Review: Children of Eden

Title: Children of Eden

Author: Joey Graceffa 

Audio Narrator: Sarah Grayson

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Number of pages: 278 pages

Time it took me to read: 5 Days

Book Trailer

Synopsis:

Rowan is a Second Child in a world where population control measures make her an outlaw marked for death. She can never go to school, make friends, or get the eye implants that will mark her as a true member of Eden. Her kaleidoscope eyes will give her away to the ruthless Center government.

Outside of Eden, Earth is poisoned and dead. All animals and most plants have been destroyed by a man-made catastrophe. Long ago the brilliant scientist Aaron al Baz saved a pocket of civilization by designing the EcoPanopticon, a massive computer program that hijacked all global technology and put it to use preserving the last vestiges of mankind. Humans will wait for thousands of years in Eden until the EcoPan heals the world.

As an illegal Second Child, Rowan has been hidden away in her family’s compound for 16 years. Now, restless and desperate to see the world, she recklessly escapes for what she swears will be only one night of adventure. Though she finds an exotic world and even a friend, the night leads to tragedy. Soon Rowan becomes a renegade on the run – unleashing a chain of events that could change the world of Eden forever.

 Novel Review:

I loved this read! The female protagonist is smart, athletic, and finally takes her life into her own hands which creates the conflict of this story. Rowan is a second child and is hidden away because her existence is forbidden. Imagine being forced into hidden panels in the walls of your home whenever there is a knock at the door. Crazy, I know!

I have had this book on my TBR for probably over a year now. I watched a few of Joey’s YouTube Videos and was interesting in his autobiography seeing as he is a very popular and successful gay YouTuber. Also, his pretty awesome book trailer may have had a little sway in my need to read this. But why did I take so long to pick it up? Not too sure but I am kicking myself in the butt now.

There is a lot of world building in this first book which, to me, makes a hell lot of sense seeing as it is dystopian and *duh* a first book. Some people have a problem with this but I didn’t see those issues in this one. There are also a lot of social commentary that can be applied to our current world events and I love that dystopian novels do this so well. I mean one child rule, environmental destruction, political corruption and possible more with a closer read.

I will also mention that there is a love triangle but it’s one that has not been done or at the very least definitely not overdone. Now trust me I do get sick of the overly done love triangles that seem to plague young adult fiction but I do love them when they are done well or bring in a new element. I was cheering for this love triangle after I figured it out and I still don’t know what team I am rooting for because it is so well done.

I recommend this book to those who like a lighter dystopia and an interesting read.

My rating:

Find out more about the book and Joey Graceffa here

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Anticipated Releases: August 2017

Besides the most anticipated Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo there are several anticipated releases for August 2017 that I wanted to share. I am placing myself on a book ban for the month of August. After picking up 62 books during Comic-Con, I realized I need to keep myself in check. So I won’t be allowed to add more books to my bookshelf but that doesn’t meant they cannot be added to my TBR list.

Strange Alchemy by Gwenda Bond
Release Date: August 1st

If you are like me, then you know all about the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island and how everyone virtually disappeared. Well this 336 page novel is written about that same event but now 114 modern people have disappeared and it is up to Miranda and Grant to solve the mystery and bring everyone back. Who doesn’t love a good story involving alchemy?

 

 

Venturess by Betsy Cornwell
Release Date: August 1st

I just found this soon to be released novel on Amazon and the summary was very intriguing. This 325 page novel is the sequel to Mechanica. From the reviews I have read so far, the first book is a Cinderella retelling and this book expands on that world building. I know that some people have problems with fairytale retellings so be warned now. I personally love them (Cinder is my favorite!) The main character is an inventor (Yay for girls and STEM) and builds a life off of her inventions. Sounds like a fun read.

 

 

Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Release Date: August 8th

People are losing things all the time. Do you know how many socks my kids lose every month? Well this book is about those lost things and it takes place in Ireland. That’s all I need to know. I am a sucker for anything Ireland.

 

 

 

 

This is Not the End by Chandler Baker
Release Date: August 8th

Imagine you lived in a world where you can bring someone back from the dead. Now imagine you are limited to only one person, you witnessed your two best friends die, and have already made a promise to bring someone else back. This synopsis already has my anxiety on overload. With 384 pages to dive into I can’t wait until I am off my book buying ban to get my hands on this read. Hopefully, my library will order it quickly.

 

 

Wicked Like A Wildfire by Lana Popović
Release Date: August 15th

I will be honest, this cover drew me to this read. I was even more in love with it when I learned that this 476 page novel is a dark fantasy involving twin sisters, a family curse and their magical ability to manipulate beauty. Throw in a little mystery and forbid love and i think you have a winner. I really did not pick the best month to go on a book buying ban. Well, maybe with all the fantastic books coming out this month I am doing myself and my bank account a favor.

 

All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis
Release Date: August 29th

I am so excited for this read. I picked up the ARC while at Comic-Con and at first the cover did nothing for me. However, after reading the synopsis everything fell into place and I think this will be a fantastic read. In a world where you are charged for each word you say and every gesture you make, there is nothing like a little defiance to ruffle the rigid feathers of a society that takes things to the extreme.

 

 

Wonder Woman Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
Release Date: August 29th

And of course Wonder Woman is my most anticipated release for the month of August. I was super lucky enough to be in the right line during Comic-Con to pick up this ARC. I am so hyped up about reading it but I needed to get through BookTubeAThon, a family camping trip, and recover from Comic-Con so that I could sit down and properly enjoy this read. Now if I could only catch up on all the reviews I need to finish and I will be golden.

 

 

Those are my anticipated reads.

What about you? What are your anticipated reads for August?

Feel free to share them with me on the comment page below. 

Review: Carve the Mark

Title: Carve the Mark

Author: Veronica Roth

Audio Narrator:  

Austin Butler & Emily Rankin

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, Young Adult, Romance

Number of pages: 468 (14 hrs 56 min)

Time it took me to read: 6 Days

Synopsis:

On a planet where violence and vengeance rule, in a galaxy where some are favored by fate, everyone develops a currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future. While most benefit from their currentgifts, Akos and Cyra do not – their gifts make them vulnerable to others’ control. Can they reclaim their gifts, their fates, and their lives and reset the balance of power in this world?

Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power – something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: She is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.

Akos is from the peace-loving nation of Thuvhe, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Though protected by his unusual currentgift, once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive – no matter what the cost. When Akos is thrust into Cyra’s world, the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. They must decide to help each other to survive – or to destroy one another.

Novel Review:

I was really excited to dive into a new book from Veronica Roth. I loved Divergent, however, Insurgent did little for me (not enough for me to even try to read Allegiant). Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the series enough to be excited about the movies. So putting all that aside I was still eager to dive into Carve the Mark.

Sadly, I think I bought into all the hype. The storyline, itself, is decent and interesting but I had a hard time keeping all the details clear and in understanding who was doing or suffering from what. And that was only after getting through the scruciating first part of the book. The beginning was too slow for me, so much that I put it down several time throughout the week in favor for a more exciting book. This book took me 6 days to read and not for lack of trying again and again to get into it. That is a really long time for me when my average turnaround has been 2 – 3 days.

The world building left me wanting more. I know that we are sometimes better at creating the author’s work in our own minds but all I managed was two civilizations divided by this nasty weed. I also had a hard time giving a damn about the characters, except for Cyra. I mean when certain disasters took place in the brothers lives, I was shocked to realize I didn’t have any emotional responses. I seriously can see some strong emotional baggage with all the events going on but not a single tear or heartbreak. Readers want to feel for the characters and become emotionally attached. This book simply lacked that.

The villain was a poor cliche and the fact that he was cruel to his own sister seemed to be a copout in which the author really wanted us to hate this man. So. why not make him horrible to his own blood? He was cowardly and then cruel and it was really hard to see how those two can work together. The love between the two characters from different races was forced and awkward. I could care less if they ever got together.

I was far more interested in Cyra’s world and not so much in Akos. That leads me to a blaring problem for me… the racism. Yes, a good book can write racism into the storyline but only if it is used well. Carve the Mark was not one of those story and it was clear that it is reinforcing current stereotypes and racist views. From trying to make natural hair “invisible” so that other cultures can accept you, to describing a waring people as “savages”, it is clear that the author has not ventured out of her small sheltered life. How this ever got through editing and publishing is beyond me. I couldn’t be more disappointed or aggravated about a book as I was in this one.

As with all my reviews, this is simply my own honest opinion and I encourage everyone to give it a try. However, I would not suggest this book to my closest friends and will not be recommending it to my own followers.

My rating:

Find out more about the book and Veronica Roth here

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