerena…Selenecough*

I am sure I’m the minority who didn’t fall head over heels into Cinder, and I’m sure a lot of it had to do with the sloppy world-building. While I have to give props to Meyers imagination, Cinder didn’t appeal to me liked I hoped it would. I read Cinder so I could get to Scarlet, but after Cinder–I am unsure if I want anymore of Meyer’s writing. Perhaps Scarlet would be better since it is set in France (and thank God not in China.)

Rating: C

Filled with grace, sensitivity and compassion, The Promise of Stardust is an emotionally resonant and thought-provoking tale that raises profound questions about life and death, faith and medicine, and illuminates the power of love to divide and heal a family in the wake of unexpected tragedy.

Matt Beaulieu was two years old the first time he held Elle McClure in his arms, seventeen when he first kissed her under a sky filled with shooting stars, and thirty-three when he convinced her to marry him. Now in their late 30s, the deeply devoted couple has everything-except the baby they’ve always wanted.

When an accident leaves Elle brain dead, Matt is devastated. Though he cannot bear the thought of life without her, he knows Elle was afraid of only one thing-a slow death. And so, Matt resolves to take her off life support. But Matt changes his mind when they discover Elle’s pregnant. While there are no certainties, the baby might survive if Elle remains on life support. Matt’s mother, Linney, disagrees with his decision. She loves Elle, too, and insists that Elle would never want to be kept alive on machines. Linney is prepared to fight her son in court-armed with Elle’s living will.

My Thoughts:
Please note that this is a DNF(did not finish) review. I very. very rarely DNF books, but I will tell you why.

I’m the minority of people who The Promise of Stardust just didn’t connect with. Perhaps it is because for me, there was no ethical grayness on the issue of saving the baby if the mother (who would’ve REALLY wanted a baby anyway) is on life support: “Well, of COURSE they should try save the baby. It is ONLY a few months. If Elle is already “brain dead,” it’s not like she’ll be in pain and she would’ve wanted the baby if she was alive.” I realize that this might be a careless thing to say, especially since I have no experience with having a family member on life support, but the “right” thing to do seemed right in front of me the entire time.

However, even though I was on Matt’s side, I can’t say I cared for him.
The story is from his point of view, so I was hoping to feel sympathetic towards him. Unfortunately, it never happened. He spent most of his time trying to blatantly convince me how angry/depressed/frustrated he was with verbose, uncompelling metaphors that left me bored–and fake, as if he was trying too hard to make me pity him. I wish more of his characterization was left to the imagination. I can tell you are angry, dude. You really don’t have to tell me. He was a flat character. He wasn’t real to me and felt more like a dramatized character formed out of Hollywood’s perception of what a depressed widow should act like. Mope around. Refuse help. Break stuff. *yawn*
I wanted more from Matt’s mother, hoping she would convince me to take her side. But for a woman that was supposed to be a confident nurse, she felt like a weak, clueless old lady.

I was also not a fan of the lawsuit or medical scenes, for the jargon left me befuddled most of the time. I think my confusion made the book seem longer than it was. I need a glossary.

dump the minutiae and get to the point.-Matt (from The Promise of Stardust)

My thoughts exactly.

I did not enjoy The Promise of Stardust as much as I hoped I would, but I’ve read many glowing reviews for it. I suppose I hoped it would be an enlightening, philosophical story about ethics. Or a heartwarming story that would make me shed a few tears. Unfortunately, I was left disengaged and annoyed with the stubborn, flat characters that I couldn’t get past the first hundred pages. I do plan on finishing it up soon to give a well-considered, complete review.

Rating: C (DNF Rating)

Want to know what others thought of The Promise of Stardust? Check out the other TLC tour stops!

Q: Will Harken be translated into other languages? What language would you most like to see Harken translated into?

HARKEN is in English right now, but hopefully we’ll see some other translations soon. I’d love to see it translated into Japanese! I haven’t had any of my books in that language yet.

Q: What was the cover choosing process like?

The first cover designs looked nice but didn’t really capture the feel of HARKEN. You can see some of the rejected covers here.
I wanted a cover that captures something iconic from the book. What sets HARKEN apart from everything else out there?
Meanwhile, my readers were anxiously waiting to read HARKEN, which at that time was known as the #SecretKalebBook on Twitter. Some of them started to write #SecretKalebBook on their hands to show their support as I wrote. That got me thinking. How could we design a cover that shows something special from the book but also gives a nod to the people who’ve been waiting for years to read it? That’s where the idea of using Michael’s scale-covered hand came from… and as an added bonus, the word HARKEN is over his hand, just like my readers had been doing! 

Q: Do you think you will have the urge to “fix” or tweak some things in Harken the more you read it?

YES! I am a perfectionist. I was altering tiny details all the way to my deadline. Books are such massive projects that it’s impossible to get everything entirely perfect, and yet I still find it hard to let it go. Because of this, I’ve never fully read any of my books after they were published – I know if I open it, I’ll want to change things!

Don’t forget to check out the other Harken blog tour stops and enter the tour-wide giveaway for a Harken themed Kindle Paperwhite and a Harken prize pack! I know I want it!


Click here to go to Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win your very own HARKEN KINDLE PAPERWHITE!

And to thank you for reading (or scrolling) this far here’s a SECOND giveaway for a Harken prize pack right here on the blog!

• - a giant HARKEN poster (signed)
• - a HARKEN glow-in-the-dark wristband
• - a Kaleb Nation postcard (signed)
• - a HARKEN glow-in-the-dark silver ring

HOW TO ENTER:
Want to win a Harken Prize Pack? Leave a comment telling me if you’ve read Harken yet. (mandatory entry)
1 Winner, INTERNATIONAL, giveaway ends on February 26th, 2013 midnight EST, Good luck!

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Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future. Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways… or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey. In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

My Thoughts:
Did I hear “heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller”? Because I want in. Mind Games is a refreshing addition to the YA genre, especially when psychological thrillers is often exclusive to adult fiction. White delivered a interesting plot and a fierce female character (albeit she stole the the spotlight from everyone else) all in a fast-paced two-hundred page novel. We’ve seen all the elements before from crazy training schools (Ender’s Game, Insignia, Variant, The Vindico) to exploiting psychic abilities (Minority Report), but White takes these elements and weaves something her own. Unfortunately, despite the compelling premise, the delivery fell short, leaving much to be desired.

Poor Organization: I Usually Like Multiple Perspectives, Shifting Timelines and Fia Stealing The Whole Show
Fia and her older sister, Annie, both speak to us in first person. While usually perspectives alternate, Mind Games didn’t follow a specific pattern: there might be a present Annie chapter directly preceding a 18 month ago Annie chapter. Eventually I gave up trying to do the math to figure out the chronological order between chapters. I often had to flip back to the start of the chapter to find out why a character supposedly imprisoned in the last chapter could be roaming free in the next. I know chapters from the past aid in giving backstory, but the sudden transition confused rather than enlightened. Many times, I didn’t care what mundane stuff happened in the distant past, I want to get back to my “intense psychological thriller” already!

Another problem with the multiple perspectives was that Fia stole the show. From the start of the novel, she establishes herself as a femme fatale who is not afraid to lie and break a few bones to get what she wants. She is manipulative and cunning. After the first chapter, I was sold. But then I found out, Fia wasn’t the only voice of the novel. Annie, Fia’s older sister is radically different from Fia, she’s the calm, reserved one. She basically sat around being emo. *yawn*

Writing Style:
White’s writing didn’t do it for me. I’m not sure if it’s because this espionage training school forgot proper English lessons so neither character sound eloquent, or if both characters are too screwed up. Both characters speak in a stream of consciousness. From the writing, we can feel the sister’s troubled state of mind, especially Fia’s. I thought I was supposed to feel fear, frustration, and hurt from Fia, but I just kept thinking she was high on drugs. Her terse sentences and repetitions were meant for emphasis, and perhaps to imitate the impulsive, conflicted, uneditted human consciousness that characterizes Fia, but it wasn’t long before I grew exhausted with those short sentences. There was not enough contrast between the two sisters’ voices.

Action Scene Writing is Hard Stuff
Fia’s passages are distinct from Annie’s primarily due to her action scenes. I found it odd that her action scenes are the few moments when Fia turns “eloquent” (or her sentences turn long), but not in a good way. Her sentences turn into lists of action after action, then some other action. I kept wishing for sensory details to bring me into the scene. I admit I rarely come across action scenes that actually work in writing without sounding like a list but because of the rigid, un-varied nature of these sentences, they felt jarring–I didn’t believe for a second it was Fia recalling the moment, but a third-person narrator giving me a summary of what he saw Cat Woman do in a movie. These action scenes drove the novel, but unfortunately, they were also the weakest parts.

The Emotions
I was not convinced. From romance to sisterly love, all of it was forced. The romance was borderline random; I had no reason to care for either prospective lover.
As for sisterly love, Fia and Annie are supposed to care deeply for each other, sacrificing and taking care of each other when they have nobody else. But I don’t know what bonds them together at all. For most of the novel, they have no interaction (Annie misses Fia holding her hand) aside a few secret whispers here and there. I felt not warmth from these two. Only betrayal, negligence, and jealously.

So..What is This Story About Again?
There are so many subplots going on that aren’t adequately explained that I really can’t tell you what’s going on. We have two sisters enrolled in a suspicious school run by a mysterious guy. That mysterious guy’s sexy son is trying to overthrow his father. To overthrow his father, he “trains” Fia. This sexy guy is not to be trusted, but Fia likes him so she helps him overthrow his father. Somehow the president is involved in the school. There’s a nice doctor who’s saved by Fia and randomly reappears. There’s a society going against the school (they have the weirdest logic where they kidnap people only to let them out the font door) On top of that, the sisters need to get their relationship sorted out. Yep, I’m lost. Too many random faucets are opened all at once, and we are still at square one trying to answer questions and figuring out why I need to care. I CAN’T KEEP UP.

Fia has…Perfect Instincts?
I am not sure what having perfect instincts entail, but that’s Fia’s special power and what makes her so valuable. Is it just keen perception? I find it weird that she can just pick the best selling stocks. Those things have nothing to do with gut feeling. Apparently her instincts also allow her to ace multiple choice tests. WHAT??!?!

Plot Twist:
Meh. I suspected it.

Overall, I appreciated the unique concept and the fast-paced kept me reading, but execution is far from perfect. This is one of the messiest books I’ve come across, with way too many subplots, confusing transitions, and no answers.

Rating: C-

Today is Christmas Eve. Today is my birthday. Today I am fifteen. Today I buried my parents in the backyard. Neither of them were beloved.

Marnie and her little sister Nelly are on their own now. Only they know what happened to their parents, Izzy and Gene, and they aren’t telling. While life in Glasgow’s Hazlehurst housing estate isn’t grand, they do have each other. Besides, it’s only one year until Marnie will be considered an adult and can legally take care of them both.

Written with fierce sympathy and beautiful precision, told in alternating voices, The Death of Bees is an enchanting, grimly comic tale of three lost souls who, unable to answer for themselves, can answer only for each other.

My Thoughts:
Well, this was a pleasant surprise. Despite it’s twisted, morbid plotline of two sisters burying their parents in their backyard (and a dog that has an uncanny knack of digging up body parts from flowerbeds,) The Death of Bees filled me up with warmth and made me smile. Built with a unique cast of memorable characters, with their own fears and quirks, O’ Donnell crafts a brilliant tale about family ties. Sometimes real families aren’t formed by blood ties. Perhaps Marnie and Nelly are by far not the most innocent girls, but I still found myself cheering them on every one of those three hundred pages.

Characters:
I love multiple perspectives, and O’Donnell does it exceptionally well. We unravel the story with Marnie and Nelly (the two sisters) and Lennie (their 70 year old gay, misunderstood “sex offender” neighbor.) What usually happens in books with multiple perspectives is that the voices blend together and don’t sound like two different people. Perhaps because each character is so distinct from each other that there was never a problem differentiating between them. Marnie has a dark, rebellious edge, while Nelly autistic eloquence sounds like the Queen of England (with a bit of swearing). Nelly reminds me of Becky of Glee’s inner voice.

Pacing:
Very well-paced book. I admit that fifty pages in I had no idea where the story was headed. I was worried that this would be one of those books that hooked you in with a intriguing premise, then left you stranded with a messy story that went nowhere. Thankfully, that didn’t happen and the story picked up as the story progressed. This is not also one of those books that felt like it should’ve ended fifty pages ago.

Suspending Disbelief:
There are moments where you just have to believe. This was one of my major worries going into this book. I just didn’t know how O’ Donnell could convince me that two minors would be able to live without their parents. Where’s the landlord when rent can’t be paid? What about taxes? What about pesky census people? Can their two parents have been so isolated from friends and family that nobody is suspicious when they disappear? There were quite a few parts that I felt were just TOO convenient. But I was still grateful that it happened.

Bits of Humor:
Even though the novel touches upon many heavy-handed topics such as parental neglect and drug abuse, there were also bits of humor that not only made me smile, but made me like the characters. Marnie has a wicked sense of humor. And there’s also a wife that barges into the house to pick a fight, run aways, but forgets her baby in the house.

Overall, a very enjoyable book that I wasn’t expect to like this much. It explores family ties, while not being afraid to delve into more heavy-handed topics such as parental abuse and neglect. It’s a book I wholeheartedly recommend to people not afraid of a book with attitude, but will fill you up with warmth.

Rating: B+

 Want more of Lisa O’Donnell’s The Death of Bees? Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TLC tour stops:

Wednesday, January 2nd: Sweet Tidbits

Thursday, January 3rd: Walking With Nora

Friday, January 4th: Literary Feline

Monday, January 7th: Mrs. Q: Book Addict

Tuesday, January 8th: Tiffany’s Bookshelf

Wednesday, January 9th: Broken Teepee

Thursday, January 10th: Sweet Southern Home

Monday, January 14th: A Patchwork of Books

Thursday, January 17th: Kritters Ramblings

Monday, January 21st: Unabridged Chick

Tuesday, January 22nd: JulzReads

Thursday, January 24th: A Reader of Fictions

Thursday, January 24th: Reflections of a Bookaholic

Monday, January 28th: A Bookworm’s World

Tuesday, January 29th: My Bookshelf

Wednesday, January 30th: Silver’s Reviews

More than anything, Tom Raines wants to be important, though his shadowy life is anything but that. For years, Tom’s drifted from casino to casino with his unlucky gambler of a dad, gaming for their survival. Keeping a roof over their heads depends on a careful combination of skill, luck, con artistry, and staying invisible.

Then one day, Tom stops being invisible. Someone’s been watching his virtual-reality prowess, and he’s offered the incredible–a place at the Pentagonal Spire, an elite military academy. There, Tom’s instincts for combat will be put to the test and if he passes, he’ll become a member of the Intrasolar Forces, helping to lead his country to victory in World War III. Finally, he’ll be someone important: a superhuman war machine with the tech skills that every virtual-reality warrior dreams of. Life at the Spire holds everything that Tom’s always wanted–friends, the possibility of a girlfriend, and a life where his every action matters–but what will it cost him?

My Thoughts:
A disappointing, middle-grade version of Ready Player One (which was one of my favorite books of the year,) is the best summary of my reactions to S. J. Kincaid’s Insignia. The problems I found in Insignia reminded me of the ones I found in Wesley King’s The Vindico; both books had an compelling plot, creative ideas, but he execution failed to bring those ideas to life and grazed over heavy-handed issues in exchange for superficial cliches.

My Suspension of Disbelief is Straining, These People Need Anger Management!:
First of all, all these 14-15 year olds are supposed to be the cream of the crop with exceptional intelligence and abilities (Figure Skating Champion, Scholarship winners, etc.) With the aid of a neural processor in their brains they have become even smarter than usual. Actually, their intelligence is optional since they just “download” knowledge instead of learning. Whatever they don’t know their computer brains will look it up for them. They are also given perfect complexions and grow six inches in a week. Yet, despite their intelligence, their priorities only lie in teasing each other with stuff like “girly hands” and “man-hands.” Not sure what the intelligence changed in them. The knowledge certainly hasn’t made them any more empathetic, as they spend most of their time plotting to ruin each other’s lives (and are encouraged to do so!.)

What tested my suspension of disbelief was how easy it was for characters to make decisions. Tom accidentally (being digitally manipulated as part of a class demo) bumps into the class bully, and all of a sudden the guy hates his guts. Programming teacher, Blackburn, decides to “punish” Tom for not revealing who hacked into the school system (which I argue, is the right thing to do,) and then he becomes an evil “villain” soon after. For an adult, Blackburn is irrationally quick to jump into conclusions: Tom mentions a word from Blackburn’s devastating past, then within five seconds he decides Wyatt, his best pupil, is a flithy liar, then proceeds to stomp out of the room like a five year old.

What was even more confusing was how easy it was for Tom to be able to get a classmate to hack into the school system for him. It went like this:
Vik (Tom’s best friend): Hey, hack into the school system to change Tom’s profile!
Hacker (Wyatt): No! I got in trouble last time! I can’t risk it. Go away.
Vik: Your friend said to.
Hacker: Oh, in that case, sure!

What…just happened there? Is Wyatt bipolar? Multiple personality disorder? And world-class military security was hacked by a 15 year old in seconds?!?! So much for security.

Suspension of Disbelief Continued: War Is Fought in Space! And Funded by Companies! Exciting!
To stop violence wars are fought in space (controlled on Earth) over resources. These wars are sponsored by large companies, who sponsor these teen fighters. Not sure who thought it was such a brilliant idea to use resources (what you are running out of!) to building spacecraft for war. If you want to avoid violence, why not just have the whole war in virtual reality? Better yet, let’s just solve conflict over a game of chess. No need to waste fossil fuels. Why would they let make spacecrafts, capable of destroying satellites, or crashing into Earth to “avoid violence”? And controlled by TEENAGERS who have spent countless hours playing video games–and none driving a car. This is a recipe for disaster.

Tom, I Really Thought He Would Have More Depth
I have to constantly remind myself that he is fourteen, just so I can forgive his selfishness and his enormous ego. He starts off as a troubled teen, facing a drunk father and a mother who left him for a new family. He has acne and no friends in school. He also shows up late to school every day and makes stupid excuses. I could relate to his guy and wanted to root for him. Then, he became a perfect cyborg and all his worries magically disappeared! Even though he had a troubled past, Tom never showed signs of it. I guess he was preoccupied staring at beautiful girls.
Every time he was “attracted” to a beautiful girl, I winced. I thought he was the most interesting when he was “zombified.” I was hoping for an elaborate revenge plan where he plays the part until the end. I should know better. The author tried to convince me that Tom was trustworthy and would die before selling his friends out, but I didn’t buy it. For a guy that would exploit a girl’s self-esteem for his own profit? No way.
I admire him for keeping his word, but felt much could’ve been avoided if he just told the truth. I understand that he feared that his friends would be kicked out, but if he and programmers are in such high demand, I’m sure his friends would be safe.

Apparently due to an unhealthy diet, Tom can’t grow anymore. I am not sure what this means (even though Tom was bummed out about it) since the topic was dropped pretty quickly.

Medusa
I was expecting more guts from you, girl!

Flat Characters:
Yuri, Vik, and Wyatt are supposed to be Tom’s best friends, but to be honest I didn’t feel the chemistry. Where happened to their backstory or at least some hobbies? I only know Yuri is a suspected spy, Wyatt is a talented programmer, and Vik is a joke-cracking Indian. Not sure what their dreams or aspirations are. Even Tom himself is pretty elusive, it appears aside from getting a girl and being famous, he has no aspirations. When Tom’s friends sense something wrong with him, they dismiss him as a jerk, and his best friend walks away from him. Some friend. I just never thought of them as friendly classmates more than friends.
My favorite character was Tom’s dad, a minor character that had the most depth despite his short appearance. He knows he isn’t the best father and despite his worries, lets his son join the military. He is also immediately there for Tom when he wants him. Not a bad father, despite being a drunk gambler.

Names With Confusing Gender:
Maybe it’s just me, but it took me a while to remember that Yuri is a guy and Wyatt is a guy.

Suits Are EXPENSIVE, The Use of Money:
Okay, I admit I’m not well-versed in the suit business, but I did a Google search. Dalton Prestwick, the rich “villain,” wears a twenty-thousand suit. He can afford a twenty-thousand suit, but apparently his credit card limit is only at fifty thousand (or at least the one he gives Tom.) Why he would give a fourteen year old his credit card is beyond me. On the other hand, Tom is not shabby either, wearing an eleven-thousand dollar suit in the same scene. For that price tag, it must be some custom tailored masterpiece–but Tom was never even measured. Oh well.

I don’t mind characters wearing expensive suits, what I did mind was how jarring it was for these price tags to be thrown in. I didn’t get the intended sense of luxury and grandiose, only the narrator being lazy and using long numbers instead of vivid adjectives to describe wealth.

Simplistic Writing Hurt the World-Building:
The writing is what made me feel Insignia should have been a middle-grade novel instead of young-adult. For a sci-fi book, especially one that deals with virtual reality, I am extra picky on world-building. While Insignia had some nice ideas, such as recreating historical battles, the execution was paltry. Many of these scenes were too short for me to be immersed in them. These scenes, which I hoped to be the focus of the novel were used to prove Tom’s violent, rebellious attitude. I wonder how Tom will react to a game where the goal is not to kill anyone.

Despite the praise, I found Insignia disappointing. It adds nothing new to the genre I haven’t seen before. I was not immersed in Tom’s world, but I did appreciate the fast pacing that kept me reading even if I was not impressed with the characters, world-building, and plot. While I was reading, I kept comparing it to Ready Player One, whose protagonist had a similar past, and also had a crush on a girl he has never met–but Ready Player One had better execution that made you want to be in the world. What Ready Player One accomplished in two chapters, Insignia failed to do in 444 pages. Despite being focused gaming, Ready Player still manages to make you think about the consequences of immersing yourself in virtual reality and what that means for society. Insignia seems to promise that depth with he mention of World War Three and parental neglect, but chooses to avoid those topics for one about an “average” boy who was to deal with evil professors, military officers, and corporate executives. Despite my gripes, I would still recommend it to a younger audience looking for a laugh (not my kind of humor, but others have been saying how hilarious it is.)

Rating: C