Give the Dark My Love - Book Review

Give the Dark My Love (Give the Dark My Love #1)
by Beth Revis

What is it about:
When seventeen-year-old Nedra Brysstain leaves her home in the rural, northern territories of Lunar Island to attend the prestigious Yugen Academy, she has only one goal in mind: learn the trade of medicinal alchemy. A scholarship student matriculating with the children of Lunar Island's wealthiest and most powerful families, Nedra doesn't quite fit in with the other kids at Yugen, who all look down on her.

All, except for Greggori "Grey" Astor. Grey is immediately taken by the brilliant and stubborn Nedra, who he notices is especially invested in her studies. And that's for a good reason: a deadly plague has been sweeping through the North, and it's making its way toward the cities. With her family's life--and the lives of all of Lunar Island's citizens--on the line, Nedra is determined to find a cure for the plague.

Grey and Nedra continue to grow closer, but as the sickness spreads and the body count rises, Nedra becomes desperate to find a cure. Soon, she finds herself diving into alchemy's most dangerous corners--and when she turns to the most forbidden practice of all, necromancy, even Grey might not be able to pull her from the darkness.

What did I think of it:
I will confess I thought this book would be creepier, but even though it's not I very much enjoyed it.

I liked Nedra and could understand her drive to find a cure for the plague that's taking the lives of the poor. The contrast between her and the rich students was stark and believable. I was invested in her well-being and her progress in finding the much needed cure. Grey was likeable enough, but a bit unthinking and shallow at times. The viewpoint switches between the two of them with the main focus on Nedra.

The progress of the story is slow, but not in a bad way. I liked how the pace mirrored the slow building frustration of Nedra. Only late in the book things speed up, when an important event drives the characters to act instead of trying to carefully plan their next steps.

If there was one thing that didn't work for me, it was the bond between Nedra and Grey. Grey works as a viewpoint character to show how the rich think and what is going on politically, but I couldn't really believe in the feelings he and Nedra had for each other. Mostly this is because he seemed too carefree and Nedra too focused on her work. There were not enough scenes for me to show how they fit together.

That aside I loved the story and the atmosphere. Even though it's not a creepy story, it is a dark one. The ending was very satisfying and makes this book work great as a standalone, but also leaving enough open to make you eager for more. I will certainly keep an eye out for a sequel.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful and dark YA Fantasy read.


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Across the Universe - Book Review

Across the Universe (Across the Universe #1)
by Beth Revis

What is it about:
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

What did I think of it:
This is a very nice read.

The setting was really intriguing:
The spaceship Godspeed has been travelling for 250 years and in that time there have been several generations of people on board the ship who have created their own society. This lend itself really well for a suspenseful story.

I liked Elder, he's smart, trying to do what's right, but because he's been kept in the dark about a lot of things he makes mistakes. I could really understand his motivations and the frustration that he feels from time to time.

Amy was harder to like. I will confess that at the start of the story she seemed to act too young for her age. Then she wakes up on Godspeed and she starts acting a bit bratty and unthinking as well. I wanted to kick her from time to time.

The story was enjoyable and intriguing. I did have my suspisions about what was going on and it turned out I was right about some of them, but wrong about some others.

All in all this is a really fun read and I will most certainly give the next book in this trilogy a try as well.

Why should you read it:
It's an enjoyable YA SciFi read.

Shards and Ashes - Book Review

Shards and Ashes - Anthology
by Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Veronica Roth, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Rachel Caine, Nancy Holder, Beth Revis and Carrie Ryan

What is it about:
Gripping original stories of dystopian worlds from nine New York Times bestselling authors, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong.

The world is gone, destroyed by human, ecological, or supernatural causes. Survivors dodge chemical warfare and cruel gods; they travel the reaches of space and inhabit underground caverns. Their enemies are disease, corrupt corporations, and one another; their resources are few, and their courage is tested.

Powerful original dystopian tales from nine bestselling authors offer bleak insight, prophetic visions, and precious glimmers of light among the shards and ashes of a ruined world.

What did I think of it:
Because this is an anthology I'll give a short commentary with each story about what I thought of it.

Hearken by Veronica Roth
This was a story with really intriguing world building. It was nicely written, but I didn't like the message that was a bit too clearly stamped upon the story. I wouldn't mind if Roth would write more in this world though.

Branded by Kelley Armstrong
This was a really cool story. Great world building, solid story and a great heroine. I really hope Armstrong will write more in this setting.

Necklace of Raindrops by Margaret Stohl
This story had a great plot, but that got a bit lost in the way it was written.

Dogsbody by Rachel Caine
I loved this story. It's disturbing and suspenseful. With a minimum of world building Caine succeeds in dragging me into the story and cheering on the lead character. Best story in the book in my opinion.

Pale Rider by Nancy Holder
I liked the world building at the start of the story, but soon the story went to places where I couldn't follow.

Corpse Eaters by Melissa Marr
This story couldn't really grab my attention.

Burn 3 by Kami Garcia
This was a really nice story. I liked the world building, it felt very believable. I might try other books by Garcia.

Love is a Choice by Beth Revis
A very intriguing story. It's set on a spaceship and I really liked the setting. I think I'll add Revis' books to my wishlist.

Miasma by Carrie Ryan
This was a lovely story. Bittersweet and just a bit disturbing. I wouldn't mind if Ryan wrote more in this setting.

Overall this is a great anthology with some really cool settings and stories. I can recommend this to anyone who loves a good Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic setting.

Why should you read it:
It's a great anthology with cool Dystpian YA stories.