[review] This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (2012)

Tags

book, book review, dystopia, school, survival, teenager, teens, young adult, zombie apocalypse, zombies

This is Not a Test (2012)
by Courtney Summers
Paperback Edition
Publication Date: June 19th, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Buy a copy via Amazon.
Synopsis from Goodreads.

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.

My Thoughts:
I was hesitant to read Courtney Summer’s This is Not a Test because I’m not a fan of zombies. However, This is Not a Test keeps zombies to a minimum, with them mainly appearing in flashbacks and in the denouement. I can see how zombie fans would be disappointed with the lack of action and epic fight scenes, but I was fine with it because the all of characters were rendered with such complexity, from their inner motivations to their flaws. I was skeptical how Summers could make being stuck in a school last 300 pages, but she did–and beautifully too. This is Not a Test is a wonderful, poignant character-driven story and what happens when you are stuck in a school with five less-than-perfect people in a hopeless situation, which may be more evil than the rancid zombies looming outside.

[review] Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (2012)

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adventure, book, book review, dystopia, dystopian, family, friends, kidnapped, love, love story, novel, romance, survival, young adult

Pandemonium (2012)
by Lauren Oliver
Hardcover Edition
Publication Date: February 28th, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
buy a copy via Amazon.
synopsis via Goodreads.

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push, push, push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

My Thoughts:
I loved Pandemonium–perhaps even more because I was one of the few who didn’t like Delirium very much. I am glad the flowery, beautiful writing was toned down to more manageable levels to allow room for action without dragging the pace down, which was my main problem with Delirium. The quotations in the beginning of Delirium’s chapters have disappeared (honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of them), instead chapters are separated into Then and Now. I was pleasantly surprised with the new format, it allowed a break between tense moments and to give the readers backstory without a deluge of flashbacks or the dreaded info-dump. Lena learns to be more independent: she learns to take initiative, and decide things for herself.

[review] The Maze Runner by James Dashner (2009)

Tags

book, book review, dystopian, maze, post-apocalyptic, puzzle, survival

The Maze Runner (2009)
by James Dashner
Hardcover Edition
Publication Date: October 6th, 2009
Publisher: Random House; Delacorte Books for Young Adults
buy a copy via Amazon.
synopsis via Goodreads.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse enclosed by stone walls.
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them, open. Every night they are closed tight. And that every 30 days a new boy is delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. Only the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

My Thoughts:
The Maze Runner thrives on the suspense and the fantastical setting. Just like Thomas, the protagonist, we are thrown into the Glade being just as (if not more) confused as him. The technology, the creatures, the absurdity of the situation was like a video game as we follow Thomas on his journey to solving it. The pace was fine, Dashner knows how to keep my attention with action. But one of the biggest issues are the characters: especially Thomas, who despite his bravery doesn’t seem like a smart guy; he only “solves” the whole thing by relying on past memories. However, The Maze Runner is comprised with many surprising elements that draw me into the story, keeping me reading to find out how the pieces fit together. An exciting (even if dark) story of a group of teenagers trying to solve their way out of a dire situation.