Review: The Eleventh Plague

Author: Jeff Hirsch
Pages: 278
Publisher: Scholastic
Source: Library
Synopsis: In an America devastated by war and plague, the only way to survive is to keep moving.

In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing--and their lives--forever.

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The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch was a good book but I wasn't really wowed by it.

I do think it's really me and my "go big or go home" mentality. When it comes to books, I like big, intricate stories about special people facing and conquering fear and danger. Stories about people dealing with hardship like everyone else interest me but I've never really loved them. And that's what The Eleventh Plague was about. A boy, Stephen trying to find his way in the world.

The story and world is similar to Ashes Ashes. The world is bleak and desolate. Hope can only be found when searched for. Humans are torn between survival and humanity. There's danger around every corner, conflict, and everything you'd expect from a world left in ruins. What I liked about The Eleventh Plague was that while it was grim, it was believable. That really upped its creep factor and I felt the book's mood clearly.

The characters didn't entice me too much. I liked Stephen, Jenny and them just fine but I never loved them. I did like how they fell in love. Though it was quick, one line Jenny said made me realize there was more to her and she's good for Stephen. Stephen himself has lost so much that I wish I could give him everything I have here, like my books. He's a genuinely good guy but for most of his life all he has focused on is surviving as he experiences loss after loss after loss.

The plot is pretty well summarized by the synopsis and I think it's pretty good. There were some very action filled scenes but I wasn't too excited about them. I think the reason why is that I expect death in post-apocalyptic reads so I desensitize my self subconsciously before reading. Whatever happened, it wasn't very enjoyable.

I know I've sounded pretty lukewarm in my review but that's how I feel. There are some definite good parts in the novel like how it ended or some of the morality crises (I love reading about those) and I do think there are parts to like overall. The Eleventh Plague just isn't my kind of read but I encourage you to try it if you're interested. 2 stars,

**

Review: Hades

Author: Alexandra Adornetto

Pages: 424

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Source: Library

Synopsis: Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep dark forces at bay. Falling in love was never part of her mission, but the bond between Beth and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier Woods, is undeniably strong. But even Xavier’s love, and the care of her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can’t keep Beth from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, the demon Jake Thorn bargains for Beth’s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly, her loved ones, as well.

The story that Alexandra Adornetto built in her New York Times - bestselling debut, Halo, comes alive in action-packed and unexpected ways, as angels battle demons, and the power of love is put to the test.

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The Halo series by Alexandra Adornetto seems to be a hit or miss among reviewers. Either you'll love it or you'll hate it. That's why I was really nervous to read Hades. I thought Halo was okay but I was getting scared by the reviews of Hades. I finally told myself that as a reviewer I'd have to face my fear and if I wanted to read the book, I should. With such a beautiful cover, and me being as vain as I am, I couldn't ignore this title.

I didn't hate it. After reading Hades all I feel is a bit of disappointment due primarily to how the story ended. I'll start with the good though.

It's hard to stop reading once you've started. I wouldn't say it's an addiction but Hades just draws you in so well and you're always going to question what will happen next. The premise is fantastic and though there are a few clichés, they're easy enough to overlook if you like the story.

If you don't like the story you may have some issues. My first issue was with the characters. I remember loving Bethany and Xander in Halo and hating Jake. I completely switched sides. Bethany and Xander as a couple are codependent. I love that even Bethany's girlfriends, some characters barely seen except to prove that Bethany does have friends, even say so. You might say it's true love and then I'd be stumped because I haven't encountered that yet. Except that this not being able to live without each other kind of love never rang true. Instead of being empathetic and rooting for the happy couple I was thinking how I'd react if I met a Bethany and Xander in real life. Bethany and Xander don't do much without each other. I would have rather Bethany had a personality and individual interests outside of him but she doesn't. I can't really admire that as being individual is really important to me.

I didn't really like any of the characters either. Ivy and Gabriel fell flat again and I saw them as robotic. They were in a way. They're angels and not really human. Mollie was one of the most frustrating characters I've read. I liked that she had a clear personality but that personality bothered me to no extent. The only character I really wanted more of was Jake. He made awful, awful choices and then good ones. In the end I was so fascinated with him that I had to continue reading. The only thing I couldn't understand was why Jake had a thing for Beth. I thought that was a cliché and it really wasn't explained so I was disappointed in that regard.

In Hades we're in a brand new setting: Hell. Even though there were numerous descriptions, Hell never really came alive for me. I liked the concept but we were more focused on Bethany who cared more about Xander. There were some things well done though- "Big Daddy" made me giggle for instance. I would rather have seen more.

What Hades had a ton of were moments where I really wondered how real it could be. Some of the actions by the demons had me wondering how demonic they were and some of heaven's choices made me not root for the other team either. There were too many beautiful people between the angels and demons and at one point I was wishing for someone normal to appear. Thankfully, they did. I was really pleased with one of the very minor character's story for one. (Sorry for being vague but vague is much better than spoiling.)

Plot wise, I also wasn't impressed. I really wish I was but I feel like not much happened. There were 400 pages in this book- above average. That made for a long read as not much stuff happened. There was potential- Bethany was in hell. Hell is a setting where so much is possible but I didn't feel anything. And the conclusion didn't overjoy me either.

All in all, though I did ramble on about what I didn't like there is a reason I keep reading this series. It reminds me of Lauren Kate's Fallen series- you know it's not the best book out there but something about it has you hooked. If you want to read Hades, I won't discourage you. Every book deserves a chance. 2.5 stars.

**

Review: The Sweetest Thing

Author: Christina Mandelski

Pages: 352

Publisher: Egmont

Source: Library

Synopsis: In the world of Sheridan Wells, life is perfect when she’s decorating a cake. Unfortunately, everything else is a complete mess: her mom ran off years ago, her dad is more interested in his restaurant, and the idea of a boyfriend is laughable. 

But Sheridan is convinced finding her mom will solve all her problems—only her dad’s about to get a cooking show in New York, which means her dream of a perfect family will be dashed. 

Using just the right amount of romance, family drama, and cute boys, The Sweetest Thing will entice fans with its perfect mixture of girl-friendly ingredients.

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The Sweetest Thing wasn't what I hoped it would be. It wasn't the story for me, sadly.

First, I couldn't really bring myself to like the main character. She acted selfishly so much that I was constantly annoyed with her. She made bad decisions, acted impulsively, and though everyone around her said she was good and amazing, I had a hard time seeing that. Sheridan just wasn't someone I liked and that created complications. To be fair, she did have a hard background and had issues with family and change. She was damaged in a way. I could relate to her but I didn't really like her.

My other problem was that the story didn't really hook me in. Nothing really sparked my interest except an event about 3/4s of the way in. It's not a boring story, but it's a lot about Sheridan's personal growth. Not really action packed and I'm an adrenaline junkie. It was good but a little too plain for my tastes. The story also felt really really long. I wasn't as invested in the story as I hoped I would be.

Now on to good things because if the story was totally awful I wouldn't bother reading it. Sheridan's relationship with her dad was something I loved and hated. I could relate to it and though Sheridan was a bit daft sometimes, I really liked the dynamic shown. It wasn't simple but complex. There were layers of hurt, anger, estrangement and love. Nanny was a sweet character. She made me miss my grandma. I always smiled when she was in the scene. There was a variety of colorful secondary characters which I loved. Some of them were cliché but others were so special and unique and had me thinking of people I've met. I wish there were more of these types of characters in YA.

Overall, The Sweetest Thing had great characters. I do wish I enjoyed the story better but I can see this as a good contemporary story. I'm not the biggest fan of the contemporary genre though. 2 stars,

**

Review: Those That Wake

Author: Jesse Karp
Pages: 336
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: Library
Synopsis: New York City’s spirit has been crushed. People walk the streets with their heads down, withdrawing from one another and into the cold comfort of technology. Teenagers Mal and Laura have grown up in this reality. They’ve never met. Seemingly, they never will. 


But on the same day Mal learns his brother has disappeared, Laura discovers her parents have forgotten her. Both begin a search for their families that leads them to the same truth: someone or something has wiped the teens from the memories of every person they have ever known. Thrown together, Mal and Laura must find common ground as they attempt to reclaim their pasts.

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Those That Wake has the appearance of a book about zombies but, you should know, it isn't. The book is instead about helplessness and fighting it.

To be honest, after finishing the last page my reaction was "What happened?" I was thoroughly confused. I couldn't really grasp the concept Jesse Karp was using so many things had me puzzled. I read one passage three or four times and still didn't understand what was going on. Maybe someone else will understand or there could have been better explanations. You had to pay very very close attention to understand what was going on and I honestly wasn't willing to put that much effort in a book I had hoped would entertain me.

The characters... What can I say? I didn't actively like any of them. I thought they ranged from "I hate them" to "normal." I just couldn't seem to connect with them or what they did. For example, the "romance." It didn't make sense. It wasn't needed. Does all it take for love to appear is a girl to see a guy? There wasn't any foreplay. No one ever questioned their feelings. They just felt protective from the start. I couldn't understand it.

The world building wasn't really amazing. I couldn't tell if this world was supposed to be a near future or an advanced future. They referenced 9/11 so it could be near but based on how people were so technologically advanced I really don't know. We were told people never looked up from screens. Besides a few events, I couldn't really picture the New York in Those That Wake.

You may have gotten the impression I wasn't too impressed by Those That Wake,but there were good things. A lot of cool stuff happened like Laura being forgotten and having to deal with that. The characters' backgrounds were also interesting. Those That Wake make you want to stop using the Internet and testing all the time and instead look around the world. It also raises awareness of media's influences.

This book wasn't the book for me. I couldn't get into it, I didn't find myself liking the characters, the plot confused me... Definitely not for me. I'm sure someone else may enjoy this book. If Sci-fi with conspiracies against media and corporations is your thing, you'll probably like this. 2 stars,

**

Review: Kindred

Author: Tammar Stein
Pages: 272
Publisher: Knopf
Source: Library
Synopsis: Miriam is an unassuming college freshman stuck on campus after her spring break plans fall through. She's not a religious girl--when pressed she admits reluctantly to believing in a higher power. Truth be told, she's about as comfortable speaking about her faith as she is about her love life, which is to say, not at all. And then the archangel Raphael pays Miriam a visit, and she finds herself on a desperate mission to save two of her contemporaries. To top it all off, her twin brother, Mo, has also had a visitation, but from the opposite end of the good-evil spectrum, which leaves Miriam to wonder--has she been blessed and her brother cursed or vice versa? And what is the real purpose behind her mission?


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Kindred was an okay read. I expected much more and there was so much potential. I just didn't feel like I read anything special.

After an encounter of the angelic kind, Miriam is appointed a mission. When she doesn't exactly succeed 100% in her mission, Miriam begins to weaken and gets sick. She moves from college to a small town in Tennessee and gets a job at the local newspaper.

I thought Miriam was okay. She was a really nice girl but a bit too timid. I mean that she never got angry about the stuff that happened to her even though some awful things did happen. I was surprised at that. She's a much better person than I am. I didn't really connect with her and I found her a bit plain.

Her twin brother, Moses was a much more interesting character, in my view. While Miriam's encounter was angelic, Mo's was demonic. Most people think "No, I'd never side with the devil. Only bad, awful psychopaths would do that." I liked that Mo wasn't shown to be bad. He had issues but he was more charming and ambitious. He had big dreams which I can understand, but loose morals. While what he was doing was wrong, it wasn't unthinkable. I liked that there was that gray area. I would have loved to read the story from his perspective.

What turned me off the story was the religious aspect. Miriam's father was Jewish and her mother Catholic so there was a lot of focus on religion in her life. Specifically about God. There were many questions about God and while that would be perfect for a youth group to discuss, it wasn't really the entertaining, light read I had in mind. I'm only mentioning this because it may put some people off the book.

The plot was interesting enough though kind of slow for the most part. There was some romance that I liked (and it was unusual. I liked the character and wanted more romance for once!), there was some mystery, etc. There was a certain storyline that I found very interesting. Something that happened to Miriam and that I would have been curious to read about more than the angel/demon thing. That part was well done and I was surprised when I read of it. (Sorry for being vague but I don't want to spoil it... it is an important plot point for the book.)

In short, Kindred is a nice enough read. It's just not my kind of read. It's a unique, different kind of book that will probably be a hit or miss. For me it was more of a miss. 2 stars,

**

Review: The Uninvited

Author: Tim Wynne-Jones
Pages: 368
Publisher: Candlewick
Source: Library
Synopsis (Amazon):
Mimi Shapiro had a disturbing freshman year at NYU, thanks to a foolish affair with a professor who still haunts her caller ID. So when her artist father, Marc, offers the use of his remote Canadian cottage, she’s glad to hop in her Mini Cooper and drive up north. The house is fairy-tale quaint, and the key is hidden right where her dad said it would be, so she’s shocked to fi nd someone already living there — Jay, a young musician, who is equally startled to meet Mimi and immediately accuses her of leaving strange and threatening tokens inside: a dead bird, a snakeskin, a cricket sound track embedded in his latest composition. But Mimi has just arrived, so who is responsible? And more alarmingly, what does the intruder want? Part gripping thriller, part family drama, this fast-paced novel plays out in alternating viewpoints, in a pastoral setting that is evocative and eerie — a mysterious character in its own right.

The Uninvited by Tim Wynne Jones was completely different from what I expected.

The story was told in the alternating perspective of Mimi, Jay and Cramer. They were all very different characters with different voices. Mimi did many things through out the story that I found out of character so I didn't connect too much with her. Jay didn't have a huge part in the story after he and Mimi were initially introduced, and Cramer, well, he's special. I won't go any further than that.

To be honest, I wasn't very into the story. The characters didn't attract my attention and the plot didn't move much until near the middle and end by which everything was revealed. The revelation was interesting, but again I found that it didn't do much for me. I didn't find it very believable and I don't think I would be the target for this genre.

The thing I was disappointed in was that I expected a horror story here but I didn't get one. I wasn't frightened and that's where the story fell apart, because I couldn't get myself interested in it.

The story was set in a very small town in Ontario near Ottawa and Kingston. I enjoyed the Canadian references. The setting was well written. Even now I can easily imagine the small town they were from. The stalker was creepy and will keep you guessing.

Overall, the Uninvited was an eerie story but it didn't give me all I wanted as a reader. 2 stars,

**