Revealing Eden by Victoria Foyt

Revealing Eden
Victoria Foyt
Publisher: Sand Dollar Press
Release Date: October 6, 2011
Pages: 320

Rating: 2 stars

Eden Newman must mate before her 18th birthday in six months or she'll be left outside to die in a burning world. But who will pick up her mate-option when she's cursed with white skin and a tragically low mate-rate of 15%? In a post-apocalyptic, totalitarian, underground world where class and beauty are defined by resistance to an overheated environment, Eden's coloring brands her as a member of the lowest class, a weak and ugly Pearl. If only she can mate with a dark-skinned Coal from the ruling class, she'll be safe. Just maybe one Coal sees the Real Eden and will be her salvation her co-worker Jamal has begun secretly dating her. But when Eden unwittingly compromises her father's secret biological experiment, she finds herself in the eye of a storm and thrown into the last area of rainforest, a strange and dangerous land. Eden must fight to save her father, who may be humanity's last hope, while standing up to a powerful beast-man she believes is her enemy, despite her overwhelming attraction. Eden must change to survive but only if she can redefine her ideas of beauty and of love, along with a little help from her "adopted aunt" Emily Dickinson.

The premise of this one sounded super cool, but I found the execution of the story a bit off. Dystopian reads are very hit or miss for me. There is something about them, some quality I am always looking for and when I don't find it, I generally am not crazy about the book. Though, I did finish this one, I was constantly intrigued trying to figure out what was happening, because a lot of the time I wasn't entirely sure.

Revealing Eden was definitely a fast read. The first few chapters were slower to read, as I was trying to piece together the world and figure out what was going on. What happened from there was definitely not what I had pictured from reading the premise. Generally speaking I could figure out what was going on, but there were smaller aspects of the plot arc that I never quite figured out.. My huge issue was the instant love scenario that happens. Eden was lusting after another guy, then all at once, changes teams and is going for another guy. There was no lead up, nothing. I also had a bit of an issue with some happenings towards the end of the book - it just made no sense to me. I also could not fully understand the logic behind injecting humans with animal DNA, it was just too weird for me.

I thought that a lot of the minor characters were really great. They had great qualities. I really liked Maria quite a lot. Eden was a weaker character for me. She was insecure to the point I would consider it a fault. Bramford was the most real character of the book for me.

Overall, Revealing Eden was not the book for me. I would recommend it for those who really like a unique dystopian. There were too many questions I had to let me fully enjoy the book. It was a fast read, but I wasn't quite satisfied with the ending and the characters, overall, were a little off.

Tour: Tunnel Vision by Susan Shaw

Tunnel Vision
Susan Shaw
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Release Date: August 16, 2011
Pages: 272

Rating: 2 stars

On her way home one evening, Liza has to force her way through a group of men in a train underpass. She doesn’t think anything of it, but when her mom is shot dead moments later, Liza’s world turns upside down. Even worse, Liza was really the target. Only hours after her mother’s death, Liza is nearly killed again and she and her dad are placed in the witness protection program. Leaving everything she's ever known behind, Liza and her dad pick up and move, never staying in one place for long. It's too big of a risk—and Liza's worst fear is realized when she gets recognized. The would-be killer is still on their trail, so all Liza ad her dad can do is keep running. Unsure whom to trust and where to go, they're just trying to stay alive.

Tunnel Vision was an interesting read. There were some really great things about it, but in the end I found the things I didn't like more overpowering than the good things.

I really disliked Liza. I thought she was super whiny and annoying - she was 16, but acted like a 6 year for about the first half of the book. From there on out, while I was still not a huge fan, she got slightly better. I really liked the characters that played a smaller role like Hanna and Cassie, though I really wish they had been developed more. So many of the characters in this book felt very 2D to me.

I absolutely loved the idea of the premise, but I wish Shaw had done more with it. I felt that the book was simply a flat line instead of expanding into bigger and more exciting things. This book was just full of unbelievable circumstances. I found so much of it hard to believe - I mean, I'm willing to bend reality of bit but so much of it was just too coincidental and there was absolutely no explanation.

I really did enjoy Shaw's writing style. Tunnel Vision was a fast paced read, and I did read it all in the same day.  This book came to no conclusion. I finished the book, with absolutely nothing happening. The plot ties hadn't been tied up, nothing like that.

While there were some great things about it, I would recommend picking up Tunnel Vision from the library or borrowing from a friend.

The First Part Last by Angela Johnson

The First Part Last
Angela Johnson
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: December 28, 2004
Pages: 144
Source: read for class

Rating: 2 stars

Bobby's a classic urban teenager. He's restless. He's impulsive. But the thing that makes him different is this: He's going to be a father. His girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant, and their lives are about to change forever. Instead of spending time with friends, they'll be spending time with doctors, and next, diapers. They have options: keeping the baby, adoption. They want to do the right thing.

If only it was clear what the right thing was.

I was not impressed with this book at all. I hadn't even heard of it before my teacher told me we'd be reading it for class. I thought it would be good, after reading the description and knowing that it was told both from a guy's POV and in then and now chapters. I found it to be a short, underdeveloped story with characters that I couldn't connect with.

So the story is told in alternating chapters of then and now. Usually this type of book makes me super happy, as I love alternating chapters. The issue with it in this book was that the chapters were so short you'd barely get used to the then or now and then it'd be swithcing again. The plot never amounted to anything, and was plain confusing. I finished the book not knowing exactly what had happened.

The characters were very undeveloped. I never grew to know any of them, and they were as 2D as a piece of paper. Most of the them were simply names on the page. The one character I did like was Coco, the neighbor. She seemed like a lot of fun.

This was a fast read, but not one I particularly enjoyed. The book was over before I could get to know any of the characters or understand the story. I can't even say that I like the cover, as I thought it's a really awkward looking one.

Deenie by Judy Blume

Deenie
Judy Blume
Publisher: Dell
Release Date: July 13, 1973
Pages: 144
Source: Library

Rating: 2 stars

When Deenie sees the brace for the first time, she wants to scream, Forget it... I'm never going to wear that thing. Everyone will know. Everyone!

But the words won't come out. And Deenie, beautiful Deenie, who everyone says should be a model, is stuck wearing a brace from her neck to her hips. For four years-or longer. How will she ever face the hard times ahead?

I was expecting to like this book. I had heard from numerous people about the marvelous wonders of Judy Blume books, but there was little to nothing I liked about Deenie. I found the characters to be annoying and the story was not enticing. I found myself bored, and the book is only 144 pages!

I really was not a fan of any of the characters, but most particularly the mom and aunt. This about sums out what I got out of those two: You need to be a model. Oh wait, you have scoliosis?? It's YOUR fault. Stop being inconsiderate to us, because we want you to be a model we're ugly hags who can't be models ourselves - I absolutely could not stand them, they just were naggy and annoying.

The plot was very basic. I didn't find myself real attached to the plot or anything - I was a bit bored for most of the book. I am quite happy the book wasnt' any longer or else I probably wouldn't have finished.

This isn't a book I would recommend. It had a few redeeming qualities, but I found the bads outweighed the goods.

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn

Breathing Underwater
Alex Flinn
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: October 1, 2002
Pages: 263
Source: Read for my YA Lit Class at school

Rating: 2 stars

Like father,
like son

Intelligent, popular, handsome, and wealthy, sixteen-year-old Nick Andreas is pretty much perfect — on the outside, at least. What no one knows — not even his best friend — is the terror that Nick faces every time he is alone with his father. Then he and Caitlin fall in love, and Nick thinks his problems are over. Caitlin is the one person who he can confide in. But when things start to spiral out of control, Nick must face the fact that he's gotten more from his father than green eyes and money.

So this book reminds me a lot of Inexcusable by Chris Lynch. I had a strong dislike for Inexcusable. Breathing Underwater had more redeeming qualities in it, but it was still not a favorite of mine.

I had an issue with the characters, feeling they never really developed. I wanted to sock Caitlyn in the face pretty much the whole book. I couldn't stand her. Nick was annoying, but decreased slightly in his annoyingness throughout the book. Tom just was an awful friend. Most of the other characters just blended into the wall paper. The only character of the whole book I liked was Mario - who I felt was a really redeemable and good person.

The plot was good, but I have read other books in the same situation that I felt were better done. I really did like how the story started in the present moving forward, while also telling readers the past in the form of Nick's journal entries. That was really interesting, as it let the plot to have a bit of a mystery aspect as readers had to piece together the story bit by bit and try to guess what would happen next.

This really isn't a book I would suggest, it doesn't even have a pretty cover to make up for some of the contents. It is an alright story, but is definitely not the most well done story in the situation I have read.

Traveling To Teens: Hunger by Jackie Kessler

Hunger
Jackie Kessler
Publisher: Harcourt Graphia
Release Date: October 18, 2010
Pages: 180
Source: ARC received for review

Rating: 2 stars

“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons?

Hunger is a story that deals with modern issues in a very unique and memorable way. While it was memorable, the contents were not what I expected. While I was interested and kept reading, I found the story to be confusing and finished without really knowing what had happened.

The story was very confusing. I don't know the myth very well, and the story didn't really explain any of it. It threw the four horsemen out and what they stood for, and that was pretty much the explanation you got. Hunger was also very short. I felt that the story didn't have the opportunity to develop to its full extent, because there were only 180 pages in total. The majority of the book is spent with Lisabeth discovering Famine, and the last 50 were where she really began to understand. I felt this ending was rushed, as you had this long drawn out discovery. Then it felt like the actually action of the story was over in a flash, followed by a very rushed ending.

The characters in Hunger fell flat for me. The only character I really liked was Death. He was funny and charming and brought the most enjoyable parts of the book. I found Lisabeth to be a very annoying narrator, I just didn't like her thoughts. Tammy, Suzanne, and James were underdeveloped. You never really got to know them. Tammy was a character I just couldn't stand. Characters are probably the biggest factor of a book, and if I don't like the characters, usually that's how I feel about the book.

I think Hunger had a very strong premise, it just wasn't the book for me. I kept reading, trying to see if it got better, but sadly it didn't. As I write this, I still am confused as to what happened. While the book ended, I feel like the story was not tied up at all.

You can find Jackie on the web at her Website, as well as her twitter.

Don't forget to check out the next stop on the tour tomorrow at In Bed With Books! You can also find the complete Hunger Tour schedule at the Traveling to Teens Website.

WTF by Peter Lerangis

WTF
Peter Lerangis
Release Date: November 10, 2009
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 272

One Plan, Two Parties, Six Players:
Jimmy: the Driver
Cam: the connect
Byron: the know-it-all
Waits: the supplier
Reina: the conscience
MC: the crasher

On one friday night these six will test their limits to the extreme. Some are driven by lust, others by greed. One just wants to have fun, and another desires to be free. If everything goes as planned, they all get what they want. But within twenty-four hours, bones will break, bodies will touch, hearts will race, guns will be drawn, and everything will go oh so very wrong...


When I first read the description for WTF, I thought it sounded like a fun, exciting read. You look at the cover, and see a cover that almost dares you to pick it up and in a way screams WTF. I love it. In WTF, Peter Lerangis never leaves you with down time, just throws more and more events at you. Though it was almost a bit too much thrown at you at times. As I was nearing the half way point of the book, I was just figuring out what had happened in the beginning of the book. Nonetheless, the plot was totally fun all along the way. The plot to me was about the only redemming aspect of the book.

The end is kind of abrupt. And following the ending, all you get is a short few sentence summary of what happens to each character in their next few years following the story. I really would've loved to know more of what happened to everyone, immediately and down the road.

I wasn't too crazy about the characters. The book is less than 300 pages, and there's 5 different POV going on. Each POV was so short and choppy I never really got a good idea of each characters story that night. In addition to that, you never really get to know any of the characters outside that night. I felt this really took away from the story. The characters just weren't very personable, and I couldn't connect with any aspect of them. And if I can't connect to the characters, how am I supposed to connect with their story?

Overall, WTF was a book that left me without much of an opinion. WTF deals with drugs, partying, injuries - all issues that should leave you with a reaction, but I was left with nothing. It had an enticing plot, mediocore writing, a shiny cover, and characters that really did nothing for me.

While WTF didn't appeal to me, as a reader, I can definately see how many other teens would love it. The teen rebellion going on in WTF would most likely appeal to a large group of teens. Characters are the biggest thing for me, and if I cannot connect with the characters in some way, it's really hard for me to get past that. Readers who are big on plot and action will definately enjoy WTF.

Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin

Cycler
Lauren McLaughlin
Release Date: August 26, 2008
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 256

Rating: 2 stars

AS FAR AS anyone at her high school knows, Jill McTeague is an average smart girl trying to get her dream date to ask her to the prom.

What no one knows, except for Jill’s mom and dad, is that for the four days Jill is out of school each month, she is not Jill at all. She is Jack, a genuine boy—complete with all the parts. Jack lives his four days per month in the solitude of Jill’s room. But his personality has been building since the cycling began. He is less and less content with his confinement and his cycles are becoming more frequent. Now Jill’s question about the prom isn’t who she'll go with, but who she'll be when the big night arrives.

Cycler was a book with a very unique plot. Cycler definately gets big points for originality, but I think it was almost a little too out there for me. The fact that a split personality evolved and a girl becomes a guy 4 days a month just didn't catch me. Cycler was better as the novel went on. The beginning, to me, dragged a bit. The end was faster paced, and held your attention, while setting the stage for book 2.

The characters were a little too one-dimensional for my liking. All the gender myths were present in both Jack and Jill. This may have been the point as the two personalities are male/female, but no guy or girl fits gender myths 100% percent. I loved Ramie's character, despite her letting random strangers through her window at night :).

I thought the cover design was really neat, having Jill on the front and Jack on the back. The sequel (Re)Cycler comes out August 25!