Review: Zero Repeat Forever (G.S. Prendergast)

Title: Zero Repeat Forever
Series: The Nahx Invasions, Book 1
Author: G.S. Prendergast
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BYR
Release Date: August 29, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Science Fiction
Content Rating: Older Teen (strong language, strong violence, some torture, teen drug use and drinking, strong crude talk/innuendo, sensuality)
Format Read: ARC
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Azon | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound
Summary:

He has no voice, or name, only a rank, Eighth. He doesn’t know the details of the mission, only the directives that hum in his mind.

Dart the humans. Leave them where they fall.

His job is to protect his Offside. Let her do the shooting.

Until a human kills her…

Sixteen year-old Raven is at summer camp when the terrifying armored Nahx invade, annihilating entire cities, taking control of the Earth. Isolated in the wilderness, Raven and her friends have only a fragment of instruction from the human resistance.

Shelter in place.

Which seems like good advice at first. Stay put. Await rescue. Raven doesn’t like feeling helpless but what choice does she have?

Then a Nahx kills her boyfriend.

Thrown together in a violent, unfamiliar world, Eighth and Raven should feel only hate and fear. But when Raven is injured, and Eighth deserts his unit, their survival depends on trusting each other…

*          *          *

Series: This is the first book in The Nahx Invasions duology.

Although Zero Repeat Forever is technically broken into four seasonal parts, for me there were really only two: before Raven and Eighth are forced together, and after.

Before: Before was a struggle for me, a long survival story of constant quiet tension that wore uncomfortably on my nerves punctuated by bursts of violent action that did little to animate the plodding and introspective travel saga. The writing style was choppy, occasionally confusing, and told the story crudely with a lot of language and sexual references that made it impossible for me to connect with or even bring myself to like Raven and her companions. It took all my willpower not to skip over her chapters for Eighth's as he and his mental struggles were the only bright spot in the first half, although even he had the occasional crude streak that made me just as uncomfortable as it did him. At about 35% I finally had to set the book aside for a breather and debated for a few weeks if I would pick it back up, but ultimately the mystery of the aliens intrigued me enough to continue my struggles.

After: And then, blessedly, halfway through, came the After. Once Raven and Eighth are finally forced together, despite all the brooding and screaming, I was thoroughly engrossed. Even repulsed by each other, Raven and Eighth (now Autumn) were amazing together, and their volatile loathe/love relationship kept me enthralled. They brought out a lot of darkness in each other but also a little light; were horrible to and for each other but also comfort and warmth. I finally came to care about them, and their journey together and apart sucked me in. After the first half took me over a week to read, and several weeks off to reassess my interest, for the second half I was reluctant to put the book down and devoured Part 3 in a day and the final Part 4 in a few hours (together almost 250 pages).

The End: While the alien mystery reveal was no surprise, the end twist was and with its somewhat cliffhanger finish I must admit I was left a little curious about the sequel. But skimming the reviews and weighing my struggles with this book, despite its second-half good points, I'm not sure I could take a 570-page crude continuation with, according to reviews, no saving grace Autumn until the second half. Still, perhaps one day.

Conclusion: Although not typically my kind of read with its crude characters, lengthy travel, and constant quiet tension, the mystery of the aliens held my interest just enough through the first half to reach the much more engrossing second half with its volatile relationship and surprising end. Would definitely recommend for those who love alien invasion survival stories with grisly violence and a crude streak.

For Fans Of: The 5th Wave and similar reads

Scribble Rating: 

3.5 of 5 Scribbles

Manga Review: Meteor Prince Series (Meca Tanaka)

Title: Meteor Prince
Author: Meca Tanaka
Volumes Reviewed: 2 (complete)
Publisher: VIZ Media (Shojo Beat)
Release Date: January 6, 2015 - April 7, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Science Fiction Romantic Comedy
Content Rating: Older Teen (minor nudity, sensuality, mating talk)
Format Read: Paperback (own)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Azon | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound
Summary for Volume 1:

Strange accidents always seem to happen around Hako Natsuno—so much so that she’s been dubbed “The Queen of Bad Luck.” It’s hardly surprising then that a naked alien prince falls from the sky to tell her that out of all the girls in the universe, he’s come to Earth to mate with her. Does this mean Hako’s luck has changed, or…?

*          *          *

Meteor Prince is a two-volume contemporary sci-fi rom-com about an alien boy who comes to Earth to mate with his soul mate and finds an unsuspecting high school girl cursed with bad luck. Informed that humans must first fall in love before mating, alien Io enthusiastically accepts the challenge and throws himself into winning human Hako's heart. Hijinks as well as hardships ensue as Io's family, Hako's curse, and a surprise twist get in the way of their being together, but ultimately love prevails for a sweet, romantic end.

I adored the protagonists, Hako with her pleasant personality despite the constant mishaps and injuries brought on by her bad luck and sparkling Io with his bubbly attitude but dangerous warrior darkness behind the grin. Together with Hako's protective friends and Io's string of scheming alien visitors, the story offers a colorful cast of unique personalities. As one of Meca Tanaka's later series the artwork is strong and playful with expressive characters and impacting action, and despite being only two volumes the plot is full and well paced. If you love zany romances, alien shapeshifters, and short manga series, I highly recommend you give this duology a read.

Scribble Rating: 

4 of 5 Scribbles

Other Reviews That Might Interest: 

The Young Master's Revenge by Meca Tanaka

Pearl Pink by Meca Tanaka

Paragraph Review: The Prom Goer's Interstellar Excursion (Chris McCoy)

Title: The Prom Goer's Interstellar Excursion
Series: standalone
Author: Chris McCoy
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: April 14, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Science Fiction Humor
Told: First Person (Bennett), Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (lesser innuendo, substance abuse, underage drinking, maybe a few words of language, murderous intent, death-like situations, words that make you shudder)
Format Read: Hardcover (purchased)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

It's Superbad meets Spaceballs in this hilarious extraterrestrial road trip!

Just a few days before prom, Bennett pulls off something he never imagined possible: his dream girl, Sophie, agrees to be his date. Moments afterward, however, he watches Sophie get abducted by aliens in the middle of the New Mexico desert.

Faced with a dateless prom (and likely kidnapping charges), Bennett does the only thing he can think of: he catches a ride into outer space with a band of extraterrestrial musicians to bring her back.

Can he navigate alien concert venues, an extraterrestrial reality show, and the band's outlandish egos to rescue his date in time for the big dance? Fans of King Dork and Winger won't want to miss this!

*          *          *

If you love The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as much as I do, then you are in for a treat with The Prom Goer's Interstellar Excursion! With the same dry wit and wacky imagination, this YA version tells the story of a hapless teenage boy who hitches a ride to rescue his abducted prom date from the outrageous wonders of the galaxy. Bennett's teen male voice was realistic without being crass (bless you, Chris!), and I adored his detached humor and quick wit in the face of an utterly ridiculous situation. Despite playing with heavier subjects of abduction, substance abuse, death and death-like situations, murderous degenerates and more, the story was a lighthearted road trip/rescue mission packed with quirky characters (alien, human and ram alike), bizarre situations, destructive music, and outrageous outfits. Although I wasn't crazy about the day-long chapters, the fast pace and Adams-esque style made it a breeze of a read from foreboding Prologue to satisfactory More Epilogue. Thoroughly entertaining and laugh out loud funny, The Prom Goer's Interstellar Excursion was a highly enjoyable read and I highly recommend it for Hitchhiker's Guide fans.

Scribble Rating: 

4.5 of 5 Scribbles

Paragraph Reviews: The Shadow Society (Marie Rutkoski) | Countdown (Michelle Rowen)

Title: The Shadow Society
Series: standalone
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Release Date: October 16, 2012
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Science Fiction
Told: First Person (Darcy), Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (violence, minor torture, some sensuality, a few words of language)
Format Read: ARC (trade)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

Darcy Jones doesn't remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse. She has never really belonged anywhere—but she couldn't have guessed that she comes from an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire didn't happen and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the human population.

Memories begin to haunt Darcy when a new boy arrives at her high school, and he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn't thought possible. But Conn's interest in her is confusing. It doesn't line up with the way he first looked at her.

As if she were his enemy.

When Conn betrays Darcy, she realizes that she can't rely on anything—not herself, not the laws of nature, and certainly not him. Darcy decides to infiltrate the Shadow Society and uncover the Shades' latest terrorist plot. What she finds out will change her world forever . . .

In this smart, compulsively readable novel, master storyteller Marie Rutkoski has crafted an utterly original world, characters you won't soon forget, and a tale full of intrigue and suspense.

*          *          *

This book turned out to be nothing like what I expected going in. I hadn't been impressed with The Winner's Curse so I didn't expect much of this earlier work, but it was surprisingly quite good! Although it began with the extremely overused "girl who appears normal but has a dark secret is drawn to a new mysterious boy at school" opening, after some rather shocking violence and alternate world twists it turned out to be an exciting read with engaging intrigue and action and a really strong female lead. I even rather liked the romance - messy and somewhat intense with a lot of baggage though it was - which is rare for me. The writing wasn't too descriptive with good dialogue and banter, and while not particularly visual I didn't have much difficulty following the movement. If I think about it too hard the parallel universes and Shades didn't make complete sense - neither are explained in great detail, and what details we did get were vague and kind of waved off for the sake of the plot - but it was an interesting and unique idea. Recommend for Contemporary Science Fiction readers as long as they're willing to let the setting slide and just enjoy the story.

Scribble Rating: 

4 of 5 Scribbles

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Title: Countdown

Series: standalone

Author: Michelle Rowen

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: October 1, 2013

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian Thriller

Told: First Person (Kira), Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (violence, sensuality, some language, life/death situations)
Format Read: Paperback (purchase)

Find On: Goodreads

Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Summary:

3 seconds left to live. Once the countdown starts, it cannot be stopped. 

2 pawns thrown into a brutal underground reality game. 

Kira Jordan survived her family's murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis. 

1 reason Kira will never, ever trust Rogan. Even though both their lives depend on it. 

Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira's psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan's secrets prove evermore deadly, Kira's only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can't escape. 

GAME OVER

*          *          *

With its surprise Psi abilities, advanced AI, and dystopian world, this book was nothing like the straight thriller I anticipated. Middling characters and a subpar world left me wanting, and when the deadly game I was reading for ended with still over 100 pages to go I found what little interest I had floundering in too long a rest and romantics period before the teens headed off to "save the world." At Page 245 (of 367), after not picking the book up for almost a week I started a new book instead and pretty much threw in the towel, but after skimming the last chapter I gave it a few weeks distance and then decided I was curious enough to polish it off. Overall not quite engaging enough for my tastes, but lovers of teen dystopian thrillers might enjoy it as a guilty pleasure read.

Scribble Rating: 

2 of 5 Scribbles

Review: Dark Energy (Robison Wells)

Title: Dark Energy
Series: standalone
Author: Robison Wells
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: March 29, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Science Fiction
Told: First Person, Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (gruesome visuals, violence, violent alien attacks, kissing)
Format Read: ARC (trade)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

We are not alone.

Five days ago, a massive UFO crashed in the Midwest. Since then, nothing—or no one—has come out.

They have arrived.

If it were up to Alice, she’d be watching all of this on the news from Miami, Florida. Instead, she’s the newest student at a boarding school not far from the crash site—because her dad is the director of special projects for NASA, and if anything is a special project, it’s this.

And there’s no going back. 

A shell-shocked country is waiting, glued to televisions and computer screens, for a sign of what the new future holds. But when the aliens emerge, they’re nothing like what Alice expected. And only one thing is clear: Nothing will ever be the same again.

*          *          *

In a Sentence: A thrilling and chilling contemporary sci-fi with quick wit, engaging characters, and a compelling story, despite a creepy alien element.

Dark Energy was a genre roller coaster that began a light contemporary sci-fi, plunged into horror at the middle, veered into a tense adventure before a thriller climax, and ended on a romantic note. From the first sentence I was instantly engaged by easy, witty writing with great banter, simple yet realistic settings, and a diverse and relatable cast of characters. Except for a few instances of rather vivid and unnerving horror, the story was fast paced and engaging with exciting and surprising twists, including an ancient mystery I found quite unique and interesting. 

Alice was a fun and, in spite of the horror upbeat viewpoint character thanks to her easygoing attitude and adventurous streak, and the posse of fierce friends she collected were smart and snarky and I loved every one of them. (I especially adored her NASA dad and their close yet liberal relationship.) The romance was cute and sweet in the face of the action and adversity, and I appreciated that it took its time to build over the entire book. Given all the tension I felt the ending was plausible, and the story wrapped up nicely.

Conclusion: A thrilling read that always kept me engaged with effortless banter, relatable characters, and chilling twists. Despite a few rather squicky bits, I really enjoyed the quick and exciting read and look forward to trying more by Robison Wells.

Scribble Rating: 

4 of 5 Scribbles

Review: Made to Kill (Adam Christopher)

Title: Made to Kill
Series: LA Trilogy, Book 1
Author: Adam Christopher (site)
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Genre: Adult Historical Contemporary Science Fiction Noir
Told: First Person (Ray), Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (some violence and gore, a few words of language)
Format Read: ARC (publisher)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

It was just another Tuesday morning when she walked into the office--young, as I suspected they all might be, another dark brunette with some assistance and enough eye black to match up to Cleopatra. And who am I? I'm Ray, the world's last robot, famed and feared in equal measure, which suits me just fine--after all, the last place you'd expect to find Hollywood's best hit man is in the plain light of day.

Raymond Electromatic is good at his job, as good as he ever was at being a true Private Investigator, the lone employee of the Electromatic Detective Agency--except for Ada, office gal and super-computer, the constant voice in Ray's inner ear. Ray might have taken up a new line of work, but money is money, after all, and he was programmed to make a profit. Besides, with his twenty-four-hour memory-tape limits, he sure can keep a secret.

When a familiar-looking woman arrives at the agency wanting to hire Ray to find a missing movie star, he's inclined to tell her to take a hike. But she had the cold hard cash, a demand for total anonymity, and tendency to vanish on her own.

Plunged into a glittering world of fame, fortune, and secrecy, Ray uncovers a sinister plot that goes much deeper than the silver screen--and this robot is at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Made to Kill is the thrilling new speculative noir from novelist and comic writer Adam Christopher.

"Part Chandler, part Asimov, and part Philip K. Dick -- a rip-roaring cocktail of smart, sharp, twisty, cyberpulp awesomeness." Adam Sternbergh, Edgar-Nominated author of Shovel Ready

*          *          *

Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review. Thank you, Tor!

In a Sentence: A laid-back noir with an interesting contemporary sci-fi twist and a fun classic PI voice.

I'm usually not one for detective stories (watching them, yes - reading them, no), but when the publisher sent me this short novel about a robot detective turned hitman I decided to continue my year of reading more outside my comfort zone with this adult noir.

Writing: Ray's classic hardboiled PI voice was amusing and quirky with his somewhat detached way of describing the things and people around him. Although sometimes he seemed a little too human for a robot, essentially he acted and reacted to the world differently than a human would and it generated some great observations and snark. The description and movement could ramble a bit and the dialogue between Ray and humans was rather stiff and uneven, but for the most part the laid-back style made for a relaxed read.

Story: Based on the summary, I expected a classic detective-slash-hitman case with Hollywood flair. But although it began classic enough, it eventually took a surprising turn into international intrigue with almost paranormal elements. This turn was a little out there for me, but by the time it hit I was invested enough in Ray's story to suspend disbelief and press on. The climax was reminiscent of old black-and-white mad scientist movies, which made for an exciting albeit over-the-top conclusion, and the end had a feel-good finish that I actually enjoyed more than any other part of the book. As for the details of the case, I believe the less you know going in the better the reading experience will be, so if this sounds like a story you might enjoy just pick up a copy and discover the sinister plot for yourself.

Characters: Ray was an engaging viewpoint character - as a robot he had a detached way of not only viewing the world but moving through it, exhibiting a reckless indifference that allowed him to go where most feared to tread (which kept the story moving) and do what some men might hesitate to do (which kept his secrets safe). His limitations were what really made his character for me, though: his 24-hour memory which was wiped each night, and his ability to be so easily repurposed and reprogrammed by Ada, super-computer extraordinaire. She was the perfect business manager and quite the personality, and together she and Ray made a fun and formidable team to follow.

Conclusion: If you like classic hardboiled/noir crime stories and enjoy a good contemporary sci-fi twist, then I recommend you give Made to Kill a try. This wasn't quite my kind of read so I don't think I'll be continuing the trilogy, but who knows, maybe I'll feel like taking another turn around LA with Ray someday.

Extras: Tor crafted an impressive website for the series, theLAtrilogy.com, packed with interesting and detailed extras such as cast bios, telling advertisements, and a link to the novelette that started it all, "Brisk Money." I definitely recommend giving it a look.

For Fans Of: Raymond Chandler, classic PI movies

Scribble Rating: 

3 of 5 Scribbles

Review: The Cage (Megan Shepherd)

Title: The Cage
Series: The Cage Trilogy, Book 1
Author: Megan Shepherd (site)
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Release Date: May 26, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Science Fiction
Told: Third Person Multiple (6 humans), Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (violence, disturbing situations and images, some sensuality, teen pregnancy, some language)
Format Read: ARC (trade)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.

Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren't from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.

As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so . . . what world lies beyond the walls of their cage?

*          *          *

In a Sentence: An interesting premise but unsettling result that disturbed me until the explosive end.

Like the humans in their cage, I slowly went mad in the pages of this book. The story was not the good chill of a read that I expected, instead a slow build of dread and delusion that rather disturbed me.

Writing: The story is told Third Person from the point of view of the six teens in the cage. Broken into named chapters it was somewhat easy to tell them apart, but I believe the book would've been much better if told First Person solely from Cora's point of view since the plot mainly followed her and the chapters were mostly from her point of view. The information we received from the other five teens was spartan and almost completely unnecessary except to their character, and their characters held little importance to the overall plot. They were more like secondary characters to Cora, and learning important information from them before Cora greatly lessened the impact of some major reveals. Their point of views will probably become a bigger deal to the plot in later books, but for this one it proved a disappointment.

Setting: The dark but dazzling alien zoo premise I'd expected was not quite what I got. Yes humans were kept in environment cages where they were watched for amusement and studied for research, but for the most part it all felt more alien experimentation than zoo. The book spends most of its time in one particular experiment "menagerie," and there like Cora I found myself trapped with a headache in a disturbing cage I couldn't escape, slowly going mad. 

Story: The first three-fours of the book were a struggle of disorientation and delusion, the only highlights the brief times Cora was outside of the cage. Inside of it I just couldn't find much to interest me as the teens slowly succumbed to madness, which left only morbid curiosity to keep me going. The last fourth engaged me more though as Cora formed an escape (even though I thought her extremely delusional) and as she became more engaged with their alien Caretaker, and to my surprise by the end I found myself intrigued enough to want to read the next book. However, my interest is in seeing more of the aliens and their worlds, and not the characters. None of the teens ever truly engaged me, the aliens far more fascinating in their inhumanity.

Characters: Cora's unyielding strength was inspiring, but I felt she was just a little too delusional for her own good. The rest of the teens were too highly unbalanced for me to relate to, and were never consistent enough for me to understand. If I had to choose a favorite teen it would be Mali, strong and sharp and scarred from living among the aliens most of her life.

Romantic Relationships: The romances in this book were complicated and a little unsettling as the teens were initially paired for breeding and later as madness overcame them. Cora ended up with a bit of a love triangle between her paired human boy and the alien Caretaker. While the boy was really sweet I was never fully on board with him because of reasons, and I'm still not quite sure how to feel about her alien interest - interspecies romances can be fun, but here it smacked too much of Stockholm syndrome. And then of course he and his feelings were not all they seemed...

Conclusion: If you like disturbing stories about alien-human experiments that may break your sanity a little while you read them, then maybe give this one a try. Currently on the fence about reading any more in the series - I'd expected a series going in, but with a trilogy instead of a duology now ahead of me I'm not sure if I'm interested enough to read two more books.

Scribble Rating: 

2.5 of 5 Scribbles

DNF Review: Parallel (Lauren Miller)

Title: Parallel
Series: standalone
Author: Lauren Miller
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Science Fiction
Told: First Person (Abby), Present Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (up to Page 170: innuendo, underage drinking)
Format Read: ARC
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She'd go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it's as if her past has been rewritten.

With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby's senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby's never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.

*          *          *

I did not finish this book. I read up to Page 170 (over 1/3 through the book).

The premise for Parallel is simple: after their parallel worlds collide, 18 year-old Abby has her life altered daily by the choices of her 17 year-old parallel self. While it could get a little technical at times, it was definitely an interesting idea - but unfortunately the idea wasn't good enough to overcome the book's problems for me.

First of all, the chapters were insanely long. I can understand that the author wanted to use the breaks to show the switch between the 17 and 18 year-old Abbys, but it would've been okay to have several chapters in a row about one girl and then switch to the other without the reader getting confused - the chapters were clearly labeled. With the book already over 400 pages long, the extended chapters made the story drag something awful. And staying with one Abby for so long made me forget there was another one, so when the chapter did finally switch I had to reorient myself to exactly which Abby it was and what was going on.

And then there was the fact that I didn't connect with Abby at all. I believe this was because of the plain writing style, and the fact that Abby's life was in no way exciting or unique that would make it interesting, even with all the uncertainties and upheaval. (Except the movie-set life, but that lasted all of one chapter. If it had gone the other way around, from college to movie-set, now that would've been exciting and interesting!) Her life was, simply, ordinary. And considering I came into the book looking for extraordinary (I mean, c'mon, parallel worlds), I had no desire to spend 400+ pages reading about an ordinary life altering in ordinary ways. 

Not that her "ordinary" life was realistic. Parallel existed in "television reality," where sex is casual, underage teen drinking is commonplace and easy because no one gets carded, and the only way to party is hard. The excessive drinking was what really got to me - the highschoolers had no problem getting their hands on booze and hangovers did nothing to deter them, and there was no carding or restraint in the college kids at all. Even though Abby was supposed to be little miss "Plan," there was no conscious thought about getting in trouble until after the fact, and no real consequences for any trouble that did occur unless it was important to the story. I'm sorry, but this can't possibly be reality for most teens - and if it is, God help us all.

Conclusion: This was definitely an interesting idea, and I'm sure most will love it. But for me personally, the writing was too plain, the chapters were way too long, and the setting just wasn't realistic. I tried to stick with it, I really did, but eventually I just couldn't take any more.

DNF Review: Unremembered (Jessica Brody)

Title: Unremembered
Series: Unremembered, Book 1
Author: Jessica Brody
Publisher: FSG
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Science Fiction
Told: First Person, Present Tense
Format Read: ARC (EpicLibrarian)
Find It On: Goodreads
Summary: 

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

*          *          *

I did not finish this book. I reached Chapter 25 (a little over halfway) and could not bring myself to continue.

For the entire first half of the book, barely anything happens. Sera, the main character, "just wants a normal life," and absolutely refuses to believe anything unusual about herself. She runs away from the plot instead of towards it, and only when it literally ties her to a chair and shoves itself down her throat does she start at least listening. And this is only a few short chapters before I stopped reading - it takes half the book for her to start accepting that maybe she isn't normal. 

When the love interest comes along, she refuses to trust him, or even go near him - but I didn't feel any spark between them anyway. The promise of a "love unchanged" on the cover is nowhere to be seen in the first half, aside for a bit of tingling Sera quickly dismisses. Lately, publishers have been feeding us instant sexual attraction and tension, so comparatively this relationship felt downright cold. 

And the "big reveal" turned out to be the same-old, same-old. 

I did like the short, direct voice and chapters in the beginning, but as Sera became more familiar with the world the superb writing laxed. In the end I had read it all before, and with the threat of an abundance of flashbacks in my future, I did not continue.