GUEST REVIEW: In A Handful Of Dust - Mindy McGinnis

GENRE: Futuristic/Dystopia
PAGES: 384
PUBLISHER: Harper360
FORMAT: Paperback
RATING: 4 Stars

Read Sofia's review of the first book, Not A Drop To Drink.

This book is not currently available through Waterstones. Expected publication: 23rd September 2014.

SUMMARY

The only thing bigger than the world is fear.

Lucy’s life by the pond has always been full. She has water and friends, laughter and the love of her adoptive mother, Lynn, who has made sure that Lucy’s childhood was very different from her own. Yet it seems Lucy’s future is settled already—a house, a man, children, and a water source—and anything beyond their life by the pond is beyond reach.

When disease burns through their community, the once life-saving water of the pond might be the source of what’s killing them now. Rumors of desalinization plants in California have lingered in Lynn’s mind, and the prospect of a “normal” life for Lucy sets the two of them on an epic journey west to face new dangers: hunger, mountains, deserts, betrayal, and the perils of a world so vast that Lucy fears she could be lost forever, only to disappear in a handful of dust.

REVIEW

After finishing Not a Drop to Drink, I immediately asked YABirmingham if they had a proof copy of the sequel and they did! Unfortunately for some reason, I was busy when I first got it so I only just got to reading it last week. Yes, it took me over a week to finish it but that is simply because I’ve been busy. This was a great sequel to a fabulous book and I can’t wait for any future books by Mindy McGinnis.

The sequel follows another character who appears in Not a Drop to Drink and that is Lucy. I loved reading from Lucy’s point of view because she’s quite different from Lynn. She didn’t feel threatened by everything and everyone like Lynn did. She was a great protagonist and I definitely preferred her POV, compared to Lynn’s. Lucy was strong(not quite as strong as Lynn was) but she was trusting and kind and she didn’t feel the need to kill everything that came in her way.

The start of this book I found to be quite slow and confusing due to what was happening. We are thrown back into the world despite missing years of their lives since this one takes place quite a while after the first one ended.It deals with illnesses and medicine and gives a lot of biology related facts that just went over my head(I strongly dislike biology). However, once the actual story started, it really picked up and I found it addictive. What I love about these books is the writing. Mindy McGinnis’ writing is stunningly beautiful and it keeps you captivated when you’re reading. I was worried slightly when I found out there was a companion novel to Not a Drop to Drink because I loved Not a Drop to Drink as a standalone and usually sequels aren’t as good. However Mindy McGinnis proved me wrong because this book was just as good as Not a Drop to Drink, if not slightly better. I came out of this book wondering why I couldn’t write like her because her writing is one of my favourites to read and I shall be definitely be picking up her future books.

The thing that stopped this book from becoming a 5 star read was the supporting characters. Stebbs wasn’t around for most of the book and he was one of my favourite characters in the first book. As for the new characters we meet, I didn’t particularly like any of them for some reason. We didn’t stick with one character long enough to grow an attachment to someone and when I did start liking someone, they left. However I did really enjoy Fletcher and I thought he was an interesting character. I’d love to have a whole book about his story because there was a lot more to him than we got to see.

Another amazing part of this book is the plot. I can’t tell you what happens because that would be spoilery but you will find it hard to guess what happens in this book. There were so many twists that you couldn’t predict. It was so unpredictable which added to the fact that it was fast paced to make a captivating and addictive read. I wish I could talk about certain things that happened within the novel but alas spoilers.

Whenever anything weird and shocking happened, this was basically me.

I really hope Mindy McGinnis writes more within this world because it is such a unique world that I love to read about. After that ending, I can expect that there may be more books in this series if this one does well so definitely go buy it when it’s out on the 23rd September. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars and I highly recommend it.

- Sofia.

REVIEW: Replica - Jack Heath

GENRE: Dystopa/Futuristic
PAGES: 256
PUBLISHER: OUP
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 4 Stars

SUMMARY

'Whose body is that on the table?' I ask. She stares at me, as though the answer is obvious. 'It's yours,' she says. Before I have time to scream, she types a command on the keyboard. My consciousness whirls away like storm water down a drain. Chloe wakes up to find all her memories have been wiped. And the only person who knows what happened is a teenage girl who looks and sounds exactly like her. Who is she? And what does she want? Chloe is running out of time to discover the truth. But she's in even more danger than she realizes, and nothing is as it seems ...

REVIEW

The opening chapters are honestly some of the best of any book that I've read and it doesn't really relent right up until the end. Chloe (which ever one, trying to the review as spoiler free as I can) is an admirable character, she is a 'machine' with strength and determination that you will not believe. The only thing that let this down for me was a bit of a lacklustre ending, however I'll let this off as I'm almost certain that this was done to allow for a sequel, that would tie-up some of those loose ends.

With incredibly striking cover art, Replica is exactly the type of book you'll highly recommend to friends and then you'll soon realise that you've started a trend! The style and pace of the book means that you'll probably read it in a few sittings or even one long night if you've got the stamina, which I don't! This is a smart YA novel that is action-packed and thought provoking, that raises some really interesting debate.

- Adam.

REVIEW: The Elite - Keira Cass

GENRE: YA

PAGES: 272

PUBLISHER: HarperCollins Children's

FORMAT: Galley

BUY IT: Waterstones

RATING: 4 Stars

SUMMARY

The Selection gets fierce as rivals stake their claim on the prince. Six girls, one life-changing prize...America Singer will leave her pre-destined life for a world of glamour and luxury, if she wins...But surviving The Selection is tough. Rivals are battling to become Prince Maxon's bride as the threat of rebel violence just beyond the palace walls escalates into war. Only six girls are left and sworn friendships are tested to breaking point. America's feelings for Maxon grow stronger, but she suspects darker mysteries in his royal past. With ex-lover Aspen waiting for her in the shadows, where do her loyalties truly lie?

REVIEW

What is it that I love about this series? I can't quite put my finger on it. On one level it's reality TV trash. It's over obvious in the comparisons its trying to draw, even down to calling the protagonist America Singer. But on a level it's absolute entertainment and I love it. As soon as it came up on NetGalley I snapped it up and devoured it in a couple of sittings.

This 'episode' isn't so much a sequel as an extension of the first book, there's not much of an overlap and it jumps straight back in to the plot. There are some episodes, like the hosting of the foreign royalties that are so sickly sweet but this is not why I read it. The real reason?

Maxon.

No, I don't read him and think "OMG he's so hot she'd be mad not to go with him", no, I'm sucked into America's way of thinking. As soon as he goes away I too am doubting everything that comes out of his mouth and thinking 'why are you bothering? At least you know that Aspen is true'. But then you think, isn't it better to be in a position where you can change the world? Even if it means sacrificing your own happiness?

I could never guess what was going to happen next, or who was going to be eliminated, and every time I think I've got it all pinned down and realigned my expectations, I'm proved wrong. These are the things that I love. If you haven't read the first book, The Selection, then I hope I haven't ruined too much and you want to read it. It's great entertainment and although it's not a long read and there probably isn't too much under the surface I think you'll find enough in it to keep you thinking about what you would do long after you've finished reading.

- Bex.

REVIEW: The Selection - Keira Cass

GENRE: YA

PAGES: 272

PUBLISHER: HarperCollins Kids

FORMAT: Paperback

BUY IT: Waterstones

RATING: 3 Stars

SUMMARY

Thirty-five beautiful girls. Thirty-five beautiful rivals...It's the chance of a lifetime and 17-year-old America Singer should feel lucky. She has been chosen for The Selection, a reality TV lottery in which the special few compete for gorgeous Prince Maxon's love. Swept up in a world of elaborate gowns, glittering jewels and decadent feasts, America is living a new and glamorous life. And the prince takes a special interest in her, much to the outrage of the others. Rivalry within The Selection is fierce and not all of the girls are prepared to play by the rules. But what they don't know is that America has a secret - one which could throw the whole competition...and change her life forever.

REVIEW

I must stop judging books by their covers. I must stop judging books by their covers. If I keep telling myself that maybe one day I'll listen. 

The gist of the story is America Singer, narrator and generally stubborn lead character is picked in a lottery to become a contestant in 'The Selection': a country-wide competition to find a girl to marry the crown price Maxon. There are a lot of dystopian similarities between this and The Hunger Games but obviously with none of the gravity. 

I have to say that I quite surprised myself by enjoying this book. I expected it to be rather shallow and although it almost is, America's character really brought it forward to me. She is funny and strong and doesn't cower in a corner like the rest of the girls. She has the best of both worlds and I really enjoyed the growing triangle between Prince Maxon and her former boyfriend Aspen. It's got a fun, glitzy edge to it with the rivalry between the girls and the television interviews. I really enjoyed the banter, it was witty and funny. 

I tried to grasp why she is called America and decided she is supposed to represent those traditional American values of being yourself and fighting for what you believe in. She certainly has freedom of speech. I'm still not completely convinced that this is what it means because I imagine that her name would be a comment on the society that she is currently living in, but you only get to touch on its politics and backstory.

I concluded that this book isn't really for that kind of analysis. It does try with the introduction of the rebels that try time and time again to attack the palace and the intriguing notion that history should be oral and records of it shouldn't exist, but I don't think it needs that. It's Gossip Girl meets The Bachelor and even though I never watch those types of shows I loved this.

The most disappointing part for me was the ending. There was no cliffhanger and even though I was left wanting more it wasn't in the way it should been. It was a cheap ending. There's no way you can read this book without the rest of the series and feel any kind of resolution, and at the same time there was also no 'oh my gosh' moment to make you run out for the next one.

Having said that I'm quite happy to read the rest of the series; this is light, fun reading that is a change for me.

- Bex.