Post Apocalyptic
May contain spoilers for book one. See my review here
Written by James Smythe
Science Fiction, Dystopian
Published April 12th 2016
400 Pages
Thank you to Hachette Australia
Add to Goodreads
★★★★★
The moment she learned the horrible truth about her life on Australia, the derelict ship overrun with violent gangs, Chan Aitch made it her mission to save everyone she could from their fate worse than death. But her efforts were in vain. Now, everyone she cares about is dead or in prison, and Chan is more alone than ever before.As the only person to have escaped Australia’s terrible crash-landing back to Earth, Chan is now living in poverty on the fringes of a huge city. She believes Mae, the little girl she once rescued on the Australia, is still alive , but she has no idea where Mae is, or how to find her. Everything on Earth is strange and new, and Chan has never felt more lost.But she’ll do whatever it takes to find Mae, even if it means going to prison herself. She’s broken out of prison before. How hard could it be to do it again?
The Australia has returned to a ravaged Earth, fenced in large cities and towering walls that protect citizens from the desolate landscape and relentless climate. It's here where Chan works the slums after escaping custody, trying to find Mae after promising to keep the little girl safe. What lies within it's walls is an oppressive community, where newborn children are silence through back alley surgery and drug dependability ensures it's lowly citizens are kept complacent by those seeking power and notoriety. This isn't the Australia. It's far worse.
Selling stolen goods to local trader Alala and with the aid of underground exposé author Ziegler, Chan is determined to access the new arrivals database in order to find Mae. Chan plans on breaking into the heavily guarded Archives but not without consequence, Alala expects information in return for her services.
Nothing could prepare Chan for what she's about to endure. Yet again she'll have to fight for her freedom, fight to find Mae and fight to become the person she once was, the tough, determined girl who fell from the sky.
Kelly's Thoughts
The Australian series is one of the most explosive, enthralling and confident young adult series that pushes the boundaries of what we expect from our dystopian based reads. Long Dark Dusk continues shortly after Chan has disembarked from the Australia, and Mae torn from her arms. Still aching with grief of all she's lost, Chan is determined to rescue the young girl from captivity. Her only ally is underground reporter Ziegler, who teaches Chan about her new world and provides assistance in exchange for her story. With the aid of local trader Alala, Chan is now indebted to the ruthless merchant as she plans to access the Achieves where it is believed she will find Mae's whereabouts.
As on board the Australia, Chan will again need to fight against the oppression of her new world and her own sense of self.
With so few words, James Smythe is able to create an incredibly vivid world of brutality and oppression. From the addict lined streets of the outer slums, to the opulence of the wealthy citizens and stark, desolate landscape beyond the city walls. It's breathtaking. Where Way Down Dark was fiercely brutal and raw, Long Dark Dusk has a quiet and ruthless determination, intricate and devious as Chan needs to navigate this world with cunning.
One of the qualities that sets the Australia series apart is how unpredictable it is. It doesn't rely on romance to further the storyline, nor does it follow the standard young adult format of instant love and overwhelming blocks of world building. Chan is a character who knows how to adapt. On board Australia it was fight or flight, but on the ground she's aware of how the new society works through observation of others. She knows she no longer needs to defend herself and although risking being captured, her life isn't being challenged by those determined to dominate. I love her. Fiercely.
One of the qualities that sets the Australia series apart is how unpredictable it is. It doesn't rely on romance to further the storyline, nor does it follow the standard young adult format of instant love and overwhelming blocks of world building. Chan is a character who knows how to adapt. On board Australia it was fight or flight, but on the ground she's aware of how the new society works through observation of others. She knows she no longer needs to defend herself and although risking being captured, her life isn't being challenged by those determined to dominate. I love her. Fiercely.
Final Verdict
Buy it, read it, love it. A strong female character, intricate world building, a raw determination and written to perfection. The series is phenomenal.
May contain spoilers for book one. Read my review here.
The New Order The Young World Trilogy Book Two
Written by Chris Weitz
Survival, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian
Published April April 12th 2016
384 Pages
Thank you to Hachette Australia
★★★☆
They thought they were the only ones left. They were wrong.After the unexpected revelation at the end of the first book, Donna and Jefferson are separated. Jefferson returns to NYC and tries to bring a cure to the Sickness back to the Washington Square tribe, while Donna finds herself in England, facing an unimaginable new world. Can the two reunite and prevent an even greater disaster than the Sickness?
Their world was desolate, run by the gangs of New York City where only teens remain free from the sickness. After finding what may be a possible cure offshore, the group of survivors now find themselves on board a Navy vessel heading for what may be a fate worse than the streets of New York. Those on board want to question Donna, Jefferson, Brainbox and the American survivors are questioned and assessed while the group learn that the world has survived and thrived in their absence.
Confined and monitored, it soon becomes apparent that the authorities have no intent on rescuing those left behind to await their fate. Within the crew on board lies a group of covert mercenaries who are willing to return the group of recused teens to New York in the hope of administering the cure and unite against the cause. But when the group attempt to escape it's Donna and Jefferson who are separated, Donna left behind to ensure the survival of both their allies and rivals while sacrificing herself for the cause.
While Jefferson unites the New York tribes, Donna is sent to a surviving Cambridge England, at Trinity college where she will be given a false identity and migrated back into society. Lies, manipulation and agendas will separate the young group of survivors in world that is merciless and unforgiving.
Kelly's Thoughts
In a world reminiscent of a brutal colony run by gangs, it's always been kill or be killed. A plague wiping out adults and children, leaving the teen population to inherit a now broken New York. Segregation runs rife, gangs are challenged for their supplies, weapons and space. In The New Order, our young group of protagonists have been rescued from the island with a possible cure and now find themselves on board a Navy vessel, still unaware to the state of the rest of the world.
As the storyline progresses, the readers learn more about the new world through multiple points of view. Luckily each point of view has a unique voice and spans across the globe, especially Donna and Jefferson. Jefferson is working with the Patriots who have an agenda of their own beyond saving the New York teen population, while Donna is sent to Cambridge and begins to migrate into college life. New friends, exploring her surroundings while having the occasional drink with her new friend in Rab. In The Young World, I found Donna's character likable but in the latest series installment she's incredibly annoying.
With her new Valley Girl persona, Donna's new surroundings seem to have little purpose to the actual storyline overall. Luckily those chapters are offset by Jefferson, who I enjoy much more as a character despite being incredibly straight laced and wise beyond his years. I would have loved to have heard more from Peter's character, who for me made The Young World much more enjoyable.
As the storyline progresses, the readers learn more about the new world through multiple points of view. Luckily each point of view has a unique voice and spans across the globe, especially Donna and Jefferson. Jefferson is working with the Patriots who have an agenda of their own beyond saving the New York teen population, while Donna is sent to Cambridge and begins to migrate into college life. New friends, exploring her surroundings while having the occasional drink with her new friend in Rab. In The Young World, I found Donna's character likable but in the latest series installment she's incredibly annoying.
"Who in the what, now?"Well now that you mention in Donna, although she didn't start out that way.
"Say what?"
"Within the what?"
"Tutor? Am I, like, that dumb?"
With her new Valley Girl persona, Donna's new surroundings seem to have little purpose to the actual storyline overall. Luckily those chapters are offset by Jefferson, who I enjoy much more as a character despite being incredibly straight laced and wise beyond his years. I would have loved to have heard more from Peter's character, who for me made The Young World much more enjoyable.
Overall, I did enjoy The New Order but the series may have benefited from being a duology as much of the content felt unnecessary. It was Jefferson's point of view that intrigued me most and the only progression within the storyline. I was thankful that the pop culture references were few and far between, but I still feel as though the storyline is clinical and a little too cliche. It needs more emotion to be able to invest in it's characters and their plight. Looking forward to the series finale, but still with some reservations.The Final Verdict
Dead Of Winter
The Arcana Chronicles: Book Three
Written by Kresley Cole
Dystopian, Paranormal
Published January 1st 2015
336 Pages
Thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia
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Heartbreaking decisions. Evie was almost seduced by the life of comfort that Death offered her, until Jack was threatened by two of the most horrific Arcana, the Lovers. She will do anything to save him, even escape Death’s uncanny prison, full of beautiful objects, material comfort... And stolen glances from a former love.
Uncertain victory. Despite leaving a part of her heart behind with Death, Evie sets out into a perilous post-apocalyptic wasteland to meet up with her allies and launch an attack on the Lovers. Such formidable enemies require a battle plan, and the only way to kill them may mean Evie, Jack, and Death allying. Evie doesn’t know what will prove more impossible. Surviving slavers, plague, Bagmen and other Arcana, or convincing Jack and Death to work together.
Two heroes returned. There’s a thin line between love and hate, and Evie just doesn’t know where she stands with either Jack or Death. Will this unlikely trio be able to defeat The Lovers without killing one another first?
Golden Son
Red Rising Trilogy: Book Two
Written by Pierce Brown
Reviewed by the Hubby
Science Fiction, Dystopian
Published January 13th 3015
446 Pages
Thank you to Hachette Australia
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The astonishing, unforgettable sequel to Red Rising, which the Examiner called 'properly a-ma-zing, like an adrenalin shot for the imagination.' Ender's Game meets The Hunger Games in this, the second in an extraordinary trilogy from an incredible new voice.
'I'm still playing games. This is just the deadliest yet.'
Darrow is a rebel forged by tragedy. For years he and his fellow Reds worked the mines, toiling to make the surface of Mars inhabitable. They were, they believed, mankind's last hope. Until Darrow discovered that it was all a lie, and that the Red were nothing more than unwitting slaves to an elitist ruling class, the Golds, who had been living on Mars in luxury for generations.
In Red Rising, Darrow infiltrated Gold society, to fight in secret for a better future for his people. Now fully embedded amongst the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his dangerous work to bring them down from within. It's a journey that will take him further than he's ever been before, but is Darrow truly willing to pay the price that rebellion demands?
Hic sunt leones.
A life or death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown's continuing status as one of fiction's most exciting new voices.
Red Queen
Red Queen Trilogy: Book One
Written by Victoria Aveyard
Fantasy, Dystopian
Expected Publication February 10th 2014
400 Pages
Thank you to Hachette Australia
This is a world divided by blood. Red or silver.The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen year old Red girl from the poverty stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance. Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...
In The Afterlight
The Darkest Minds: Book Three
Check out my review for book two Never Fade
Check out my review for book two Never Fade
Written By Alexandra Bracken
Dystopian, Paranormal
Published November 3rd 2014
512 Pages
Thank you to Harper Collins Australia
Add to Goodreads
Dystopian, Paranormal
Published November 3rd 2014
512 Pages
Thank you to Harper Collins Australia
Add to Goodreads
Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. Only Ruby can keep their highly dangerous prisoner in check. But with Clancy Gray, there's no guarantee you're fully in control, and everything comes with a price.When the Children's League disbands, Ruby rises up as a leader and forms an unlikely allegiance with Liam's brother, Cole, who has a volatile secret of his own. There are still thousands of other PSI kids suffering in government 'rehabilitation camps' all over the country. Freeing them, revealing the governments unspeakable abuses in the process, is the mission Ruby has claimed since her own escape from Thurmond, the worst camp in the country.But not everyone is supportive of the plan Ruby and Cole craft to free the camps. As tensions rise, competing ideals threaten the mission to uncover the cause of IANN, the disease that killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others with powers the government will kill to keep contained. With the fate of a generation in their hands, there is no room for error. One wrong move could be the spark that sets the world on fire.
Raging Star
Dustlands Trilogy: Book Three
Written by Moira Young
Book one review: Blood Red Road
Book two review: Rebel Heart
Dystopian, Post Apocalyptic
Published May 13th 2014
344 Pages
When the star reader, Auriel Tai, challenged Saba to seize her destiny and defeat DeMalo and the Tonton, Saba was so confident in her purpose. Then she met DeMalo and he confounded all expectations with his seductive vision of a healed earth, a New Eden. DeMalo and Saba had an intense and passionate encounter, physical, emotional and psychic, that changed her life, and now he wants Saba to join him, in life and work, to create and build a healthy, stable, sustainable world... For the chosen few.
Jack’s choice is clear: to fight DeMalo and try to stop his dangerous New Eden project. Still uncertain, her connection with DeMalo a secret, Saba commits herself to the fight. Joined by her brother Lugh, anxious for the land in New Eden, Saba leads an inexperienced guerilla band against the powerfully charismatic DeMalo, in command of his settlers and the Tonton militia.
What chance do they have? Saba must act. And be willing to pay the price.
Brew (Salem's Revenge: Book One)
Written by David Estes
Apocalyptic, Paranormal
Publication October 1st 2014
440 Pages
Thank you to David Estes
Salem’s Revenge strikes without warning or mercy, ravaging the powerless human race under the forces of united gangs of witches, wizards, and warlocks. During the slaughter, Rhett Carter's foster parents and sister are killed, and his best friend and girlfriend are abducted by a gang of witches calling themselves the Necromancers, who deal in the dark magic of raising the dead. Rhett’s sword-wielding neighbor with a dark past saves Rhett from becoming another casualty of the massacre and teaches him the skills he needs to survive in this new world.Rhett is broken, his normal high school life of book blogging and football playing shoved in a witch apocalyptic blender. The only thing he has left is his burning desire for revenge. Armed with his new witch hunting skills and a loyal, magic powered dog named Hex, he sets out into the unknown with one mission: hunt and destroy those who took away everyone he ever loved.But Rhett isn’t just a witch hunter; he has secrets of his own that he has yet to discover, secrets that his enemies will stop at nothing to keep him from.And discovering the truth about himself is the human race’s only hope.
The Infinite Sea (The Fifth Wave: Book Two)
Written by Rick Yancey
Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction
Published September 16th 2014
480 Pages
Thank you to Penguin Teen Australia
Add to Goodreads
How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.
Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others' ultimate goal: The extermination of the human race.
Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.
The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner: Book One)
Written by James Dashner
Dystopian, Science Fiction
Movie Edition published September 2014
371 Pages
Thank you to Scholastic Australia
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up, the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.
The Young World The Young World Trilogy Book One
Written by Chris WeitzSurvival, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian
Published August 1st 2014
352 Pages
Thank you to Hachette Australia
Add to Goodreads
★★★★☆
After a mysterious Sickness wipes out the rest of the population, the young survivors assemble into tightly run tribes. Jefferson, the reluctant leader of the Washington Square tribe, and Donna, the girl he's secretly in love with, have carved out a precarious existence among the chaos. But when another tribe member discovers a clue that may hold the cure to the Sickness, five teens set out on a life altering road trip to save humankind.The tribe exchanges gunfire with enemy gangs, escapes cults and militias, braves the wilds of the subway and Central Park... And discovers truths they could never have imagined.
It was reported that the first case of the Sickness was found in Europe two years prior, before rapidly spreading throughout the United States. The flu like symptoms seemingly developing in children and adults, leaving teens the only age group that have escaped the deadly illness. They believe the virus is based on hormones, and the hundred on teens that now inhabit Washington Square in New York are surviving until they reach physical maturity at eighteen. The tribe is now looking towards Jefferson, brother of the former leader who had succumbed to the Sickness, a responsibility Jeff reluctantly accepts. It's been two long years, and the teens around New York have now segregated and who the Sickness doesn't take... Ethnic cleansing surely will.
Within the partially self sufficient environment, an important member of the tribe discovers what may be the key to the Sickness and a small group including Jefferson and Donna, make the journey to find information that they hope may lead to a cure. But navigating the mean streets of New York, is only the first step in making the treacherous distance in one piece. Rival communities are planning a violent takeover, and will stop at nothing until they monopolise what remains of society, while others seemingly thrive with off shore produce.
But one thing remains constant throughout New York, it's kill or be killed... If the Sickness doesn't strike you down first.
Kelly's Thoughts
The Young World was brilliant, a post apocalyptic fight for survival in which teens now rule New York. There are no adults or children, the teens believing that the Sickness lay dormant within their age group, then ensuring a quick death once a teen reaches physical maturity. None more so than Brainbox, the resident teen scientist who has his own theories about the deadly virus, but needs help to obtain proof. Their journey is incredibly dangerous, especially with the large community of Uptowners calling for blood after a failed trade attempt. During the journey, the group also come into contact with the Moles, kids who live underground, the racial divide between the African American teens and Hispanic, who are either vying for control or to simply survive.
Told in dual points of view, Jefferson is quiet, stoic and believes that those who remain can build a new society. He hopes for a future where the Sickness can be cured, and will either find a cure or die trying. Donna on the other hand is feisty, realistic and won't allow herself for anything more than seeing out each day. Friends since both were young, Jefferson secretly pines for Donna but can't bring himself to tell her. Their points of view are both incredibly diverse, and I loved seeing the same situation portrayed though both characters.
By far my favourite character was Peter, Donna's best friend and confidant. He's the token gay character, Christian, African American and incredibly snarky. His mild sexual innuendos and throw away one liners add a lightness to the storyline in an otherwise grim world.
The final Verdict
Overall, it's an awesome read, incredibly entertaining and had trouble putting this one down. Already I'm eagerly awaiting book two in the series. A brilliant debut author, Chris Weitz is definitely one to watch out for.
Contains spoilers for Mystic City
Toxic Heart (Mystic City: Book Two)
Written by Theo Lawrence
Fantasy, Dystopian
Published in Australia August 1st 2014
Thank you to Random House Australia
A city in flames. A trust betrayed. A perfect love destroyed.
Has Aria lost Hunter, her one true love?
Ever since rebellion broke out in Mystic City, pitting the ruling elite against the magic-wielding mystics, Aria has barely seen her boyfriend. Not surprising, since Hunter is the leader of the mystic uprising, and he'll do whatever it takes to win freedom for his people, even if that means using Aria.
But Aria is no one's pawn. She believes she can bring the two warring sides together, save the city, and win back the Hunter she fell in love with.
Before she can play peacemaker, though, Aria will need to find the missing heart of a dead mystic. The heart gives untold powers to whoever possesses it, but finding it means seeking out a fierce enemy whose deepest desire is for Aria to be gone, forever.
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