'Scarlet' by Marissa Meyer: Mel's Review

Title: Scarlet

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2

By: Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA Dystopian/Fairy Tale Retellings

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. 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.

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'Seven Black Diamonds' by Melissa Marr : Mel's Review

Title: Seven Black Diamonds

Series: Seven Black Diamonds #1

By: Melissa Marr

Genre: YA Dystopian/Urban Fantasy

Lilywhite Abernathy is a criminal. Her father’s “unconventional” business has meant a life of tightly held secrets, concealed weaponry, and a strict code. But Lily’s crime isn’t being the daughter of a powerful mob boss. Her guilt lies in the other half of her DNA—the part that can coax ancient rumors from stones and summon fire with a thought. Lily is part fae, which is a crime in her world.

From the time before she was born, a war has been raging between humanity and fae. The Queen of Blood and Rage, ruler of both the Seelie and Unseelie courts, wants to avenge the tragic death of her heir—a death that was the fault of reckless humans.

Lily’s father has shielded her from the repercussions of her ancestry…until she is sent to the prestigious St. Columba’s school, straight into the arms of the Black Diamonds.

Mysterious, glamorous, and bound together in their mission but constantly at odds, Zephyr, Creed, Will, Roan, Violet, and Alkamy are a Sleeper cell of fae, planted in the human world to help destroy it from within. With covers as rock stars and celebrity children, the Black Diamonds carry out the queen’s war against humanity. And unbeknownst to Lilywhite, she’s been chosen to join them.

Now more than ever, Lily’s heritage puts her in peril, and even the romantic attention of the fae singer Creed Morrison isn’t enough to keep Lily from wanting to run back to the safer world of organized crime.

Melissa Marr returns to faery in a dramatic story of the precarious space between two worlds and the people who must thrive there.

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GHBT- Aberrant by Ruth Silver- Book Blitz

Aberrant
Aberrant Trilogy # 1
By- Ruth Silver
Publication Date- April 17, 2013
Genre- YA Dystopian

What if your existence was illegal?

It was supposed to be the perfect system: food, shelter, and jobs for everyone. A strive toward Utopian.

When children can no longer be conceived through natural means, a lottery is established to determine which families will conceive a child in a lab through IVF.

Eighteen year old Olivia Parker is an anomaly. She shouldn't exist.

The government wants her dead. The rebels have their own perverted agenda. In a world filled with secrets, betrayals, and death lurking at every turn, Olivia must decide her own path and who to trust.

Adventure, mystery, and romance come together in this fast-paced Young Adult dystopian fantasy that will keep readers of all ages turning the pages. Aberrant is the first novel in the Aberrant series.

**SALE**

You can get Aberrant for Kindle and Nook for just $1.99! Today only! Get your hands on this amazing book now!

    

GHBT Cover Reveal: Uprising by Allana Kephart & Melissa Simmons

Uprising

The Dolan Prophecies Series Book #1

By- Allana Kephart & Melissa Simmons

Expected Publication Date- April 18th, 2014 

Genre- New Adult Dystopian

The year 2102--the world as it was no longer exists. Ravaged by nuclear war and polluted almost to the point of no return, Earth was dying. When the faeries came and brought their healing magic, humanity was grateful at first. Centuries of damage repaired in just five years, and during the course of that rehabilitation, they invaded. Quietly overthrown, the human race is now enslaved. The majority doesn’t even realize they have no free will. Branded, herded and kept only to further the agendas of the Fae Courts, humanity could be facing extinction.

But a resistance is coming…

Fianna Dolan has spent her entire young life preparing herself for an uprising against the Fae. One scorching summer night Fi's parents leave and never return. Thrust into a position of power she never expected, Fi struggles with her new position and the responsibility it entails. When a secretive fae man known only as Flint breaches the city’s defenses claiming he can help, Fi begins to doubt everything she's ever considered truth. As betrayals and deception come to light, will Fi want the answers she’s been seeking, or will trusting Flint lead to her destruction?

Book Blast- "The Island' by Jen Minkman

Book Info-

Title-The Island

By- Jen Minkman

Publication Date-June 1, 2013

*Novella* (80 pages)

Genre- YA Dystopian

Blurb-

‘I walk toward the sea. The endless surface of the water extends to the horizon, whichever way I look.

Our world is small. We are on our own, and we only have ourselves to depend on. We rely on the Force deep within us, as taught to us by our forefathers.

If I were to walk westward from here, I would come across a barrier – the Wall.

Behind it, there are Fools. At least, that’s what everyone says.

I have never seen one.’

Leia lives on the Island, a world in which children leave their parents to take care of themselves when they are ten years old. Across this Island runs a wall that no one has ever crossed. The Fools living behind it are not amenable to reason – they believe in illusions. That’s what The Book says, the only thing left to the Eastern Islanders by their ancestors.

But when a strange man washes ashore and Leia meets a Fool face to face, her life will never be the same. Is what she and her friends believe about the Island really true?

Or is everyone in their world, in fact, a Fool?

'Opposites' by T.M. Smith: Cover Reveal

Calendar year 2081. Our planet has finally succumbed to Global Warming. 

Dr. Anthony Smith, one of only a few thousand people to survive Global Warming Ignition, has come to the conclusion that the destruction of our planet and society had been due to Injudicious Breeding which lead (in his opinion) to over population, WAR, unnatural climate changes, lower intelligence, poor physical health, poverty, lust and greed. Having isolated the Dionysus gene, he decided to start society anew by manipulating Human DNA to ensure all their offspring would be born Gay/Lesbian. Thus creating a society where Gay/Lesbian is the norm... to be straight labels you an Opposite and makes you an Outkast. 

~ Nature Versus Nurture ~ 

Some 200 years later Dr. Smith’s descendants have maintained control of the Government that rules society. House Gaeland rules their lands, as well as the other 6 countries that survived GWI. Twins, Aiya and Aiyan, are next in line to rule alongside their soon to be wife and husband. There is, however, a growing anomaly; one that threatens to unravel over 200 years of progress. This anomaly is known as Opposites.

A personal note from author TM Smith 

I can’t thank all my sister bloggers enough for supporting me by hosting this cover reveal event! I’ve made some wonderful and fascinating friends this past year while working on Opposites; bloggers, reviewers and authors that have made a huge impact on me. I wish I could list you all by name. I hope you all know how very much I appreciate the support. 

I will say the three most important things in life are Faith, Family and Friends. I have the best of all three! I thank god everyday for my wonderfully dysfunctional family and close knit group of friends. To have family and friends that support you when you are right, wrong or indifferent is a gift!

A military brat born and raised at Ft. Benning Georgia; Smith is an avid reader, reviewer and writer. She now calls Texas home from her small town on the outskirts of the DFW Metroplex. Most days you can find her curled up with her kindle and a good book alongside a glass of something aged and red or a steaming cup of coffee! 

At 42 years young, she’s decided to enter the next phase of her life by adding the title of “author” to her list of accomplishments that includes single mom of three disturbingly outspoken and decidedly different kids, one of which is Autistic. Her two eldest kids and gay best friend were the inspiration for her upcoming new release, Opposites.

"Waiting on" Wednesday: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly even hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we're super excited about. This week, my pick is:

Through the Ever Night 

Under the Never Sky Book #2 

By Veronica Rossi

Publication Date:  January 8, 2013

Published By HarperCollins

It's been months since Aria learned of her mother's death.

Months since Perry became Blood Lord of the Tides, and months since Aria last saw him.

Now Aria and Perry are about to be reunited. It's a moment they've been longing for with countless expectations. And it's a moment that lives up to all of them. At least, at fi rst. Then it slips away. The Tides don't take kindly to former Dwellers like Aria. And the tribe is swirling out of Perry's control. With the Aether storms worsening every day, the only remaining hope for peace and safety is the Still Blue. But does this haven truly exist?

Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night? In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and sci-fi elements to create a captivating adventure—and a love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.

I have been looking forward to this book since the moment I finished Under the Never Sky last winter. The characters are captivating, the story riveting and the romance enchanting. I am pre-ordering my copy of this book NOW. 

That's my 'Waiting on', what's yours? 

Treasured Thursdays: Most Treasured Dystopian

Treasured Thursday is a weekly event created by Touya over at The Reader's Garden that is all about our most treasured. I'm hosting it here now, for those of you who are interested in joining me. This week our topic is our most treasured dystopian novel.

This is very hard for me. Very, very hard. There are so many wonderful titles in this genre, it is nearly impossible to pick just one.  This one, though, really hooked me from the very beginning. 

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

I dare you to read this book and not fall in love with it. The suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end and I loved every minute of it. Roth spins an intriguing tale you can't walk away from.  The characters are authentic and interesting, the story is jam packed full of action and there's even a little romance thrown in. What's not to love? These are just a few reasons why Divergent is my most treasured dystopian novel. 

Now, Mel has read a lot more dystopian novels than I have, if only because my reading list is longer than a football field and I have no time-to-read in my life, but this is probably my most favorite genre ever. I'm almost glad I'm just getting into it, because then I'd be having issues picking one. But at the moment? It's simple to me.

For those of you who haven't read it, here's the summary:

What if you knew exactly when you were going to die? 

Thanks to modern science, every newborn has become a ticking genetic time bomb--males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape--to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric  father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

I am a DeStefan (the "following" name; Lauren said on her Facebook she wanted her fans to call themselves 'DeStefans' ;]), and proud of it. This book is the creepiest thing I've ever read. And I'm not even finished! You know it's good when from the first chapter I decided this was a favorite of mine. 

It has everything; a female lead that isn't a whiny, a storyline that isn't totally ridiculous, a male that isn't completely overbearing, and a goal-in-mind that makes you root for Rhine and Gabriel, and hell, I even had a little hope for Linden...because I am an awful person like that.

This is definitely my most treasured dystopian- I can't wait to finish it! 

Review: Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Under the Never Sky is Veronica Rossi’s debut novel. Set in a future where the sky is now our enemy, the world has been ravaged by ‘aether’ storms that burn everything in their path. Those left here have split into two groups; Dwellers and Outsiders. Dwellers live in pods that are carefully controlled for the inhabitants’ safety while the Outsiders brave the elements and make their homes in the real world. 

The story is told from the points of view of Aria, a Dweller and Perry, an Outsider. Getting the perspective of someone who has been living in the Pods and had everything from their surroundings to the temperature controlled from the day they were born and is then thrust into the outside world without warning is eye opening. She shows you things that Perry, who has always lived outside may not notice in the same manner.  Yet, Perry shows you his perspective of someone who’s had to fight and scrape a living out of the wasteland the aether storms have made of his home.  It’s a startling contrast, one who is just discovering that beauty can be found out in the real world and one who almost takes it for granted.

Our main characters, Aria and Perry, are both complex characters; they are both immensely likeable and well-written. They are flawed, of course, both with their preconceptions about the other; but decent people, with the ability to grow and adapt to their situation as it changes. Written with flashes of humor and an innate, inner strength, I couldn’t pick a favorite from them. They are both amazing in their own right and they shine as they struggle to cope with the situation they’ve been thrown into.

The conflicts are many for Aria and Perry as they band together in an uneasy alliance. Her missing mother and his kidnapped nephew are their foremost concerns. Unfortunately, other life-threatening issues take over in the day to day of their quest.  The narrative is funny, engaging and downright terrifying in turns. You find yourself laughing, gasping aloud and crying as the duo moves towards their goal. 

The action in the story starts right at the very beginning and I found myself instantly riveted. There is the slightest of lulls in the middle, but it does not take away from the story in the slightest. It’s a fast read with the action at the end more than making up for the slight downtime.  The story flows beautifully and the characters are masterfully crafted. The idea is utterly original and I was completely captivated from the start. This is an amazing debut with a few brilliant twists to keep you on your toes as you read. The ending was absolutely perfect and I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed a book more.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves dystopian or fantasy novels. 

My Rating: