Serena knows a few simple
things. She will always be owned by a warlock. She will never have
freedom. She will always do what her warlock wishes, regardless of how
inane, frivolous, or cruel it is. And if she doesn’t follow the rules,
she will be tarnished. Spelled to be bald, inked, and barren for the
rest of her life, worth less than the shadow she casts.
Then her
ownership is won by a barbarian from another country. With the
uncertainty that comes from belonging to a new warlock, Serena questions
if being tarnished is really worse than being owned by a barbarian, and
tempts fate by breaking the rules. When he looks the other way instead
of punishing her, she discovers a new world. The more she ventures into
the forbidden, the more she learns of love and a freedom just out of
reach. Serena longs for both. But in a society where women are only ever
property, hoping for more could be deadly.
Serena lives in a world where she'll always be owned, where woman are second class citizens, treated as mere possessions. Being one of many of the Councilman's daughters, Serena must ensure the harsh testing to determine the measure of magic she carries, the higher the magical properties, the more esteemed title, wealth and power her new owner, or husband, will hold. Whoever decides to purchase Serena, she must deliver. She is but a poorly treated trophy, catering to her husband's every whim, and to bare children so that she may give him the illusive son and future warlock of Chardonia that is expected of her. She's seventeen, brimming with magic, and has just been purchased by Thomas, a powerful warlock with money and influence. Serena isn't ready to become a wife or mother, even if only to escape her father.
In a barbaric display of power during the Tournament, Thomas is killed by the hulking Envadi, Zade. Zade has just inherited the fortune, title and possessions that Thomas has left behind, including Serena. But Zade is unlike any of her previous owners, no matter how short lived, he's quiet, reserved and far removed from the barbaric nature given to the Envadi culture. He isn't quick to spell or hex her as her father does, nor does he touch Serena as Thomas had. In fact... He shows little interest in Serena at all, going about his meetings as a newly found Chancellor, courtesy of Thomas and his fallen empire.
Serena uses her new found freedom to rebel against The Woman's Canon, rules and guidelines of etiquette and the female role. Befriending a seamstress servant, wearing society's version of inappropriate attire and gorging on chocolate. But Serena's father is determined to regain possession of her, no daughter of his shall be seen with an Envadi. The feeble attempts on Zade's life prove worthless, her father's plan to oust him from the Chancellor's seat, ridding his ownership of Serena.
Zade won't treat Serena or any female with the firm hand that the male dominated society expects, but needs to appear to be in control, as Serena's father sends one of his servants to work as her tarnished assistant and report any misgivings back to the councilman. Zade recruits a young Envadi woman to become a paid servant, it isn't until then that Serena realises that she has started to develop feelings for the gentle giant. As the weeks pass closer to their pending nuptials, Serena's bid for freedom becomes bolder, and so too does the danger it poses to Zade's life. The council want to silence his alternative views, setting an example to those tarnished who are calling for a revolution, and threatening councilmen.
But there is far more to Zade than the kind hearted giant Serena believes him to be. He wants to bring change, he wanted to save Serena from the cruel hand of her father and for the tarnished law to be abolished... But until he learns to trust Serena, she'll never find out who he really is.
I really enjoyed You Are Mine, and it pleasantly exceeded my expectations. It's well written and thrusts you in a cruel and unjust world for women, where they are treated like a possession, something to be used and abused. Serena is the main protagonist, and we see the world through her rebellious eyes. She doesn't want to be anyone's wife, she's not ready to bare children, and she certainly does not want to be owned. But in her world, women don't have choices, just Master's.
The Councilmen will bring out the feminist in most readers, especially that of Serena's father. My only complaint is that Serena seemed more competent than Zade, and I was hoping that his character would have been more rebellious, but I'm assuming that You Are Mine, was only an introduction to his heroics.
A mix of fantasy, paranormal, dystopian and romance. It will appeal to a wide variety of young adult readers. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
You Are Mine
(Mine: Book One)
Written By Janeal Falor
Published 06 / 06/ 2013
273 Pages
When Alley started her senior year at Upper East High in the South Hills area, it was supposed to be the usual drag of hanging out with people who spent more on one outfit than Alley did on her entire wardrobe. That was until Kirsten, a girl in their clique, suddenly goes missing and the only people who seem to care are her friends. All evidence leads to the new comer Shane, a cocky and self-pretentious person in Alley’s opinion, but the police seem uninterested so she and the rest of the girls start a little investigation of their own.
But they are nowhere closer to finding Kirsten than when they started and now they had the police’s attention; just not in the way they expected. The girls have to start over and discover that maybe it wasn’t an outsider who took Kirsten, but someone within their own clique who has something to hide; a secret that just might have gotten Kirsten killed.
Alley is starting her senior year of high school, at one if the most prestigious schools in her area. She attends with girls reminiscent of models, decked out in the latest designer threads, with luxury cars and credit cards to match. Alley isn't wealthy, she's the daughter of a single father who seems to work long and tiring hours, just to make ends meet.
Alley is one of the popular girls by association. Being friends with Val has had it's challenges, and her clique is one if them. Things suddenly become a while lot more entertaining at school, when popular girl Kirsten is feared missing. The last anyone had saw her, was whispering to new student Shane, in the hallway. Alley can feel she's being watched, the same SUV following her about town and parking outside of her house. But when she discovers Shane driving that very same SUV the next morning, conclusions are drawn. Clearly he took Kirsten, disposed of her and now Alley is his next victim... But the unlikely group of designer clad amateur investigators needs proof.
With a little surveillance and a whole lot of trouble, the girls follow the clues in a game of detective cat and mouse, but nothing prepared them for what they would discover what was really happening... Besides Alley's crush on the new boy.
Uninvited was hilarious. It's a young teen read that was incredibly entertaining. The character of Valerie was hysterical, she was a bumbling and accident prone sidekick, a little slow on the uptake, but with a endearing personality. Her detective skills, or lack thereof were brilliant. I absolutely adored her.
It's a light and fluffy comedy foremost, with the hint of romance. I loved it and it was just what I needed to breakaway from the heavy dystopian themed series I tend to gravitate towards and will definitely be continuing with the series.
The Uninvited
(South Hills Sidekicks: Book One)
Written By Leah Spiegal
Published 11 / 02/ 2012
302 Pages
Although we moved down to North Carolina several years ago, we’re originally from the Pittsburgh area. (That’s why a lot of our characters either live in the Burgh or reference our hometown football team, The Pittsburgh Steelers.) And yes, we even have the Southern accents to show for it now. Although Megan’s is considerable thicker, Leah still can’t understand the locals.
We are known as ‘the sisters’ among our neighborhood; when actually we’re probably really known as ‘the sisters with the Yorkies’. Our pups, Skippy Jon Jones and Captain Jack Sparrow, were given long names to compensate for their small size but not their large personalities.
If Leah’s not glued to her electronic devices, AKA her Kindle Fire and various laptops, you can find her training ‘the attack dogs’, running on the treadmill while conceiving the next great book idea with the Dave Matthews Band, Muse, Florence and the Machine, The Lumineers, and Pink (just to name a few) blaring out of her earphones.
If Megan’s not glued to her electronic devices AKA her iPad and Nook Color, you can find her teaching fourth graders, swimming marathon style at the pool, or cuddling with ‘the attack dogs’ as she watches Duck Dynasty, Gold Rush, Scandal, Person of Interest, Morning Joe, etc.
Leah graduated from Edinboro University with a BA in Art Education. Megan received her teaching degree from Edinboro University and Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Technology from Grand Canyon University.
You can reach the girls via Their Website Goodreads Facebook and Twitter
Sometimes the Dead Can't Be Silenced.
Violet
thought she had made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes
of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers... Until she
acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the
horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever
to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special
investigative team she works for have no intention of letting her go.
Violet
will do whatever it takes to keep her loved ones safe, even if it means
lying to her boyfriend, Jay. But when an echo calls to her, she
stumbles upon a murder scene unlike anything she's ever witnessed.
The
murders are frenzied and twisted, and the killer left a disturbing
calling card for all to see, a brimstone cross sketched in blood on the
wall. And Violet finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a vicious
madman with an army of devoted followers.
Violet has survived
dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting
those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.
Violet has never given much thought to the echoes of the dead, why some bodies carry a certain scent, a taste or a flurry of colour, if the deceased not having passed through natural causes. Much the same way those responsible would carry an imprint to link to the crime. Now Violet has her own imprint, she's a killer too. After her harrowing abduction at the hands of Caine, Violet isn't coping with the death of her captor, with a gruesome reminder in the childlike tinkling melody she cannot escape. Haunting, hypnotic and terrifying.
Now begins Violet's senior year at White River high, and the ensuing questions that Violet simply can't answer. Violet's two worlds are about to collide, when Rafe and Gemma enroll at White River. She hasn't seen the group of extraordinary gifted teens since her rescue and attempt to be excluded from the program, just her regular mundane Monday appointments to Doctor Lee. But violet's world is about to explode.
Evan is from a broken home, his sense of normalcy shattered by a drug addicted mother and abusive alcoholic father. The disturbed young man finds his own family, a group of young teens dependent on their next high, and budding rockstar Evan knows just where to find it. He calls himself The Father, drug free and sober in order to keep his authority over the group of homeless kids. But don't be fooled, Evan is a cold blooded killer, not only stealing from the wealthy, but engaging in satanic ritual murders, his calling card a brimstone cross forged in the victim's blood. Believing his mounting crimes will go unreported, but the echo is too strong for Violet to ignore. But upon being called to the crime scene, Violet senses something she hasn't encountered before, the youngest victim, a young boy, has no echo.
A collection of recently discovered journals that her grandmother kept, may just have the answer. But rather Violet ends up with more than she bargained for. A simple photo tucked beneath the pages shows Violet's grandmother with a few familiar faces, including that of Doctor Lee, while the journal speaks of a Circle of Seven, not all unlike The Center. Violet enlists the aid of the one person that won't turn her away, Rafe. Not Jay. The constant secrets and lies have become a heavy strain on his relationship with Violet, her tenacity once one of the reasons he loved her, now it will only get her killed. But Violet loves Jay, it's always been Jay, so why is she suddenly so heavy hearted when Rafe and Chelsea begin to bond?
On a new found mission to become more transparent, Violet tells Chelsea about her echos, the imprints and her animal graveyard she's kept in her backgarden since she was a child, allowing Chelsea to see into Violet's world of death and devastation. Chelsea has always been suspicious, but after the initial shock, Chels vows to become the supportive sidekick, cape and all. They just made need superpowers, as the satanic killings are back on the agenda. The Father has been traced to a seedy venue, and the two girls, along with Rafe and Jay, hope that Violet's senses can trace the imprint back to the bloodthirsty and violent attacker before he strikes again. But one of their lives are in danger and Violet will wish she had followed this lead alone.
Dead Silence is the final novel in The Body Finder series, but sadly it was far from completion. The storyline left far too many questions unanswered and was difficult to read, as it provided little back story to the previous novels in the series. Throughout, we see snippets from the satanic killer's point of view, which is only known through the italic text. It's gruesome, sickening, and portrays the mind of a serial killer.
But what most fans will be asking, will she choose Rafe or Jay, is answered, as it is the only satisfying part of this finale. It does leave room for a spin off series, which hopefully, may tie up loose ends.
Dead Silence
(The Body Finder Series: Book Four)
Written By Kimberly Derting
Published 16 / 04 / 2013
405 Pages
Fans of The Mortal
Instruments and The Infernal Devices know that Magnus Bane is banned
from Peru, and now they can find out why. One of ten adventures in The
Bane Chronicles.
There are good reasons Peru is off limits to
Magnus Bane. Follow Magnus’s Peruvian escapades as he drags his fellow
warlocks Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss into trouble, learns several
instruments, dances, and disgraces his host nation by doing something
unspeakable to the Nazca Lines.
Magnus Bane was banned from Peru by the High Council of Peruvian warlocks. For the flamboyant, handsome warlock, Peru was one of his favourite destinations. Reminiscing, it may have been one of several incidents that have caused him to be ostracized, spanning almost two centuries before the secret meeting to determine his fate.
This is the story of Magnus Bane.
When Magnus called old friend Ragnor to join him in Lima, the City of Kings, he never expected that the hideously dressed, gloomy, green skinned warlock to be so grumpy as the two set out on an adventure. When Edmund Garcia, one of the richest merchants in Peru propositions the services of Magnus, he never imagined that the two warlocks would be asked to safeguard Peru's chief export, guano, bird droppings. But Magnus isn't to blame for Ragnor's tantrum on the high seas, sinking the boat with the precious cargo aboard. His wanton destruction of Peruvian property wasn't the reason he was banned from Peru.
Decades on, Magnus, Ragnor and Caterina find themselves back in Peru, searching for hidden treasure with Nayaraq, a mere mortal. Magnus had begun putting a price on his magic before he was but twenty years old, but never did he imagine that the treasure hunt would leave him a wanted criminal for decimating a temple. But that wasn't the reason that Magnus was banned from Peru.
After meeting the handsome young musician Imasu, Magnus decides to learn a new instrument in order to catch the young mortal's eye. He was discouraged from playing in public, by no less than a crying child, a city ordinance and a small riot. Sadly, the arrangement wasn't permanent, nor was the relationship. Leading to an alcohol fuelled rampage of epic proportions, enchanted flying carpets, decimating the Nazca Lines, and leading a guinea pig army after a medicinal ritual gone astray. But his night of drunken debauchery and crime was again, not the reason he was banned from Peru.
Kitty is a con woman that has captured the attention of the handsome warlock, and flee together on a whim. Stealing, spending on booze and useless trinkets while spending but one summer falling in love. But his sudden crime wave was not the reason he was banned from Peru by the Peruvian warlock High Council.
Then what really happened in Peru?
I loved Magnus Bane in Cassandra Clare's The Moral Instruments series, but unfortunately What Really Happened In Peru was not only incredibly dull, but borderline atrocious. The storyline spanned centuries, but delved into what he was wearing so often, that the actual memories were barely skimmed over. Fans of Magnus may enjoy his fleeting adventures, but it'll probably leave the general reading populous irritated at the few hours of their life that they've invested in this.
What Really Happened In Peru
(The Bane Chronicles: Book One)
Written By Cassandra Clare
Published 16 / 04 / 2013
(The Bane Chronicles: Book One)
Written By Cassandra Clare
Published 16 / 04 / 2013
133 Pages
Jessie Darker goes to
high school during the day, but at night she helps with the family
investigation business. Cheating husbands and stolen inheritances?
They're your girls, but their specialty is a bit darker. Zombie in your
garage? Pesky Poltergeist living in your pool? They'll have the problem
solved in a magical minute. For a nominal fee, of course...
When
gorgeous new client, Lukas Scott, saunters into the office requesting
their help to find a stolen box, it sounds like a simple case, until the
truth comes out. The box is full of Sin.
Seven deadly ones, in fact.
They've
got five days to recapture the Sins before they're recalled by the box,
taking seven hijacked human bodies with them. Easy peasy, except for
one thing...
There's a spell that will allow the Sins to remain
free, causing chaos forever. When the key ingredient threatens the life
of someone she knows, Jessie must make the ultimate choice between love
and family... Or lose everything.
Jessie Darker is a feisty, trouble magnet. High school student by day, sassy, smart mouthed, monster chaser by night. The Darker Agency investigates cheating spouses, stolen property, and the occasional zombie, pet possession or spirit. It's easier on the unsuspecting public not to know exactly what it is that goes bump in the night. The Darker family have lived and breathed the unexplained for generations, and Jessie wouldn't have it any other way. While other children were reading fairytales, she could tell you that the last thing a zombie wants to do is munch on his latest victim. She charges into her cases, often leaving mayhem, destruction and a rising damages bill behind. So when Lukas Scott walks into the office with a very unique case, even the daring and enthusiastic Jessie is somewhat skeptical.
Lukas needs help, urgently. The seven deadly sins have been let loose on world and have inhabited the bodies of six innocent hosts, the seventh being Wrath. Lukas is a sin with an awfully bad temper... But he's also human. Having been banished to the box of sin over a century ago, Lukas hasn't aged a day since he was captured at eighteen years old, in the year 1864. His betrothed wife to be, Meredith Wells, casting a spell on the handsome and wealthy Lukas, transferring the sin of Wrath to his fragile human form in the ultimate act of betrayal, after Meredith was caught with another man. Lukas needs help recapturing the sins, lust, greed, sloth, envy, pride, glutony and wrath, sacrificing his own freedom in the process. Unless he can find a witch stemming from the Wells family tree to oversee the transfer of his sin to another host, he is fated to a life inside the box... But with a mere seven days to find the unleashed sins and the stolen box in which they are kept, the Darker Agency is on the case, and quickly. Seven Sins, six innocent people, with a five day deadline.
Lukas trails Jessie to school, under the guise of being her out of town cousin, but best friend Kendra isn't buying it. The intuitive young witch may have not come into her power just yet, but she knows a long drink of tall, dark and handsome when she sees it. Lukas is an explosive waiting to detonate, reining in his anger when Vida, the sin of Lust, makes an appearance in the cafeteria... And all hell breaks loose, literally. Before long, Jessie has an obsessed admirer, classmate Garrett, who has been infected by lust. When the sin of Greed arrives, the town plunges into a looting frenzy, including Kendra.
But something isn't right, the sins are keeping a relatively low profile and her worried parents insist on keeping Jessie off the radar of one of the world's oldest evils. Shadowing Lukas does have it's benefits though, he's a gentleman, he's handsome and has a beautiful spirit and... Jessie begins to fall for him. Having never had a boyfriend, nor wanting one, Jessie is determined not to live the life of her parents. Her mortal mother having fallen in love with her demonic father. Half demon Jessie can't fall in love, only to lose Lukas back into the sin box.
With time running out, Jessie can't sit helpless, she needs to help and enlists the aid of Lukas. Capturing a sin is no easy task, you must outwit, outplay and never underestimate their yearning for freedom. But it seems that the sins are awaiting further instructions, puppets being manipulated by something far greater than they and what better way to devise a plan of attack than to visit the local necromancer, calling on Simon Darker, the original Darker who's death inspired the Darker Agency, and the person who was able to trap the sins within their box, and securing it in what he thought would be its final resting place. It was Simon's death that sealed the Darker family fate.
But when the Darker curse is revealed, it seems that the very person who lifted the curse, may just be able to save Lukas from returning to the box. It all goes to he'll in a hand basket, literally, when Jessie's parents are taken. To free them in time, she'll need to make a deal with the devil himself... And she's not the only one.
I loved Darker Days, it had the wit, cheek and pure entertainment that young adult readers have come to expect from Ms Accardo. Jessie Darker is a sassy, bold and likeable heroine. She jumps into every situation with both feet, in a shoot first, ask questions later mentality. But it isn't until she crosses path with Lukas, is when she truly learns what 'Monster Mashing' is.
Being born over a century ago, Lukas has the charm and grace of a southern gentlemen. In what seems as a mild annoyance at being thrown together, develops into a witty, sarcastic and loving relationship, slowly over the course of the book.
I loved the inclusion of Mister Winkie, the demonically possessed Corgi that follows Jessie home from a pet possession case. He'll morph in and out during intense situations with a cloud of black smoke, only to fall asleep, drool or wag his tail.
It was brilliant, funny and original. I loved it! Kudos Ms Accardo.
Darker Days
(The Darker Agency: Book One)
Written By Jus Accardo
Expected Publication 19 / 08 / 2013
(The Darker Agency: Book One)
Written By Jus Accardo
Expected Publication 19 / 08 / 2013
Thank you to Anjana
and the team at Entangled Publishing
August marks the start of Supernatural and Paranormal month on Ramblings of a Diva Booknerd, with the majority of books reviewed being within the genre. You'll find Paranormal books
involving unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation. Supernatural creatures, ESP,
clairvoyance, ghosts, UFOs, telepathy, and psychics.
The supernatural genre is fiction about witches, vampires, ghosts, werewolves, shape shifters, demons, angels, or anything else in the paranormal or otherworldly realm... And of course with a little romance thrown in.
Some of the books that will be reviewed include:
Plus advanced reading copies, new releases and many more. I have set a target of fifteen to twenty book reviews for August. Wish me luck, and happy reading booknerds.
In the future Dystopian
society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers
its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for
everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question,
including the government's match in marriage and 'The Day of the
Chosen', a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children
as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth
birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood
best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment
and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and
thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is
unlike the rest of the world born not from 'The Day of the Chosen.' The
truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one
simple fact would destroy the perfect system.
With Joshua's
help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together
they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and
new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they
reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in
order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large
expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts
an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a
world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive
Olivia lives in the Genesis settlement, embarking in the marriage ceremony that may ultimately change her life. Her graduating class of sixteen boys and sixteen girls will be chosen to be matched, the decision entirely that of the government of Cabal. Refusal results in being banished from the community and sent to the Gravelands, where outlaws rape and pillage, if you didn't die of dehydration and starvation first. Luckily Olivia is matched with best friend Joshua, with the two eighteen year old's married and given a home within the village.
In a system where all citizens are supposedly treated equally, the government allocates children by lottery, conceived in a laboratory, making intimacy unnecessary. Olivia and her mother are arrested when the government discovers that Olivia was conceived naturally, therefore making her fertile. In a society where vaccines had taken away a woman's ability to reproduce, Olivia is a rare commodity.
With the aid of Joshua's mother helping Olivia to escape, Olivia's freedom is short lived as the two teens arrive in Haven, controlled by the Rebel Alliance. Her marriage to Joshua being null and void. Believing Haven is the lesser of two evils, until Olivia us given an ultimatum. She has three years to choose a mate, marry and conceive, with any other male besides Joshua. Olivia has long since loved Joshua before the two were matched, and can't imagine her life with any other.
Olivia's safety is now compromised when the Cabal army tanks roll into Haven, the city alight with flames and devastation. Olivia and Joshua need to escape before the government takes them into custody. With only a stolen map, her late father's journal and a borrowed solar powered vehicle, the closest town is four long and debilitating days of travel. But when the two runaway's arrive in the secret town seeking asylum, their new identities raise more than eyebrows in the hostile settlement. They cannot leave, but rather forced to train to join the Rebel Alliance through a series of tests, to determine whether the candidates are worthy of joining and only the strong will survive.
With so many infractions within the Alliance, her only option is to join or due trying, Olivia believes it may have been wiser to stay in Genesis... But what is it that the settlement in Shadow are not telling her?
Aberrant was good, only as it felt as though it should have been longer. It had the core dystopian components, without the instant love or relationship with the added third wheel, but it left me waiting and wanting the typical anarchy, the feisty uprising and the tension, that sadly never came. It's ideal for teen young adult readers, especially those who enjoyed Ally Condie's Matched series.
The reader will wonder who is the lesser of two evils. The government treats everyone equally, with individuality discouraged. They claim to base choices on what is in each citizen's best interests, who to marry, which couple are to be allowed a child through means of lottery, and their role within the community. The Alliance within Haven aren't the rebellious revolutionaries they claim to be. Forceful and unjust in punishment, implanting tracker chips on those who don't comply, and incarceration for those who dare to ask questions. They also take away Olivia's basic human rights, but Haven was too fleeting to allow for the development of it's residents and characters, one being Joshua's mother. She seemed too pivotal to be skimmed over.
I loved the twist that the Shadow settlement provided, late within the Alliance training. I would have loved to have seen Haven eradicated altogether, with Olivia and Joshua having found the town through other means, perhaps back in Genesis.
I really enjoyed the overall concept and storyline, but it felt as though it was hurriedly streaming towards nothing in particular. If it had been drawn out, allowing for character development, more exploration of the actual role of the Rebel Alliance without blurring the lines between different Rebel camps and making them one entire organisation, no doubt I would have given Aberrant a far higher rating.
Aberrant
(Aberrant: Book One)
Written By Ruth Silver
Published 28 / 04 / 2013
(Aberrant: Book One)
Written By Ruth Silver
Published 28 / 04 / 2013
240 Pages
There are no men in
Claysoot. There are boys,but every one of them vanishes at midnight on
his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding
light descends… And he's gone.
They call it the Heist.
Gray
Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared
to meet his fate, until he finds a strange note from his mother and
starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council
leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies
beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot, a structure that no one can
cross and survive.
Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes
after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be
taken, or risk everything on the hope of the other side
Turning eighteen isn't a celebrated milestone for the boys of Claysoot, or Grey Weathersby. On the eve of their eighteenth birthday, each boy is taken at the stroke of midnight during a ceremony simply known as The Heist. You cannot escape the village, the wall surrounding Claysoot ensures your compliance and the charred bodies of previous escapees serve as a warning. Boys become men at only fifteen years of age, and encouraged to be promiscuous with as many females in the village as possible. In a tradition known as Slating, the goal being to reproduced and keep Claysoot viable.
After losing his brother to The Heist only mere days prior, Grey finds a kindred spirit in Emma, the snarky daughter of the village healer. Emma doesn't believe the history scrolls of Claysoot, that the village was founded by teens with no memory of how they arrived and why eighteen year old boys are mysteriously taken... Presumed dead. But when Grey finds a letter from his late mother, addressed to his brother, with a theory that threatens to divide the village, Grey knows that the only way he'll seek answers, is to flee over the wall... With Emma close behind.
Navigating through the forest with the fear of being burnt alive, the two runaway's are captured by two men and taken to Taem, a bustling domed city under the rule of Dimitri Octavius Frank, or simply known as Frank. Grey needs answers, and Frank offers his version of the truth. That the world the teens once knew, isn't the reality they had believed it to be. Claysoot being founded by scientist Harvey Maldoon, while a civil war raged beyond The Wall. The country had separated into two parts, AmEast and AmWest, feuding over water resources. AmWest are seen as traitors that have joined forces with Harvey, attacking the citizens of Taem and AmEast, selling weapons and technology in exchange for his safety. While the Heisted boys of Claysoot simply appear in the Taem training field, very much alive.
But Frank isn't all he seems to be. While praising Grey, miraculously escaping and the potential savior for the citizens of Claysoot, but what if the rebel traitors are merely victims? A group of disgruntled citizens banding together against Taem and the Franconian Order, the law instilled by Taem which is punishable by execution... Now Grey's thirst for answers, has him labelled as a traitor.
Grey flees, leaving Emma behind in search for Harvey and his rebellion... And finds more than he bargained for. It seems Clayfoot isn't the only community where children are taken, that Harvey isn't a wanted fugitive, nor the founder of Claysoot. He's merely a scientist of technology and his only crime is that he knows too much. The Rebels are a group of former Taem residents and those from the Heisted communities that have been threatened, abused and victimised at the hands of the Franconian Order. They've chosen not to live under the orders of a cruel and corrupt leader... A far truth from what those in Taem are led to believe.
Bree is a feisty rebel, Heisted from a village where girls are the dominant sex. She moves with stealth, she's tough and doesn't shy away from the truth. Grey can't deny the attraction, but he can't forget Emma and needs to return to free her from the grip of Taem. But when word filters through from the capital, that a deadly virus is set to be released into the rebel camp, the group of revolutionaries take the battle to the doorstep of AmEast... But not everyone will make it out alive.
Taken wasn't at all what I was expecting, and the unexpected is what kept the storyline interesting. It's more or less the typical young adult dystopian, starting as what seems to be survival in a post apocalyptic world, but quickly morphs into a science fiction twist. It has all the elements that readers will expect, harsh regime type government, tyrant leader, a rebellion, war ravaged history and freedom fighters, the plot twists will keep you wanting more.
But sadly it delivered too much more. There were far too many elements to the storyline, with the inclusion of what can only be described as cloning. It didn't seem to serve any purpose in Taken, so I'm assuming that it may be pivotal to the upcoming series releases instead. It left me skimming over those particular dialogues, and unfortunately that's where my interest started to stray. I'll continue with the series, eventually.
Taken
(Taken: Book One)
Written By Erin Bowman
Published 16 / 04 / 2013
(Taken: Book One)
Written By Erin Bowman
Published 16 / 04 / 2013
352 Pages
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